BILL GOODMAN, 280 W. KAGY BLVD. SUITE D #152, BOZEMAN, MONTANA 59715

TEL. (406) 587-3131 FAX (406) 219-3415

EMAIL: [email protected]

 

Bill Goodman has been a collector of antique/collector firearms for well over 40 years and a full time dealer for over 30 years. Traveling around the country constantly seeking good quality collector arms at REALISTIC PRICES, Bill sells exclusively by mail order. Until recently, he has advertised in every issue of The Gun List (now Gun Digest the Magazine) since it’s first small issues in the early 1980s (as well as The Shotgun News before that). All items are photographed. To view them just click the text of the item you want to see. Be sure to scroll down as most items have more than one photo.  All guns are sold as collector’s items, not shooters. If you wish to shoot an item listed here, it is strongly recommended that you have the item checked out by a competent gunsmith who specializes in antique/classic firearms. All items are sold with the usual three (3) day inspection. If for any reason you are not satisfied with your purchase, call to say you are returning the item and you will receive an immediate refund when the item is received back in the same condition it was originally shipped. This list will be constantly updated as new items become available. Use the above phone number or email to check availability and for info on any item you wish to purchase. Prices do not include shipping. All federal/state laws concerning the transfer of firearms are strictly followed. Modern firearms must be shipped to an FFL dealer (or “Curio & Relics” license holders where applicable). Pre-1899 antiques may be shipped to non-FFL holders. All Layaway sales are final. AND PLEASE, MAKE CHECKS TO WILLIAM (OR BILL) GOODMAN AND NOT GOODMANGUNS

 

MORE GUNS WERE POSTED 5/22/25. WATCH FOR FREQUENT POSTINGS  THROUGH MAY.

 

NOTES FROM THE FIELD:

The other day I was at the range sighting in a Winchester Model 52 target rifle, .22 Long Rifle caliber, made in 1936. It weighs 9 ½ lbs so is a bit heavier than most .22 Sporters, but certainly not as heavy as the bull barrel target models. This one is unaltered and retains the superb factory Lyman receiver sight and globe front sight. It’s made to be typically shot in 50 foot competition, so that’s how I sighted it. Tiny, one-hole groups were the norm even with cheap bulk ammo. The rifle turned up at a local show and I didn’t pay much for it. Aside from formal competition, its a fun general purpose .22 rifle. While shooting from the bench I got to thinking what a bargain it was. After all, it’s a Model 52- Winchesters top-of-the-line rifle at the time. Since there’s not much interest these days in the type of shooting this rifle was designed for, and those who do pursue small bore bullseye now use high-tech rifles made from synthetics with fully adjustable everything, demand and prices are fairly low. Then I started to ponder what other bargains are out there… Here’s a few I came up with. In the handgun area just about any Pre-War auto pistols in .32 ACP caliber along with nearly all Colt and S&W Pre-War and early Post-War .32 and .38 revolvers. The S&W .32 Hand Ejectors come to mind as do the Colt Officers Models in .22 and .38 Special. If you are looking for a shooter, in decent condition, but not minty, prices are reasonable, the ammo is cheap or easily reloaded, and the quality is simply amazing. There are also .32-20s in double action form from both manufacturers with modest price tags. In the rifle line, The target models like the one above are certainly bargains- especially the early versions with the Winchester “barrel band” rifles, like mine, being often down right cheap. In center fire rifles, the early Remington 40X single shot target models stand out also. Walnut stocked with heavy barrels and precise iron sights, these too are a joy to shoot. I have one in .308 that didn’t cost much considering the quality and its accuracy is astounding. Of course, all of the common Trapdoor Springfield rifles in .45-70 are still bargains with their impeccable 19th century Springfield Armory workmanhip inside and out. Lastly, high quality, hand fitted double barrel Damascus and some steel barrel shotguns from the late 19^th and early 20^th century can be had inexpensively. I shoot mine with black powder and easily reloadable brass shells that seem to last forever (See older NOTES FROM THE FIELD for more on this as well as Great Depression Era firearms). This is just a smattering of examples, but bargains all!

 

COLT FIRE ARMS (click text for photo) 

 

1) EXCEPTIONALLY RARE AND IN EXCEPTIONAL CONDITION, BLUE AND CASE COLOR NEW LINE .38 COLT CENTER FIRE CALIBER REVOLVER WITH SUPER RARE 4″ BARREL, #9XXX, MADE 1879. Almost all of the .38 New Line revolvers were made with 2 1/4″ barrels. With only about 5,500 made in both rim fire and center fire caliber in both nickel and blue finish from 1874-1880, the model itself is not all that common. Most that I’ve encountered have been .38 Rim Fire, 2 1/4″ barrel and nickel finish. The blue/case color revolvers were made in much smaller numbers and are hard to find, especially with any finish remaining. It is thought that only a very limited number were made with 4″ barrel and any .38 New line in either Rim Fire or Center Fire; blue or nickel finish is an extreme Colt rarity. This example was made with the full frame case colored and the barrel and cylinder blued. Remarkably, it retains fine deep blue on both the cylinder and barrel with only minor dulling from age in some areas with very minor edge wear. The barrel has all the correct sharp address markings on the top, a full “COLT NEW 38” etched panel on the left side and correct tiny  1874 patent date under the cylinder pin on the barrel bottom. There is excellent fire blue on the hammer backm trigger face and loading gate. Most of the case color remains which is more vibrant on the sides of the frame and a little more darkened and aged (but still good) elsewhere. Exc. rosewood grips, exc. action and unaltered front sight. The right bottom of the frame below the cylinder is correctly stamped “38  C” for center fire. You can look for years for a 4″ .38 C.F. New line in any condition and never be successful. This one is outstanding. $2950.

2) FINE CONDITION BISLEY .32-20, 5 1/2″ BARREL, #229XXX, MADE 1902. Fine example that has that untouched/unmessed look. All screw heads look unturned, which means a lot on these. The cylinder shows most of the blue with some dulling from age and a little edge wear. Barrel shows bright blue on the top, bottom and right side that is protected by the ejector housing with the left side showing gray from holster wear as does the outside of the ejector housing with some light brown staining. Good blue on the butt, inner portions of the trigger guard and upper grip strap sides and around the hammer. Grips fit nicely and show only very light, if any, real wear. Front sight is not altered. The right side of the frame shows light/faint case color with the left side showing color ahead of the cylinder and on both sides of the  recoil shield by the hammer. Exc. markings, matching numbers, four distinct clicks to the hammer and exc. bore. A 123 year old Bisley that was obviously lightly used and well taken care of. $2495.

3) VERY EARLY NEW SERVICE TARGET .455 ELEY/.45 COLT CALIBER, #13XXX, MADE 1905. This is an interesting Colt as it is English proofed on the barrel, frame and cylinder. The barrel is marked “NEW SERVICE  455 Eley” with the cylinder obviously bored out to take the longer .45 Colt cartridge- very common with these. The serial number in the frame and yoke/crane has been “punch-dotted” out with some of the numerals visible and another number stamped above the original number (172XXX) which may be an order number or some kind of rack/badge number. Many Colt New Service standard and target models ended up in Canada. Early Royal Canadian Mounted Police New Services were in .455 with later ones being factory .45 Colts. Th is one may have been returned to Colt for the rechambering as there is a tiny “&” inside where the frame serial number is indicating it was sent back to Colt for work. The original grips have the 13XXX number clearly marked inside. Overall fine condition showing holster and handling wear with some age. The barrel has clear Colt address markings and early patent dates ending in 1900 and the frame has the early round “COLT’S NEW SERVICE” rampant colt stamping on the left side. The frame shows fine deep high polish blue with some edge wear mainly on the right side top edge. The cylinder shows fine blue mith minor wear. The barrel blue is mixing with brown and there is fine blue on the bottom of the trigger guard and butt. Checkered back strap, front strap and trigger. Good fire blue on the hammer back. Fleur-de-lis checkered walnut grips show handling and some very light/shallow dings/chips at the lower edge. Exc. bright bore, exc. screw heads, very tight action with no play in the cylinder or end shake. Good chance this one eventually went into World War I as officers were required to supply their own sidearms.  Lots of history in this classy and rare 120 year old Colt! $1695.

4) VERY FINE CONDITION NEW POCKET .32 DOUBLE ACTION REVOLVER, #28XXX, MADE 1905. The New Pocket Revolver was a round butt version of the New Police Revolver chambered for the .32 New Police cartridge (same as .32 S&W Long but loaded with a flat point bullet), and was only made from 1893-1905 when it was replaced with the Pocket Positive. This example with 3 1/2″ barrel was one of the very last made as serial numbers ran from 1-about 30,000. As a limited production Colt made during the black powder era to the beginning of the smokeless years, the New Pocket is a hard Colt to find. By comparison, the similar Pocket Positive was made from 1905-1940 with 159,000 being produced. Made for concealed or “pocket carry” most of these that survive today show pretty heavy wear. This one retains nearly all the deep high polish blue with only some very minor scattered areas of brown and edge wear. Fine fire blue on the hammer back and trigger sides, exc. markings including the rampant colt on the left side of the frame with “COLT’S NEW POCKET” stamping in a circle around the horse. Excellent hard rubber grips with sharp checkering and “COLT” at the top. Tight action and bright exc. bore. Still retains the blue on the front face of the cylinder indicating that this gun was carried a little, but rarely if ever fired. A very fine and attractive example of one of Colt’s most handsome small frame double action revolvers from 120 years ago. $795. 

