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June 26, 2013
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Very nice and rare caliber…but restored. Personally, I don’t care for any restored Winchester and would much rather have one in worn and honest-used condition. Take a look at the restoration invoice vs. the selling price. Seems someone really took it in the shorts on this one. Considering the cost of restoration along with the purchase of the rifle before the restoration, someone dumped a good $20,000 into it. Also, with it being an 1898 manufacture, shouldn’t a proper restoration job have been a case-colored receiver? Just another example of an expensive restoration job killing the value in my opinion.
September 22, 2011
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I, too, would rather own a 20% original Winchester than a restored one. In my opinion, the condition of a restored Winchester, although nice to look at, is 0% original. I have a very early Winchester 1886 rifle, in low condition, but it is an early one. Very little bluing and case colouring left. The stock was refinished some time ago. To this day, it still bothers me that the stock has been refinished, but not as much as it would had it been reblued, etc.
In answer to your question about the receiver: Unless, for some odd reason, the factory letter stated that the receiver was blued, a special order feture at that time, if ever even offered, the receiver should have been case coloured. I believe that the transition from case colouring to bluing occurred in August of 1901.
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