BILL GOODMAN,  305 DONEGAL DRIVE,  BOZEMAN,  MONTANA  59715

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

      Bill Goodman has been a collector of antique/collector firearms for well over 40 years and a full time dealer for over 28 years.  Traveling around the country constantly seeking good quality collector arms at REALISTIC PRICES, Bill sells exclusively by mail order.  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 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 to call to check availability and for further 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.      

 

 

 

 MORE GUNS WERE POSTED 1/20/15.  WATCH FOR FREQUENT POSTINGS THROUGH  JANUARY.

 

 

NOTES FROM THE FIELD (10/16/14): THIS UNCERTAIN ECONOMY!  Seems like an appropriate topic, especially since I haven't written a "Notes From the Field" in a while.  So, we are told the unemployment rate has broken under 6% and that things are steadily, slowly but steadily, getting better.  Until this past week, Washington had been pointing to the stock market as an example of how America is improving.  Well, I suppose if you'd put everything you could into the stock market over the past couple years you'd be doing extremely well.  However, you'd be owning "paper" assets propped up by government funds.  This stock market hasn't had a normal 10% correction in almost three (3) years!  Think of it this way, under the best of the Bush years, I saw unemployment at an honest 4.4% and there didn't seem to be a care in the world- remember, this was before the stock market and housing crashes.  Well, since that time the NASDAQ has DOUBLED in value... I'm not talking doubled since the crash, I'm talking about before everything fell away!  Yet,  there are still complaints of  weak U.S. and world economies... so how can the stock market be so high?  I'm not an economist, but I don't think it takes one to realize something artificial is holding prices high.  Leaving it at that, what does this have to do with antique/collector firearms?  In a nutshell, after being involved in this field professionally for 30 years and observing the collector market far longer, I can say there is nothing artificial or phony about collector firearm valuations!  Good, original collector firearms priced according to their rarity, condition, historical association etc. have and continue to be excellent investments without any real down side.  When the stock market sank before the 2008 election, I was worried people wouldn't have money to buy antique/collector guns.  Well, that fear was unfounded.  My phone started ringing and didn't stop. I heard over and over from collectors who were frightened of the volatility of their "paper assets" and wanted to additionally  invest in "tangible" assets like antique guns.  A good while back I helped a man get an investment collection together.  He wanted them for his children and/or grand children.  He held them for six to ten years and called me one day to say he had the opportunity to develop some land and needed to raise money. The guns would have to go.  In the end, he told me the prices he wanted for the guns I sold him previously- he quoted a higher price on every item- and told me anything over his price I could keep.  It didn't take long to liquidate his collection and we both made out well.  I can't give a better example than that. My point is to be careful, diversify investments and know that a world full of the kind of uncertainty we are now experiencing can wreak havoc on investment portfolios!  Thanks for reading- Bill Goodman (note: there are a couple older "Notes From the Field" at the bottom of this website)

 

 

 

COLT FIRE ARMS (click text for photo

  1. BLACK POWDER SINGLE ACTION ARMY .45 COLT, 4 ¾” #108XXX, MADE 1884,  this one come right out of here in Montana, overall it is a dark brown patina with traces of original nickel in the usual protected areas- around front sight and barrel top, butt, bottom and sides of trigger guard, top of hammer, back of cylinder etc., good markings including the correct two line barrel address, patent dates on frame getting worn, matching numbers, nice screws, needs ejector and housing, grips are an obvious later replacement but fit nicely, fine mech. With a couple hammer notches either worn or broken- cocks okay, but should be re-cut, fine+ bore, a little work and the value of this one will increase significantly!  (four photos)  $1895.

  2. GREAT COLT FIND! 1871-72 OPEN TOP .44 RIM FIRE SINGLE ACTION, #3XXX WITH ORIGINAL UNCUT 7 1/2" BARREL, most of these went to Mexico and I believe this one is one as this revolver walked in to a California gun shop by a Spanish Speaking individual who said it was his grandfather's gun and he wanted to sell it!  This is a really nice uncleaned and unaltered example! Most have had their barrels cut etc. overall metal surfaces are an uncleaned deep brown patina with fine markings on barrel top (New York address) and patent dates on left side of frame, matching numbers on barrel, cylinder, trigger guard and frame, and best of all a fine cylinder scene! Grips show wear but are solid and show some shrinkage on sides- has a silver shield inletted in left grip with some small tacks around it, right side shows what looks like a spur has rolled on it a bit, brass trigger guard is an unpolished mellow mustard color, fine screws, tight action, front sight has been filed low, barrel shows some muzzle wear on left side from being in and out of a holster, ejector spring intact, but a little weak and needs the loading gate spring only, this one has a great look to- especially with the cylinder scene visible and uncut barrel! $5250.