5) SCARCE PRE-WAR .22 LR CALIBER OFFICIAL POLICE, WITH COLT FACTORY LETTER, #25XXX, SHIPPED 1941. This distinct variant of the famed Official Police line in .22 LR only was introduced in 1930. It was intended to be mainly used as a “training revolver” using cheap and no recoiling .22 LR ammo for police and military use. As such, not many were poduced. Serial numbers started in 1930 at No. 1 and by 1940 had reached only 14000. Most years only a few hundred were produced (Great Depression era). Interestingly, this one has a high serial number for a pre-War example, so I lettered it with Colt. Production stopped for these at World War II and then began again in 1947 starting with serial number 30000. The colt letter indicates that this .22 LR Official Police Revolver with 6″ barrel and blue finish (standard) was shipped on August 18, 1941 to Blish, Mize & Stillman Hardware Company, Atchison, Kansas. Further, it is listed as a single gun shipment. I believe this was probably a single gun order for the Atchison Police or very probably for Fort Leavenworth which is only 20 miles from Atchison. This company is still in business and started in 1871 to supply wagon trains heading West! (info included).  This limited production Pre-War example shows it was used, but not abused. The action is tight with a bright bore. The blue finish has turned gray on the grip straps (good blue on the butt) and trigger guard. The cylinder blue is thinning with edge wear and good blue in the flutes. Some finish wear to the sides of the barrel. Good frame blue and exc. markings. Unaltered front sight, checkering on the grips is worn evenly on both sides from handling. My bet is that with the outbreak of World War II only months away from the shipping date of this Colt, it was used throughout World War II as a military trainer- many in the military were issued Colt Official Police .38 Special revolvers. In all, a very interesting and scarce historical Colt with factory letter. $1195.

6) FACTORY ENGRAVED ARMY SPECIAL, 4 1/2″ BARREL, .38 SPECIAL, SHIPPED 1912. I found this one not long ago and recognized the engraving pattern as from a group of these Army Special revolvers that were factory engraved and shipped to Norvell Shapleigh Hardward Company, St. Louis, Missouri. I sent for a Colt letter which confirmed what I assumed. This one was in a group of 20 shipped October 15, 1912. The Colt letter confirmed the caliber, barrel length, blue finish with grips not listed and “FACTORY ENGRAVED…YES.” A few similar to this one are pictured in various Colt and Colt Engraving books.  The engraving patters is fairly simple and has scroll work on each side of the frame and barrel with simple “star burst” on the trigger guard bottom and a light design on the very top of the back strap. Simple engraving is also on the fromt of the cylinder between the flutes. This example shows normal handling and blue wear to the grip straps and bottom of the trigger guard. Good frame blue showing light age and good lightly thinning cylinder blue. Barrel shows some normal wear and dulling of the blue on the sides. All good markings including the rampant colt on the left side of the frame. Tight mechanically, bore is fairly bright with some scattered surface corrosion or perhaps leading. I ran a few patches and a brush through it and they came out black. A thorough cleaning would probably be a big improvement, but not bad as is. Correct hard rubber grips show light wear. Still some fire blue on the upper portion of the trigger sides and a little behind the hammer. A chance to own a true, lettered factory engraved 113 year old Colt revolver that was made a few months after the Titanic Sank- without spending a fortune. $2650.

7) EARLY POST-WAR OFFICERS MODEL TARGET .22 LR #56XXX, MADE 1949. These wonderful  adjustable sighted  revolvers were hand fitted and tuned making them truly superb revolvers for field or target use. Colt used the same action as these in their later Python Model that was introduced in the 1950s. This example shows a little holster wear on the forward section of the  barrel sides and some light wear to the high edges of the cylinder. The frame etc. show about all the blue. The front face of the cylinder also retains exc. blue indicating that it was shot little. Very tight action with no cylinder play or end shake. Correct “Coltwood” synthetic stocks of the period. Too expensive to produce today, these are still bargains in the revolver field. $795.

8) SCARCE, MINTY CONDITION COBRA .22 LONG RIFLE CHAMBERING, 3″ BARREL, #109XXX LW, MADE 1961. The Cobra with .22 LR came standard with a 3″ barrel and was only catalogued from 1957-1968. The relatively new book SEVEN SERPENTS The History of Colt’s Snake Guns, by Gurney Brown has the Cobra ranked from    1 – 5 in rarity with 1 the most common and 5 the most rare. He lists the .22 LR version as a “4.” Not sure how many were made, but the number was limited as they seldom show up. This one appears about unused and in about new condition. You’d have to look carefully to find a smudge of blue wear on the rear of the cylinder from the gun lying on its side in a drawer! The front of the cylinder has about all the blue indicating it was rarely if ever shot. Only possibility of a better example would be one new in the box. $1395.

9) HISTORIC, EARLY WESTERN SHIPPED 1903 POCKET HAMMER AUTO PISTOL, .38ACP, #20XXX, SHIPPED SEPTEMBER 17, 1906 TO BROWNING BROTHERS, ODGED, UTAH. John Browning designed these early slab-sided auto pistols and a number of them were shipped to him to fsell out of their family store. There’s a good chance John Browning hinself handlid this one! Really fine condition inisde and out. Retains nearly all the blue with some edge wear and dulling from age mainly on the forward portion of the left side of the slide. Top of the slide shows excellent bright blue as does most of the right side and the rear 2/3 of the left side. Even the grip straps show good very lightly thinning blue. Exc. correct markings including the early 1897 patent date. Exc. Colt embossed hard rubber grips and correct original magazine that is unmarked on the bottom- the earliest production are marked with the 1884 patent date and then magazines were unmarked until 1916 when they were again marked. This early pistol also has the correct round “stub” hammer. Unaltered sights, mechanically tight and bright exc. bore, strong safety half-cock. This exact serial number and shipping destination is listed in Goddard’s book THE GOVERNMENT MODELS, a copy of which goes with this auto pistol. A great find! $1795.

10) EXCEPTIONAL 1917 U.S. ARMY .45 ACP NEW SERVICE REVOLVER WITH HOLSTER, #169XXX/U.S. ARMY No. 17XXX. This example shows all the original brushed blue finish with only the grip straps showing thinning blue to gray and a little wear on the butt from the original lanyard swivel. All correct markings including the impmortant “UNITED STATES PROPERTY” stamping under the barrel (often ground off when these were released by the government). Exc. smooth walnut grips, unaltered front sight, nice fire blue on the hammer back and trigger, tight action and bright bore. The original U.S. flap holster is in excellent condition with strong stitching and retains the brass ring at the bottom. It is marked “G & K” over “1917” on the back or the belt loop. A truly fine set from World War I. $1595. (NOTE: light reflection off “brush finish” in photo- it is full blue)

11) SUPERB CONDITION, VERY EARLY “RIGHT TURNING CYLINDER” OFFICERS MODEL .38 SPECIAL, #322XXX, MADE 1910. This is particularly interesting as I’ve seen another with serial number a few thousnd lower that was also made in 1910, but it had a “Left Turning Cylinder” as on the earliest style Officers Models made on the New Army/New Navy style. I would assume this one was one of the very first of the “new” style cylinder models that turn to the right as all Colts have done since that time. This example appears about unused. It retains nearly all the original high polish blue that Colt used at this time with only the most minor of wear that is too small to try to describe. The trigger snd hammer back show beautiful fire blue. Checkered back strap and trigger, adjustable sights, early “stylized C” rampant colt stamping and all markings sharp asnd clear.  Exc. mechanically and bright bore. Even the front  face of the cylinder shows about all the blue indicating it was rarely if ever shot (still has some hard grease on the cylinder face!). Sharply checkered walnut grips are excellent. It would be harder to find a finer 115 year old Officers Model Target revolver than this one. $1295. (NOTE: the mark on the top strap in the bottom photo is light reflection. It is full blue)

MARLIN (click text for photos).

1) MODEL ’93 “SPORTING CARBINE” .30-30, #L5XX, MADE 1930s. Sporting carbines of this time period had steel “S” butt plates and 2/3 magazines that held 5 rounds. The earlier versions from the 1920s had hard rubber shotgun butt plates. The matching number is stamped inside the butt plate. As these were made during the Great Depression, production was limited and these don’e show up too often.  This example has a mostly gray receiver with only light mottling from the faded case colors. Good blue on the loading gate, 20″ barrel and mag blue is thinned and mixing gray/brown with more blue on the mag tube. All markings are sharp and clear. Buckhorn rear sight with elevator bar intact (correct for this model) and blade/bead front sight. Fine stock and forearm, tight action, strong safety half-cock, exc. bore. $1195.

A NOTE ABOUT “MODERN MARLINS: Marlin has closed its doors for good in North Haven, Connecticut and been bought out by the folks who own Remington. It looks like some models have been put back into production with the barrels marked “Utica, New York.” I did see one of the new ones with the old North Haven barrel address so I assume they had left over barrels they were using up. Quality in wood to metal fit was fair at best and trigger pulls were off the scale heavy! I don’t know if any of the octagon barrel “cowboy models” will be produced again, although their online catalogue does show a model 1894 cowboy-type with octagon barrel in .45 Colt. UPDATE: Remington has sold the Marlin line to Ruger.  Ruger is now producing some Marlin models with more to come. In my opinion, all of this with past quality control problems will make the CT manufactured Marlins even more desirable as shooters and collectibles. I know I’ll be looking for them, especially the limited production models.

1) MODEL 1894CB “COWBOY LIMITED” .45 COLT CALIBER, 20″ OCTAGON BARREL, #93238627, MADE IN NORTH HAVEN, CT IN 2007. Like all the JM marked Cowboy Limited octagon barrel rifles, these are rapidly gaining value and are increasingly hard to find.  This example has seen almost no use and is in near new condition inside and out. It also has fancier grained walnut in the butt stock than usually seen. These handle incredibly well. $1295.

2) JM MARLIN 1895CB .45-70, 26″ OCTAGON BARREL, #94206, MADE 2006. These are great shooting rifle. This onen is fitted with a Skinner “Alaskan” receiver sight secured in the factory holes on the receiver top- one of the best sights to come along for lever guns. Rear sight removed with an empty dovetail slot. Overall has seen limited use and retains about all the blue. Aside from a few very minor handling marks, it is near new. Fitted with a quick detachable sling swivel studd in the butt stock and a matching barrel band one. Exc. inside and out with original Marlin butt plate. Another JM Marlin made in North Haven, CT that is getting hard to find. $1550.

3) SCARCE JM MARLIN, NORTH HAVEN, CT,  1894CL (CLASSIC) IN .25-20 CALIBER, #CL251XXX, ONLY MADE 1988-93. This was a non-standard model that featured a 22″ round barrel with half magazine, straight stock with shotgun butt plate. They were offered in limited numbers in  .218 Bee, .25-20 and .32-20. This example is about new inside and out. It has the factory included hammer extension for scope use. Aside from a small rectangular stain on the bottom of the forend from either a Marlin sticker or an old price tag and one tiny handling mark on the front of the comb (you have to look carefully to see it), this one is new. $1495.

