I have a mossberg M144 target rifle just taking up room in my tiny safe. I got it to shoot smallbore, but now for the second semester in a row, I have class that conflicts with the matches and I've since moved on to high power. In an effort to remove clutter and buy a good shooting jacket, I'm considering getting rid of it.



How much would it be worth? My dad bought it for me as a gift, so I don't know how much he paid. I'm thinking 200-300 but am not sure.



I see no listing on gun broker, so I can't see how much they're going for.

Hang onto it! When you have more time down the road you can use it for general practice in keeping your shooting eye in condition w/o spending an arm & a leg. Not to mention you can pass it down to your kid(s) as something your dad once bought for you.

My .o2

I just picked up a Mossberg 144US from a gentleman out at our gun club. Payed 250 for the rifle,  one 7 round mag and two tens. Really good condition, cannot wait to do some shooting with it at the next 22 match.

Cool. I haven't decided quite what to do, but this would pay for a decent used shooting jacket. I have plenty of firearms belonging to dad or given to me already that have sentimental value, this isn't one of them.

I wish I hadn't given away my shooting jacket last week (Couch-Commando: we already PMed last week), but I'd be interested in trading a shooting mat toward your Mossberg M144 target rifle

The last one I found sold on the CMP auction site went for $355 and that was 5 years ago.

http://auction.odcmp.com/auctions/detail.asp?id=81

Although this one did not sell for that much back in march:

Mossberg 144US Auction

Which 144 do you have?  144 ($180 - $230) , 144LS ($200 - $250), 144LSA ($225 - $300)  or a 144LSB ($260 - $350)?  

All prices assume 90% or better and all (correct) accessories - rear aperture sight, front sight, sling swivels and hand stop.  A 144 T-bolt would probably command a $25 premium.  

Specifications can be found at: http://home.epix.net/~damguy/

I have the complete set and would not part with any of them.

Okay, mine is an M144LSB.



It is missing one of the two front sling swivels.



It has some mild discoloration from rust at some point on the blued finish on the barrel. It did not penetrate the bluing and you can't "feel" it when you run your finger down the barrel.



The barrel has no pitting.



I can shoot a group smaller than a dime in 3 position small bore at 50 feet in prone.



And the fact I got the same scores with this rifle as I did with the club Anschutz rifles is making think I should hang on to it.

The LSB's are about  as good as they come (although all of the 144's and 44's are very good).  You said it yourself, you can buy an Anschutz for two or three times the money that will shoot about as well.  I would suggest that unless you are willing to spend $1500 or more, you will have a hard time beating the Mossberg.  

Touching up the bluing is not a major problem.  
Clean the barrel with a light oil (WD-40 will work)and 0000 steel wool.  
Degrease it with lacquer thinner, alcohol or acetone.  
Bring the barrel up to about 120 degrees by soaking it in hot water.
Apply Oxpho-Blue (from Brownell's) using a fresh piece of 0000 steel wool.
When the color is where you want it, oil it with Break Free - never use WD-40 to protect a firearm.  

Good luck and enjoy that rifle.

The only thing I don't like about it is that I have to adjust the sights way up to remove the bolt for cleaning. I also prefer the fancier sights on the more expensive rifles. But the way I see it, the stock sights on the mossberg are similar to those on an AR15 or M1 Garand as far as the sight picture goes, so it's probably good practice.



And it balances well.



I might sell my old Colt collapsible stock instead to fund AR15 stuff.

There is a screw in the rear of the Mossberg sight base that you can unscrew to remove the sight from the base.  The sight will return to position when you reassemble it and re-tighten the screw.  The front sight is a Lyman 17A and you may want to find a set of aperture inserts for it (I assume that you are using a post now).  

If you would like to upgrade the sights, you might consider the following package:

http://www.midwayusa.com/Search/#lyman%20mjt____-_1-2-4_8-16-32

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=511517

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=604728 (I believe that this is the correct adapter)

My LSB came without sights and this is the combination that I put on it.  I realize that it is a $150 package and it may not be your first choice, but it would be quite a bit cheaper than swapping out the rifle.

I would ask how often you clean your rifle?  I only clean mine when the accuracy begins to degrade or when I am changing to another ammo.

If you would like a different rear aperture, Joe ( http://www.aperturesnmore.com/ ) can take care of you.

This is the first time I've cleaned it since I bought it.



I only shot it about 4 times a month for 4 months or so. I haven't shot it in about 8 months.

Come on over to the Mossberg forum at Rimfire Central - there is a great bunch of guys that can help further.

Cool, I'll check it out. I might end up attending more smallbore stuff depending on how my schedule next semester plays out.