Coltsman
What Sako action was used on the Coltsman 1961 Custom in 30/06.
Thanks
Glenn Martz
Thanks
Glenn Martz
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according to my 1961 gun digest, the 30-06 and other long cases came with a FN mauser action and sold for $160. the winchester mod 70 was offered for $135 0 -
The "Coltsman" Rifle was the "New Model and Name" for the Colt "57" line of High Power Rifles, and were announced in late 1958. The Coltsman line featured four different calibers of rifle in three models designated as "Standard, Deluxe, and Custom." None of these guns were actually made by Colt. They were assembled on barreled actions furnished by Firearms International, Inc., in Washington, D.C. to Jefferson Manufacturing Company of North Haven, Connecticut. The .30-06 and .300 Magnum were FN Mauser Model 300 Actions from Belgium and the .243 Winchester and .308 Winchester calibers were on Barrelled Actions from Sako/Finnland on L-57, (Medium) actions. This series of Coltsman rifles was manufactured beginning in early 1959 and the entire production was completed before the end of that year. Sales were extremely slow and this run of rifles provided Inventory until 1962 when some models had finally been completely sold, leaving some models unavailable to the buyer of that time.
Jefferson Manufacturing Company had sold out to a Company named Kodiak after a failed attempt to market their own brand of rifle after producing the 1959 run of Coltsman rifles. This "New" company, Kodiak, purchased only Sako/Finnland barrelled actions and made a run of Coltsman rifles for Colt in 1963. This production of these guns was a redesigned line featuring a "Standard and Custom" Model in the following calibers: .223 Remington, .243 Winchester, .308 Winchester, .264 and .30-06. There was also a few .222 Remington chambered guns as examples of these are known to exist although they were never advertised. This Group of Coltsman rifles on Sako actions was identical to the Sako Standard Sporter and to the Sako Deluxe Models of the time, with the exception of the addition of the Colt rollmark markings. Only a very few guns were made initially in this run and all were completed by Sako in Finnland. From 1963 to 1965, you could purchase one of these guns, if it was in stock, or you could "order it" and wait for it to be made and shipped in to your dealer. Because most of these were made to order, the serial number range was NOT followed nor was it consecutive in any manner. You will find guns with Serial Numbers in the 30,000 range as well as guns in the 76,000 range and all in between. It was the "luck of the draw" as each new order for a Coltsman was filled by taking an action off the assembly line in Finnland and completing it as a Coltsman instead of a Sako Standard Sporter or Deluxe Model. Pricing affected sales and public demand, (or lack of it), caused Colt to allow the inventory to be depleted by sales and discontinued their program of the Coltsman High Power Rifle line completely in 1965.
Depending on the caliber, these models of the Coltsman rifle came on the L-46, L469, L-57 and L-61-R Sako actions.
Now the "Short Answer" to your question is this: If you have a Sako action rifle in .30-06, it will more than likely be a L-61-R action. It would have been made in 1963 and not 1961. If you have a .30-06 that was made in 1961, (confirmed), and it is a Coltsman marked gun, it would be on a Belgium FN Mauser action of that era.
My New Book, "The COLTSMAN High Performance Sporting Rifle," will be available in September of this year if all goes as now scheduled. The Book will clear up the "mystery" of these rifles. Present information available has been found very lacking and in many cases, even incorrect. All of these issues will be explored and a difinitive case will be presented for all new facts regarding these fine rifles. To those of you that have an example of one of these, you will be amazed to learn more about your gun and its origins. To those of you that collect these rifles, you will finally be able to assign proper and correct values based on facts that will reflect the true values of these rifles. The Book is based on facts obtained during a very long and hard two years of research and is complete with many illustrations of these Sporting Rifles......... Hope this is of help to you! Thanks for the opportunity to "announce" my New Book!
"Life is FRAGILE!" Handle With Care!0 -
Thanks RANCHERO, I always wondered were you got your facts so quickly on Colt Rifles! Glad we got ya, you are a font of info, hats off to you!!
SEMPER FI MAC, SEMPER FI0 -
RancheroPaul,
Don't just announce it, make sure that we know when it is available and where! I will be in line to add it to my book shelf. Great answer by the way.
