That's a hard question to answer, really.
Honestly, I guess I'd go over to
www.gunsamerica.com and/or
www.auctionarms.com and peruse the listings of sporterized milsurps. On
www.auctionarms.com you'll be able to see what price the auctions finished at, so that'll give you a ballpark figure for what folks are willing to pay for them.
Sorry that's not much help, especially when it comes to family heirlooms and all...
My dad's got a couple safes full of beautiful sporterized Mausers, Springfields, and Arisakas, done with deep Belgian bluing, Fajen, Bishop, and other high-grade wood, and the work was done by transplanted old-world gunsmiths shortly after WWII. They're works of art, and worth very little - save for the fact that as a teenager, my dad and I harvested many deer with the collection. So they have value to me for that sake alone.
The same goes for a certain 1916 C.G. Haenel Mauser that I spent a couple years building into a 1000 yard tactical/target rifle, just as F-Class shooting was starting in earnest. I built the gun to see if I could stay inside 10" at 1000 yards with 10 rounds. Physics major friends of mine in the Air Force forensics lab I worked in, plus some evenings spent on computer ballistics simulations, led me to settle on the 6.5-06 wildcat chambering, which would keep a low-drag bullet very supersonic even at 1000 yards, without the excessive recoil of the big belted magnums then in vogue.
I went all out with it, using a 26" Krieger heavy barrel, Canjar trigger, Tubb striker system, Devcon Marine Epoxy bedding w/powdered aluminum, lapped lugs, magnafluxed and trued action, you name it. I was determined to take the venerable 98 Mauser (aka, Gewehr98) to the pinnacle of performance, something one wouldn't normally do against the more popular Remington 700 and Winchester Model 70 rifles used as the basis for long-range accuracy work.
It worked like a charm. In May of 1999, my spotter and I were invited to a regional sniper match in Ione, Kalifornia. The targets at 500 meters were life-sized steel chickens, 4" steel plates, 3" steel plates, and golf balls. The early dawn sight-in period went without a hitch, and we decided not to waste ammo or heat up the barrel showing off before the shooting for score commenced.
I have the golf ball, and the copy of the November 1999 Tactical Shooter magazine that spells out how a certain 6.5-06 Mauser and yours truly did what was previously thought to be impossible - namely, a first-round, cold-bore shot through the center of a Titleist brand golf ball at 500meters, aka 547 yards.
When I eventually take my dirt nap, the rifle, the golf ball, the magazine w/expose' article, and the rifle's build sheet will go to the NRA museum in Fairfax, VA. It can stay in their basement, it can go on display, I don't care. It'll go where it can be appreciated for the effort behind it, and what it accomplished. My best 1000 yard group to date has been 8", although the gun is currently illegal in F-Class due to the George Vais muzzle brake contoured and screwed to the end of the barrel. Bummer...
Otherwise, the gun is essentially worthless. Were I to sell or auction it, the rifle wouldn't even bring in what I have invested in the components used to assemble it. It's just a sporterized Mauser, bottom line.