  3. CLASSIC EARLY BLACK POWDER SINGLE ACTION ARMY .45 COLT, 7 1/2" BARREL, #95XXX, MADE 1883, really an untouched, "attic condition" example exactly the way I like to see them, exc. screws, exc. markings, overall metal an uncleaned deep plum/brown, unaltered front sight, nice one piece walnut grips, exc. cylinder pin, tight action, exc. bore, only the ejector head appears to be a very old replacement that is aged perfectly to the rest of the gun, all matching numbers including the barrel and cylinder, super attractive (note light reflection makes the frame look blued- it's not, the metal has aged dark like the rest of the gun) $3950.

  4. HIGH CONDITION BISLEY, .32-20, 4 3/4" BARREL, MADE 1907, particularly fine example that shows light holster/handling only, some blue wear to the front half of the right side of the barrel and the front 2/3 of the outside of the ejector housing on the right side with the balance of the barrel showing most of the bright, deep blue and correct two line barrel address, front sight shows most blue and is not filed or altered, butt and front strap show fine blue with only a little thinning, back strap aged brown with good blue toward the upper region around the hammer etc., fine cylinder blue with minor thinning and some edge wear, exc. blue on the bottom of the trigger guard, nice fire-blue on the trigger sides, exc. screws- some with fire blue intact, fine case colors fading on the more exposed areas and vivid in the more protected areas, exc. grips, exc. action and bore, nice case colors on hammer,  one of the better Bisley Models  I've offered in a long while, $3250.

  5. FINE CONDITION No. 2 DERRINGER, .41RF, ONLY 9000 MADE 1870-1890, a scarce early cartridge Colt that is rarely found with any finish remaining, this one much better than normally seen with fine aged blue mixing dull on the barrel, exc. markings and mech., uncleaned brown iron frame with nice simple factory engraving, exc. single screw, exc. checkered walnut grips, bore will clean about exc., #5XXX (Flayderman's Guide- last edition, now 7  years old- shows these in fine condition at $2000), my price $1495.

  6. NICE CONDITION No. 3 Derringer, .41 RF, MADE 1870-1912, this was Colt's most popular derringer with 48,000 being made yet good examples with original finish are hard to find as like most derringer/pocket pistols they were carried extensively and wore fast, this one is the more scarce full nickel and shows wear on the high edges of the frame sides with grip straps retaining all of the nickel, barrel also retains nearly all the nickel except for a thin wear line at the highest/sharpest edges and slightly at the muzzle, exc. screws and mech., exc. markings, nice walnut grips show good finish and only slight handling marks, good fire blue on the hammer back, exc. mech and the bore should scrub out fine or better, again, much better than normally seen, $795.

  7. HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT COLT! THE FIRST SIDE SWING CYLINDER MODEL INTRODUCED BY COLT AS THE MODEL 1889 NAVY DOUBLE ACTION REVOLVER, ONLY MADE FROM 1889-1894, these were made in .38 Colt and .41 Colt calibers, this one is a .38 Colt with 4 1/2" barrel and was made in 1894, readily identifiable by the long cylinder flutes with no locking notches on the side- these lock up at the back of the cylinder like the old double action Lightnings and 1878 Frontiers, most saw hard use and examples in any condition are very scarce, this one came out of here in Montana and is mostly gray/brown with blue in the protected areas only, exc. markings, fine mech., exc. bore, correct grips may be replacements, unaltered front sight, correct 1884 and 1888 patent dates on the barrel, matching assembly numbers, the great grandfather of all modern design double action revolvers- twelve years before Smith & Wesson introduced their first side swing cylinder model! $595.

  8. VERY HIGH CONDITION U.S. ARMY MODEL 1901 .38 COLT DOUBLE ACTION REVOLVER, MATCHING NUMBER 139XXX, one of the most beautifully fit and finished military revolvers ever issued to the army, this example is one of the best I've seen in years as it retains nearly all the original high polish blue with only light holster/edge wear and a little dulling of the blue on the back strap and scattered areas of light thinning from age, beautiful fire blue on the hammer back and trigger, exc. walnut grips with a trace of cartouche, tight mech and exc. inside, the front face of the cylinder retains about all the blue indicating this revolver was rarely if ever fired, RAC inspected cylinder (unusual double stamping), frame and barrel, Lanyard ring intact, one of the best, (note: white was put on the markings to highlight the lettering- easily removed with solvent) $1295.

  9. FINE CONDITION MODEL 1902 MILITARY AUTO PISTOL, .38 ACP CALIBER, SHIPPED TO STANDART BROTHERS HARDWARE, DETROIT, MICHIGAN, JANUARY 2, 1915, (this info found in the serial number listings of some of this model in the back of William Goddard's excellent book, The Government Models). fine bright blue on the receiver sides and bottom, grip straps aged to a plum brown with some gray mixing on the front strap, correct magazine marked "CAL 38" over "COLT" in correct high polish finish, fine blue on slide that is aging and mixing dull mostly on the left side with bright blue slightly thinning in protected areas and on top, right side thinning a little also, exc. markings, exc.+ grips, lanyard ring intact, bright sharp bore, tight action, classic long slide early Colt auto in nice condition, $1595.

