Used Winchesters

Two years ago, it was not uncommon to find a used Winchester in the pawn shop rack for $125.00. Not so anymore. Used Winchesters, at least locally, are commanding a premium. I looked at one Wednesday, a beat-up Angle Eject, with the rebounding hammer and the safety for $275.00. I told the counterman, who I have bought a lot of guns from, that this was the least desireable of the Winchester Model 94 line and was barely a $150.00 gun. He agreed, but said that Winchester was out of business and no one is making any more. I laughed and walked out the store.

Today I wandered in to his competition and scrolled across the rack. I spotted the familiar linkage of a Winchester lever and asked the guy about it. He took it down. I know this counterman, too, he has sold me stuff in the past. He got out the bore light. Clean chamber, but a little copper fouling about halfway down the barrel. A little elbow grease will fix that. Rifling is good all the way out to the muzzle. The reciever is post 64, and the serial number is 3.8 million, which puts the rifle made in 1970. No safety. Half-cock. Receiver drilled and tapped for receiver sight. The stock has been Bubba'd but I can fix that, or replace it. It's a standard 20" carbine. Winchester made millions of them, and Wal-Mart sold a bunch of them. Exterior finish is poor, it looks like it has been riding around behind the seat of a pickup truck. Price is $175.00. The owner didn't want to dicker. Matter of fact, he probably wishes he had added another $25.00.

I put it on layaway. Is it a good deal? No, not really. That rifle sold new for about $100.00 back in 1970. The economic reality of the situation is that without a manufacturer, there will be no more Model 94 Winchesters. Even though there were millions made, no one is making them today. Winchester lever action rifles will continue to show up on used gun racks for the forseeable future, but the prices will be higher than they were in the past.