Rifle Value??
Hi, I am condsidering selling a rifle my wife had picked up from a friend and was curious as to what price I might be able to get. Wish I had a picture to post, but I don't. Anyhow, it is a Remington marked MLE 1907-15 8mm lebel(vesion of a "Berthier," I think). It appears to be what someone told me was the cavalry carbine -- about a 20 inch barrel; single barrel band with an attached circular ring for sling attachment. The rifle is in what I would call NRA Fine condition with a particularly good bore. If y'all can give me some help on this I'd appreciate it -- just trying to decide whether I should sell it or just keep it as a wall hanger.
0
-
According to the reference I have, the 1907/15 Berthier's made by Remington were infantry rifles with barrels 31" long.
If this is correct? it means your carbine probably has been sporterized, generally this has a negative affect on it's value. The folks who collect this type of military rifle want them in as close to factory original condition as possible.
0 -
its an ARTILLARY or FORESTRY SERVICE carbine. you will find it listed in RIFLES OF THE WORLD. i have seen 4 differant BBL lengths on this model / type.
i own a BERTHIER-LEBEL MLE M.16 myself manufactured at STE. ETIENNE with a 17.7" BBL. to further add to the confusion, TURKEY obtained a large quantity of these guns in differant configurations and cut them down into carbines for issue to reserve and militia units. these guns saw a lot of use in former french colonies and posessions as well...
these are well made, if ugly guns. they are chambered in 8X50M RIMMED LEBEL. check your gun were the reciever meets the BBL on the top of the gun. in there are capital "N"`S that line up your gun is certified for use of the new modern 8mm lebel ammunition.
the bottom of the fixed external mannlicher type in line box magazine has a hinged floorplate to allow the removal (drop out the bottom) of the ammunition chargers. inside the trigger gaurd, towards the front is a lever / device / button. this is a "forward assist" lever to help facilitate the free drop of the charger through magazine well trap door.
ita a manualy operated 2-piece bolt (do not attempt to take it apart). the breechblock has double locking lugs at the bolt head. the round, tapered BBL has 4-groove rifling, left hand cocentric twist. the back face of the bolt may be manipulated like a screw in either direction to change the depth of the firing pin strike depending on wich type / age / design ammo you were issued. your rear battle sight is probably graduated out to 2400 meters (2625 yds). you will need to raise it to the second or 3rd notch / setting to be near or at center ain the 50-75-100 yd range. the saddle ring carbine set up is the most common encountered.
REMINGTON manufactured guns command a premium. they are better made, there are fewer around, and the name REMINGTON alone boosts the value. HARRINGTON AND RICHARDSON also produced some, but i have never seen one.
the big problem is ammo price and availability. i grab it whenever i can find it. i have original military ammo, the new lighter modern ammo, remington commercial ammo, KYNOCH conical flat point commercial ammo, and ammo i removed from HOTCHKISS machine gun strips. BUFFALO ARMS sells new, unprimed, unfired virgin brass.
if you find it at less then $50.00 per 20 rounds you will be lucky. reloading the military brass cases is difficult and time consuming. here at the shop waltsgun@aol.com we have the dies, and my boss has fabricated / handloaded a few boxs for my personal use. the REMINGTON commercial brass from the 50`s is the best, but very pricey.
some of the ammo has gone bad. i have a few boxes that are slow to ignite. you pull the trigger, and count 0NE ONE THOUSAND, TWO ONE THOUSAND, THREE ONE THOUSAND, and then it fires. another brand makes a bacon-frying sound upon ignition.
from these short BBL`d light carbines the recoil from the 232 gr and 260 gr rounds can be astonishing. there is also a pronounced heat bloom and flame effect at the end of the BBL. the gun jumps around.
i enjoy my carbine. i shoot it a few times a year, and its pretty accuratte. dinner plate sized groups at 50 and 100 yds. decent trigger pull. there are several for sale here on GB at any givin time, to compare agaist yours for a value.
i think that its a keeper. good luck, and best regards, mike.
What other dungeon is so dark as ones own heart, what jailer so inexorable as ones own mind.0 -
'NEW MODERN 8MM LEBEL AMMUNITION', BOY TALK ABOUT AN OXYMORON. ANY WAY YOU ASK ABOUT A PRICE=NOT A HOLE LOT I'VE SEEN THESE SELL HERE FOR +- $200. I BOUGHT A SLIGHTLY MODIFIED S.R.C. HERE ABOUT A YEAR AGO FOR $80 (NOT A REM)IN VERY GOOD SHAPE. THE SAME SELLER HAD AN UNMODIFIED ONE THAT SOLD FOR ABOUT $160 (?). 0 -
The rifle I have is like the below auctions:
Auction # 18155983
Auction # 17981143
It looks exactly like the first one (18155983) with the exception that the barrel is the shorter version shown in 17981143. I see these auctions are starting at $800 and $225. Are these guys way off on their expected prices or what? I'd hate to let go of mine for $80 if they're actually going for a lot more.0 -
please note that neither of these auctions had any bids. #17981143 was a bit high but realistic, #18155983 was fishing for suckers. 0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
5 comments