  10. NEW FRONTIER SINGLE ACTION ARMY .45 COLT, 7 1/2", MADE 1979, relatively scarce target version of the classic Single Action Army revolver with adjustable sights, high polish blue finish with case color frame and walnut Colt medallion grips, near mint condition with a tiny amount of edge/holster wear, feels like this one has had a professional action job with light crisp trigger etc., $1295.``

  11. MATCH TARGET WOODSMAN, .22LR, MADE 1954, most of the blue intact with light handling only, custom thumb rest target walnut grips, Colt marked magazine, beautiful action and wonderful light trigger pull, fully adjustable sights, they don't make them like this anymore! (NOTE: photo light reflection on blue makes it look dull and washed out, it is not),  $875.

                            

 

MARLIN  (click text for photos)

1) VERY EARLY FIRST TYPE 1893 .38-55 OCTAGON RIFLE MADE 1894, only the very earliest 1893s made in the first year or two of production DID NOT HAVE THE MODEL 1893 TANG MARKINGS, and this is one of those, this is a little known Marlin fact concerning the earliest Models 1893 and 1894, this rifle came out of Arizona and overall it has a dry look to both wood and metal, some oil and careful cleaning would go a long way with this one as it has had some light dry rust on it- more "on" the metal as opposed to "in" the metal, fine aged barrel and mag blue mixing a little plum, dark uncleaned receiver, original rear buckhorn sight with small blade/bead front sight, butt stock looks to have been lightly gone over at some time, one forend cap screw a replacement, bore a bit dark with good rifling and looks like it too needs a good oil soaking and a brush-out to bring it to fine or fine+, tight action, scarce early Marlin, $1195.

2) UNUSUAL ANTIQUE SERIAL NUMBER 1894 .44-40 WITH RARE SPECIAL ORDER EXTRA LONG 28" OCTAGON BARREL AND FULL MAG., MADE 1895, aged and thinning barrel blue is mixing with  a pleasing, uncleaned gray/brown patina, good blue on the loading gate, mostly gray/brown patina receiver, fine forend, butt stock has a few dings that have had some wood fill added, surface chip out of the left side wrist by receiver- shallow, buckhorn rear sight appears original, front sight is a blade soldered to the original base, fine action, surprisingly the bore is a little dark but will clean about exc.! Obviously a frontier used Marlin in a great caliber, unusual long barrel, and early antique serial number that was taken care of, but used as they were meant to be used! $1395.

3) DELUXE FANCY FACTORY ENGRAVED MODEL 1898 12 GA. PUMP SHOTGUN, beautiful highly figured burl walnut butt stock with checkered pistol grip, 30" Special Smokeless Steel marked barrel, engraved with scroll and two upland birds on the right side of the receiver, scroll with ducks in an oval on the left side with minor scroll elsewhere, fine aged barrel blue with bright bore, tight action, mostly thin aged blue to gray/brown patina receiver with sharp engraving- does not look like it's ever been cleaned, there is a crack/large chip with wood intact in the left side of the pistol grip (does not go through pistol grip), and some wood fill at the bottom right side by the trigger guard, good checkering, hard rubber butt pate has a couple small chips by the toe, fine screws, $1495.

4) DELUXE PISTOL GRIP, CHECKERED AND TAKEDOWN MODEL 1895 OCTAGON RIFLE IN .38-56 CALIBER, MADE 1904, nice condition example with fine barrel and mag blue showing light age only, mottled receiver retains light/faded case color, fine+ wood with good checkering on the pistol grip and, as is typical, more worn checkering on the forend- yet all there, light case color on the hammer sides and a little on the uppermost part of the lever, bore will clean out bout exc., tight action and takedown, interesting heavy full buckhorn D. W. King patented rear sight with Lyman half mood/ivory bead front sight, (Note: this is actually a much better cartridge than most people realize as it is the .45-70 case necked down to .38 and holds a full 56 grains of powder where the .38-55 is a straight "30-30" case holding only about 45 grains of powder), rare model in a rare configuration! $3950.

 

 

                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 doubt 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 caliber only. I believe these traditional Marlins made in limited runs in North Haven, CT are going to be tomorrow's sought after Marlins.  Already prices for them are escalating rapidly.

