yep I agree that the stock is not original, the magazine has been cut and the front sight blade has been replaced with a cut silver quarter. This gun has other markings. It has the worcester marking and 30 WCF on the barrel. As it is in its current state, what is this gun worth. I paid $250. I have always wanted one and to be honest I really am happy with it. I can’t wait to get it shooting. Did I pay fair market value, overpay or get a deal? Here are some more pics:
Hello,
Since the barrel is "original" it has been cut down. The end of the barrel should be flat not have a curved or crowned muzzle. It was probably cut back to the inside edge of the original magazine retaining band. It is probably now in the 22 inch range. Your $250 wasn’t outrageous but I am glad you didn’t spend much more.
Michael
Model 1892 / Model 61 Collector, Research, Valuation
StandNapper
I think you could have over $250 worth of parts there. I personally don’t like hearing about guns being turned into parts but it’s part of life.
If you made the investment to try and restore it to the point of looking like original condition you’d be putting a value on it to yourself that might be hard to realize in the open market as it is always going to be a restored gun, a parts gun, a shooter etc. depending on what you do with it.
I like the looks of the old style hammer and the "inverted" 1s. The rear sight could be repairable as it looks to be short a leaf. If I had it I would find out what there are for records about it’s original configuration from the Cody Firearms Museum and proceed from there.
There are some expert restoration people that frequent this forum. I think even they would like to see original guns stay original. Looks like someone before you already made a decision to remove a lot of the originality.
Good Luck
Brad
Actually I do have the information from the Cody firearms museum. It was originally a standard model 1894 rifle manufactured in 1900. The sights are interesting configuration, there are three options for the notch that can be flipped up or down. It is spring loaded. I had originally intended to restore it on my own but to be quite honest I would probably have regrets. I think I will try to keep it well oiled and do some deer hunting with it. Probably has more character value than collectible value. Cheers!
Its probably a typo.
The "30 W.C.F." caliber mark looks original. I think everyone wants to know if there is the standard "barrel address" on the gun as well. I guessing not, looks as though the entire barrel has been polished with a polishing wheel or something.
The gun looks like a good shooter and probably would be great for hunting with if it groups well. I believe any real collector value has been lost due to the previous owners modifications.
Sincerely,
Maverick
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Yep. Type O…. …..or should I say brain fart……..The Barrel reads Nickel Steel Barrell especially for smokeless powder or something to that effect, I don’t have it in front of me at the moment. How about that blade for the front sight though…….am I the only one who thinks that is awesome? lol
Well I certainly think that front sight blade adds character to that old rifle. It makes a fellow wonder how many deer it put on the table. The degree of wear suggests it was probably a rural gun that was often used, rather than a city gun that went out once per year. It has earned its keep. Too bad it didn’t have a chip you could pop out and insert into your computer so you could watch its history. It would be fascinating, I’m sure.
Win38-55 said
Well I certainly think that front sight blade adds character to that old rifle. It makes a fellow wonder how many deer it put on the table. The degree of wear suggests it was probably a rural gun that was often used, rather than a city gun that went out once per year. It has earned its keep. Too bad it didn’t have a chip you could pop out and insert into your computer so you could watch its history. It would be fascinating, I’m sure.
For sure. If it could only speak the stories it might tell.
Does anyone know what type of rear sight that is…….I googled it and it came up as a rare 34c model 3 leaf spring sight. It doesn’t appear that that is an original sight model for a model 94 from that time frame though……which is shocking given how "Original" this gun is….LOL
StandNapper
That is a Winchester Three Leaf Express… would appear to currently be a two leaf express. It’s found on 1894s like yours, along with other models. They are seen more often than you might think. The condition of the one on your gun fits the gun. I can’t see wear marks from a standard sight elevator or if there’s evidence of foolery based on your picture. Sights are one of the easiest things to alter over the course of 100+ years. It’s also likely it won’t be mentioned in your Cody information.
If it had all three leaves intact it could sell for half of what you paid for the entire gun in my opinion.
Brad
Oh yeah…now I see them. Thanks, I should have been looking closer. I guess I’m used to seeing them folded down. You might want to be careful with them as broken leaves are common.
Brad
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