Oh god, not ANOTHER 'how much is it worth' thread! (WW1-era)

[Frank RW]

Yup, I'm clueless. This is well outside my purview. And figuring out values at today's rates, oh man, where's the line between market-value and gouging? Anyway...


Any Winchester 1895 gurus amongst us? 30.06 lever-action (x5-round capacity) built in 1915. What would YOU sell this for?




I could post 1000 pictures, but thought this was a better idea:

Any help would be appreciated. From what I've been able to find, and nothing exactly like this one, but close, somewhere between $2k and $4500. That's a big margin though.


Not 100% convinced I'm ready to let it go, as it's got a good "feel" to it. I'm sure many of you know what I mean. But still, I do despise a gun sitting around doing nothing. I'm not a collector (obviously).

Thanks neighbors, appreciate the help!

Frank

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[jordanka16]

No one is going to gouge for a vintage rifle like that, the prices on old rifles pretty much stay steady, unaffected by most current politics.

For value look to auction sites, gunbroker and rock island are 2 good ones, you could also see if any specialized site has any for sale and see what they're asking. For a reasonably fast sale locally you'll probably have to drop your price some, nice vintage rifles like that don't sell too fast on here.

And there's a large disparity in the price because tons of things can affect value, condition obviously, but also things like caliber, barrel length, year made. It can get pretty tough.

 

[Frank RW]

No one is going to gouge for a vintage rifle like that...

Thanks for that insight! Some of the prices of similar I recently checked seemed kinda high. At least for my taste.

For value look to auction sites, gunbroker and rock island are 2 good ones, you could also see if any specialized site...

Yup, how I came up with that margin. Not many matching close enough to really nail it down. I've put some time into it. Some deja-vu, relearning the history of the 1895. (lol, not that I was around then, just been a while since I've google'd it.)

 

[Flymph]

High side of the low end, maybe 10%-20% above low end. Wood looks decent, there is no pitting, looks all matching/original. However there is no finish left, and there are some pretty bad scratches on the receiver/bolt that would make a refinish difficult.
I can't imagine your rifle is in worse shape than every other rifle on the interwebs. I wouldn't shoot anything too hot in that either, M2 ball seems about right.

Sportsman's has a new one in stock for 1K...

Good luck on your appraisal!

 

[No_Regerts]

@Ura-Ki

 

[Ura-Ki]

Man, that's a tough one to estimate a value on. The Engraving of the name and D.L. is going to pretty much kill its value. The rest of it is in decent enough shape that you could get better then the minimums for it. With out seeing the rifling really good, it's going to be hard to value it, but.......
$350 on the bottom of the range, I would put this one some where in the $450 ish, and with out the engraving, $700 ish.
The basic rear sight, rust, finish issues, and wood grain are all going to effect the price!
These 95's get absolutely destroyed in value if they are not 100% original or they have certain period aftermarket sights, and some times, those sights are worth more then the rifle underneath! Hope this helps.

 

[User 1234]

Most buyers will want to see the engraved DL and name to know how deep they are. If they are too deep to polish out then I'd agree the market value is greatly reduced. In all candor nobody is going to think that a prior owner's engraved name is historically significant unless it is a celebrity. You could ask a reputable gunsmith whether the engraving can be removed.

 

[Frank RW]

$350 on the bottom of the range, I would put this one some where in the $450 ish, and with out the engraving, $700 ish.

That seems terribly low. For that, I'd just refinish it and keep it as one of my regular shooters. Assuming it's capable of being such.

 

[Ura-Ki]

That seems terribly low. For that, I'd just refinish it and keep it as one of my regular shooters. Assuming it's capable of being such.

Like I said, these Winnie's get hammered in value when modified or damaged! They just don't have the collectability of the 73's, 94's and M-70s, and the folks who do want these are few and far between, and super picky! I bought one in .30/06 just about a year ago, nothing at all wrong with it, made in 1923, nice Lyman sights, and decent wood, only problem was, at some point in it's life, it had been threaded for a suppressor ( likely to hunt in Europe/Africa) and the front sight had been pushed back from the threads to clear, that killed the value, and I ended up paying $490 for it, plus $60 in shipping and the BGC! Also bought another onein .30/06, a rare take down that had some minor putting and rust issues, and the stocks were not original ( though in the correct pattern and grade of wood) and I paid $600 for that one! Again, it's a captive audience, and folks looking for one are in one of three camps; collecting, trading for profit, and project buyers!
Yours dosnt fit the first, hits the mid point on the second, and med to high on the third!