1) RARE "MODERN" MARLIN MODEL 336CB COWBOY 24" OCTAGON RIFLE IN .38-55 CALIBER, now discontinued an with Marlin being bought out by Remington, probably never to be made again, this was a limited run and few are found for sale now, fancy checkered with traditional diamond in the middle of the wrist and forearm, Marbles tang sight and globe front with apertures, original barrel sights included, very lightly used, $1150. SOLD) YET ANOTHER SCARCE "MODERN" MARLIN VARIANT: 1895 .45-70 COWBOY WITH 26" OCTAGON BARREL, this one is flat new, unfired in the original box and still even has the Marlin tag on the lever and all paperwork in the box with serial numbered end label!  $1195. SOLD

2) LIMITED PRODUCTION AND VERY RARE 1895 .45-70 24” HALF OCTAGON BARREL FULL MAGAZINE RIFLE, the barrel is stamped “1895 LTD” and these were made some years ago in one small run, I don’t believe I’ve seen another, about new condition overall, $1195. SOLD

3) MODEL 1894CB "COWBOY LIMITED" IN .44 MAGNUM AND SPECIAL, 20" OCTAGON BARREL, a little nicer than standard wood usually seen, very hard to find and like new, $1195. SOLD

4)  VERY RARE 1895 LTD-III .45-70 WITH 18 ½ INCH OCTAGON BARREL AND FULL MAGAZINE!       This is the first one of these I’ve seen.  Apparently they made the LTD series from I to V (5) for Davidsons Distributors I believe in the 1980s to 1990s.  One Thousand of these were supposedly made in 1999 ony,  but this is the first one I’ve seen or even heard of, I would bet a lot less than one thousand were made!  It is in very lightly used condition (near new) with a blued screw going into the right side where the cross bolt safety is, I believe these "filler kits" are sold through Brownell's, the cross bolt can be seen on the left side, but there is no movement in it and it does not protrude.  I imagine it would be easy enough to return to the normal cross bolt if one wanted to, also has a Redfield receiver sight with the normal Marlin folding buckhorn rear sight and blade/bead front, this model had the normal or “Ballard” style rifling as opposed to the regular Micro-groove rifling normally used- these are better for cast bullet shooting, a very rare Marlin that should appreciate in value over the years to come, $1195. SOLD

5) MODEL 1894CB "COWBOY LIMITED" .44 SPECIAL AND .44 MAGNUM WITH 24" OCTAGON BARREL AND CHECKERED STOCK AND FOREARM, these have Ballard Rifling instead of Micro-Groove, very hard to find now, about like new, $1195. SOLD

6) JUST IN: NEW IN THE BOX 1894 .44 SPECIAL AND MAGNUM CARBINE WITH CHECKERED WRIST AND FOREARM AND "BALLARD RIFLING" (NOT MICRO GROOVE RIFLING), complete with papers etc. $895.

7) JUST IN: MODEL 1894CB "COWBOY LIMITED" .44 SPECIAL AND .44 MAGNUM WITH 24" OCTAGON BARREL AND CHECKERED STOCK AND FOREARM, these have Ballard rifling instead of Micro-Groove, very hard to find now, about like new with only a few small handling marks on the left side of the receiver, $1100.

8 JUST IN: MODEL 1894CL "CLASSIC" .32-20, another out of production model from the old Connecticut days, 22" round barrel with half magazine, fancy "diamond in the middle" classic Marlin checkering pattern taken from the late 1800s/early 1900s, has the removable hammer extension (use an Allen wrench to put it on and off), about new condition, I have one of these I've been shooting for years and it's a favorite of everyone who tries it- does well with cast bullets, these are becoming hard to find, $975.

 

 

 

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

  1. SHARPS 1878 .45-70 BORCHARDT MUSKET, #18XXX, all correct including the "Old Reliable" marked barrel, tight action, safety functions fine (often these don't), original sights (screw only needed in rear sight), mostly gray to gray/brown metal with fine markings, some "vice grip" marks (?) on rear of barrel by receiver- minor, fairly bright bore with scattered light roughness, correct swivels, cleaning rod a replacement, fine forend with a couple cracks beginning around the receiver and moving forward- very minor and hardly worth mentioning- correct checkered steel butt plate, butt stock has had a piece of walnut expertly fitted where there was a chip on the right side of the wrist by the upper tang and has a slight age crack coming back from the receiver on the left side- all this is typical of a well used Borchardt and the wood is basically very solid and all sounds worse than it is, $1695.

  2. MARLIN-BALLARD No. 3 GALLERY RIFLE, .22RF CALIBER, 24" OCTAGON BARREL, SERIAL NUMBER 30XXX,  MADE 1880s, the No.3 Gallery rifle is easy to tell from every other Ballard as it has a "fluted" receiver top for use with the light .22 caliber barrel where as all other models have the "flat" top receiver, these are more scarce than the more common No.2 standard sporting rifle usually found in .32 and .38 Rim Fire/Center Fire (reversible firing pin), fine barrel blue with some minor  wear/scuffing mainly on top, uncleaned receiver is silvery with freckled brown and traces of original case color, fine+ wood with tight wood to metal fit, tight action, bore is dark with visible rifling but typically rough (the previous owner shot this rifle and said it "was very accurate!" Bore could use a good scouring and might come out better, buckhorn rear sight with small Winchester style blade front sight, matching serial numbers on receiver, forearm, butt plate and barrel, handsome little rifle, $1150.

