I bought a Winchester 73 rifle. 24 in bbl, full magazine, forend cap, in 32 cal. or 32/20 for a more common designation. SN is 242K and gun is complete - looks like it will shoot if I get some BP lead ammo. The finish is all brown but not many dings or rust, original wood. Any info will be appreciated, especially how to grade these puppies. This one is pretty dang nice but I'm confused with the finish levels on a +100 year old gun. They are relaxed, right? TIA
Winchester 1873 - Real
- Thread starter BigG
- Start date
I will chime in hear, even though I am not sure I can help much ---
The rendition of "condition" statements is in-exact at best in my experience. What one person will say is "Fine" another will call "Very Good" and so on.
The best I can suggest is pick up a copy of the Blue Book of Gun Values. They come with several pages of color pictures of guns in various conditions, with the comments of the authors about how they would rate the guns.
You could also try to find some independent dealers in your area who have extensive experience in this type of activity. They might be willing to give you their opinon for a small fee.
No specific knowledge on your last question, but just a guess would be that the criteria for a condition would be the same no matter how old the gun would be????
The rendition of "condition" statements is in-exact at best in my experience. What one person will say is "Fine" another will call "Very Good" and so on.
The best I can suggest is pick up a copy of the Blue Book of Gun Values. They come with several pages of color pictures of guns in various conditions, with the comments of the authors about how they would rate the guns.
You could also try to find some independent dealers in your area who have extensive experience in this type of activity. They might be willing to give you their opinon for a small fee.
No specific knowledge on your last question, but just a guess would be that the criteria for a condition would be the same no matter how old the gun would be????
Personally I like the NRA grading standards better a little easier to figure out when dealing with old guns.
But collector guns may be on a whole different level than I'm used to
But collector guns may be on a whole different level than I'm used to
If your serial number is in the 242X range, your rifle manufacture date is 1874. http://armscollectors.com/sn/winlookup.php
For detailed answers to your questions around finish, value, and general model information, I suggest posting over at the Levergunner Forum. http://leverguns.sixgunner.com/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=2
They're a great wealth of knowledge for anything levergun related, and a very nice group of folks on top of that.
Have a great time with that rifle. I have a 1873 in .38WCF manufactured in 1886 and its a beauty. I'm turning it into a family heirloom to be passed down from generation to generation.
For detailed answers to your questions around finish, value, and general model information, I suggest posting over at the Levergunner Forum. http://leverguns.sixgunner.com/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=2
They're a great wealth of knowledge for anything levergun related, and a very nice group of folks on top of that.
Have a great time with that rifle. I have a 1873 in .38WCF manufactured in 1886 and its a beauty. I'm turning it into a family heirloom to be passed down from generation to generation.