Best.0 -
Thanks, Guys! Book should be available Mid-September. It will be available at Stores such as Barnes and Noble and might be available from Amazon.com as well as others. Also as an "E-Book" downloadable at a very attractive price, (I don't know what that is yet), and no waste of paper........ Highly Recommended for the Colt Collector!
"Life is FRAGILE!" Handle With Care!0 -
quote:Originally posted by RancheroPaul
Thanks, Guys! Book should be available Mid-September. It will be available at Stores such as Barnes and Noble and might be available from Amazon.com as well as others. Also as an "E-Book" downloadable at a very attractive price, (I don't know what that is yet), and no waste of paper........ Highly Recommended for the Colt Collector!
"Life is FRAGILE!" Handle With Care!
Did this book every come out?? I looked for it on Amazon and Barns and Noble with no luck.
I've recently ended up with a Mauser Action 30-06 with serial number C23XX and I'm guessing it's a 57' yet the barrel is marked Coltsman.. Just trying to get more info on it to find out what it is.. The stock front end has a black fore-end tip and the butt plate is a Bishop plate.. I'm guessing the Bishop plate was installed to shorten the rifle up a touch..
Anyway, I must be an official Colt Bolt Rifle collector now.. I already had an unfired Colt Light Rifle in 30-06.0 -
quote:Originally posted by paper
quote:Originally posted by RancheroPaul
Thanks, Guys! Book should be available Mid-September. It will be available at Stores such as Barnes and Noble and might be available from Amazon.com as well as others. Also as an "E-Book" downloadable at a very attractive price, (I don't know what that is yet), and no waste of paper........ Highly Recommended for the Colt Collector!
"Life is FRAGILE!" Handle With Care!
Did this book every come out?? I looked for it on Amazon and Barns and Noble with no luck.
I've recently ended up with a Mauser Action 30-06 with serial number C23XX and I'm guessing it's a 57' yet the barrel is marked Coltsman.. Just trying to get more info on it to find out what it is.. The stock front end has a black fore-end tip and the butt plate is a Bishop plate.. I'm guessing the Bishop plate was installed to shorten the rifle up a touch..
Anyway, I must be an official Colt Bolt Rifle collector now.. I already had an unfired Colt Light Rifle in 30-06.
If you can't find it on Amazon or Boookfinder, chances are it never got published. RancheroPaul hasn't been around for years. He got 86'ed, long time ago from the forums. He was one of these belligerent, chip on the shoulder types. Who could piss off the pope, without even trying.
EDIT #1
I don't usually bad mouth folks who aren't able to defend themselves. But RancheroPaul, was a piece of work.
I got into a hassle with him over a Dutch contract, Colt Official Police, revolver. Sweet thing that he was. Told me that no such animal existed. Because he didn't know about it. And I was full of you know what. No matter, that I actually had my hands on one. And a photo of one was published in the American Rifleman.0 -
quote:Originally posted by rufe-snow
If you can't find it on Amazon or Boookfinder, chances are it never got published. RancheroPaul hasn't been around for years. He got 86'ed, long time ago from the forums. He was one of these belligerent, chip on the shoulder types. Who could piss off the pope, without even trying.
[;)] Gotcha.. So chances are if I'd found this earlier, I would have had him on ignore, anyway.. [:D]
I love sharing info, and I try to do it as politely as possible.. As the old saying goes, none of us are born with this info..0 -
That's too bad--I would have bought his book, too. I have a Coltsman '06 that's built on a Sako L61R action. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by rufe-snow
EDIT #1
I don't usually bad mouth folks who aren't able to defend themselves. But RancheroPaul, was a piece of work.
I got into a hassle with him over a Dutch contract, Colt Official Police, revolver. Sweet thing that he was. Told me that no such animal existed. Because he didn't know about it. And I was full of you know what. No matter, that I actually had my hands on one. And a photo of one was published in the American Rifleman. [/b][/black]
I understand completely and it seems like there's one on every firearms forum..
This one seems to be one of those anomalies.. FN Mauser receiver, low serial number, but it's marked Coltsman on the barrel..
I'll keep digging.. Sooner or later I'll figure out what it is, or just believe someone..
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