  3. INTERESTING AND UNUSUAL CONNECTICUT ARMS HAMMOND PATENT SINGLE SHOT "BULLDOG" .44RF PISTOL IN VERY RARE NICKEL FINISH, MADE 1866-1880s, only about 8,000 of these big caliber guns were made and nearly all were blued, Flayderman's Guide says "a few known with original nickel finish..."  I've encountered only a very few in nickel over the years and this is one of the best, fine nickel with wear to brown around the high parts of the breech block left side and bottom and around the right side of the trigger and around the muzzle of the barrel- looks like this one might have been carried in a holster, still good nickel on most of the grip straps and barrel and left side of frame, exc. hard rubber "gutta percha" grips, exc. mech, bore will clean fine or better, a relatively big early cartridge derringer/pocket pistol in a rare finish in nice condition (Flayderman's latest edition- now 7 years out of date- lists these in exc. condition with standard blue finish at $1500), I have this one priced at $895.

  4. NEVER CLEANED, "AS FOUND" CONDITION RARE SIX SHOT DRAGOON SIZE ALLEN PEPPERBOX, .36 CALIBER 6" BARRELS, MADE LATE 1830's TO MID-1840s.  Has the early "Dog Leg" sharp angle walnut grips with silver ovals, engraved frame and nipple shield, early fluted ribbed barrels, overall deep brown patina with ancient uncleaned inactive surface rust/crud that is ON the metal as opposed to "IN" the metal.  I believe a good, long oil soak would remove most of it, fine grips, action works fine, these big holster size pepperboxes were very popular with the gold rush 49ers in California as well as many seeing use on the frontier and later in the Civil War.  These dragoon size ones are hard to find and this one is really untouched with a great look and feel!  $995.

  5. HIGH CONDITION REID .22RF KNUCKLEDUSTER, MADE 1868-1882, still retains the original matching cylinder screw, retains most of the original nickel with freckling/flaking on the cylinder and very minor edge wear on the frame, sharp engraving, action functions fine, neat dual purpose revolver and brass knucks! Much better condition than normally found, $1895.

  6. BERETTA MODEL 1934 .380 AUTO PISTOL WITH ITALIAN ARMY PROOFS MADE 1938, lots of World War II history in this one! Fine blue overall with minor thinning/ageing on the slide and edges, exc. original grips, matching numbers, tight action, exc. inside, $475.

  7. PARTICULARLY FINE WORLD WAR II WALTHER P.38 MARKED "AC 43" INDICATING WALTHER MANUFACTURE DURING 1943, all matching numbers, fine blue overall with just normal light wear to the front strap and a little on the bottom of the trigger guard, exc. action, exc. bore, exc. correct magazine unaltered, fine brown grips show light wear only, correct proofs and Nazi markings, one of the better ones I've seen in a while, these are still bargains, but rapidly going up in value (as are all WWII guns), still cheap at $875.

  8. GREAT ODDITY! PERCUSSION  "ANTI-GARROTING" BELT-BUCKLE GUN! These are described in the book FIREARMS CURIOSA by Lewis Winant (now out of print, but I’ll copy the pertinent pages with text and photos with the gun), “How the percussion cap belt pistol, figures 170 and 171, operates may be seen at a glance.  The oval iron plate is about 7” long, and the pistol barrel protrudes about 1 ½”.  In this gun the cord runs from the lock through a channel in the belt for a foot or more, before being carried up to the shoulder and down through a coat sleeve.  A man ordered to put up his hands can grasp the weight and tighten he string as he raises his arms.  A belt pistol such as this had no appeal as a work or art and it was unlikely to be treasured because of its history or associations.  Once obsolete it was neglected, then discarded, soon it was rotted leather and scrap metal.  Now this belt pistol is a scarce collector item.”  That sums it up pretty well, aged brown patina, functions fine, $895.

  9. EARLY BROWN MANUFACTURING "SOUTHERNER" .41 RF SCARCE IRON FRAME DERRINGER, #4XXX WITH 1867 PATENT DATE, MADE 1869, a really fine example with what I believe is a full silver plate finish (looks too dull to be nickel and many were silvered), barrel finish thinning somewhat and aged to an attractive silver/gray, frame retains good silver with some thinning/ageing on the edges and grip straps all of which blends beautifully, sharp markings including the classic "SOUTHERNER" marking on the barrel top, exc. mech, exc. highly finished rosewood grips, bore will clean exc., rare variation and really sharp example of one of the earliest and most popular cartridge derringers usually found in hard used/hard carried condition, this is a nice one and priced attractively at (looks much better in person as photo lights exaggerate any minor spots- all of which blend in well) $795.

