POCATELLO — John Bolliger Jr., a renowned Pocatello gunsmith, carefully arranged his prized custom-crafted .22-caliber rifle on the velvet-covered table in front of his Mountain Riflery booth at the Safari Club International Convention in Nashville.
Petite and sleek, the rifle exhibits superb craftsmanship — a Turkish walnut stock exceeding $5,000 and a custom-made barrel producing unerring accuracy. It shoots three bullets into a target at 100 yards inside a bull’s-eye the size of a thumbtack. From start to finish, it took 400 hours of labor to create. Would it sell for the record price of $290,000 his recently auctioned gold-inlaid rifle fetched? No. It was not crafted for big gala auctions like his last one. He crafted it for private sale.
“This firearm is about art,” Bolliger said. “The .22 holds a special place in the hearts of most hunters and collectors. The rifle is crafted to meet the highest standards and expectations of the firearms collector’s world.”
He is at the right place to find a buyer. The Safari Club International Convention is the Super Bowl of sporting shows. Sportsmen and collectors from around the world attend. It is one of the world’s largest high-end hunting events, with more than 25,000 attendees and 1,000 vendor booths offering everything from custom firearms and hunts to fishing adventures, worldwide travel and diamonds. Each day, educational seminars feature world-renowned conservationists.
Bolliger is the second generation of world-renowned custom rifle makers from Pocatello and owner of Mountain Riflery, which has crafted custom rifles for the King of Spain and local residents alike. The Bolligers are better known in the custom firearms industry worldwide than in the Gate City. They adore the quiet life of Southeast Idaho and love the mountains, rivers and forests. For them, it’s the perfect place to live and work.
Growing up in Pocatello and attending Pocatello High School, Bolliger never dreamed his world would expand internationally as he followed in his father’s footsteps — or that major projects he created would sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The African Lion Rifle Collection, consisting of five firearms he and his father — the senior John Bolliger — created, set a new auction record in 2023 when it sold for $675,000 at the Safari Club International Anniversary Auction. The project was complex. Bolliger selected five gold and silver engravers, each working on a single rifle. He then secured five of the finest 300-year-old Turkish walnut stock blanks from a single walnut tree before getting Winchester to set aside five consecutively numbered actions — a feat that took brand-name recognition. Finally, he secured barrels from Krieger. Coordinating five of America’s finest engravers was a logistical miracle.
The result? The African Lion Rifle Collection commanded one of the highest prices of all time for a custom rifle collection. A year later, his custom-crafted rifle set a new all-time auction price for a single rifle at $290,000.
“Crafting custom rifles is a family tradition,” Bolliger said. “Exhibiting our rifles at the Safari Club International Convention opens up an international market to buyers who appreciate fine craftsmanship.”
His custom .22-caliber rifle sold for five figures to a buyer who loved the history and lore of the .22.
What’s next? Bolliger is currently working on a custom rifle for the 50th Anniversary of the Wild Sheep Foundation, which will be auctioned off next year at its annual meeting in Reno.
His career as a custom firearms artist in wood, steel and precious metals stretches out ahead of him. His real challenge is finding time to recreate with his wife, Tonya, his partner of 30 years, in the Southeast Idaho he loves.