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So, I bought a lemon at auction. 1906 1894 32-40 amateur restoration. I made all the classic mistakes. Was told about the auction last minute. Never looked at it in person/preview. Was chatting with friend while bidding, etc. Bottom line, I paid to much. So, as long as it shots well, I at least have a gun I can plink with, albeit expensive one. I am not an avid Winchester collector so I am reaching out to the knowledgeable folks here for advise on a path forward for this gun. Is it better to break it up and sell parts to people that need them? Keep it as is and have a wall hanger? Shoot the sh*t out of it? ANy input would be appreciated.
Enjoy having it! If you get an ugly puppy, do you just dump it or have it put down? It may be a tack driver and you would enjoy busting water jugs or hunting with it. I have made many “not so smart purchases” but have enjoyed having, holding and shooting them. I understand there are those who look down on my selections and demean me as a collector, but they don’t effect my pleasure. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. Not everyone sees the same way. RDB
Steve Wical said
So, I bought a lemon at auction. 1906 1894 32-40 amateur restoration. I made all the classic mistakes. Was told about the auction last minute. Never looked at it in person/preview. Was chatting with friend while bidding, etc. Bottom line, I paid to much. So, as long as it shots well, I at least have a gun I can plink with, albeit expensive one. I am not an avid Winchester collector so I am reaching out to the knowledgeable folks here for advise on a path forward for this gun. Is it better to break it up and sell parts to people that need them? Keep it as is and have a wall hanger? Shoot the sh*t out of it? ANy input would be appreciated.
If you don’t want it for hunting, about the best you can do is sell it for whatever it will bring & suffer the loss. That’s unfortunate, but better than having your dough tied up in a gun that only evokes a bad memory every time you look at it. It’s not impossible another buyer will LIKE its cond, in which case your loss may be minimized; badly refinished guns sell on GB every day. Breaking it up is too uncertain, unless you were a parts dealer with a customer base.
I’ve never subscribed to the ‘shooter’ rationale and it would aggravate me just looking at the gun. I’d sell it for what I could get and not look back.
Lesson learned
“If you can’t convince them, confuse them”
President Harry S. Truman
Steve Wical said
So, I bought a lemon at auction. 1906 1894 32-40 amateur restoration. I made all the classic mistakes. Was told about the auction last minute. Never looked at it in person/preview. Was chatting with friend while bidding, etc. Bottom line, I paid to much. So, as long as it shots well, I at least have a gun I can plink with, albeit expensive one. I am not an avid Winchester collector so I am reaching out to the knowledgeable folks here for advise on a path forward for this gun. Is it better to break it up and sell parts to people that need them? Keep it as is and have a wall hanger? Shoot the sh*t out of it? ANy input would be appreciated.
Probably sell it at a loss and just move on.
But let’s start with what you have into it, what exactly is it, and can you post photographs? Someone else was probably wanting it almost as much as you did, as they bid up to one increment less than yours.
Good input from all. I would love to load pics but as a non-paying member, it is proving a challenge to upload them. I emailed a bunch to Bert. If someone else can post them, I can email them to someone to post.
You can email them to me at the below address and I will post them.
Everyone has bought a ringer and you eventually sell it and take a hit on it.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
I would shoot the crap out of it knowing that would not hurt its value. Enjoy it!
I didn’t catch if you established if it actually does shoot well. How is the bore? Ideally, it would shoot well with lead bullets and there wouldn’t be pits to catch the lead. If it only shoots well with jacketed bullets, it might be a fine hunter but chance are you are not going to do a ton of plinking with it.
Here are your pictures. The auction site pictures showed enough to tell it was restored. Buffed fairly heavy, relined barrel, new wood that does not fit and the proof marks not standing proud. Don’t feel bad every new collector makes these mistakes and that is how we learned. With the new barrel liner it should shoot good so use it as a shooter. If you sell it, any money you lost is considered a education and hopefully you will not make the same mistake. Don’t let your pride get in the way so next time post pictures here and let the forum give you advise before you buy one.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
I’ve seen worse, like that one refinished with a belt sander, but it’s bad enough. However, there are definitely folks who LIKE “shiny,” so it’s definitely a gun you can resell, maybe on consignment in a local store, where customers aren’t highly discriminating.
With the relined barrel it should shoot well. I’d use it as a cast bullet shooter and shoot it a lot. We’ve always known that there are savings to shooting your own handloads. With the ever-escalating cost of shooting factory ammunition, the savings are striking. For cast bullet loads in the .32-40, very little powder is used – a can of powder lasts a very long time. Primers will run about 8 cents a piece. As far as bullets, many here cast their own using scrap wheel weights or lead procured inexpensively. Contrast this to $2 to $3 for one round of factory ammunition.
I’ll see how it shoots and decide from there. I thought it was relined and refinished after I looked close at the pics after the auction. Didn’t know much about 1894’s so I thought I would ask.
I have a never fired 1960 Model 12 20 gauge, another shooter Model 12 12 gauge and a bunch of Remington 1100 and older 870’s. Two are Trap and 2 are Skeet B’s and 3 lefty’s each of 1100 and 870 which are all in excellent shape as I shoot left handed.
Thanks for everyone’s input.
Steve Wical said
I have $2600.00 in it.
Ouch!
Unless there was a shill bidder, someone else thought it to be worth $2500, assuming $100 bidding increments.
I would sell it at auction for whatever you can get for it—and move on.
steve004 said
With the relined barrel it should shoot well. I’d use it as a cast bullet shooter and shoot it a lot. We’ve always known that there are savings to shooting your own handloads. With the ever-escalating cost of shooting factory ammunition, the savings are striking. For cast bullet loads in the .32-40, very little powder is used – a can of powder lasts a very long time. Primers will run about 8 cents a piece. As far as bullets, many here cast their own using scrap wheel weights or lead procured inexpensively. Contrast this to $2 to $3 for one round of factory ammunition.
If that ring at the muzzle is a liner, it’s the thickest one I’ve ever seen BY FAR. DJ’s are the heaviest I know of, but they aren’t that thick!
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