 

ANTIQUE & CLASSIC RIFLES, SHOTGUNS AND PISTOLS (click text for photos)

 

1) EARLY AND EXTREMELY RARE WHITNEY-LAIDLEY ROLLIGBLOCK IN DESIRABLE .45-70 CALIBER, #9XXX, MADE 1870s. This is an extremely scarce western used rifle of which not many were made in the big “Buffalo Calibers.” Most of this Sporting and Target Model were in .32, .38, or 44 Rimfire caliber with other small center fire calibers offered. Relatively few of the approximately 5,000 that were manufactured  from 1871-1881 were in large center fire calibers and this is the first I’ve encountered in .45-70. The 30″ octagon barrel is marked on the top flat ahead of the receivere “.45 CAL C.F.” I checked this one and a .45-70 cartridge chambers correctly. Fine even  barrel blue that has aged somewhat dull. Uncleaned mottled gray/brown receiver. Fine stock and forend showing only normal handling with tight wood to metal fit and a little honest saddle wear to the bottom of the forend. Matching serial number on the barrel and receiver. All correct markings. Rear sight looks to be of the folding ladder type with the ladder part broken or removed so that it is now only the small buckhorn. Front sight appears to be the original blade. Tight action, strong safety half-cock, correct steel forend cap. Interesting action that is actually better than the Remington style. This action has three clicks. Remington has only two. The first click has the action locked closed, the second allows the action to be opened for loading, but the hammer will not fall until the third click. With the Remington Sporting Rifles, once the gun is loaded it is ready to be fired unless the hammer is manually lowered to half-cock. The bore is fairly bright and excellent with sharp rifling all the way through and any corrosion too minor to mention. This is a rare rifle in a great caliber. $3250.

2) SUPERB CONDITION STEVENS No. 41 POCKERT PISTOL, .22 RIM FIRE, #10XXX, MADE 1903-1916. These derringer-type single shot .22 Rim Fire Short pistols were popular and easily concealed. Most were carried extensively. Hence, near new examples are very difficult to find. This example with 3 ½” half-octagon barrel contains all the correct Stevens markings on the top barrel flat ahead of the hammer. Additionally the barrel retains all the deep factory blue finish and displays an unaltered factory German silver blade front sight. The entire frame and grip straps also retain about all the bright factory nickel and the pistol is mounted in excellent walnut grips that show all the original finish. Only the small frame pin below the barrel release button has slipped out- this pin simply holds the ejector and ejector spring in place and both parts remain in the frame of the pistol. This should be an easy pin to replace with little difficulty. Bore shows some light corrosion. Exc. screw heads that still retain blue. $395.

3) VERY UNUSUAL ALL BRASS PERCUSSION SINGLE SHOT .62 CALIBER PISTOL. All metal handguns are scarce and this one has great visual appeal.  It is unmarked and looks 1850s European, but who knows? All heavy brass except fot the hammer, trigger and trigger guard. Overall measures 8″ with a heavy 4″ round smooth bore barrel. Center hammer with very strong spring. Don’t know what else to say about this one except that the “cool factory” is off the charts! $495.

4) RARE SAVAGE MODEL 1915 .380 ACP HAMMERLESS AUTO PISTOL, #10XXX, MADE 1915. Only a limited number of these were made from 1915-1917 when the model was discontinued. It was obviously intended to compete with the Colt 1908 hammerless .380 and shares the same grip safety feature as the Colt. This is an excellent example that retains fine high polish blue overall with minor wear on the barrel sides toward the muzzle and  some thinning on the rear of the grip safety. Still some good case color on the trigger. Exc. markings and “SAVAGE QUALITY” with Indian logo hard rubber grips. Correct magazine used only on this model. Manual safety and grip safety function correctly. Tight action with exc. bright bore. Made in .32 ACP and .380 ACP all of which are scarce with the .380 made in quantity of about half of that made in .32.  Super quality all steel 110 year old auto. $1295.

5) SCARCE AND DESIRABLE MAUSER MS420 MAGAZINE FED .22 LR BOLT ACTION SPORTER, #100XXX, MADE BETWEEN WORLD WAR I AND WORLD WAR II. This is a much more scarce rifle than the similar ES340 single shot rifle. A high condition example fitted with a J Unertl 4X Hawk scope in lever quick detach rings secured in the grooved receiver top. Retains the factory tangent rear sight with ramped front sight. Excellent stock with higher than standard grade walnut and very sharp Mauser cartouche on the right side. Retains nearly all the blue with maybe a little wear to the bolt handle and slight edge wear on the trigger guard etc. All numbers match on the barrel, receiver, bolt and floor plate. Correct barrel mounted sling swivel and one in the butt stock- looks like it may have pulled out of the stock at some point and the original hole was professionally filled with the simple swivel screwed in ahead of the filled hole. Tight action, original magazine, minty bright bore and excellent optics in the scope with fine cross hair. Overall, the quality one would expect from Mauser between the World Wars! $1595.

6) VERY FINE CONDITION BALLARD No. 5 PACIFIC MODEL IN DESIRABLE .45-70 CALIBER, #20XXX, MADE EARLY 1880s. This is a Marlin Firearms marked rifle. These were marked this way from 1881-1891 with serial numbers starting around 17000 and ending around 40000. The 30″ octagon barrel is correctly stamped “45 Govt” with the correct Marlin markings on the side of the receiver. Importantly, the barrel and forend numbers match with the receiver. The receiver sides and octagon top  retain fine light case color that is fading, but still very visible. There is also some color on the bottom by the serial number and on top behind the  hammer. It is rare to find any case color remaining on these large caliber frontier rifles. The barrel also shows fine deep blue with some normal age dulling. Buckhorn rear sight only needs the elevator bar. Front sight is a correct Rocky Mountain blade. Fine wood has not been sanded or re-finished and shows the usual barely visible hairling cracks coming back from the receiver for an inch or so- you have to look carefully to see this. The forend  shows only normal handling with the beginnings of a crack on the top left front that comes back for a couple inches or so- minor. Has the brass tipped and ended wiping rod held with two thimbles under the barrel, double set triggers function correctly and have the adjustment screw intact. Strong safety half-cock and fairly bright excellent bore with strong rifling all the way through! These .45-70 Pacific rifles almost universally went West and saw hard use. Very hard to find one this fine. $3850.

7) GREAT WESTERN HISTORY IN THIS UNUSUAL SHARPS 1878 BORCHARDT MILITARY RIFLE. This .45-70 hammerless Sharps military rifle is unusual for two reasons. First it has a detachable checkered pistol grip made of matching walnut to the stock and held by one screw. Second it has the encircled “LB” cartouche stamped in the middle of the left side of the stock. New information printed in the excellent Sharps Firearms four volume set (Vol. IV on the 1878 Borchardt rifles, Page 288) shows this exact cartouche and explains from original text that it was applied by J. P. Lower of Denver, Colorado.  Apparently, when the Sharps company was going out of business ,in 1880 Lower bought the remaining stock of Borchardt parts. From these he assembled a number of completed military rifles and stamped them with this “LB” cartouche within a circle on the left side of the stock. It stood for “Lower Borchardt.” He also sporterized Borchardt models and since this one has a low serial number (#92XX), it is possible it was one he had remaining in stock which on which  he added the pistol grip. In the earlier Sharps book by Frank Sellers, the author mentions some military models were made with pistol grips or detachable pistol grips with no other details about threm. Either way, this is an interesting Colorado Sharps. The receiver and barrel retain fine lightly aged blue with a hint of plum mixing from age. All markings are sharp. Cleaning rod is intact. Stock and forearm generally excellent with only light handling marks. Tight action with correctly functioning safety and checkered steel butt plate. Interestingly, the front sight is different from the standard one-piece military type as it has a groove cut in it for a blade. This one appears to have had a bone or ivory blade which has broken off with only a portion remaining in the groove- No doube a Lower addition. Standard Borchardt military rear sight, exc. bore with only some light corrosion or leading ahead of the chamber that may brush out. In all, one of the more interesting and  unusual Sharps Borchardt military rifles I’ve seen! $3450.

8) REMINGTON .50-70 UNUSUAL NICKEL FINISH NEW YORK STATE ROLLING BLOCK (see below in  Remington section)

 

REMINGTON (click text for photos)

 

1) VERY UNUSUAL .50-70 NEW YORK STATE CONTRACT ROLLING BLOCK MILITARY RIFLE WITH FULL NICKEL PLATE FINISH, MADE 1871. Over the decades I’ve seen a few of these. Whether they were plated experimentally or perhaps for parade use is unknown. It is known that some of these were finished “in the white” with polished barrels and receivers, some had blued barrels and polished receivers and some had case colored receivers with blued barrels.  Lots of good info on these in George Layman’s book Remington Rolling Block Military Rifles of the World. This example is full nickel plated including the hammer, breech block furniture, sights and even the cleaning rod. The nickel shows age and is getting a thick/cloudy/dull look to it. There is minor freckling in areas and some edge wear, but most is intact. Solid stock and forend with rack numbers in the side and top of the stock along with a  light inspector cartouche. Tight wood to metal fit, all correct, exc. mech. and fine bore with stront rifling all the way through with some light corrosion that a good oil soaking and brushing should improve considerably. Correct early Remington markings on the upper tang identify this as one of the first contracts with the state of New York in 1871. Most unusual and handsome! $1295.

2) REMINGTON MODEL 25 .25-20 CALIBER PUMP RIFLE, #31XXX, ONLY MADE 1923-1935. A fine, unaltered example that retains most of the only slightly aged blue on the receiver, barrel and magazine. All markings are sharp and clear, tight action, exc. bright bore, fitted with a D.W. King patented buckhorn rear sight with a long blade/bead front sight. These takedown rifles came standard with 23 1/2″  barrrels, pistol grips and steel crescent butt plates that are Remington UMC marked. Solid wood with only some  minor “flaking” to the wood finish. Most of these fine rifles saw hard use on farms, ranches and in the small game fields. Finding one this nice is difficult. $1150.

