What is the Effect on Value if Some Dinkberry Drilled a Dovetail Receiver

[ricksengines]

I'm probably going to regret posting this but I think it is a subject worthy of discussion. For some strange reason people (at my age I refer to them as Dinkberries) opted to drill and tap the dovetails on the Sako L46 and L461 receivers rather than mount a pair of Sako integral mounts or another brand that did not require such radical action.

I say radical because there were certainly better alternatives to mounting a scope on one of these fine receivers but for some reason the owner opted to have the holes drilled and tapped (or just drilled). I can't believe that back in the day there was some sort of shortage of Sako rings. Leupold and other manufacturers made similar systems that either clamped onto the dovetails or had a setscrew that applied pressure to the top of the receiver sufficient enough to hold the mounts in place.

Cost wise, it almost had to be more costly to have a competent gunsmith drill the thing rather than just put a set of Sako mounts on the rifle in the first place. Perhaps it was done for looks. As in the owner didn't like the looks of rings that were clamped in place.

So I ask the question. What is the effect on the value on a fine Sako L46 or L461 rifle if the dovetail pads on the receiver have been drilled? Lets say you have a Sako Deluxe in .222 and the thing has been drilled. Or like the 17 Mach IV I posted a while back where it had been drilled but that modification was not disclosed until after I received and inspected the rifle! Yep I kept it but it sure wrinkled my feathers when I saw the holes. My reaction might have been different if there was a scope mounted on it in the first place. But there was not. Didn't have any photos of the top of the receive either. Yep, I already know what you are going to say, let the buyer beware. That said I'm not sure that the holes would be a show stopper on a deal (unless of course some do it yourselfer took the thing out to the garage and used a hand drill on it).

So am I just jousting with windmills because there were so many people that opted to drill and tap rather than use Sako or other mounts that were designed specifically to hold the scope firmly in place without requiring such a radical modification to the receiver? What is the effect on the value of the rifle if such a modification was made?

rick

 

[stonecreek]

Simple D&T ain't nothin' compared to the handful of Sako receivers I've seen on which the dovetails have been machined completely off to make a round-top, then drilled and tapped!

I can see no reason other than sheer ignorance for drilling a Sako's dovetails -- ignorance that there are (and were) many good mounts available for the factory dovetails. The exception might be really remote locations in the days when the only distance communications were by mail and it was somewhat more difficult to know where to go for proper mounts. In those circumstances I can see a rather desperate owner having a gunsmith to D&T so that he could go ahead and use a base from the gunsmith's small assortment.

One instance in which D&T is unavoidable, however, is when an owner wanted to use a Unertl-type barrel-mounted target scope on his Sako. There was no alternative other than to D&T at least the front dovetail (along with the barrel).

How much the D&T depreciates a Sako would depend on how "collectible" the Sako is to begin with. If it is a "shooter" class rifle in a fairly common caliber then the D&T hardly impacts its value at all, especially since many rings/bases will completely cover the holes. On the other hand, an otherwise pristine Deluxe Sako, or an early Mannlicher, or some other Sako which will bring a premium in the market if its condition is excellent will be hurt much more by D&T. How much depends on the individual buyer -- some wouldn't consider such a rifle while others might buy it if $XXX were knocked off of the price.

Bottom line: The discount could be anywhere from none to total; there is no real rule of thumb applicable here.

 

[paulsonconstruction]

Before judging motives on the drill & tap thing you have to put your mind "back in the day" & realize that in the 50's & 60's availability of scope mounting accessories was no where near what it is today. With the scarcer foreign made rifles like Sako your average local gun shop wouldn't stock rings for those "funny dovetails" that no rifles on their selves had. Without the internet search & acquire capabilities we have today the quest for Sako ringmounts required expensive long distance phone or surface mail inquiries & could take weeks. The resulting purchase & shipping costs could easily exceed what a gunsmith could install bases by drilling & tapping & it could be done much quicker. Remember also that those fellas weren't thinking about "collector" value as they bought the rifle to use & all rifles had holes in the receiver if you wanted a scope mounted. As far as the holes affecting value it really depends on the circumstances. An otherwise pristine Sako that has been drilled would suffer more devaluation than a Sako that has already been modified with an aftermarket barrel in a wildcat caliber. Everyone has their own ideas on this subject, but my rule of thumb is to devalue what would otherwise be a "collectable" rifle about $200. On a Sako that has already been modified in some fashion or one that I intend to modify & put to use in the field I don't consider the drilling to be all that big a deal. For me the "devaluation" is on a case by case basis. BTW, I see where stone posted while I was typing, so forgive any duplication of his info!

 

[ricksengines]

Wow! I'm getting great responses from my fellow Sako collectors. That said, I think knocking the value down by $200 is fair. However, on something like a Deluxe I would think that the effect on the value would be greater. I agree that just how much of a devaluation would be entirely up to the buyer. But from the sellers vantage point that person might feel that the holes had no effect on the value.

Here is another question. This one is a little more complicated. I wonder if the holes could be tigged and the diamond pattern recut. Another alternative but one that would be more complicated to achieve would be to put a diamond pattern on the head of a filler screw and lock tight the thing in the hole. I know that these two approaches are basically non starters but what the heck mud on the wall still stimulates thought and there isn't anything wrong with out of the box thinking regardless of do-ability. Are there other alternatives other than covering the holes with scope mounts that come to mind?

rick

 

[paulsonconstruction]

Welding & recutting would also require rebluing the entire barreled action, so from an economic standpoint you probably couldn't recoup the cost when selling, especially if you factor in that rebluing can devalue a "collectable" rifle for many. From an aesethic standpoint it would depend on how much the holes bugged you, as the expense is not prohibitive. Simply filling them with screw plugs is acceptable to me. If I was already planning to reblue a Sako I was reconfiguring or refinishing anyway, welding & recutting would be worth considering as that additional cost wouldn't add a great amount to the overall cost. Lock-Titing a flat surfaced filler plug in the hole & recutting the diamond pattern, then cold bluing is probably possible, but it would be detectable to some degree. It would likely be impossible to cut the top of the filler plug without it being in place & have it "match" the existing pattern. Any seller that thinks the holes don't devalue the rifle to some degree is not going to have much luck selling to any knowledgeable buyer, IMHO.

 

[ricksengines]

Hi Paul. I think you are spot on. My solution is to do one of two things. Put filler screws in the holes and cover with a set of clamp-on mounts that hide the dastardly deed or just put the mounts on without putting the filler screws in the holes. Either way one still comes out with a nice rifle that is fun to shoot and that retains some of its collectable value in spite of the holes. For some of the more scarce and expensive variants paying a few dollars under value isn't a bad thing especially if you walkaway with a goodie. These days, that might be the closest many of us will come to owning a real scarce classic.

rick

 

[cmjr]

Your right on the value of a deluxe being dropped severely. I have a L461 Deluxe that the famed custom builder Griffin &Howe got hold of. Installed a nice custom scope quick change apparatus, required drilling through the side of the receiver. Top it off by putting a nice custom ID inletted plate under the butt by the slingstud......grrrrr

 

[ricksengines]

So if we can't put a value on this can we use a percentage. Say something on the order of 40% value reduction on a deluxe depending on the caliber. Also, I found a beautiful HB L46 .222 on GB. Problem is that it was set up for the Unertl Scope so the front dovetail has a two screw block installed along with the block on the barrel. Talk about a shame but that is what they did back in the day.

rick