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SO I would love to be a big time Winchester collector but alas that is just not in the family budget
Because of this I have had to be very careful about how I spend my money. And I have had to realize those
beautiful 90% condition rifles are just not in my future. So I look for the next best thing
which generally means either very poor condition (my model 1906 that looks like it was used to grade a gravel
driveway) or a rifle with less collectable value (like my Buffalo Bill Commerative 26" that had been shot)
Or a very collectable example that has been altered effecting its market value. Which is what I am showing off here.
c1925 Model 94 SRC 30WCF w/King Buckhorn Nickel Barrel #977169 (the carbine was very very professionally reblued sometime in the 60’s
It has a beautiful plum color to the barrel and the rest of the bluing save for a few little scratches and a little
patina is very nice. Purchase price was just $550. My son and I split the cost (I figure most of my firearms will be his one
day he might as well actually have some investment in them his Sister already has her claim on a few and all of her mothers
guns). I’m sure that on a nice day this deer season the new carbine will even get a chance to do some hunting. Something
I would never risk with an original condition SRC anywhere this nice. Afterall just because someone else altered a nice Winchester doesn’t mean it can’t become a new family gun and cherished. And maybe some disliked nephew down the road won’t be tempted to sell it off so quick since its not worth a small fortune.
So I present to you our new family gun.
Nice looking carbine. I know what it is like to be on a budget. Usually, when I see something I like, I have to sell something else. The nice thing about Winchester collecting is that there are grades of guns for every budget. Each one can be enjoyed for its own history.
I dont mind buying a gun like this on the cheap. Many were redone in the 50’s and 60’s when the guns were not worth much , but only the guns with good bores, and relatively good specimens with "unsightly "worn finish were chosen to be revitalized into a salable item for the times , and were reconditioned and had parts replaced to make them a good viable shooter , which they are! often as rewarding to shoot, accuracy and function, as a beat up original collector grade that costs much more.
Dont get me wrong I have some nice originals to be proud of bought years ago when prices were a little more reasonable ( although not in the league of most posted here) , and love to see all the pics and stories of the high condition and rare optioned beauties that members post here (lately has been a lot of exciting examples) but for new purchases for those of us on a budget, I often think of these quality reconditioned guns a relative bargain if you are a vintage shooter.
One thing I think that most agree on that it would not be feasible to get an original restored today, which will kill the value of the gun, let alone the high price paid to a restorer, you would really be taking a bath, but to buy them already done, at bargain prices to shoot is enticing to me. As for possible future resale, although true collectors see them as no value, I think there will always be someone to buy then for at least what the previous owner paid
To me while firearms always have value and if need be could be used as an asset. Having had to sell a number of firearms in my younger days (mostly during my 14 years as a custom knifemaker to pay some bill) I now will not buy a firearm I do not intend on keeping long enough to pass down to my kids or grandkids. I just see no point in it.
I have friends who are lucky to own a firearm a year before its sold off the money sunk into the next plastic gun that catches their fancy. I’m just not that guy.
Granted should somehow it come down to the mortgage or my guns I would keep a roof over our heads.
Mark
I like hearing about old guns that are going to get shot. I figure the reason there are so many chambered in .30WCF is because it’s a good caliber. There are a ton of bullets to pick through and try. Glad to hear you bought it with your son but you might need to get a second one as sharing might get tough!
Brad
That is a nice looking carbine Mark. I hope you and your son get many years of enjoyment out of it.
Personally, growing up we lived under the poverty line, and I had no idea guns like some of the ones I buy now, even existed. We only had one Winchester at the time, a pre 64 32 SPL – 1952 gun if I recall – that was passed down from a great uncle who passed. That was what got me into Winchesters. I loved carrying that old gun when I was young. And I always told myself that someday, when I got older, got a decent job, etc, I would like to have a few nice Winchesters of my own, especially one in that 38-55 caliber I had often heard some of the long gone ol’ timers talk about, but had never seen.
So, many years later, I got a good job, finally paid off all my student loans, and have a good enough job now where i work WAY TOO MUCH overtime, that it allows me to buy some of the condition guns I buy now. When I first started collecting a half dozen years or so ago, it was anything with a W on it, and mostly gray guns, just tried to get ones I could afford that were – as far as I could tell – original. But, once I started working all this OT, got the debt paid down, it allowed me to focus on higher condition guns, and I settled on the MODEL 94. It was not always this way for me. That said, my pockets are not that deep, I still often have to sell sometimes one or two to upgrade to one gun.
