Yes, refinished.  The third photograph tells it all, if the tone of the bluing isn’t enough.  Forearm iron shows pitting with blue within and also note the poor fit of the forearm at the top with the forearm iron.

There also may be some slight dishing surrounding any drilled holes in the receiver.

And the bid is over NINE GRAND? I don’t have expertise but even I can see it has been refinished.  

Can we get real? I just turned down a mint Winchester/Miroku Lightweight 86 45/70 at a local shop.  Out of print, but a really nice reproduction. 22″ barrel, shotgun butt, straight grip, half magazine. Beautifully understated finish and balanced like a fine 20 gauge double. You would grin picking it up and hunt with it. TAG PRICE $1,100  Not an “original” but neither is the one at auction!  

If 9K is the real current market for a refinished 1886, I will never be able to afford the genuine. Just born too late..

Perhaps the gun auction overbidding phenomenon is related to how girls seem to get prettier at closing time?

Whoever takes this 86 home is going to chew his bidding arm off the next morning, when he wakes up and realizes what he’s done.

I read the title too fast and read it as a .33 SRC at auction.  That got me real interested.  When I started reading the comments about it being refinished, I thought if it’s an actual .33 SRC, nine grand doesn’t sound out of it line – even if refinished.  Then I clicked on the auction.  It’s just a .33!  CRAZY.

Edit:  and it even has extra receiver tap holes – ugly ones at that!

Great, I have a few honest ones, not refinished.  The way I look at it they should be worth 30 grand each.

I’ll be in Bedford at the RIA auction next weekend. Saw some pretty crazy stuff last time. Even the RIA folks had to put a little work into their poker faces. The phone and internet bidders will put on a good show.

Mike

I’m impressed that NONE of us was fooled into believing this is genuine.  Meaning that it appears that shill bidding has to be getting it to such stratospheric heights.  I can’t believe that there are two individuals with deep enough pockets who are foolish enough to want this rifle at anything over $500.  It’s incredible enough to believe there’s even one individual out there foolish enough to bid against a shill bidder for this long.

If the auction company starts serving free whiskey an hour before the first lot comes up, you’ll know the reason why. 

I have made some dreadful mistakes in my youth under the influence of alcohol, but I  don’t remember ever being sufficiently three sheets to the wind to bid nine thousand dollars for something like this. If I did, I hope I never remember the fact. 

P. T. Barnum is reputed to have once said,

“No one ever went broke by underestimating the intelligence of the general public.”  

Seems that is being proven by the auction referenced above.  All it takes is at least two fools with deep pockets…

BRP

I looked at this rifle again.  Not to put too dramatic a point on it, but I am repulsed when I look at this rifle