3) MODEL 51 .380 HAMMERLESS AUTO PISTOL, #46XXX, ONLY MADE 1918-1934. Considered one of the best of the pocket autos of the time, the Model 51 was particularly thin and carried well in a pocket of holster. Like the Colt, it featured a grip safety as well as a manual safety lever. This is a fine example that retains most of the blue wth some dulling from age on the grip straps with some very light edge wear. Fine Remington UMC checkered hard rubber grips (the left grip starting to age a little brown). All sharp markings, functions corrrectly with both safeties working. Correct .380 markd magazine. Exc. bright and sharp bore. $795.

 

RUGER (click text for photo),

1) MODEL 77 MARK II “INTERNATIONAL” MANNLICHER STOCKED .308 WIN.  CARBINE, #787-04XXX, MADE 2000. Aside from a few of the most minor handling marks in the wood that you’d have to look carefully to detect, this one is like new inside and out. High Polish blue on the 18 1/2″ barrel. Comes with a new lined “cobra” style sling. These handy carbines in the versatile .308 WIN. caliber can do it all. A classic 25 year old  blue steel and walnut    M-77 in about unused condition. $1295.

2) RUGER OLD ARMY .44 CAL. PERCUSSION REVOLVER, #145-73XXX, MADE 1994. Still considered the finest percussion sixshooter ever made. This one has adjustsble sights, 7 1/2″ barrel etc. and appears basically new and unfired. Beautiful high polish blue and Ruger medallion walnut grips. No longer produced and hard to find them in this condition. $850.

SHILOH SHARPS, MUZZLE LOADERS AND OTHER REPRODUCTIONS. Note: I am a Shiloh Sharps dealer and can order you any Shiloh you want. Check out my other website for Shilohs: www.shiloh-ballard.com (click text for photos).

 

1) CASED JONATHAN BROWNING .50 PERC. MOUNTAIN RIFLE, 1878-1978 CENTENNIAL FANCY HAWKEN-STYLE RIFLE COMPLETE WITH INSCRIBED POWDER HORN. The powder horn is inscribed “JONATHAN BROWNING MOUNTAIN RIFLE 1878-1978 09XX OF 1000.” The powder horn matches the serial number of the rifle. All in new, unfired condition. The rifle has the silver oval plate in the right side of the stock marked “BROWNING 1878-1979 CENTENNIAL” and also has the bust of Browning on the lock plate. Browned steel fittings, single set trigger, 30″ heavy octagon barrel, fancy grained walnut stock. The walnut case is in excellent condition with all the leather corner protectors intact as well as the leather carry handle and a leather rectangular piece on the led marked “BROWNING.”  Brass fittings and hasps on the case are excellent and even has the locking key. Powder horn is complette with the original shoulder strap. Not sure how many of these were actually made, but I strongly doubt it was 1,000. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn the serial numbers on these didn’t start at 001. A beautiful, American made complete set. These don’t turn up often. $1695.

2) VERY FANCY CUSTOM SHILOH SHARPS No. 1 SPORTER IN SCARCE .40-50 BN CALIBER, WITH C-H RELOADING DIES, #5XXX, MADE IN FARMINGDALE, NY EARLY 1980s. A truly beautiful example with 30″ standard octagon barrel, double set triggers, pistol grip, cheek piece and shotgun butt. Custom options include: extra fancy walnut with AA finish, schnable on the pistol grip, polished barrel, fire blue screws, pewter tip, accent line on the cheek piece, no rear barrel sight dovetail- fitted with a mid range vernier tang sight adjustable for windage and elevation with spirit level fully windage adjustable globe front sight that will accept inserts. The .40-50 Bottle Neck cartridge is simply the .45-70 case shortened and necked down to take .40 cal. bullets. The rich color walnut in this rifle is beautifully figured with fiddleback in both stock and forearm. Has the early classic “OLD RELIABLE” barrel marking along with the normal Shiloh markings. Weighs just under 11 lbs. Appears about new inside and out. This stunning rifle would have a current catalog price of about $5400 with a 2+ year wait. I’ve priced it at $4350.

3) VERY UNUSUAL SHILOH SHARPS OFFERING: 1863 .50 CAL. PERCUSSION HARTFORD MODEL WITH 32″ HEAVY OCTAGON BARREL, #1XXXB, MADE IN BIG TIMBER, MONTANA ABOUT 2003. Shiloh doesn’t turn out many of these sporters and when ordered take longer to deliver than the standard M-1874 cartridge rifles. This one weighs a full             12 1/4 lbs. and features fancy dark/burly walnut with AA finish, pewter forend tip and Hartford collar on the barrel. It is fitted with a semi-buckhorn Lawrence ladder rear sight with an extra full-buckhorn Lawrence ladder sight and a blade front sight. It is factory drilled and tapped on the upper tang for any kind of tang sight if wanted. Standard case colored receiver,  lever, hammer and butt plate with blued barrel. Overall has seen light/limited use and aside from some minor handling marks mainly on the stock, it is excellent. The action is tight, double set triggers work perfectly and the bore is minty bright. On a personal note, I’m a fan of these and have several in different calibers. I breech seat any .50 cal. slug normally used in the .50-70 or .50-90 cartridges, add loose black powder and a percussion cap. These are big, powerful rifles and accuracy is exceptional. I wrote an article for Black Powder cartridge News magazine on loading/shooting the Shiloh 1863 percussion sporters and I will enclose a copy of that article if desired. Current catalog price on this rifle and extra sight would be over $3800. My price on this one $3200.

4) PEDERSOLI 20 GA. SIDE BY SIDE PERCUSSION SHOTGUN. These are finely crafted doubles made in Italy and feature an English style straight-gripped walnut stock with checkered wrist and single wedge-keyed forend with hooked breech barrels for easy disassembly for cleaning. The highly polished blued barrel is 27 1/2″ long and, according to their catalog, is choked cylinder and improved cylinder. The trigger guard, upper tang, lock plates and hammers are richly case colored and engraved. Smooth blued steel butt plate with brass capped wood ramrod. Hammers have a safty half-cock and full cock with double triggers. This one is about like new and appears to have seen no use. Midway U.S.A. has these in their catalog for $2054. My price on this one $1495. 

 

SMITH AND WESSON (click text for photos), 

1) HIGH CONDITION NICKEL WITH MEDALLION PEARL GRIPS S&W SAFETY HAMMERLESS 2ND MODEL .32, 3″ BARREL #161XXX, MADE C.1909. The 2nd. model top break safety hammerless revolver was made from 1902-1909. Serial numbers ran from 91418 – 170000. Judging from that, I’d assume this one was probably made during the last year of the 2nd Mod. production. The Safety Hammerless was a popular design for pocket carry as it had no hammer to snag on clothing and the grip safety, “lemon squeezer,” feature made it very safe to carry without fear it might go off unintended. The only way this revolver could fire is if the revolver was firmly gripped which depressed the grip safety and then the trigger pulled. The .32 S&W cartridge wasn’t a powerhouse, but five quick shots double action could be formidable at close range. Because this revolver was easy to carry, many or even most were frequently carried in pockets or purses. Often they are now found in fairly worn condition. This example is particularly fine and comes with factory pearl grips with deep dish S&W medallions (pearl grips without medallions are almost always non-factory replacements). The full nickel finish is generally excellent with only some minor pin-prick freckling on a few very small areas of the cylinder and frame. The trigger guard and barrel catch retain fine factory blue. The grips are excellent and not chipped or cracked. The action on these is interesting as the double action pull initially revolves the cylinder and cocks the internal hammer. It then comes to a bit of a stop before a little extra pressure fires the revolver. This actually makes sighting for a deliberate shot very possible. Action is excellent and the bore shows good rifling and some scattered very surface corrosion or possibly lead that may brush out. A most handsome 113 year old Smith with all matching serial numbers and great pearls! $695.

2) NEW IN ORIGINAL BOX .32 DOUBLE ACTION 4TH MODEL, 3 1/2″ NICKEL FINISH, #263XXX, MADE 1883-1909. Serial numbers ran from 43406-282999, so I assume this one was made in the last few years of production (1906-1909). Simply minty condition inside and out. Box is excellent with good corners and no splits, correct full end label showing nickel finish, 3 1/2″ barrel etc. Bottom of the box still retains a couple of the numbers penciled in that match this revolver. Looks like someone bought this revolver nearly 120 years ago and stored it away! Truly an amazing find! $1295.

3) SECOND MODEL .44 SPECIAL HAND EJECTOR, 6 1/2″ BARREL, BLUE, #45XXX, MADE 1934. This is a particularly interesting revolver  made during one of the worst years of the Great Depression. My guess is that this was a law enforcemt revolver as the swivel on the butt obliterates part of the serial number which S&W didn’t do. They offset the serial number for swivel frames. However, on the frame inside the grips is the full serial number. I believe this gun was specifically ordered with a swivel and with such limited production during the Great Depression, they took a serial numbered frame, installed a swivel and restamped the serial number under the grips. The right side (outside when in a holster) grip shows more wearthan the left grip from holster carry, but has the matching serial number stamped inside that matches  the frame, cylinder and barrel. The back strap appears lightly polished and I’m thinking this was to remove police markings when the gun was sold a surplus. A factory letter from S&W would prove interesting on this one. Fine blue on the frame, cylinder and barrel with normal edge and holster wear. Unaltered front sight, good case color on the hammer and trigger, fine action  (typical on these hand-fitted and tuned Great Depression guns from the 1930s) and bright exc. bore. Some blue wear on the left side of the 6 1/2″ barrel from holster wear, but the right side, top and bottom retain about all the bright blue with fine blue on the front strap and bottom of the trigger guard. These big “N” frame .44 Special Hand Ejectors from the pre-World War II era are getting hard to find. $1295.

