
I am not at all knowledgeable on 1886’s….barely get by on ’92’s and ’94’s. This gun is for sale and I just study a lot of sales to learn something. I don’t understand some things here. The gun seems to be a nice gun and in pretty good condition…notice I did not say original condition, because I don’t know that. (1) In looking at the letter, it says that the gun went back to the factory and was changed to rifle…I thought it was made as a rifle in the first place. (2) says the barrel etc was changed to (it seems) exactly the same as how it was made except that they added a rifle buttplate. Is a rifle buttplate a crescent buttplate or ??? The Seller says he thinks the rifle was never sent to factory because of present configuration and because there are no markings (what markings is he talking about here?) that would indicate that it was sent back to factory. Since it was already proofed at factory when made, any factory installed new barrel would have a like proof….correct?? Not sure I understand what is really going on here. Could I get some clarification from the experts. NOTE: I have seen this seller have guns for sale that were different than the letters said they were, and the seller has said that the letter was probably wrong. That make sense?? What is the gun really worth?? Just a learning process. Thanks, Peter
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=300443179

I asked the seller a few questions concerning the rifle and received no response. Despite that I believe the gun to be all original and frankly do not understand the return to add a rifle butt. Obviously that did not occur, but the gun does letter with the features listed that are on the gun. His reserve must be quite high; I have purchased like rifles for what he has been offered.
If the barrel was swapped out for another barrel and reproofed, the new PW proof is likely slightly different in appearance than the one on the receiver. Would need a forensic level examination to determine. Isn’t this when Nickel Steel came in? Maybe they wanted the new steel? Just because the factory letter listed all those things doesn’t mean they were all changed. It was a TD, is still a TD for example. Or could be simple things like the buttplate broke and they simply replaced it.
I don’t think the barrel was changed, the gun matches the letter when first shipped in late 1907, returned feb. 1908 and not reshipped until near two yrs. later in dec. 1909. It might have broken in first shipping to retailer and returned, buttplate replaced and put back in stock.
The seller is not accurate concerning it being a "special order" gun. Winchester specifically cataloged and manufactured Extra Lighteight rifles in that configuration.
The Cody letter is a bit perplexing, as the rifle does match its original listed & shipped configuration. I suspect that Waddy accidently included information from a preceding or following serial number.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
Mike D. & CJ57 are right on the money about this sellers reserve prices. He has had an 1894 short rifle for sale since March and received a bid ( not mine ) of $5,000.00 (still wounder if it was a real bid) and it did not meet the reserve. This is that 1894. What do you guys think it is worth?
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=301539955
Paul
ps. It does letter as shown with all features.

I’ve had the same experience with the seller. He has some nice stuff, but does not answer emails readily, or at all, and his reserves are off the map. He also has a very nice 1893 Marlin, 25-36 that I am told by the Marlin folks to be worth $2500-3500.00 at best. Seller wants $5750.00 for it. Of course, I did mention to him that his reserve was just a bit out of sight…ya, I don’t think he’s answered any of my emails since. No sense of humor at all. I guess he is just trolling for the big one. He was getting some hits on the Marlin awhile back…I saw it was bid up to $3200.00 one time, but not much after that. He has listed it so many times, I think he wore it out. I don’t understand that kind of marketing at all. Peter

I know what you mean, Peter. Some guns have been listed for years on a few sites that I cruise. Evidently, some sellers have the time to hold out for a sucker. There is a seller whose name begins with a "T" who is just that sort. Worn out guns at pie-in-the-sky prices that have been listed ad nauseam.
It would be helpful if GunBroker had a filter that, if the registered user selected it in his preferences, would filter out any listing that has appeared more than three or four times. That way, the rest of us would not have to waste time skimmming and skipping over guns that the market has deemed to be badly overpriced. It would also provide an incentive to sellers to exercise some form of sanity in their pricing.

JWM94—you have to remember here that this is maybe one of those guns that has been listed a bunch of times and never sold because the reserve is to high. Buyers get tired of listings like that, and tired of sellers who conduct auctions like that. Any buyer who watches the GB site knows this seller, and I would guess that most won’t even bid because they know they will never buy it at a reasonable price. They either just breeze by the auction or put in some token bid. I look at the sellers listings for Winchesters and Marlins and they are ALL overpriced…way overpriced in fact in my opinion. Some of them are sure nice/interesting to look at, but you can forget about buying one for anywhere close to a reasonable price. If you want to know the truth, it kind of makes me mad ( I was going to say pi–es me off) that he’s so outrageous with his prices and is rude to boot. Glad I got that off my chest. Peter
Peter,
I’m in agreement with what you have to say about the seller and high prices. I’ve watched his listings for a long time at GB, and although I have not dealt with this seller, I have had some dealings with a few sellers who are indeed rude in one way or another. That said, Peter, this is still an awful lot of Winchester for three grand, IMO. Like I said, though…I don’t make the big shows where one might run across one like it for that price.
James

A couple of years back I purchased a 1886 Extra Lightweight Take Down in exactly the configuration the rifle in question is in. Full magazine, but the difference is the caliber. Mine is a .45-90 W.C.F. with a specially ordered Lyman 21 sight that is mentioned in the letter. It is in about the same condition as his .45-70 and I was glad to pay $4000 for it. Calibers other than .33 and .45-70 are scarce as they were specially ordered. IMO, if he gets a reality check and wants to sell his rifle he will accept what the high bid was last week and consider himself lucky.

That very nice Marlin 93, 25-36 that this seller has for sale that I mentioned in a previous post being worth $2500.00-3500.00, just went off again for a max bid of $1200.00, and of course, not meeting his reserve of $5700.00. As many time as he has shot himself in the foot with these high reserves, and all of the relistings etc, I’m not sure he has any feet left. I don’t get it at all. Peter
pday said
I’ve had the same experience with the seller. He has some nice stuff, but does not answer emails readily, or at all, and his reserves are off the map. He also has a very nice 1893 Marlin, 25-36 that I am told by the Marlin folks to be worth $2500-3500.00 at best. Seller wants $5750.00 for it. Of course, I did mention to him that his reserve was just a bit out of sight…ya, I don’t think he’s answered any of my emails since. No sense of humor at all. I guess he is just trolling for the big one. He was getting some hits on the Marlin awhile back…I saw it was bid up to $3200.00 one time, but not much after that. He has listed it so many times, I think he wore it out. I don’t understand that kind of marketing at all. Peter
Was looking over some old post and ran across several with me or one of my guns as the subject. This overpriced Marlin did sell for 5000+ to a Marlin collector who was quite pleased with the rifle.
Mike D. said
A couple of years back I purchased a 1886 Extra Lightweight Take Down in exactly the configuration the rifle in question is in. Full magazine, but the difference is the caliber. Mine is a .45-90 W.C.F. with a specially ordered Lyman 21 sight that is mentioned in the letter. It is in about the same condition as his .45-70 and I was glad to pay $4000 for it. Calibers other than .33 and .45-70 are scarce as they were specially ordered. IMO, if he gets a reality check and wants to sell his rifle he will accept what the high bid was last week and consider himself lucky.
My 1886 Winchester also sold for my asking price. It sold to a Winchester collector. He was pleased and actually bought several more from me.
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