What's the value of some old Winchester rifles?

[LAF]

I'm new to this and these aren't items I usually deal with, so please be patient with me. I recently purchased an estate that included three old Winchester rifles and a Winchester pistol and I was wondering if they were worth enough to invest the money having them professionally restored or if I should just send them off to a local auction. The pistol is a Winchester Model 353 22 Caliber Air Pistol in the original box and it's in really good condition, so it doesn't need any attention, but the rifles are rough and need some help. One rifle is marked Winchester Model 1906 and it's missing the stock, one is marked Winchester Model 1890 and it's complete and one is marked Winchester Model 1892 25-20 WCF and it's in the best condition. Any helpful information would be appreciated. Thanks

[Chipperman]

...having them professionally restored ....

The answer to that is going to be a big NO.

As far as value, impossible to say without pics and more info.

Winchesters are very collectable, and value can be all over the map.

What is the 1890 chambered in?

[LAF]

Hello, the Winchester 1890 is a 22 caliber. Thanks

[Scorch]

the Winchester 1890 is a 22 caliber

There are several types of 22 rimfire ammo, obviously 22 short, long and long rilfe, but the 1890s were also chambered for 22 WRF (22 Winchester Rim Fire).

The 1892 is probably worth somewhere between $600 and $1200 depending on condition and variant, there were not many 1892s chambered for 25-20. I saw one about a year ago that was worth about $10,000, and it looked like just a plain jane rifle (not carbine), but it was a rare variant.

[Chipperman]

I have an 1890 in 22 WRF. I've been looking to get another in .22LR eventually. They are just always so expensive when I see them.

[carguychris]

As far as value, impossible to say without pics and more info.

+1. Winchasters, like S&W revolvers, have widely variable values that often depend on rare combinations of chamberings and barrel lengths, as well as other rare features that may be difficult for the uninitiated to spot. As for the additional info, please post:

• Barrel length
• Caliber marking; don't try to interpret it, just write it verbatim
• Serial number, if the gun has one; if you want to protect your privacy, you can replace the last 2 characters with "x" or "#" symbols (i.e. C6231xx)

[LAF]

Hello, I could use some help in getting an idea of the value of this old rifle. The serial number is 7736## and it has an octagon barrel that measures 22" long and it is marked 25-20 WCF. There are two very small circles on top of the barrel and chamber that have some letters inside and the center part of the barrel is marked MANUFACTURED BY THE WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO. NEW HAVEN, CONN. U.S.A. PATENTED OCTOBER 14, 1884. Also, the underside of the end of the barrel is marked PAT. JUNE 6, 1893.
Any information would be appreciated. Thanks

[romer12]

send me serial number of the 1892 model and the 1890 model. might be able to find dates for the serial numbers...............

[echowit]

Try http://www.winchestercollector.org/ A good site for Winchester information. And if you're selling they have a fairly active Swap forum.

My G'Pa gave me a model 1906 in the early '50s and I'm still shooting it so I'm a little partial, but I wouldn't give any of these away. Part out the 1906 and invest the proceeds in the other two.

G'Luck,
Larry

[jaguarxk120]

Restore a big NO, many who restore old firearms have no idea of what they are doing. To refinish stocks, reblue metal will destroy any value the firearms have. You can loose up to 90% of auction value by refinishing a old Winchester.

What you want is a conservator a person who will preserve and not change in anyway the gun. Not restoring but maintaining the gun in it's present condition. Preserving so it will stay the same as it is.

[EvilGenius]

Curious if you guys could give me an opinion on this Winchester my grandfather gave me last year.

It's a 1906 pump .22. It functions smoothly when empty but when I first tried it at the range with some .22LR I could barely get the action to move back or fourth and it started FTEing after about 10 rounds. I can't tell if it's just rough that way or if it's .22 short only. Which that would put it in the 1906-1908 years of production. Since everything after 1908 is supposed to be short or long capable.

Here's the only pic I've got right now.

[Winchester_73]

You should have probably started your own thread. Anyways, about your rifle, it could be 22 short only. I think they were chambered in 22 long as well. It should be barrel marked somewhere. Be advised that 22 LONG is not 22LR or 22 LONG RIFLE. If the gun starts to work better, I would say your gun is worth $400 give or take based on condition. Meaning that you could sell it for that price. A dealer may ask more, say $600 for one just like yours but they will have trouble selling it. Too many variables to give a real price estimate in this situation. Your pic is also not a good one to judge condition either. If it was chambered for 22 short originally but rechambered that hurts the value. So it really depends. Lookover the gun real well to see which 22 it was designed for. Safety first.

[James K]

I am not sure of the production breakdown, but Model 1892's in .25-20 are not rare, though .25-20 was fourth behind the older .32-20, .38-40 and .44-40. It was a very popular in the east as a farm rifle and for varmint hunting in semi-rural areas. The really rare caliber in the 1892 is the .218 Bee. (Both the .25-20 and the .218 were developed specifically for the Model 1892; the other calibers were carried over from the Model 1873.)

Unless the rest of the gun is in quite good condition, a Model 1906 with a missing stock if not worth much, but stocks may be available. Check here

www.gunpartscorp.com

to see if they have any. Whether the gun is worth the cost of the stock is up to you.

Jim