4) VERY SCARCE COMMERCIAL MODEL 1917 .45  DA REVOLVER, #178XXX, MADE C. 1926-1927. With all the surplus U.S. Army Model 1917 .45 ACP (or .45 Auto Rim cartridge) revolvers around, it makes sense that very few commercial 1917s would have been made by S&W. In Supica and Nahas book THE STANDARD CATALOG OF SMITH & WESSON, 4TH EDITION, it is only stated, “Commercial Vatiationj: Considered rare.” Easily identified from the military version by not having any military inspector marks or butt markings, diamond checkered grips instead of smooth walnut, no U.S. Property markings on the bottom of the barrel and only the commercial model has the S&W logo stamping on the lower left side of the frame. This is a fine example that shows only light handling and retains about all the blue with the exception of a smudge spot on the right side of the frame behind the recoil shield no doubt made by a holster strap. Fine blue overall with a touch of freckling on the back strap and very slight muzzle wear. Front sight has not been altered, matching numbers on the frame, cylinder and barrel, good case color on the hammer and trigger, lanyard ring intact, fine grips show light wear mainly on the right side as one would expect from a holstered gun with the right grip exposed. Very tight action and lock up with bright excellent bore. A very difficult to find early “N” frame Smith. $1395.

5) VERY FINE .38/44 OUTDOORSMAN TARGET REVOLVER, #42XXX, MADE 1933.  Considered one of the finest of the Pre-War big “N” frame adjustable sight target revolvers, this .38 Special was made during the  worst year of the Great Depression when only the best old world craftsmen remained on the S&W work floor turning out limited numbers of finely hand tuned and finished guns. This one retains nearly all the high polish blue with only a little muzzle wear and edge wear. Fine case colors on the hammer and trigger. Retains most of the blue on the cylinder face, indicating this one was shot very little. The hammer is the sloping  spur variety with patent markings. All markings are sharp and clear. The diamond checkered stocks are excellent, and fit perfectly are but numbered in a higher serial range than the rest of the revolver. Matching numbers on the cylinder, barrel and frame. In John Taffin’s excellent recent book DOUBLE ACTION SIXGUNS he devotes an entire chapter on the .38/44 that is well worth reading. Amazing single action and double action- has to be felt to be appreciated! Superb quality inside and out. $1695.

6) UNALTERED .455 HAND EJECTOR 2ND. MODEL, BRITISH PROOFED FOR WORLD WAR I, #59XXX. These were a special run of commercial 2nd. Model Hand Ejectors for the British government from 1915-1917. Most found today have been altered to fire the .45 Colt or .45 Auto Rim cartridge and are easy to spot as the rear face of the cylinder has been ground down and no longer displays the serial number. This example is still in the original .455 caliber and shows all the correct British proofs on the barrrel, frame and by each chamber of the cylinder. Also, it has the correct tiny stamping “NOT ENGLISH MAKE” on the barrel and frame. Many of these saw hard use in the trenches and are found in poor condition or refinished. This example shows fine deep original blue with wear mainly to the forward portion of the barrel sides, top strap and some light thinning on the back strap. The front sight has not been altered and it has the correct barrel markings with the last patent date of 1906. Good case color on the hammer and trigger showing a little wear. Correct diamond checkered grips with deep-dish gold S&W medallions fit perfectly and show only normal light wear. Lanyard ring in butt intact, matching numbers on the frame, barrel and cylinder. Action is extremely tight with almost no cylinder play. Bore is minty. A fine piece of World War I history! $1195.

7) ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT OF THE PRE-WAR MODELS TO OBTAIN IS THIS .22 LR 4″ KITGUN, #529XXX. These were introduced during the middle of the Great Depression in 1935 and discontinued in 1941. They fall in the serial range of 525670-536684. Made on the .32 caliber “I” frame and have adjustable sights, small S&W logo on the left side and serial number on the frontstrap to be seen with the extension-type S&W medallion walnut grips that extend over the butt. This is one of the finest examples I’ve seen. It has all matching numbers on the frame, cylinder, barrel and stamped inside the grips. Retains about all the original blue with only slight edge wear (mainly to the front of the cylinder) and a smudge of wear at the muzzle on each side. Grips are excellent with sharp checkering, tight action and bright bore. Even the front face of the cylinder has about all the blue indicating that this revolver was rarely if ever shot.  You can look for one of these for years and never find one! This is a beauty. $2450.

8) EXTREMELY RARE .44 HA ND EJECTOR 3RD MODEL (POSTWAR-TRANSITIONAL/1926 MODEL .44 MILITARY, #S 68534, ONLY 1473 MADE 1946-1949. This model came before the .44 Hand Ejector 4th Model military (Model of 1950 .44 Military/ Pre-model 21) of which 1200 were made between 1950-1957. All of these big “N” frame fixed sight .44 Special revolvers are extremely difficult to find and rarely come up for sale. Supica and Hahas book STANDARD CATALOG OF S&W 4TH EDITION (published 2016) states under “Value: Few sales reported; should bring a premium above .44 Hand Ejector 3rd pre-war values…” By serial number this example with 5″ barrel was made 1947-1948. Overall excellent condition with only a little blue wear on each side of the barrel from holster carry and a smudge of wear at the hump above the back strap etc. Exc. case color on the hammer and trigger, tight action, bright exc. bore, corrrect diamond grips that fit about perfectly, but are numbered in the 65XXX range- since these 1473 revolvers were numbered in the range of S 62489- S 75000 it is possible that the grips were mixed when the gun was new at a dealer who had a few and put other grips on the guns for display purposes. Seldom offered in any condition. $2650.

9) SUPERB, MINTY CONDITION .38/44 HEAVY DUTY PRE-MODEL 20 REVOLVER, SCARCE 4″ BARREL, #S149XXX, MADE 1955-1956. Most of these fine , heavy .38 Special revolvers were made with 5″ barrel with the 4″ more difficult to find. This example appears to have seen no use as it retains about all the bright blue and case colors on the hammer and trigger. Even the front face of the cylinder retains about all the blue and there is only a hint of a cylinder line and touch of muzzle wear. The grips are sharply diamond checkered and have matching serial number stamped on the inside that match the barrel, frame and cylinder. Only 9,493 of these were made in nickel and blue finish in 4″, 5″ and 6 1/2″ barrels. This one just needs a box. $1395.

10) ONE OF THE RAREST “MODERN” S&W REVOLVERS IS THIS “MODEL 242Ti .38 SPECIAL AIRLIGHT CENTENNIAL L FRAME.” This is the first one of these I’ve seen first hand. In fact, I didn’t even know it existed until I was able to get this one! Here’s the description from Supica & Nahas’ book THE STANDARD CATALOG OF SMITH & WESSON, 5TH EDITION: Caliber .38 S&W Special +P. Double-action only revolver built on a newly developed round butt aluminum alloy Centennial L-frame with 3-screws. It was introduced in February 1999 at the SHOT Show and was available mid-March 1999. This model was built on the L-frame with a fully concealed hammer and fixed sights. This makes it the first “Centennial” built on anything larger than a J-frame in the company’s history… 2 1/2″ barrel, .312″ smooth combat MIM trigger, black ramp front sight using a roll pin, aluminum alloy frame with a seven-shot titanium cylinder… This model is also rated for .38 Special +P ammunition… It goes on to further describe the details of this unusual revolver including cuts in the frame to lighten the weight which is only 18.9 oz! The book further states it shpped in a black fitted case etc. with  instructions etc. and was discontinued in January of 2000.  THAT’S A PRODUCTION RUN OF ABOUT 10 MONTHS! At the values section on this model it states, “Few sales reported, values are speculative.”  This example appears unfired and is in the original case with all paperwork etc. There is some discoloration around the sideplate and some on the back strap. Must be in the alloy itself as these have no outside applied metal “finish.” So lightweight it almost feel like a toy. Like I said, first one I’ve ever seen or heard of.  Made  for several months 26 years ago and sure to go up in value over time. $975.

SPRINGFIELD AND U.S. MILITARY FIREARMS (click text for photos)

 

1) CLASSIC INDIAN WARS 1879 SPRINGFIELD TRAPDOOR .45-70 RIFLE, #224XXX, MADE 1883. This is a good unaltered example that hasn’t been cleaned or messed with. The metal parts are an aged gray/brown patina with excellent lock plate markings and proofs on the barrel. “U.S. MODEL 1873”  on the breech block with the usual Springfield markings and eagle on the lock plate. Correct 1879 rear sight with slide and ladder. 1884 style cleaning rod which is probably original as this is a last year production before the Model 1884 style with Buffington sight etc. Unsanded wood is excellent with only a few minor handling/storage marks. No stock cartouches visible. Three click tumbler in the lock and exc. bore with sharp rifling all the way through. Lots of history and life left in this 142 year old Springfield  .45-70 U.S. issue rifle! And less expensive than an Italian replica! $1150.

2) TRULY ATTIC CONDITION 1894/1896 KRAG RIFLE, #13XXX, MADE 1895. This rifle started life as a first series rod bayonet rifle. About all of these were recalled, had their rods removed and the channel in the stock expertly filled with a wood insert- so well done by Springfield that you have to look closely to see it! Amazing workmanship. Some of these early rifles had their stocks replaced, and of course, these don’t have the rod channel. This example has the original stock with a faint 1895 cartouche and a circle P cartouche and the 1896 sight. All the metal surfaces are covered in a dried (petrified!) coating of grease. In the photo it has a yellowish/gold appearance on the bolt. To be sure of this, I put some oil on the extractor on the receiver top and rubbed it lightly with 0000 steel wool. The factory iridescent blue appeared. I stopped cleaning at this point. Whoever buys this one can complete the cleaning or just leave it as is. The receiver appears dark with exc. markings and the barrel appears similarly dark with obvious blue under the coating of dry grease. Wood is generally excellent with one hairline crack beginning at the back corner of the rear sight on the left side- minor. Action is tight and the bore is excellent and bright. Not many found in this condition that looks like it was greased and left for a good 100+ years. $1595.

