JLouis wrote on May 3^rd, 2018 at 3:30pm:


Maybe easy enough for the current owner to keep track of, but eventually the Grim Reaper comes along, or what's worse, senility.  Then, totally unpredictable things happen, and it's a rare situation when one's heirs care as much about your "stuff" as you once did.   

Old-Win wrote on May 3^rd, 2018 at 5:13pm:


Unlike the situation with some other Winchesters, like M. 70s, where rare calibers bring a premium, what enhances the value of any '85 is the popularity of the caliber among potential shooters, & generally speaking, bigger is better: .30-40 & .45-70 top the list, except for the .50s.  I've got a Deluxe HW I bought relatively cheap, because no one wanted a .32-20 HW...even though that's an uncommon chambering in the HW model.  (After trying unsuccessively for a yr to sell it, the dealer told me he was thinking of reboring it; that's when I made my offer.) 

I hate to point out the obvious but, Sometimes the thing to do when you acquire a rare version of a single shot and you are looking for one to build up is to sell the rarer one and buy one more suitable for rebuilding. You know, one that is common or has been extensively altered over the years. I know there is a tendency to want to hold on to the rifle you have but often it makes more sense to resell it and get one more suitable to your purpose.

marlinguy wrote on May 4^th, 2018 at 9:34am:


Well, a fellow on the Winchester Collectors board sure ain't arousing much interest in the .38-90 HW he's trying to sell; first one in that caliber I've ever seen.

marlinguy wrote on May 4^th, 2018 at 3:35pm:

And that light weight for diameter 38 cal 217 grain bullet used in the 38 Express doesn't really make it a great candidate for long range shooting.

I've broken down several old 1885's over the years to make customs.  I've been taken to task for doing so on this board.  My offer has always been the same:  If the rifle is worth keeping as a whole, it should be worth the sum of it's parts.   

Send me a MVA newly made (or C Sharps) receiver, a Green Mt. Barrel blank, and a Treebone or Crossno or CPA semi-inletted stock and I'll send you the old, tired original Winchester.  I haven't had anyone yet take me up on it, and those rifles had a rebirth into something that has been used by me and my family as they were intended to be used.

I did reline one that is somewhat rare.  I have an 1885 #4 barrel, 40-70ss, with known parentage tying it to Meachum and the last of the buffalo trade.  It had no rifling left, and was a brown gun.  I relined it with a quality, large diameter, fast twist liner and rechambered to a custom .40-70 chamber that allows it to use .405 brass.  Invisible liner, and changed the appearance of the rifle not at all.  I know that the rifle is not worth more with the relined bore than it was with the rotted out one; but everyone tells me what a shame that it is relined.  If I hadn't relined it and tried to sell it, everyone would have told me what a shame it was that it had a rotted out bore.  I also offered that rifle out for sale for the cost of a new reproduction, and had no takers.   

I am going to have to build a new 1885 or two, as I had some stolen recently.  I have new MVA receivers that I am going to use; not saving money by starting with a used rifle.  I can afford to pay the rate to use all new and will on these rifles.  Luckily, I still have the stock patterns; one of them was my wifes 1885 I detailed the build on a thread here a few years ago.  The other was my .38-72, which I have been able to start the replacement of by buying a similar one on the classifieds here recently.  It would be cheaper to start with an original rifle in decent condition, and rebuild it and sell the leftover parts than to start with new.  So much for "collector" value.

Now on whether using the original to save costs is right, is debatable.      Let the argument go on.......

Old-Win wrote on May 4^th, 2018 at 6:07pm:


If the cartridges are as rare as the rifle, the original box the seller has should be worth several hundred by itself.