.32 specials on the move?|Winchester Rifles|Forum|Winchester Collector

steve004 said
This one sold yesterday at Rock Island.  I was stunned with the hammer price.  Not a rare piece.  To top it off, the wood has been refinished.  I thought RIA’s auction estimate was high – so to see if go so very far beyond the high end of their estimate leaves me scratching my head.  Are people starting to develop a fondness for the .32 special?  I have had this fondness for over five decades, but I’ve also been in the outlier group:

https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/81/3407/winchester-model-64-deluxe-lever-action-rifle  

Steve,

I personally believe that the RIA auction listing was in error.  Specifically, the Lyman No. 56 was most likely installed by Winchester versus aftermarket.  I have surveyed several Model 64 rifles in that same pre-WW II serial number range with factory installed Lyman No. 56 peep sights (and I own one of them).  I cannot see any obvious signs that the stocks have been refinished.  Considering the relatively high condition of the (original) bluing on that rifle, the condition of the stocks is commensurate.  Overall, I would grade that rifle in the 90-95% range, and the selling price was appropriate.

Bert