3) REMINGTON NEW YORK STATE CONTRACT .50-70 ROLLING BLOCK RIFLE FULL NICKEL PLATE (see above in Remington section)

 

WINCHESTERS (click text for photos

1) FRONTIER USED 1873 .44-40 20″ OCTAGON SHORT RIFLE, #544XXX, SHIPPED 1900. This one came out of Arizona recently and looks like it went through some hard usage during the Mexican Revolution (1910 – 1920). These short rifles were very popular on both sides of the border in the Southwest. Easily identified as a true short rifle and not a cut-down by the one inch shorter length of the forend- 8 3/8″ compared to the standard 9 3/8″. The overall metal condition on this one is a dark brown patina with some patches of rust pitting. Barrrel markings are all visible. It has a carbine ladder rear sight sith slide intact and small blade/bead front sight. The muzzle end of the barrel shows heavy wear on the sharp octagon edges which are now rounded at the end of the barrel- takes a lot of in and out scabbard use to produce this! Where the serial number is located on the bottom tang there is considerable pitting with only a few numbers readily visible. A previous owner used magnification and various lighting/tilting to come up with the rest of the numbers so he could get a call in sheet from the Cody Museum which verifies the caliber, oct. barrel length and a shipping date of March 1900. The forend shows heavy handling  overall and chipping along the right top portion. The butt stock may be an old replacement as the butt plate has no provision for a cleaning rod trap door- only the .32-20 had a solid butt plate. There is a “P. H.” lightly carved in the left side and a silver (nickel silver?) small inlay in the right side of the stock. The tang screw is a replacement with lower tang wood screw missing. Dust cover is intact, brass lifter is mellow and uncleaned/unpolished. Bore shows rifling all the way through but is dark and pitted. Loads of history in this ’73! $1795.

2) VERY FINE CONDITION SEMI-DELUXE 1886 SOLID FRAME .33 WCF, PISTOL GRIP, #147XXX, MADE 1909. These Extra Light models in .33 WCF rarely have any special order features and a pistol grip on one is scarce. The .33 WCF was introduced in 1902 as the only purely smokeless cartridge for the 1886 and is simply the .45-70 case necked to take standard .338″ diameter bullets. This example retains fine deep  lightly thinning blue on the receiver sides and bolt with silvering on the edges and receiver bottom. The barrel and short magazine retaine fine blue and the barrel is fitted with a buckhorn rear sight with elevator bar intact and a Lyman half-moon with ivory bead front sight in the correct short ramp. The stock and forend are fine with only light handling marks, the pistol grip has the correct Winchester embossed hard rubber grip cap. The matching butt plate is a replacement. There is a minute chip at the bottom of the toe of the stock mainly under the butt plate. Action is tight, strong safety half-cock and the bore shows fine rifling all the way through with a little “frostiness” mainly in the last few inches of the barrel. An attractive 116 year old special order pistol grip 1886. $2850.

3) LATE PRODUCTION MODEL ’92 RIFLE, .44-40, #959XXX, MADE 1927. Compared to the earlier years of production, Winchester produced the Model ’92 in fairly limited numbers until after 1929 production dropped to less than a thousand a year. Much of this had to do with the introduction of the “improved” Model 53 in 1924. Also it seems that by the late 1920s most 1892s and Model 53s were chambered in .25-20 or .32-20. This example with 24″ round barrel and full magazine shows fine even blue on the barrel with the magazine tube showing  good blue with some signs of plum mixing from age. The receiver still retains good blue that is beginning to mix with some pum and brown which is typical for receivers of this time period as Winchester changed the hardening process to the steel of the receivers and they tended to “flake” the factory blue rapidly. Typically, the blue turned to plum and brown before flaking to silver/gray. Stock and forend are fine showing light handling only- it appears at some time the wood may have had some stock finish added without any sanding- minor. Tight wood to metal fit, exc. markings, the forend cap shows good dulling blue and has a period swivel  with no provision for a swivel in the butt stock. Tight action with strong safety half-cock. Correct late barrel markings of “-MODEL 92-WINCHESTER-44 W.C.F.-” etc. 1927 patented buckhorn rear sight with elevator bar intact and Beach Combination folding globe front sight. Bore is excellent, bright and sharp! Scarce late production ’92 in a hard to find caliber. $2450.

4) SPECIAL ORDER 1892 SADDLE RING CARBINE, .32-20, HALF MAGAZINE AND NICKEL STEEL BARREL, #576XXX, MADE 1910. Surprisingly, .32-20 Saddle Ring Carbines are not that common. It seems most that are encountered today are in .25-20 and.38-40. This special order carbine has a half-magazine which is fairly scarce in these. The barrel is also stamped “NICKEL STEEL” below the rear sight on the left side- another unusual aspect of this carbine. That stamping is rarely seen. This one shows mainly gray/brown on the receiver with good blue on the loading gate and probably had a tang sight at one time in the factory holes. Screw heads are fine and there is still some blue around the saddle ring staple with only the ring removed- fairly common as they tended to rattle. Stock and forearm show normal handling with a few deeper dings in the stock, but not severe. One thin sliver of wood out at the juncture of the receiver/upper tang on the left side. Barrel shows good thinning blue with some gray mixing. Original carbine ladder rear sight with slide intact, tight action, strong safety half-cock. Bore is fairly bright with strong rifling and possibly a little scattered surface roughness- but it appears only in the grooves which leads me to believe it may simply be some light leading that should brush out (pitting typically covers the grooves AND the lands). In all an unusual .32-20 special order 114 year old saddle ring ’92. $1495.

5) UNUSUAL CONFIGURATION SPECIAL ORDER 1892 IN DESIRABLE .44-40, TAKEDOWN, FULL OCTAGON BARREL AND HALF-MAGAZINE, #922XXX, MADE 1921. The full octagon barrel with half-mag is actually two special order features because when a half magazine was ordered it came standard with either a round or half-oct. barrel. A full octagon barrel matched with a half-magazine is a rarity. This rifle retains fine blue on the barrel and mag. tube showing only light wear. The receiver has mostly flaked to gray with some flaking blue on the left side- typical of rifles of this vintage as the case hardening/blueing process changed and the blue flaked rapidly on guns made during this time. Stock and forearm generally excellent with light handling mainly on the forearm and tight wood to metal fit. Tight takedown, tight action with strong safety half-cock and MINTY BRIGHT BORE! An interesting and rare takedown variation in a hard to find caliber. $3250.

6) VERY FINE CONDITION 1892 SADDLE RING CARBINE, .25-20, #395XXX, MADE 1907. Many of these .25-20 carbines were used by farmers, ranchers, sheep herders and trappers, so finding one in this kind of condition is difficult. This one retains about all the blue on the bolt and receiver ring. The right side panel also shows nearly all the blue with exc. blue on the loading gate and only a little edge wear. The right side shows some normal saddle ring wear as well as some brown along the upper section with the balance fine blue. Even the receiver bottom shows good blue mixing s little brown. Exc. receiver screws. Barrel and mag show nearly all the deep blue with exc. markings. Fitted with the correct carbine rear sight with the slide intact as well as a Lyman tang sight (no extra holes hiding underneath- I checked). Generally excellent wood showing  only light handling. Tight action with safety half-cock a little weak- if the trigger is pulled hard enough it will release- minor. Bore is fairly bright with some very minor scattered light pitting. Overall, much better than usually encountered for a 188 year old Saddle Ring Carbine. $2450. (Note: the receiver looks a little splotchy in the photo which is only light reflection on oil)

7) OUTSTANDING, RARE PRODUCTION DATE 1892 SADDLE RING CARBINE, .32-20, #994XXX, MADE 1930. After the Stock Market Crash of 1929 Winchester production slowed dramatically. For example, in 1926 18,829 Model 1892s were made. In 1930 only 491 were manufactured! Until the end of the Great Depression and World War II, Winchester never even produced 1,000 in any given year. These last 1892s made during this time are quiet scarce. This one is in top condition with about all the blue remaining on the receiver with only some flaking to brown above the loading gate, a touch on the receiver ring and a little high edge- typical for lever action rifles of this era that flaked blue rapidly and most 1920s-1930s made guns have gray receivers. Barrel and mag show about all the deep original blue with the lever showing exc. blue with only a little brown on the extreme lever bottom. Wood is about like new with tight wood to metal fit, correct carbine ladder sight retains the slide and all the blue, exc. screw heads, even the barrel band shows most of the blue with only a little brown on the outer edge. Tight action, strong safety half-cock and minty bright bore. In later production most carbines and rifles were .25-20 with the .32-20 quite scarce. $3450.

8) VERY FINE CONDITION 1892 .25-20 OCTAGON RIFLE, #522XXX, MADE 1910. Fine blue on the receiver sides and bolt with only some light spots of thinning and edge wear. Receiver bottom by the serial number gray with excellent screw heads and markings. Fine barrel and mag blue with only some light high edge wear/thinning to the octagon and a touch of wear at the muzzle. Buckhorn rear sight with elevator bar intact and small blade/bead front sight. Fine+ stock and forend showing light handling only with tight wood to metal fit. Tight action with strong safety half-cock. Bore is a little dark with fine rifling all the way through. An attractive 115 year old 1892 in  much better condition than usually encountered. $1950.

9) SPECIAL ORDER 1894 .30 WCF OCTAGON RIFLE WITH CHECKERED PISTOL GRIP, #136XXX. The receiver sides and bolt show good thinning blue with the barrel similarly showing good blue with edge wear and some normal thinning from age. The mag tube has some brown mixing  with blue mainly on the bottom. Buckhorn rear sight with elevator bar intact and Marble No. 3 blade/ivory bead front sight. The pistol grip has the correct Winchester embossed hard rubber grip cap. The checkering is very worn and barely visible on the pistol grip and forend. The action is tight with strong safety half-cock. The bore is a little dark with fine rifling all the way through. Madis books show this serial number as an antique. An attractive and scarce pistol grip special order 1894. $2150

10) 1894 .38-55 OCTAGON RIFLE, #386XXX, MADE 1908. Fine example that retains good deep blue on the barrel and mag tube with only the most minor of age freckling. The receiver shows thinning blue on the sides with the balance gray/brown and some good blue on the loading gate. Excellent markings and screw heads. Fine butt stock and forend with good wood to metal fit and shows only light normal handling. Buckhorn rear sight with elevator bar intact and Winchester blade front sight. Tight action, strong safety half-cock. Very fine bore is a little dark with sharp rifling all the way through and any corrosion scattered and surface. Nice appearance on this 117 year old 1894. $1950.

11) 1894 .38-55 ROUND BARREL RIFLE, #301XXX, MADE 1906. The receiver shows an uncleaned mostly brown patina with some good aged blue toward the rear sides. Screw heads are generally excellent and the action is tight with strong safety half-cock on the hammer. Good aged blue on the barrel with a bit better blue on the mag tube- there are some areas of splotchy pitting mostly toward the muzzle end of the barrel and mag tube that looks like it may have been caused by some kind of chemical. A light polishing and touch up blue would go a long way. Fine markings, non-original buckhorn rear sight with Marble blade/bead front sight. Fine stock and forend show light handling only. Bore shows good rifling, but is somewhat frosty and I believe a good brushing out woulud help. A little T.L.C. would go a long way with this one, but not bad as is for a 118 year old .38-55. $1100.

