Lot 154

Gary Cooper Griffin & Howe 1922 Rifle in .22 Hornet with Scope

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Gary Cooper Griffin & Howe 1922 Rifle in .22 Hornet with Scope

Estimate: $30,000 - $50,000

Starting Bid: $25,000

(0 Bids)

by Rock Island Auction Company
June 27, 2026 5:00 PM CDT
Live Auction
3600 Harwood Road
Bedford, TX, US 76021

Fantastic Springfield/Griffin & Howe Model 1922 Bolt Action Sporting Rifle in .22 Hornet with "GC" Inscribed Silver Plaque and Zeiss Scope Attributed to Gary Cooper, Famed American Actor and Sportsman, with Large Movie Poster This beautiful classic .22 Hornet rifle was custom built in 1931 by Griffin & Howe of New York, one of the finest makers of bolt action rifles in the United States, if not the world. Griffin & Howe is America's oldest and most storied custom rifle builder with a history reaching back over 100 years to when New York carpenter Seymour Griffin began building fine rifle stocks before being introduced to James Howe by Colonel Townsend Whelen. The pair opened their first shop in 1923 on East 29th Street in New York and quickly gained a reputation for building exceptional rifles, mainly from surplus U.S. Military Model 1903 and 1922 rifles such as this one, and also doing a good business in outfitting hunters for both domestic hunts and safaris abroad. The rifle bears a silver stock oval on the toe line inscribed with initials "GC", attributed to Gary Cooper, one of the most famous American actors of all time who starred as Alvin York in the 1941 film “Sergeant York” as well as in numerous other films in addition to being an avid sportsman. His thirty-six year long acting career spanned from 1925 to 1961. Cooper was one of the top ten film personalities for twenty-three consecutive years and one of the top money-making stars for eighteen years. In between acting, Cooper spent much of his free time tinkering with rifles in his gun room to prepare for his next hunt. He went on multiple safaris in Africa during which he was credited with over sixty big game kills, including a rhinoceros, two lions, and various antelopes. His safari experiences in Africa had a profound influence on him and intensified his love of the wilderness. Famous American novelist and sportsman Ernest “Papa” Hemingway became Cooper's closest friend. Page 171 of the book "Gary Cooper: American Hero" by Jeff Meyers states: "Their twenty-year friendship, sustained by Cooper's amiable temperament, was unusual for Hemingway, who became impatient with old friends and tended to break with them. For Cooper, Hemingway had a rare combination of qualities. Quite outside the world of Hollywood, he was an intelligent man who understood him and could talk about personal matters." Page 173 states, "Hemingway coveted Cooper's favorite rifle, a .22 Hornet with a German telescopic sight, and asked: 'Coop, if you die before I do, are you going to will me that Hornet?' Cooper promised to do so, and then said: 'Hell, I might just decide to give it to you now so I can watch you enjoy it.'" This Griffin & Howe .22 Hornet rifle is very likely that aforementioned rifle. Included with this lot is a 27 1/4 x 42 inch frame containing an 18 x 25 1/2 inch movie poster "I LANCIERI DEL BENGALA" (The Lives of a Bengal Lancer). In the movie poster Gary Cooper is seen holding this rifle (note the matching wood grain) fitted with a different scope. The rifle is also identified in included photos from the promotional photo shoot of the "Lives of a Bengal Lancer". The wood grain of the rifle in the photos can be matched like fingerprint to the gun. This same rifle seems to make an appearance in the actual movie, hanging on the wall in Cooper’s character’s living quarters. There are other photos that show the rifle with Cooper during an interview on the set of the movie “Peter Libbetson” (1935) as well as in his home gun room. Cooper was known to take his rifles to movie sets for a little target practice when they were not filming. The rifle was built with a tapered blued barrel featuring a beaded blade front sight on a banded ramp base, barrel band with sling eye, "No. 1075 GRIFFIN & HOWE INC. NEW YORK" engraved on the top, and the caliber designation "22 HORNET" engraved on the left side just ahead of the breech. The .22 Hornet would have been a new cartridge at the time this rifle was built. The barrel is fitted to the Model 1922 action with bolt and magazine modified for the .22 Hornet cartridge, jeweled bolt, ejection port, and follower; a Lyman rear sight with filler block for scope clearance, and a classic Griffin & Howe scope mount holding a Zeiss Zielklein scope. The rifle is fitted with a timeless Griffin & Howe shaped and handsomely figured pistol grip stock with horn forend tip, blued steel grip cap, pancake shadowline cheekpiece, rear sling swivel, and a checkered and lightly engraved blued steel trapdoor buttplate containing a Lyman rear peep sight assembly. Includes two books, various photographs including Gary Cooper on hunts, and consignor research.

Manufacturer: Springfield Armory U.S.

Model: 1922

BBL: 24 1/2 inch round

Stock: walnut

Gauge: 22 Hornet

Finish: blue

Serial Number1075

Class: Curio & Relic Long Gun

  • Provenance: The Gary Cooper Collection; The Tom Selleck Collection
  • Condition: Very fine as customized by Griffin & Howe, retaining 90% original blue finish with some very light muzzle wear, and light handling marks. The stock is also very fine with some light handling marks, a scratch on the left below the breech, and crisp checkering. The scope has clear optics and some patches of light pitting. Mechanically excellent. This is an extraordinary opportunity to acquire the rifle attributed as being the famous actor Gary Cooper's "favorite Hornet rifle"!

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $199 $10
$200 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $25,000