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I had an episode of Pawn Stars on this evening and the seller presented a Winchester 1886 in .45-90 calibre, with a serial number dating the rifle from 1892. I immediately noted the end of the magazine tube lacked a slot, which seemed odd, and the stock had the appearance of being refinished with an extremely poor wood to metal fit. There was virtually no finish on the barrel and the case coloured receiver showed no evidence of the case colouring once there. The barrel was measured at 25", wich explains why the magazine tube cap seemed wrong – it had been shortened along with the barrel. The gun was appraised by the expert at $3,000 to $4,500 and the Old Man said he was only willing to pay what he did ($3,500) for it because of the ‘rarity’ of the calibre. Based on my impression of the gun, I would be hard-pressed to have given more that $2,000 for it at RETAIL due to the inherent problems with it. In any event, how ‘rare’ is .45-90? I didn’t think it was all that rare at all. Of course not as common as .45-70 and .33 WCF, but surely not as rare as .38-70 and .40-70 calibres.
Also, for those of you who saw the episode, what would you have paid for the gun and what would you think it would bring at retail? With the problems noted above, in my opinion, assuming .45-90 isn’t really that rare, as the show presumably mistakenly ascertains, I would think that $1500 to less than $2,000 is the maximum one should pay for this. If retail resale is the intent, $2,500 at resale. If the Old Man purchased it at $3,500 with resale intent, he has to make a decent profit on it, somehow.
Then again, I once went to a local auction with a Winchester 1886 in .40-82 with a serial number in the 9,000 range which, in my opinion, was a parts gun, as it had several problems, one of them being the fact that the stock on it had been created from a Kentucky Rifle or other similar stock. I was astounded to watch it go for $5,500, before comissions and tax…
I saw that show also, that gun was junk! As to the rarity of the 45-90, it’s not rare at all. it was 3rd in production 1 was 45-70 2 was 40-82, they made a little over 23000 45-90s the 33 was around 12869. That is a count of ser# in the ledgers
I like the shows that have gun segments. In Pawn Stars , every Winchester they get in they usually mention " this is the gun that won the west " , including a 10 ga. shot gun. Cajun Pawnstars has segments including one where they bought a WW 1 Bolt military gun with extension apparatus for holding it up over trench to remote shoot safely, for $50, 000, and a gun owner refused their offer of $50,000 for a minty Tommy gun
Used to like Auction Hunters, where they planted interesting Guns to be discovered in most of the storage units purchased by the two star buyers
(Yes I think all these shows are rehearsed) , but havent seen it on lately. These segments make for a good story feature, where they can show follow up taking the guns to the range to test-fire, (sometimes rigged shooting)
CJ57 said
I saw that show also, that gun was junk! As to the rarity of the 45-90, it’s not rare at all. it was 3rd in production 1 was 45-70 2 was 40-82, they made a little over 23000 45-90s the 33 was around 12869. That is a count of ser# in the ledgers
Thank you. Somewhere I have written down the comparative rarity of calibres or it is in a book somewhere. I had never considered .45-90 to be "rare" and am actually quite surprised to see that not only is it not rare, but there are actually nearly twice as many .45-90’s out there as .33 WCF’s.
Do you have an exact breakdown of the number of 1886’s produced by calibre? I have seen it somewhere and just don’t know where.
There is a table of calibers and production in John Madl’s book on the 1886.
Michael
Model 1892 / Model 61 Collector, Research, Valuation
No it’s not that rare, but they are not everywhere either. With 86 you find that it is more like collector cars, big engines are more desirable by most. So most people want 45-70, 45-90 and 50 ex. They will always command a premium, much like a Shelby or boss do over a regular 289 car. Or God forbid, the straight 6 cyl they had in 65/66. That’s like an 86 in 33, or 73 in 32.
Keep in mind there are always a few advanced collectors trying to get one in every caliber or length to completely round out a collection. But most are after the big bores. So even though not as rare as some of the more unique calipers, 45-90 will usually command a premium. I’ve owned many 86 and will now only buy 70, 90, or 50’s.
Just my .o2 worth… Hope it helps.
The condition of that 1886 along with the calibre, although perhaps desireable, in my opinion, did not warrant a $3,500 price tag, wholesale. With a cut barrel and condition issues, it is still only a $1500 gun, or ‘maybe’ a slight bit more, as purchased by a dealer, in my opinion. Retail, maybe $2200 to $2500, the $2500 being achieved on a ‘very good day’. Any thoughts?
I saw that segment last night. The barrel was not cut. It was a 26" barrel. The old bastard had no idea how to measure a barrels actual length. The rifle looked in great condition. But the wood looked Too go to not be refinished or replaced.
I would have paid $2000 tops…….
rbertalotto said
I saw that segment last night. The barrel was not cut. It was a 26" barrel. The old bastard had no idea how to measure a barrels actual length. The rifle looked in great condition. But the wood looked Too go to not be refinished or replaced.I would have paid $2000 tops…….
I thought maybe that the Old Man was measuring wrong, as it is the entire length of the barrel, including as threaded into the receiver, NOT just where it ends at the interface between barrel and receiver. If the ‘expert’ were really that good, he would have set the Old Man straight on how to measure a barrel. Nonetheless, the magazine tube end was problematic, as it lacked the slot. Lastly, without a doubt, the wood was refinished — and this would be evident even if there was not a poor wood to metal fit or a finish that did not appear identical to that on Winchester 1886’s from 1892. This is because, in order to reflect the condition of the metal, there would have to be comparable wear on the wood as well. The wood looked very recently refinished and it was too shiny to have been original and the colour was not right.
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