12) SPECIAL ORDER 1894 TAKEDOWN RIFLE, 1/2 OCTAGON, 1/2 MAGAZINE, SHOTGUN BUTT, #223XXX MADE 1904. This .30 WCF caliber rifle has certainly prooved itself in the field as it has about a dozen small, very old and worn-in kill notches on the upper edge of the forend on each side just ahead of the receiver. No doubt a serious hunter used this one with great success! The receiver shows good aged blue mixing brown on each side ( a little more blue on the right side) with good blue on the loading gate. Screws look unturned, tight action and strong safety half-cock. The barrel and short magazine show most of the original blue with only minor dulling from age and a few small scuffs by the muzzle. Has a two-leaf folding rear barrel sight with a Marble No.3 blade/bead front sight. Stock and forearm are excellent with tight wood to metal fit and the shotgun butt has the corrrect Winchester embossed hard rubber butt plate. Tight takedown, exc. bore that is only a bit dark with fine rifling all the way through. Lots of adventure associated with this special order 121 year old 1894! $1895.

13) VERY UNUSUAL SPECIAL ORDER 1894 .38-55 CARBINE, NO RING, 2/3 MAG, SHOTGUN BUTT, #677XXX, MADE 1914. Full magazines and steel carbine butt plates were standard on this model and saddle rings were standard until about 1925. Any special features on a carbine are scarce and this one has three along with a rare caliber for a carbine- standard caliber was usually .30 WCF or .32 WS with .25-35 less common and .32-40 and .38-55 rare. This one was made the year World War I began in Europe and is in particularly fine condition overall. The receiver shows fine original blue on the side panels with some light thinning and a little flaking beginning on the left side with light edge wear. Exc. barrel and magazine blue, exc. stock and forend with Winchester embossed hard rubber butt  plate. Exc. screw heads, exc. markings, correct carbine rear sight with ladder and slide intact. Tight action, strong safety half-cock, with minty bright bore! A really unusual and rare 111 year old special order 1894 in a desirable caliber! $3250.

14) A MOST UNUSUAL WINCHESTER MODEL 1894! This beautiful condition “saddle ring carbine”  with low serial number 6XXX, started out as a rifle built in 1895. At some point after 1905 when all new and returned guns were stamped with the Winchester oval proof mark, this 1894 went back to Winchester and was rebuilt into a special order carbine with 2/3 magazine in .32 WS caliber! The barrel has the ramped hooded front sight and late “MODEL 94” marking which leads me to believe the work was done in the  late 1920s or 1930s. This carbine retains the crescent butt plate and all early upper tang markings. Correct for period buckhorn rear sight withramped/hooded front sight (hood intact). Overall in excellent condition with about all the Winchester blue remaining, exc. screw heads, tight action, strong safety half-cock and bright bore. All markings sharp and clear including the 1884 patent date on the upper tang etc. Exc. stock and forend with matching color and grain walnut.  Overall shows only the lightest of edge wear. Since the .32 Winchester Special cartridge was introduced in 1902, this has to be one of the lowest numbers for a Winchester made one! $2250. 

15)  SPECIAL ORDER 1894 .38-55, OCT. BARREL RIFLE WITH CLOSE-COUPLE DOUBLE SET TRIGGERS AND SPECIAL SIGHTS,  #227XXX, made 1904. This one has functioning close-coupled double set triggers, .38-55 oct. barrel, full mag., Lyman tang sight with Beach folding globe front sight (rear dovetail empty). I called this one in to the Cody museum and received a call-in sheet verifying caliber, barrel and “Trigger: set; Sights: Lyman rear and hunting front.”  Fine blue on the barrel and mag. with light edge wear, Also fine blue on the receier sides and bolt/top with some thinning and edge wear. A few dings/scuffs on the rear edge of the receiver on the left side below the hammer, fine wood with normal handling marks only, tight action with strong safety half cock, bore a little dark with good rifling all the way through and some light corrosion toward the middle which may brush out. Exc. markings. An unusual 121 year old special order 1894. $2850

16) EXCELLENT CONDITION EARLY 1894 OCTAGON RIFLE IN .32 WS CALIBER, #240XXX, MADE 1904. The .32 Winchester Special was introduced in 1902, making this a very early production rifle in this chambering. The receiver retains about all the blue with only minor edge wear and a hint of plum mixing mainly on the upper tang and edges. Still retains some nice case color on the upper portion of the lever and hammer. Fine deep blue on the barrel and magazine, exc. screws, exc. classic Winchester reddish/brown walnut with tight wood to metal fit and only light handling marks. Has the correct “Smokeless” rear sight only used on the .32 WS caliber rifles. Tight action, strong safety half-cock. Bore is a bit dark with excellent rifling all the way through. A really handsome 121 year old 1894 in great condition. $2350.

17) THREE HEAVY STEEL WINCHESTER MARKED TOOL ROOM “DIES” FOR THE MODEL 1895 MUSKET! Really interesting and unusual Winchester items that somehow survived to the present. Given their weight, it is surprising they weren’t sold for scrap at some point when 1895 Muskets were no longer produced and these tools became obsolete. First is is an oblong eight sided piece marked “95 MUSKET”  and “FRONT BAND” with a small etched measurement (?). With this is a corresponding “plunger” with stem/handle that fits perfectly in the milled center. It is marked along the stem in two lines on two sides, “MOD 95 MUSKET FRONT BAND” and “TEMPLET FOR MASTER GAGE” (yes gauge is misspelled). The polished flat bottom portion that fits into the milled section of the heavy gauge is stamped  “MOD”. Next is a rectangular piece marked “MOD. 95 MUSKET” over “FRONT BAND” over “1.875 = MOD” over some kind of very small circular etching. It comes with a perfectly machined unmarked “plug” that fits in the milled out section. Last is what I believe to be a butt plate die. It is a little difficult to read the stamping as there is some corrosion on this portion, but it can all be made read, “1895 BUTT PLATE MUSKET” over “B   U S H ..225 = MOD.” then there is a circle with a “J” and a small number within it and a small “s s”.  These are really great items for the specific 1895 collector or general Winchester enthusiast. The machining on these is amazing. The “plugs” or templets only go into the heavy gauges about 7/8 of the way before stopping and cannot be pushed all the way through. Perhaps a “go/no-go gauge arrangement. One-of-a-kind little collection that should remain together. For all three plus the two inserts/templets, $795.

18) EARLY 1895 RIFLE CHAMBERED IN .35 WCF CALIBER, #43XXX, MADE THE FIRST YEAR THIS CHAMBERING WAS OFFERED IN 1903. One of the more scarce chamberings in the 1895, the .35 Win. was based on the .30-40 Krag case necked up (or the .405 Win. case necked down). It was, and is, a powerful cartridge. This one shows fine aged blue on the correct 24″ barrel with some light age/brown mixing. The receiver is mostly gray/brown with exc. blue on the bolt and good aged blue on the magazine sides. Exc.. markings, buckhorn rear sight with elevator bar intact with Lyman blade/bead in the correct integral base. The stock and forend are fine with one small chip at the upper corner of the receiver/tang juncture on the left side. The forend has the correct classic ebony inlay in the schnable tip. Action is tight with strong safety half-cock. The bore is a little dark with strong rifling all the way through. A powerful 122 year old Winchester made the first year of the .35 WCF. $1795.

19) VERY FINE CONDITION 1895 .30-40 KRAG CALIBER RIFLE, #41XXX, MADE 1903. This exceptional 1895 retains most of the blue on the receiver with only normal edge wear and some blue thinning to the bottom of the magazine. Even the upper tang shows some good blue. Similarly, the 28″ barr el retains most of the deep original blue with standard Winchester buckhorn and blade sights. Exc. markings. Exc. stock and forend with tight wood to metal fit. The forend has the correct ebony wedge inlay in the tip. Fitted with sling-eye swivels with the front swivel correctly mounted on the barrel with a dovetail base. Sling with sling-eye hook swivels looks like it has always been with this rifle. Exc. markings, tight action with strong safety half-cock on the hammer. Exc. bore is just a little dark with sharp rifling. A truly fine 122 year old 1895. Getting hard to find this nice. $2450

20) FIRST YEAR PRODUCTION SEMI-DELUXE MODEL 1907 .351 SELF-LOADING RIFLE, #7XXX, MADE 1907. Fine blue on the barrel and receiver with only light edge wear and some bottom wear ahead of the magazine. Tang sight with small ivory bead front sight and blank filler in the rear dovetail. Worn checkering with excellent stock and forearm that may have been lightly gone over, yet still has tight wood to metal fit. Correct sling-eye studs and fine blue on the forend cap. Serated steel butt plate may be a replacement as it seems most of these I’ve seen have hard rubber butt plates. Matching numbers and exc. markings. Correctly marked magazine. Exc. mech. and bore. Scarce 107 year old auto. $1150.

21) FIRST YEAR PRODUCTION MODEL 55 TAKEDOWN IN .30WCF, #2XX, MADE 1924. This is a more scarce model than most people realize. It was a lightened sporter version of the Model 1894 introduced in 1924 and discontinued in 1935 with a parts cleanup through 1936- another victim of the harsh economic conditions of the Great Depression. Only a little over 20,000 of these were made and most saw pretty heavy use. This example is in uncleaned “attic” condition showing most of the original barrel and magazine blue that is aged and dulled somewhat, but still fine. Buckhorn rear sight with elevator bar intact with Lyman small blade/bead front sight. Similarly, the receiver blue is intact and aged instead of flaked to silver as is the norm for 1920s vintage Winchester lever guns. The stock and forearm are dark and somewhat grimey from use and handling, but shows tight wood to metal fit and again are uncleaned. Tight takedown, tight action and strong safety half-cock on the hammer with excellent bore. This one has a lot of character and an attractive appearance. One of the earliest I’ve seen. Only 836 made the first year. $1395.