  10. REALLY NICE PARKER V-H, 12 GA., 30" SIDE BY SIDE SHOTGUN, #94XXX, much better than usually seen!  Still retains some nice case color on the rear right side, on the bottom of the receiver ahead of the trigger guard and in protected areas, exc. stock and forearm with only a tiny beginnings of a chip at the right upper tang/receiver juncture, sharp checkering, no cracks in the wrist!, original Parker embossed butt plate, fine barrel blue showing light handling/scuffing only with no dents, right shiny bores choked Modified and Full, even has some blue on the bottom of the trigger guard, super tight, Vulcan Steel marked barrel (not damascus), If I didn't have one like this that I shoot regularly, I'd keep this one!  Would cost a fortune to manufacture today! (3 photos)  $1795.

  11. UN-CATALOGUED, FIRST I’VE EVER SEEN OR EVEN HEARD OF!! HARRINGTON & RICHARDSON AUTO EJECT REVOLVER WITH KNIFE ATTACHMENT OR  “AUTOMATIC BAYONET REVOLVER”… BUT WAIT, THIS ONE IS CHAMBERED FOR THE .32 SMITH & WESSON CARTRIDGE AND IS IN BLUE FINISH!  To quote Flayderman’s Guide- about the only source on these- “Made only in .38CF according to their 1902 advertising. Made c.1901 to 1917.  Estimated quantity 2,000…”  These are really scarce items with great appeal and, of course, every one I’ve seen has been .38 caliber and almost all in nickel finish- blue is super rare.  So, if the 1902 advertising says they are only in .38, and they started making them in 1901 perhaps they made a few in .32 that first year- I have no other ideas.  The frame is clearly marked “AUTO EJECTING 32 S&W CTGE”   Condition is really sharp with nice blue overall with normal age and wear to the back strap and bottom of trigger guard, some ageing on the barrel sides and cylinder edges, even the front strap has nice blue!  Dagger blade has not been sharpened or chipped, spring that holds it under the barrel is still strong, bright exc. bore, exc. mech.  Exc. grips, an incredible find! $1950.

  12. CLASSIC MANNLICHER-SCHOENAUER MODEL 1905 FULL STOCKED CARBINE WITH DOUBLE SET TRIGGERS IN 9 X 56 CALIBER, AND RETAINS THE ORIGINAL CLAW MOUNTS AND "4X C. P. GOERZ, BERLIN" MARKED SCOPE! One of the classiest rifles ever produced and one that would be too expensive to manufacture today, great condition overall with about all the deep blue remaining on the original 20 1/2" barrel, forend cap, action and trigger guard/floor plate, even the butt plate with almost seamless trapdoor retains excellent bright blue with wear only on the upper and lower extreme edges, exc. wood with sharp checkering, wonderful tight claw mounts come off with in a second with a push of a single button and remount just as fast!  They are also see through so the shooter has the option of using the two leaf folding express rear barrel sight or the scope, traditional oval cheek piece, original loop sling swivels intact, tight action, bright bore, cartridges are easily made from 8 X57 brass or can be found formed and loaded, exc. bright optics in scope with three post reticle. These are almost always found with the claw mounts intact but the matching rings missing- these mounts and rings alone are probably worth a thousand dollars with scope,  truly a wonderful rifle from the golden pre-World Wars I and II age! (note: photo light reflection on bottom photo of stock) $2650.

  13. VERY RARE PRE-WORLD WAR II HIGH STANDARD .22 SHORT CALIBER, MODEL C AUTO PISTOLS (HAVE TWO):  A) VERY EARLY TYPE 1, 4 1/2" BARREL #15XX, MADE C.1936-1937, has the earliest features, fine deep blue overall with only minor edge/holster wear and some thinning of the blue on the grip straps, exc. mech. and bore, $795.   B) LATER TYPE 2, 6 3/4" #49XXX, about the same condition as the first one described, $795.

  14. GREAT CONDITION, SCARCE STEVENS MODEL 425 "HIGH POWER" LEVER ACTION RIFLE IN RARE AND DESIRABLE .25 REM. CALIBER, ONLY MADE FROM 1910-1917, retains about all the deep original blue with only some really minor edge wear and a little ageing/mixing plum on the mag tube and forend cap, exc. wood shows minor handling only, looks like one screw in the butt plate may be a replacement, original sights, tight action, exc. markings, screws and bore, all of this model are hard to find but especially so for the .25 Rem. caliber, this is one of the nicest I've seen in a long while, $1395``

                             

 

 

MODERN AND MISCELLANEOUS

1) COOPER ARMS MODEL 38 MONTANA-VARMINT SINGLE SHOT BOLT ACTION IN .17 ACKLEY HORNET! Nicely figured rich walnut stock with "ventilated" forend for barrel cooling, matte blue action and trigger guard with stainless barrel, three-panel checkered bolt handle (I believe this is a custom extra), checkered wrist with smooth varmint style wide forend, complete with matching matte bases and rings, weighs 7 1/2 lbs as pictured, appears very lightly, these Montana made rifles are amazingly accurate and beautifully fit and finished (I am a fan of this caliber and was tempted to keep this one!), Here's their catalogue description: " The MTV is available in the Model 21/22/38/54/57M and features AA+ Claro walnut, hand checkered grip, oil finish, Pachmayr recoil pad, steel grip cap, a ventilated forearm, and a Wilson Arms stainless steel, straight taper premium match grade barrel. All of the metal work on the MTV is matte finish."  Cheap at $1595.

