Any one looking at this Rifle here's an update from the auction house.
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ME:   Lot #133 in Day 1 of the Rifle Ranch auctions is a Stevens Pope rifle. The last picture in the proxi bid site is a note from 1988 probably from the Rifle Ranch. The note lists several accesories not currently listed on this lot or any where else in the catalogs. These include a scope w/mounts, a measure, a mold, a luber / sizer and a  2nd stock. It would be a shame if they were in the collection but didn't accompany the rifle.


THEM:  SUN 6:33 PM

Most of the items have been found and are in transit to us


Also the rifle was featured on the cover of a 1977 issue of Handloader Magazine

ME:   MON 11:13 AM
Very good !!!

Nice that the missing items are going to be added back to the auction. Surely it will change the attraction for bidders with everything included. Would like to see what else beyond the scope and extra stock is actually returned to the auction listing?
Wonder what scope it is, and is it in Pope rings, or using bases on the barrel?

I guess when the hammer falls is it's value at that moment and to that bidder. When all the pieces are gathered there may be considerable value added. I am glad to see that it will be a complete outfit again, ring or not.

scharfe
You are exactly right about the barrel being cut for Pope scope mounts. If all the "goodies" listed on that note actually come with the rifle, it is an exceptional Pope outfit (even with the ringed barrel).

Well my message to the auction house worked. description edited :  ***Newly Discovered*** This lot is accompanied by a spare shoulder stock, a powder measurer w/ wall mount, primer seater/removal tool, bullet mold, box of wax sticks, Dupont Superfine FF Gunpowder tin, brass table fixture and oiler bottle. Additionally this rifle was featured on the cover of January-February 1977 issue of Handloader Magazine with most of the accessories listed above. An additional picture was added of the Handloader magazine cover.

A little tidbit of info. These "Pope cuts" weren't just found on Pope barrels either. My Schoyen Ballard has the same cuts in it's barrel. I'd guess it might have had a pair of Pope rings once, but really no way to know. Not sure why anyone would put the cuts on a Schoyen rifle if it wasn't to use Pope rings?
But it also has holes and regular bases for scope rings right above the Pope cuts. You can see them just below the base in this picture of my .32-40 Schoyen Ballard:

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Joe Do... wrote on Mar 4^th, 2020 at 7:29am:


I agree Joe. It really hurts the value, and especially on a gun with a famous maker's name on the barrel. But it may not affect accuracy much, or at all. I've found it depends on where the ring is. The further towards the muzzle it is, the less effect it has on accuracy. The bullet has already reached full velocity if it's near the end, so going across a ring doesn't seem to hurt it's flight. Of course it also depends on the size of the ring.

Great question I was thinking the samething as it's the chamber end that typically gets ringed.

Myers wrote on Mar 5^th, 2020 at 8:22am:


Direct from the description:

"Action is smooth, the bore is excellent besides a shallow dark ring approximately 1" from the muzzle"

And I've seen many guns with a ring anywhere in the length of the barrel. They are not just in the chamber area. If something is lodged in the bore the next shot fired will likely create a ringed barrel wherever the obstruction was.

I might add, that most rings are near the muzzle, as the shooter neglected to remove his false muzzle.

I doubt the false muzzle caused any ring.  Mine never did 

And as Chuckster stated, the possibility of launching a very valuable false muzzle down range is most certainly not a good thing.

Seems a rung bore didn't seem to hurt all that much? Of course, possibly the buyer?

I just looked at all 19 pages of that auction. Interesting that all of the long range rifles went for less that their minimum estimated. There were sure lots of nice rifles if you just had the change!

I had a ring about 2 inches back from the muzzle on a Win 62a. It would generally shoot OK but sometimes throw out a real flyer. Cut off the bbl and redid the end.