Stoeger Zephyr Honker

[Russ Jackson]

Good Morning all ,This is a little off topic ,not being a double gun but a single barrel ,but ,does any one have any idea about this gun , It is a 10 Ga. Zephyr Honker ,36" Barrel ,Vent Rib ,Pistol grip gun ,Very fine checking ,has what I assume to be the original pad ,the pad is very old and has Zephyr on it . A friend has this gun for sale ,it just came out of the closet ,I never knew he had the gun ,but a fellow he grew up with did and has first dibs on it ,I have second ! He has ask me as to value and I have no idea ,I do know it was built in Spain ,and is an above average grade of gun ,overall decent shape and if the other fellow doesn't buy it ,I think I would be interested in it ,as I said ,we are good friends and would like to pay a fair market value for the gun ,does anyone have any idea what a gun of this type in roughly 60 to 70 percent condition would be worth ,or have any idea where we could get info. on the gun ? Any thoughts will be appreciated ! Russ

[Bill Murphy]

It was sold by Stoeger in the sixties, maybe earlier, for $125.00. It was probably made by Sarasqueta in Spain for Stoeger. As I recall, it was a full sidelock, hammerless non ejector with vent rib, advertised at 10 1/2 pounds. The condition of the gun you describe doesn't sound too promising, but it should be worth a few hundred dollars if in good mechanical condition. A good shooting ten doesn't have to weigh as much as some people think, so the Honker is a bit bulky for much carrying. See if you can get some pictures posted.

[Robin Lewis]

From the 1961 Stoeger "Shooter's Bible"

[Mark Ouellette]

The Spanish Zabola boxlocks are selling on Gun Broker and Auction Arms for arond $300. Those are a very plain gun. This being a sidelock and nicer than the boxlocks it should fetch more. If it were in good condition I'd give at least $500.

[Russ Jackson]

Fellas ; Thank you all for your knowledge and sharing it with us ! Very much appreciated ! The gun feels very nice in the hands ,but really is in only about , 60 percent condition Small dent on vent rib ,minor rust at the very tip of the rib ,but not at all loose blue wear and a lot of the finish off of the wood ,but no cracks ,or looseness in lock up ! Thanks again ! Russ

[David Lien]

It was sold by Stoeger in the sixties, maybe earlier, for $125.00. It was probably made by Sarasqueta in Spain for Stoeger. As I recall, it was a full sidelock, hammerless non ejector with vent rib, advertised at 10 1/2 pounds. The condition of the gun you describe doesn't sound too promising, but it should be worth a few hundred dollars if in good mechanical condition. A good shooting ten doesn't have to weigh as much as some people think, so the Honker is a bit bulky for much carrying. See if you can get some pictures posted.



This one weighs 9.25lbs. The bore is .765 with a nice tight choke. It is fun to shoot at the high flyers. I have always been curious who's lock design this is.

David

[Bill Murphy]

I just refound this thread. A couple of months ago, I bought an outrageous Honker from an internet site. Mine only weighs 8 1/4 pounds and will probably be my go to ten gauge for live game. Notice that the 1961 ad still describes it as a solid rib gun and pictures the vent rib. Mine is 1960 and vent rib, original Jostam pad with Sarasqueta logo. It is one high quality gun in a rare configuration and a great weight. I don't remember measuring the bore and choke. I'll get back on that.

[Ed Blake]

Put a 12 gauge chamber insert in it and you'd have a great SBT. How's it stocked?

[Russ Jackson]

Bill ,Congrats ,on a Great Find ,they are NICE GUNS !!!!!!!!! The gun I started the post with was sold to the first fella that had known of the gun ,wish I had ,had a shot at it ! Enjoy ! Russ

[Bill Murphy]

Ed, the stock is 14 3/8 and it feels like about 1 3/8 at the comb. It feels like a normal store bought trap stock. I just measured the choke and bore. The bore is .768 and it only has .014 of choke. The previous owner must have had it bored out to shoot steel. It should be perfectly fine to shoot steel without damage. I'll shoot some patterns and see what they look like. That was certainly a surprise. The good news is that I have two lifetimes supply of 1 3/4 ounce ten gauge steel ammunition. I did my test firing with 12 gauge chamber inserts.