2) BERETTA MODEL 71 .22LR AUTO PISTOL, nice lightweight auto that should make for a nice trail gun, great Beretta made in Italy quality inside and out, seen very light use only, $495.

3) MASTERPIECE ARMS, COMER, GEORGIA MINI 9 (9MM LUGER CALIBER), like new with 35 round magazine, cartridge-loading accessory and detachable/threaded barrel extension (NOT a suppressor or silencer), all in original case with owners manual etc.  Supposed to be one of the most reliable arms of this type, intimidating high capacity home protector! $495.

 

 

 

 REMINGTON (click text for photos)

1)VERY UNUSUAL ROLLINGBLOCK TWO BAND MILITARY MUSKET IN DESIRABLE .50-70 CALIBER WITH FULL FACTORY NICKEL FINISH, this is the third one of these I’ve seen in about 20 years and all I’ve seen were in hard-used condition, this is the best condition one, There are no foreign proofs or markings and also no U.S. markings indicating that this was a commercial model sold in the United States as this cartridge wasn’t available any place else- except maybe Mexico, I have a copy of a the 1877 Remington catalogue that shows a similar rifle called “United States Model caliber .50” yet is shows a photo of a three band musket with 32 ½” barrel while this one has two bands and a 30 ½” barrel, nickel plating was very common on the “Baby Carbine” in .44-40 caliber and it’s my opinion this was just a civilian version that shooters wanted in nickel finish as black powder fouling cleaned off easier than blue, this was especially popular in the early southwest and Mexico, fine attractive aged nickel on the barrel and receiver with some flaking/browning on the bottom of the receiver and trigger guard, hammer and high edges of the butt plate, minor peeling/browning at the muzzle, original sights (small slide missing from rear sight- should be easy to replace), needs cleaning rod only,  fine wood with a small sliver out of the left side of the forend by the receiver, fine bore will clean near excellent, a rare American frontier variation in a great caliber! $1150.

2) No. 1 ROLLINGBLOCK "TYPE 2" FACTORY SHOTGUN, chambered for the 16 gauge brass shell or the 20 gauge paper shell, 30" steel barrel (not damascus), fine walnut with tight wood to metal fit showing normal light handling/hunting wear, correct Rollingblock action with fluted top used only in shotguns, metal mostly an uncleaned gray/brown with good blue on the hammer and breech block, tight action, bore has some scattered light surface pitting but basically pretty decent for a black powder shotgun, correct military style butt plate, $795.

3) ALMOST NEVER SEEN REMINGTON ROLLING BLOCK TARGET PISTOL MODEL 1901 IN SCARCE AND DESIRABLE .44 RUSSIAN CALIBER!  Remington made less than 750 of these fine pistols and most seem to have been in the small rim fire calibers, exc. correctly checkered stock and forend, exc. barrel blue showing one or two very tiny spots where some rust was wiped off- you have to look carefully to see it, fine high polish receiver, trigger guard and grip strap blue with some scattered brown freckling, exc. blue on hammer and breech block, nice screws, exc. markings, tight action, correct original rear target sight in the receiver ring with half-moon and ivory bead front sight,  bright exc. bore! $2950.

4) HIGH CONDITION MODEL 6 .22LR SINGLE SHOT BOY'S RIFLE, ONE OF THE BEST I'VE SEEN IN A LONG TIME, this one is complete with the little sheet steel tang sight which was something like a fifty cent option at the time and are not usually found intact on these, vivid case color on both sides of the receiver, fine deep barrel blue showing light age only, exc. markings, exc. wood, correct Remington UMC marked steel butt plate and best of all has a bore that should clean out about exc.- bores on these usually terrible- original fixed sights, $595.

