Handsome Rob

I'm wondering if the original Waffen marking might have been on top of the front ring. They would've been milled off when the dovetail was cut.

The barrel measures exactly 615mm from bolt face to muzzle (a gnat's over 24-1/4") & the bore slugged at exactly .358 in the grooves, not the more typically European .355-.356, making me wonder if it could possibly have been rebored over here.

Here you go. This is everything I can find..... The 5167 serial number is matched throughout all the action parts, barrel & steel buttplate, although oddly not on the bottom metal/trigger parts.

I think that the original loaf proof data puts it 1888 to 1901, but the action dimensions narrow that to post 1898. If i'm correct, that places it very tidily into a 3 year range, but I have no clue as to the maker or when it was converted from 7.92 to 9mm

Gotcha. Im going to pull it out of the stock today & get some detailed photos of all the markings, so I'll have a better idea then. Nothing is visible above the wood on the action, other than the load data (2.75grams, Rifle flake powder ((G.B.P))

I agree on the claw mount. The front dovetail has been filled in, very professionally. The rear screw holes look to be 2 different sizes & don't look to be perfectly aligned to the bore. Not that i'm planning on re-mounting an optic anyway. When you say "What does it say on the side rail?" What do you mean by side rail.

If anyone has any idea how to age or identify my latest acquisition, i'd really appreciate the help. All I know is that it's a commercial production on a '98 action in 9x57. It's insanely light (maaaaaybe 6lb) half octagon, half round barrel & the stock is veneer thin around the barrel!

Varget or cfe.223 will cover you for both. Cfe223 shines if you're wanting max elocity (especially in the .308) Varget seems like it's far more consistent though, albeit a couple hundred fps slower. Plus, it has the advantage of being available in 8lb jugs.

If i'd been smart enough to have bought this in .308, rather than .223, I'd still have it.

Same Redhawk, better grips.....

https://i.imgur.com/YggngPP.jpg

Now these two I really miss.....

Good God it looks like a truck exhaust. It couldn't be uglier if it had a nutsack hanging off it.

No major damage here, thankfully. Lots of trees & lines down in Tullahoma. No power since 17:00 yesterday.

I've probably hunted & killed a metric ton of skwerls in my life. Mostly in England. 99% with a .22 air rifle where head shots are imperative. A body shot will flat out not kill them. The other percent is a 50/50 mix of .22lr & a .410 single shot. I don't skwerl hunt much these days, but when i do, I have my .410 in my hand & a scoped Marlin .22 slung over my shoulder. I honestly think that both are essential. Squirrel hunting is far more successful if it's done in pairs. One with a shotgun, one a rifle.

I've heard about it since I moved here, but I've never had it. Didn't even know what it looked like. I just gave 'er a googling & realized I have literally TONS of it on my property. If anyone wants to come to tullahoma & clear my fence rows.......ahem....... pick a truck full of Poke, please feel free! (Le Wife asked if you could microwave it. Good God I detest that woman sometimes.)

Amazon, $60 1-4 ffp crapper..... You still got me by a good bit!

Nice! Man, i thought I'd done well a couple of years ago, putting a scoped .300blk together for under $400!

I'm noticing a trend. Did mid length gas systems only come into existence recently? Loooooots of exposed barrels going on........

From my experience (non immigrant alien) If there's any slight complication, TICS tends to deny/delay an application. Generally, if you reapply 30 days later (& there are no prohibitive circumstances) your application will go through. It's happened to me twice now. No flat out denial, just a delay. I've never had to file an appeal, but if you've been actually denied, there's an appeal process you'll have to go through to clear up any issues. Occasionally, you be assigned a delayed status but the dealer will tell you it's a denial.

Man, I thought this was the coolest rifle ever built..... Now it makes my eyes hurt.

I couldn't honestly say. Mine started to flake within a year, so I stripped it down to bare aluminum & its been unsettled at since!

Favorite rifle: Henry H001. I don't have the history that most folk here do, but I bought the gun in 2009 when i first moved here & I lost my round a long time ago. I'd rough estimate 200k+ I've recently acquired am old Marlin model 25 &so far it's amazing. Smooth, accurate, fun to shoot & deadly on bottle caps! Pistol: I'm really digging this new Ruger Wrangler, but the finest I ever owned was a Ruger Standard (pre-mark) I regret selling that one hard.......