22) LATE MODEL 63 .22 LR AUTO RIFLE WITH GROOVED RECEIVER TOP, #159XXX, MADE 1957. Only the last manufactured Model 63s had grooved receiver tops for scope mounting and they are difficult to find. This one shows some use, but is still in fine condition. The receiver and barrel retain most of the original blue with only some very minor spotting/wear. All markings are excellent. The rear sight is the original buckhorn with elevator bar intact and the front sight is a replacement blade/bead that did not appear to alter the dovetail. The stock and forend show some handling marks and there is a chip repair at the toe of the butt stock that looks to be the original walnut that chipped out being put back. Tight action, safety functions properly and the bore is bright and excellent. Probably the finest .22 LR auto rifle ever produced… if not the finest, certainly the classiest! $1195.

23) MODEL 64 STANDARD RIFLE, .30-30 CAL., #1751XXX, MADE 1951. A fine example of probably the best .30-30 lever rifle Winchester ever made. This one retains about all the blue on the barrel, mag tube and forend cap. It has the original buckhorn rear sight with elevator bar intact and blade/bead front sight on the correct ramp. The receiver also retains most of the blue with just some edge wear mainly on the bottom front of the receiver and around the serial number on the bottom. Wood is excellent with tight wood to metal fit and retains the original checkered steel shotgun butt plate. Tight action, strong safety half-cock and bright exc. bore. These are really great and fun shooters- cheap and easy to reload or buy inexpensive ammo almost always available at stores like Walmart. Made of blued steel and walnut during the great Post World War II boom! $1395.

 

BILL GOODMAN, 280 W. KAGY BLVD. SUITE D #152, BOZEMAN, MONTANA 59715 TEL. (406) 587-3131                  FAX (406) 219-3415   [email protected]

THESE WERE SUCH GOOD NOTES FROM THE FIELD I’M KEEPING THEM HERE.

FINALLY, MY SECOND NOVEL IS OUT! First, I’d like to thank everyone who read my first novel, DESERT SUNDAYS, and kept after me to get the second one done and published! So, after the usual delays and hitches, here it is. This one is called AN OBVIOUS SLAM DUNK and if you like courtroom scenes and a story that not only makes you think, but surprises you…well, this is a page turner I know you’ll like. And before anyone asks, yes, the third novel is almost done and I hope to get that one out before too long. All three form a trilogy, but each stands alone, so it doesn’t matter which you read first. Both are available on Amazon or Barnes and Noble (Kindle downloads too). If you want to save some money and have a signed copy, I have books here that I can sell cheaper than online at $13 each including shipping. Click here to see both books front and back with a synopsis of each.  Don’t bother to call to reserve a copy, just toss a check in the mail with shipping instructions.  MY THIRD NOVEL IS AT THE PUBLISHER NOW AND SHOULD BE OUT THIS SUMMER!! Thanks, Bill Goodman

CRACKED STOCKS! Seems like an odd thing to write about, but this is something I’ve not seen in print before. I’ve observed a lot of rifles with cracks coming straight back toward the butt plate from the upper and lower tangs. Sometimes the cracks are severe enough to warrant repairs (like cross bolts etc. through the wrist or extensive gluing) and other times the stock remains pretty solid as is. So what caused this condition in the first place? I’ve hunted with all kinds of rifles in all kinds of weather and terrain and never had a gun get damaged like all these I’ve seen. And I’ve taken some pretty bad falls too. Once, on ice I couldn’t see beneath a couple inches of fresh snow, my feet went out from under me and my rifle landed a number of yards away! Still, no cracks like these. So I’ve been puzzled by this for some time. Then it hit me, since these guns all seemed like Western big game rifles- large lever actions like 1876 and 1886 Winchesters or Marlin 1881 and 1895s as well as all over while the rifles were in saddle scabbards- fairly common in icy winter conditions, especially in the mountains. Also, sometimes horses will walk so close to trees that they rub against them. If a rifle is in a butt-forward position scabbard, the rifle can go on one side of the tree and the horse the other causing a stress cracked stock. Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think so. The wrists are fairly strong on most rifles and it takes a lot to crack one. If anyone else has a different theory about this condition, I’d like to hear it!

“GUNS OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION YEARS” When the Great Depression began with the Stock Market Crash of 1929 America was taken by surprise. Prior to this pivotal event, in the gun industry production was high and sales were brisk. Almost overnight sales fell off hugely. The Winchester Handbook by George Madis shows production numbers by years of some of the major models. This is pretty illuminating. Here are some examples: Model 1890 .22RF had 12,367 produced in 1928 and 696 made in 1932; Model 1892 saw 64,833 produced in 1910 and 491 in 1930; Model 53 had 2,861 produced in 1925 and 30 made in 1937; Model 1894 had 29,967 made in 1927 and only1,192 made in 1934; Model 55 had 3,064 made in 1927 and 42 made in 1936. Colt, Marlin, Savage, Remington and Smith & Wesson etc. all felt the same pressure. With production down to a fraction of what it was, the big manufacturers had no choice but to fire employees. Those lucky enough to be retained were the most highly skilled and experienced craftsmen. They also had time to put extra fine fitting and finishing into each firearm. Generally, the quality of these guns is truly exceptionally. With production numbers of these late pre-war arms relatively small and quality without peer, their value should be assured. Some of the scarce large frame Colt and S&W handguns- especially the target sighted versions- are almost breathtaking in their fit an d finish. This has been an under-appreciated niche in arms collecting/investing. It is my belief Great Depression era arms are often “sleepers” on the antique market today and are bound to increase in value at a rapid pace making them excellent long term investments.

I have found a new shooting activity that I’m sure a number of folks who check out my website will either want to try themselves or will at least find interesting reading. I’ve discovered the fun of BLACK POWDER shotshells. And no, I’m not new to black powder. I’ve been shooting muzzle loaders since I was a kid (I was too young to buy ammo, but a can of black powder and a single shot muzzle loading pistol kept me shooting!) I’ve shot black powder cartridge rifles and some handguns since the 1970s. I’ve also tried a few muzzle loading shotguns, but a while back I noticed Midway was offering reloadable brass shotshells made by Magtech in Brazil. They cost about a buck a piece and come in a box of 25. So I thought this looked interesting and bought a box. They prime with a large pistol primer (I use CCI Large Pistol Mag. Primers) and require no special tools to load. I did buy a “cowboy 12 ga. shell holder” by RCBS which makes priming easier, but one can prime using a dowel, hammer and a flat surface to seat the primer. Anyway, I loaded with various loads of black powder as well as Alliant Black MZ black powder substitute. 27.3 grains equals one dram, so a typical heavy field load of 3 1/2 drams equals about 95 grains (by volume) of black powder or substitute. I load that through a drop tube to better settle the powder, using a wood dowel I seat an over powder card wad, then a cushion wad, pour in 1 1/8 oz. of shot from an antique shot dipper I picked up somewhere along the line, top with another over powder wad and then put about three small drops of CLEAR NON-FOAMING Gorilla glue on this top wad at the edge. Last, using a Q-tip sweep it around the wad edge. It dries making a nice seal with the inside of the brass case and holds everything together (note: this is the best glue I’ve tried, but do NOT use the brown foaming Gorilla glue as it pushes the wad up when dry and is awful to correct!). Firing removes any glue residue from the case. I picked up a particularly nice Remington 1889 double barrel with exposed hammers (damascus with exc. bores) and tried out my loads on some thrown clays. I’m not a good shot with a scattergun, but when I felt I was on, the clay targets broke as nicely as if I’d been using a modern smokeless shotgun. I used this double on a pheasant hunt last fall and did just fine with it. Truthfully, it made the hunt so much more fun I don’t know if I’d go again with one of my modern guns! Recently I tried the same shells in a Winchester 1887 Lever Action 12 ga. that was made in 1888. It fed beautifully and was a blast to shoot (no pun intended). The brass cases de-prime with a simple Lee type punch and clean up with hot soapy water. No resizing is required for the next loading. Pretty simple. The 12 ga. cases are 2 1/2″ long, which is exactly what a modern 2 3/4″ case measures LOADED AND UNFIRED. Remember, many of the older guns, like the Winchester 1887, have 2 5/8″ chambers. You don’t want to shoot a 2 3/4″ shell in them as they won’t be able to open up all the way causing pressures to jump etc. I don’t think Magtech offers brass cases in 10 ga. but they do in the smaller gauges. There are a lot of older shotguns out there that can often be purchased inexpensively and make wonderful shooters. Be sure to have any gun checked out by a gunsmith if you have doubts about it. With these brass cases and ease of loading, it’s worth trying. Buffalo Arms in Idaho sells the correct size wads for these brass cases- they actually take 11 ga. wads. If you give this a try, I think you’ll be glad you did- Bill Goodman

 

An interesting thing happened a few weeks ago that got me thinking… Here in Montana we had an early snow storm while most of the trees still had their leaves. As usually happens with these storms, lots of aspen and other tree branches broke under the weight of the snow. My brother called to have me come over to his place and help him cut up some branches. I arrived ready for action with my Home Depot purchased aluminum branch clippers. He met me at his garage holding MY FATHER’S OLD BRANCH CLIPPERS. So what’s the big deal? Well, I remember those clippers as a kid in the 1960s and I’m sure he owned them long before that. This tool was made of solid steel and had (wait for it…) riveted wood slab handles. This thing really had some weight to it! It also had a kind of double hinge for extra leverage cutting of larger diameter branches. It sure put my flimsy aluminum clipper to shame! I bet this solid steel beauty was made in the 1940s or maybe even before W.W.II. For all I know, it might have belonged to my grandfather! The point of all this is that it reminded me of why we all like antique/classic firearms. They too were made of steel and wood- no synthetics or alloys. They were made to last, and they have. My modern clippers are getting loose and worn. I was thinking of replacing it for another. Not my Dad’s clipper! It is generational. Same goes for the guns of that period and earlier. Not that I’m knocking modern firearms, but there’s something hard to describe about holding a Colt New Service or S&W .44 Hand Ejector revolver or shouldering a Winchester Model 71 .348 caliber… I know you get it or you wouldn’t be on this website.

William T. Goodman, 280 W. Kagy Blvd., Suite D #152, Bozeman, MT 59715    (406) 587-3131    fax (406) 219-3415     [email protected]