Rick C said
Well I guess maybe the oxidation or pitting on the front of the receiver is due to the barrel being separated during storage and somehow wasn’t exposed to the same elements. My question now is why it doesn’t state 1/2 magazine, which I would expect having that special order feature. I have 8 or 9 Cody letters that show 1/2 magazine on several different models. 
  

Maybe…but I wouldn’t count on that.

Not that it hurts it, but the sights are after market upgrades.

Bo Rich said
Zebulon,  Very nice Featherweight!  I have one like yours.  Also, a .30’06 that I have been using for 35 years now.  I mounted a Leupold 2X7 scope on it when I bought it.  I have used it for Antilope, White tail, Mule deer, as well as Elk.  My favorite hunting rifle!
  

Yes, Bo. It is about as good an all-around game rifle as you can find. This is my second one and I was beginning to miss my first one. 

When I sold the 1956 Featherweight '06 to a friend, I kept the Leupold Vari-X III 1.75 - 6 matte finished scope and will put it on this one, using a set of Redfield low rings I'd squirreled away in my parts box. 

I know serious collectors regard aftermarket pads as a fault but both of mine have had the same pad, and for good reason. I find the Monte Carlo stock on these very comfortable to shoot - with a good ventilated Whiteline. 

More pre-64 Featherweights were sold in 30/06 than all the rest and almost invariably you see them with this same recoil pad at shows. To the point they look to me odd without them. 

Here's my first one, with my pal taking possession.The 1966 Model 70 is a 243 set up for varmints, for comparison. Hurts your eyes but it was a bell rinnger.

WINCHESTER MODEL 1894 SERIAL NUMBER 103821

Serial number applied on 29 December 1900

Type:  Rifle

Caliber:  .38-55

Barrel Type:  1/2 octagon 

Trigger:  Plain

Sights:  Sporting Rear

Takedown

Received in warehouse on 10 July 1901

Shipped from warehouse on 30 December 1901, order number 128155

The auction would close in an hour. There were a number of bids because it was a penny start auction, but the high bid was only $971 USD. 

My own opinion of the market was a nice Featherweight, even in '06, would hammer for $1200 USD + or - $150. Worn Standard style '06 rifles were dipping well below a grand but the market liked Featherweights better. 

So what's with $971. The more I looked, the more I liked the rifle so about 20 minutes before closing I put in a $1200 bid, assuming that would flush out an autobid and if it ran the price up past $1200 he could have it and welcome.

But I became high bidder at $981. What??

As the clock crept toward 15 minutes out,  I thought some.clueless player was going to start bidding within the 15 minute window and we'd be extending the closing time... but nobody did anything and the hammer fell on my $981 bid. 

I've been looking for the scorpion under the violet ever since. What did I miss? 

FedEx put the gun in my hands this morning and it is better than described. I'm plumb tickled with it and loved the price .......

But the very same large Florida dealer auctioned a 1961 Featherweight 06 back in May, condition a little rougher than mine and with the later narrow machine checkering. It had a recoil pad too - a black Pachmayr Old English.  Bidders were all over it and it closed for $1200 on the nose.  

I guess a $200 + discount is not an unreasonable fluctuation and the causes are unknowable. 

In comparing the bidding histories of the two auctions, ignoring the bids placed from the penny start up to a serious eight hundred bucks, i did notice one difference. The last several bidders for my gun had feedback numbers of more than a hundred. Whereas in the May auction, the bidders who chased the price from under a thousand up to the $1200 closing bid had feedback numbers in single and double digits. 

I'm not sure what conclusions to draw from that, if any. 

But the lesson i do take is you can't assume the bid you can afford to make won't be enough to win.

I've written before about my bartending friend who always asked pretty girls to go home with him, at closing time. He was living proof that good fortune smiles on persistence. 

TJ_Mayes said
Well, I took it out and put a few rounds through it. It shoots super high… about 12” high at 50 yards and couldn’t really tell much difference at 100 yards. 150 grain. Maybe that’s why the gun is so pretty
j/k… wondering if I should just leave it alone and enjoy it as a safe queen OR put a taller front blade on it.
  

The sights were regulated for 170-grain factory ammo.  Modern 150-grain ammo will shoot high.  Swap out the front pinned blade with a taller blade piece.

Bert

The rear sight on your carbine looks like the same as my 1895 carbine. 

mine was re barreled and the front sight was braised by a well intentioned gentleman I’m sure.  

to help, I need to know your ammo, and the sight picture your taking.  

Shooting the old Winchesters is a joy. Shooting to point of aim can take some work, if needed, if your rifle is original, I doubt the rifle is problem. 

j/k… wondering if I should just leave it alone and enjoy it as a safe queen OR put a taller front blade on it.

Nice spruce gun!! Better than many, I would wipe it down with your oil of choice and hunt the heck out of it.

The JC17 just adds to the package.

Doug 

Mike

TJ_Mayes said

Bert H. said

TJ_Mayes said
Hello, all! Been lurking here a couple weeks. Just sharing pics of my newly acquired Spruce Gun. Yes, I have been in contact with Bert via email. 
Love to deer hunt so I have a few hunting rifles… also some defense stuff. This is my first collectible rifle. Maybe on a very nice DRY day I can still take a deer with it.
Cheers.
  

Spruce Guns were made to drag through the dense wet brush of the coastal mountains of Oregon and Washington (where the blacktail deer thrive).
I do recommend finding the correct Link Pin stop screw.
Bert
  

Thanks again, Bert! I’ll be on the lookout for a proper replacement. 
  

Homestead Gun Parts has what you need - Winchester 1894 Original and Reproduction Firearm Gun Parts Winchester, HOMESTEAD GUN PARTS, Specializing in Old Winchester (homesteadparts.com)

Bert

Bert H. said

TJ_Mayes said
Hello, all! Been lurking here a couple weeks. Just sharing pics of my newly acquired Spruce Gun. Yes, I have been in contact with Bert via email. 
Love to deer hunt so I have a few hunting rifles… also some defense stuff. This is my first collectible rifle. Maybe on a very nice DRY day I can still take a deer with it.
Cheers.
  

Spruce Guns were made to drag through the dense wet brush of the coastal mountains of Oregon and Washington (where the blacktail deer thrive).
I do recommend finding the correct Link Pin stop screw.

Bert
  

Thanks again, Bert! I’ll be on the lookout for a proper replacement.