A priceless Winchester 94?

S

stickhunter

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This is an ad I came across recently that made me go, "hmmm...." Wonder what kind of offers the owner will receive and who the "gunsmith" is?

Wnchester 1894 30/30 cir 1907., $2,300.00 - ######

BEAUTIFUL WINCHESTER 1894 30-30 built in 1907 serial ending in 0796. Only been verified 15 months ago. Has been refurbished stock varnished and metal blued rear sight not original. Was told by gunsmith this firearm could fetch $3000 at US auctions. Has been stored dry for 15 years I have put 50 rounds through in the last 6 months. more details more pics by email . $2,300.00. negot. Tel: ###-###-###X

win94.jpg
 
Reblued & stock refinished? Non original parts?

Maybe worth $400 tops to the right buyer. That's about it.

The seller has visions of sugar plumbs.... :p

2007-10-27_091302_1aCoffee.gif

NAA.
 
a bit high maybe?

He should sell it to the Gunsmith, who could then make himself a fast $700 profit. Yeah, right!

Anyone who has been to a lot of Gun Shows will have stories of people who have highly inflated opinions on the worth of a firearm.

One of my favorites happened at an Edmonton Gun Show. This guy wanted to trade me straight across...his Lee Enfield, No.1 Mark III* for a .257 Weatherby Mark Five on my table. When I politely declined, he stated that the guns were worth about the same. I asked him how he arrived at that, and his answer was "I was drinking with the boys in the bar the other night, and asked them what my gun was worth. They said that it ought to be worth at least $450, and I am not going to take less for it."

I suggested that he have one of the boys in the bar buy it for $450, and he could come back with the cash and buy the Weatherby.

Actually, I thought I was very restrained in my answer, compared to what the guy in the next table told him.

.
 
Kind of reminds me of the one on the exchange a couple years back. It was in the "very rare" .32 WS chambering. Yeah, I guess there were only about 2 million .32 Specials made.
 
I sold an old model 94 some years ago, Made in 1895 serial # verified by Winchester Olin Corp, in near mint condition, chambered in 38-55 with 26" octagon barrel. A really nice old Winney. Was happy to get $600.00 for it...top buck IMO
 
All guns are rare aren't they? Even on the exchange here there is a "rare" Winchester 94 30-30 posted yesterday. It happens to be a Pacific Coast Ranger gun, does that make it "rare"? Might be rare on the Atlantic coast, but here at the Pacific the place is littered with them.
 
I've seen a few of these so-called "rare" Winchesters over the years and no doubt will continue to see them as well as other over-priced guns in the future.

What does not surprise me is that pretty much all of the time, when told politely that the seller is out in left field, they refuse to believe you when you explain why the gun does not deserve that price. Doubly so when their source(s) are revealed to be relative neophytes in the field or reference materials that are questionable.

I have yet to see one of these folks come back in a more humble, rational manner with a more realistic price justified by good reason and evidence.;)
 
Greg S said:
All guns are rare aren't they? Even on the exchange here there is a "rare" Winchester 94 30-30 posted yesterday. It happens to be a Pacific Coast Ranger gun, does that make it "rare"? Might be rare on the Atlantic coast, but here at the Pacific the place is littered with them.
Click to expand...

From what I have seen not quite, and when they do pop up from time to time they tend to be rather pricey.
 
These kinds of threads are helpful to get an idea of the real value of things.

That reminds me of an incident from up the coast some years ago now. A friend of mine, a former employee of Lever Arms was living in this small coastal village and was known as the local firearms authority. He also bought some guns from Lever and sold them in the community.

So one day a local fisherman asks buddy to give him an estimate on some firearms.

It was the usual assortment you found on boats in those days, a Winchester Model 12 shotgun, a Winchester 30-30, a Lee Enfield, a sportered P14 and a Cooey .22.

All had been rid hard and put away wet, stored on nails in damp fish boats, used in open rowboats in all kinds of weather, orange with rust and somewhat beat up.

He told them they were nearly worthless, worth what they could get for them as shooters, maybe $50 to $100 each if they could get that.

"But those are antiques!" was the argument back.
 
The prices on the oldest model 94s are climbing in the last couple of years. I've been hanging onto a well used but unmolested 30-30 from 1897 (5 digit serial number), and it's finally starting to have some value. It's *almost* worth parting with now ;-)
 
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