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Winchester model 95's are neat rifles and carbines....some folks like 'em....others not so much.
As pointed out....condition is everything to those that do like them.

As far as value goes....I haven't seen one for sold in years...so I do not know what it would sell for ...I know what folks ask for 'em...but that may be different than what they were sold for.

The DL engraving is a deal breaker for me....if it is too deep to remove.
Good advice in the seeking out a gunsmith to see if it can be removed.

On that note....
If it was my rifle ....I might consider having the DL name / number , "engraved" over with a design to cover it up.
This idea may cost more than what the rifle is worth...but if I was going to keep the rifle...it would make it a bit more sightly.
Andy

 

[jbett98]

I have had more then a few nice Winchester lever actions pass through my hands over the years. I think they're cool no matter what condition I find them.
I know of a collector who has asked me to actively look for 98% or better condition rifles in my travels and when I found one, I would pass on the info to him.
He is so picky that he has me confirm that the rear stocks finish brush marks match the brush marks on the butt plate since Winchester applied the finish with them already attached.
If they didn't match up, he wasn't interested no matter how good it looked.

 

[Ura-Ki]

Caliber and Grade is another biggy, believe it or not, the older, what we would call obsolete, or what we consider odd ball, then there are those in .405 Win, those command the big numbers, especially the take downs! Now, add in the original period correct accessories, and fancier grades, and you can find some pretty big prices!

Not trying to bust your rifle down any, just trying to help get you in the ball park for value! I would restore it if I were you, unless your in need of funds, then I would start out high and work your way down a little!

 

[Bon Sauvage]

True that. If that was one of the Russian guns in 7.62x54r you could name your own price despite the creepy voice.

 

[Member 18201]

Good news- Barrel has not been cut, has an uncommon shotgun butt. Most of the era are crescent.

Not so good news is the overall condition, though it is not horrible by any means.

If it was in my hands and I was selling, I would put $1200.00 on it if the bore is excellent.
It will part out for $1200-1500.

.................

 

[Frank RW]

Is it worth turning into one of my "daily shooters"? (i wish daily, that would be nice.)

Assuming I take it to a good gunsmith and verify it isn't gonna do something unexpected.

When it's readily back in stock somewhere, what off-the-shelf ammo would y'all recommend, assuming goes well that direction?

f

EDIT: Oh, and can I assume any refinishing done to it is going to further kill it's value?
(ya know, like taking silver polish and and some steel wool to a dingy 1881 Morgan Silver Dollar? )

 

[Andy54Hawken]

I would suggest using "standard" .30-06....something that is in the usual ranges of 150 -180 grains and Nothing like the "Hornady Light Magnum" cartridges.

Remington 150 - 180 CORE-LOKT ammo
Winchester 150 -180 Silver tips or Power points
Federal 150 - 180 Power Shok or American Eagle....
Cartridges like the above , would make a good choice.
Andy

 

[tac]

I have had more then a few nice Winchester lever actions pass through my hands over the years. I think they're cool no matter what condition I find them.
I know of a collector who has asked me to actively look for 98% or better condition rifles in my travels and when I found one, I would pass on the info to him.
He is so picky that he has me confirm that the rear stocks finish brush marks match the brush marks on the butt plate since Winchester applied the finish with them already attached.
If they didn't match up, he wasn't interested no matter how good it looked.

He sounds like the kind of guy who can tell you the day you were born on by looking at your collar size.

 

[orygun]

I understand the "issue" of having guns that aren't used.
If this was mine, I clean it and shoot it. Probably take it hunting, too.

I think it's pretty nice as it sits.

 

[Spitpatch]

Have an '06 Carbine, and I keep my loads on the low pressure side both for the gun AND my shoulder.

The quandaries assigning value to this gun have been well covered on this thread.

I'd keep it and shoot the Hell out of it.

 

[Mikej]

Threads like this are what really make NWFA shine, in my mind. Excellent idea with the video thing.