Hey y’all I know I’m a little bit late, but I thought I would post the letter I received back from Winchester on this 1894. I would really appreciate any feedback you may have on this.

The butt plate has been replaced or removed recently - likely after the top of the stock was damaged. You can see the damage. The gaps and screws tell me that.  If genuine, the butt plate may have also had markings on it but that is speculation. 

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. 
  

Jesi was emailed and responded that there was no mention of magazine length in the records.

Bert

I am looking at an 1894 short barrel rifle, 20" made 1902. 32 Special. Take down, 70% condition, wood and metal untouched up, just normal aging. VG bore. Excellent markings. With Lyman 21 sight. It has a dovetail, so probably not original, but looks the age of the gun. $1800. Sound about right?

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.