[sonofzell]

So, while my previous post boasted near-perfect condition, this one appears to be quite the opposite. There is a lot of visible wear and tear on this gun... all over. I haven't fired it, but all the wear seems to be cosmetic with the exception of the hammer, which looks as if it was damaged or altered in some way. Dad's notes include: ".35REM" and "20in Barrel".

The scope is Tasco A58 "4x40 Opti-Centered", Serial F.5440C. It looks to be just as beat-up as the rifle itself, but is clear to look through.

 

[sonofzell]

A better look at the hammer damage/wear. Looking at it now, it almost looks like it may have been intentionally filed away to avoid contact with the scope?

Doesn't sound like something my father would do to one of his guns, but looking at these photos now, it seems possible...

 

[Old Guns]

The actual hammer is OK. What you are seeing is a hammer extension that is mounted on the real hammer to make it easier to cock with a scope mounted. The tasco is also a low quality scope and may to some hurt the value more then help. The fact that th receiver was drilled for a scope mount hurts the collector value a good bit, but this was done to many rifles as a scope is a vast improvement over iron sights. The gun has much better looks without it. This too is a pre Micro-Groove rifling barrel made in 1951. It has a collector following but not a real strong one. It is still in production but the current version is not as well made or finished. It also has an ugly safety button. This gun as pictured will sell in the 400 dollar range plus or minus a little. The 35 Remington Caliber is a bit less common then the often seen 30-30 but the 35 Remington is becoming harder to find ammunition for.