Aquired a few old guns with questions in tow (Winchester, Marlin and Davis)

[StrelokM38]

Alright. So my father bought around 10 guns for 300 bucks in an auction about 30 years ago and turned out to be the only person to bid. And he told me that the auctioneer said he had very welljust stolen them for the price he had paid.

He intended to hand them down to his children when they came of age. And I was the only one really to have any interest in firearms. So I got 3 while the others got distributed around with the rest of the immediate family over the years.

So. This is what I got.

A Marlin M1894,same year of production. Hex barrel and Chambered in .25-20. Has two grub screws set into the top of the receiver as if it had a scope at some point. Hammer seems very weak, too. Has wobble when not cocked. (Top)

An M1894 Winchester from 1894. Hex barrel and all. Has a 'Browned' finish and is in very good shape. Chambered in .38-55 (Bottom)

And a "W X J. Davis B-somethingsomething-ullingham" Breakbarrel shotgun in 12 Gauge. Year unknown.

So, all in all. My dad got these for piss in a bucket as far as costs go. How much would you guys say these things are worth now? Now, before you guys make any offers, I am 'not' selling any of these. I just want to know how well my dad had scored on these things those years back. Haha. Also, would I be buggering these things up were I to shoot them?

thanks

 

[mooncoon]

OK, I will jump in --- if the shotgun is semi tight and the bores not badly pitted, I would put it at $250 - $400 locally. (breach end of the barrels look mucked with as if someone tried to tighten the action by peening the barrels back) The Marlin ; around $300 - $400 and the Winchester $600 - $700. Without knowing what the other guns were and a foggy memory of prices 30 years ago, I would guess that your father somewhere between doubled and 4 times his money at the time

cheers mooncoon

 

[Skinny 1950]

Birmingham looks like to me, I like the lever rifles but I am no expert so have no idea what they are worth. I recently paid $650 for a Model 94 serial #2,5XX,### in 30-30 which was made in 1962 it is in near new condition and shoots really well. An old timer like yours would probably be worth more to a collector. What is the approximate serial number on that one???

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Condition is everything. More pictures of the 94, please, and some description of the bore. A first-year production rifle would be sought after. And I'd give some thought to easing those stickers off the stocks - they might leave a mark, or monkey with the uniformity of the patina or somesuch...

Why am I never the only gun guy at an auction?

 

[Bittermansbro]

Why am I never the only gun guy at an auction?

1- You're in Alberta with all the rest of us gun lovin folks
2- Not many auction houses that regularly do firearms
3- Its not 30 years ago when they were just a normal 'tool' and not the fearsome lefty monster they are today.

 

[StrelokM38]

Forgot about this thread... 2 years!!

I did end up taking pictures of the Winchester finally, just gotta sit down and wait for some nice outdoor lighting to do the other two.

I'll check the serial and other details of the rifle soon.

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

From what we're seeing, that's in quite nice shape. I hope the bore is good.

Looking forward tio the serial number.

 

[gabrielguitars]

Personally, I would put a slightly higher price on the Marlin, assuming the bore is decent and the whole gun functional. The lever being a little loose when closed on an empty chamber is quite common, and nothing I'd worry too much about, but the headspace would need to be checked. I had one years ago just like it, it's a lot of fun to shoot in that calibre. The W & J Davis shotty is not bad, at least when new. The engraving is characteristic of a mid to lower level gun, but the Damascus barrels are very nice, the kind you would find on higher-priced guns of the time. Birmingham was a centre for the manufacture of Damascus barrels, and their barrels ended up on a lot of high, high-end shotguns (think Purdy, Rigby, Greener, etc.). As Mooncoon mentioned, the breach ends look mangled, unfortunately.

 

[Mike Webb]

Unfortunately your 94 has wood that has been sanded badly and the finish is pretty much grey on the metal. Still a good hunter/shooter but not much there for collectability.