I always said when I started collecting, that there is a gun out there for everyone. That is what I like about this and that allowed me to get my start.
Again, nice carbine, they did a good job on it. Glad to see a son will be using that rather than something "plastic". Good for the young fellows to see what a real gun feels like!
Matt
Mark W. –you address a very inportant subject. I have some very nice Winchesters I purchased, mostly, in the 1990’s, before the days of the internet. My salary, more or less, has been stagnant, adjusted for inflation. The price of antique Winchesters have not. It is extremely unfortunate 🙁 that prices have risen to the extent that they have, and wages have not. I mean, in my opinion (and it is nothing more than an opinion), if a NIB reproduction Winchester can be had for around $1,000 or a bit more, perhaps really good examples of original Winchester 1886’s should be 4X that, and exceptional ones or ones with special order features at 6 to 8 X that, with $10,000 as the upper limit, unless truly one of a kind. For example, the following: http://www.antiqueguns.com/auction/item.cgi?robles/robles-46489
Yes, perhaps a bit high in today’s market, but untouchable at $10,000 or less!
What I am saying is that it is unfotunate that one can no longer work a decent job and save a bit for a few months, walk into a gun show, and buy a nice example of a Winchester 1886. I think, for most people, $2,000 for a Winchester can be saved relatively easily over 6 mos to a year, $4,000 to $8,000 is a stretch, and $20,000 or more is virtually unachievable without either extreme sacrifice or a top echelon job.
I have examples of Winchesters I could never replace today.
I think part of this is the internet…everyone thinks they have something worth a ton of money…plus overinflated prices in the Blue Book of Gun Values.
I got interested in the hobby at a relatively young age because I COULD, with sacrifice, buy a decent example of a Winchester, every year or so. This does NOT bode well for the hobby. If younger generations become disinterested and discouraged because prices are exceptionally high, it may cause them to seek other pursuits. I think, in general, it will be difficult to attract the younger generations to the hobby due to so many other competing interests — I-phones, etc. — not to mention the anti-gun legislation out there and the liberal media interests that deplore the thought of firearms no matter what they are.
It seems to me that , in a generation or two, the inflated prices of today may be, just that. I have seen this in the antique car market as well — a generation ago, cars from the 1930’s were fairly collectible. Not so much now. The folks with money are buying cars from the 1960’s, as they recall them from their youth. In a generation, they will no longer be the rage.
Incidentally, where is all this big money in firearms coming from now? It seems to me that those with the big money, in society, tend to have a computer background, a liberal arts education (with the word "liberal" in the type of education, etc., and these do not seem to mix well with the firearms hobby, in general. Then again, I have seen full page display adds for Rock Island Auctions in the Wall Street Journal.
Okay, I will get off my soapbox now. But I look forward to YOUR responses.
Mark,
Good for you in getting a classic firearm in a classic caliber! The memories you make with your family are well worth the money. One thing I’ve learned is you never know where a great old gun will show up, so save what you can and keep your eyes and ears open! Great find!
jschaal said
Mark,
Good for you in getting a classic firearm in a classic caliber! The memories you make with your family are well worth the money. One thing I’ve learned is you never know where a great old gun will show up, so save what you can and keep your eyes and ears open! Great find!
SO true a couple years back a guy at work asked me if I was interested in a Mauser or a old Springfield. I said whats the deal he told me someone his kid knew was downsizing and wanted to sell a bunch of guns. So a couple days later we run out the the guys place and sure enough he had 4-5 guns he wanted to sell.
I was mostly interested in the Springfield. Turns out it had been sporterized BUT NOT DRILLED and the original rear sight was still in place. An early serial number M1903 Springfield made in Feb of 1918. The guy wanted $125.00 I had no problem paying his asking price. $250.00 later and a couple weeks work and I have a beautiful M1903 that is all Military trim (sitting in a Boyds reproduction stock that I reworked into a WWII era S stock working from the actual drawings and specifications for that stock. It came out very nice and some day when I have the funds I’ll spend the $300 bucks for an original stock (proper markings) and have me a real nice collectable.
" I now will not buy a firearm I do not intend on keeping long enough to pass down to my kids or grandkids. I just see no point in it. "
It is also a little disturbing to me to see Gunbroker gunflippers come to these Forums , not for the love or interest in the hobby, but only seeking info to maximize their profits
Phil
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