jwm94 said

Hi Burt,

 

Like I mentioned to Chuck, I’m out of it at the price listed, and I don’t want to make an offer that is not somewhat close to the asking price, that is, if it is negotiable.  Although it would be a fun trip, and I’d love to meet Steve in person!  And the points you mention would certainly play a part in any such negotiation.

 

Yes, Fredericksburg is a beautiful and somewhat little town in the Texas Hill Country.  It sounds like you might have been there a time or two yourself!  My ancestors lived all around the area just after The War Between the States.  A lot of former Confederate soldiers and their families moved to Llano county to get away from the Yanks during reconstruction.  Some communities they built are nothing more than ghost towns now, like Oxford, just north of Fredericksburg on Highway 16.   Not much left there now aside from a cemetery.  I found out in my genealogy research some 20 years back that a mountain east of there and north of Sandy Creek carries their surname.  A bunch of my cousins just had there reunion in Fredericksburg this last New Year’s Day.   Was going to go, but the wife had some health problems that are just now starting to get better.

 

Where do you live, Burt?

 

James  

I live in Alaska – been here since 1976.I grew up in South Dakota and came here right out of college. I am retired now so we try to spend a lot of the winter where it is warmer. We spent part of last winter in Texas and I have been thru the hill country several times. If it were not for the virus we would not be in Alaska now. The Canadian border is closed to leisure travel and there are hundreds of snowbirds still here – you can fly but that brings additional logistical considerations we just do not want to deal with right now. So, I am still here and trying to continue doing a little fishing even though it is cold – we were below zero early this morning.

The RIA rifle is in .32-20 and they expect it to hammer at $7500 to $12000.  The rifle in the IT’s post has problems, namely the hammer, but it IS in .44-40.  Having already given this some thought all day, it “seems” to me that if $28,500 was a bargain it would already have sold.  My thoughts before seeing the RIA listing is that low $20’s would be “about right” for the .44-40.  The range given for the .32-20, being of less desirable caliber and lesser condition suggests my valuation has to be close.  My guess is the seller purchased it in the 20k range.  The goal next time, if there can even be a next time, given the rarity, is to attempt to locate the same way the dealer might have, at auction, and avoid the middle man markup, making the price full retail, and then some.

TXGunNut said
Quite honestly I’d prefer the RIA gun. A gun in this price range I’d have to be prepared to live with for awhile and that generally entails a range trip or two. I don’t load the 44WCF but I have 32WCF ammo sitting on the shelf. For me, the GI gun is simply not twice the gun offered by RIA. I’m probably wrong about that but I’ve been wrong before. As the auctioneers say; “buy what you like, like what you buy. “

 

Mike  

I too like the rock Island gun but if I have not learned anything else over the years I have learned that when it comes to collectible Winchesters, condition costs money, sometimes lots of money. As Mike says, buy and collect what you like because you really only have to please yourself. Wouldn’t it be boring if each of us all liked the same thing.

jwm94 said

Chuck: My thanks to you, too, for posting up the pic of your ’92 as well!   What caliber is it?  Also, keep us posted on the response you get from the owner of the subject deluxe.

James  

James I received an email today.  It came from GI but sent by Charlie.  They asked why I thought the hammer was wrong.  Said the bore was good.  But did not send a copy of the letter.  I responded by explaining why I thought the hammer was wrong and asked again for a copy of the letter.  I also commented on the condition.  I will email Jessi and ask for a workup on this gun.

I’m not afraid to offer a lower price just to see if they will barter.   Took me about a year to buy a 50 Cal. 76 that would not sell and the seller would not barter.  Eventually I saved a few thousand dollars and I’m sure he made a couple too. 

I love the hill country in Texas.  The first time I went to Fredericksburg my wife had to go the the Hummel museum in New Braunfels so I got to go to Fredericksburg.  Was disappointed with Cimmaron Arms but got to go to the Nimitz museum and eat wonderful German food.  Working in the oil industry I had to go to Houston often.  We always spent some time in the hill country.

Chuck said
Bert and others.

Take a look at picture #16 of the barrel address.  It bothers me.  But it may just me.  

Chuck – can you be more specific about what bothers you about the barrel address. According to the Pirkle book, this is the Type 1 marking, used for the first 200,000 guns and so would be correct for the gun (serial # 51720). It appears to be properly stamped into the metal.

jwm94 said
M

Man, that sure is a pretty Lake Trout, straight out of God’s Country!  What did you use for bait to catch it on and where at?  The wife and I really did enjoy our travel time in our old Foretravel!  Nothing quite like traveling the good old USA, seeing new places and meeting other folks!

James  

James – the lake trout is from Lake Louise – about 150 miles north of Anchorage – caught jigging a piece of Whitefish on November 1, the first day bait is legal. We travel extensively by motorhome – went over 8000 miles over the summer and never left Alaska. I see the 92 letters and has an ok bore – all good. I don’t know how significant the hammer issue is and to be honest I am not smart enough to notice it was wrong. I don’t like some screws especially the really buggered one in the upper tang – may be fixable. I previously keyed in on the pretty trivial surface rust on the barrel, receiver and buttstock deterioration from less than optimal storage. As Bert said it is 125 years old and as someone else said, where are you going to get another one. The configuration, full octagon, full mag, rifle butt and PG really attracts me – and it is what collectors have always wanted and will pay a premium for. I am going to dig out some old CADA Gun Journals and old catalogs from Merz, David’s Firearms and Tommy Rholes to see if I can find a comparison. 

That is a very nice 1886. 

Chuck, thank you for showing the letter. You should buy it. It’s only money

Chris