5) SCARCE HEPBURN SPORTING RIFLE, caliber stamped "38" on bottom of barrel- probably for the standard .38-50 Remington straight caliber, un-cut 28" medium/heavy weight octagon barrel with correct factory crown at muzzle, matching serial number (4XXX) on the bottom of the barrel, forend and butt plate, fine deep barrel blue, original buckhorn rear sight with blade front sight, early steel forend tip, fine forend and butt stock with tight wood to metal fit, correct checkered pistol grip, tiny hairline age crack coming back from the rear right of the upper tang for an inch or so- hardly worth mentioning, some light surface marks on each side of the barrel ahead of the forend probably from clamping in a vice at one time- minor, mottled dark aged brown receiver, trigger guard has a few dings in the front part and is a little bend out of shape with a small crack that doesn't go all the way through toward the bottom back of the guard, tight action, bore shows some light scattered roughness more toward the receiver end with good rifling and some overall wear, all these Hepburn Sporters are scarce in any condition, and many have been used to re-make into "new" black powder cartridge "shooters",  $1795.

6) ONE OF THE FINEST CONDITION .45-70 MODEL 1882/1885 LEE BOLT ACTION MILITARY RIFLE, this one is not military marked and has no foreign proofs or markings, so it would be considered a civilian military rifle, exc.+ wood, correct sights, magazine, swivels and cleaning rod, full blue overall is excellent with minor plum/thinning, even the butt plate has most of the blue, bottom of the trigger guard only ageing/mixing brown with bright blue in the protected front and rear sections, sharp markings, tight action, perfect bore, even the barrel bands retain most of the blue, an amazing find, $2450.

7) PARTICULARLY FINE ROLLINGBLOCK MODEL 1902 SADDLE RING CARBINE, 7MM MAUSER CALIBER, WITH SHARP URUGUAY STOCK CARTOUCHE, fairly scarce Remingtons especially in fine condition, most of these went to South America and saw hard use and abuse, this one has excellent wood including the handguard (no cracks) shows light handling only, has the saddle ring and correct side mounted sling swivels, mottled dark receiver with traces of case color in the most protected areas, never cleaned, fine blue on the hammer and breechblock, fine lightly aged barrel blue, exc. sharp bore, certainly one of the better ones I've seen in a long while, $1295.

8) WORLD WAR I, MARK III SIGNAL PISTOLS, 10 GAUGE, (FLAIR GUNS), MADE 1915-1918, I have two of these from the same collection, one is in exc. plus condition with about all the blue on the barrel and uncleaned mellow brass, exc. original grips, (top gun in photo) and is about as nice as I've seen; the other is also uncleaned, but was obviously used during "The War To End All Wars" and shows aging blue with evidence of very light surface rust that was wiped off- minor, exc. markings, barrel could be tightened, fine original grips, overall fine used appearance (bottom gun in photo), great display and historical, $475 & $295.

9) WORLD WAR II O3-A3 SPRINGFIELD (see below in U.S. Military and Springfield section)

 

 

RUGER FIREARMS (click text for photos)

1) EARLY FLATTOP .44 MAGNUM BLACKHAWK REVOLVER, 6 1/2" BARREL, MADE 1959, WITH ORIGINAL OWNERS MANUAL MARKED "REVISED MARCH 31 1957"! Hard rubber grips, light edge wear only, serial number 21XXX, outstanding example with manual, $1195.

 

 

SAVAGE FIREARMS (click text for photos)

1) SCARCE, UNALTERED MODEL 1920 BOLT RIFLE IN DESIRABLE .250-3000 SAVAGE CALIBER, This was the first successful bolt action sporter offered by a major firearms manufacturer (pre-dating both Remington and Winchester), made in both .300 Savage and .250 Savage with the latter being the most valuable and in demand, very hard to find in original condition without ever being fitted with a recoil pad or drilled and tapped for scope etc., this one retains most of the original blue that is naturally aged and thinning a little, exc. markings  with early serial number 32XX, trigger guard and floor plate turning gray with some blue around the trigger guard, generally excellent stock shows light handling only, has early style "hook-eye" swivel studs that appear to be factory, buckhorn rear sight with small blade/bead front sight, correct 22" barrel,  tight action, Savage marked serrated steel butt plate, bright excellent bore, really difficult to find in any condition but especially unaltered like this one, $1150.

2) MODEL 1917 .380 AUTO PISTOL, scarce item as only as only about 14,000 of these were made between 1920 and 1928, this is an early production example probably made first year, overall a solid gun that has seen use and carry, overall aged blue mixing plum/brown, never cleaned or steel-wooled, grips show wear but complete, correct magazine, exc. markings, tight action, exc. bore, $475.

 

 

SHILOH  SHARPS AND OTHER REPRODUCTIONS (click text for photos)

NOTE:  I am also a Shiloh Sharps dealer.  In fact, I am the only stocking dealer of Shiloh Sharps rifles.  I frequently have a selection of NIB stock on hand for immediate delivery AT CATALOGUE PRICE WITH NO ADDITIONAL PREMIUMS OR FEES!  For further info and lists of available rifles, see my other website,  www.shiloh-ballard.com  

 

1) SHILOH SHARPS 1874 HARTFORD SPORTER, .45 2 7/8" (.45-110), MADE IN BIG TIMBER, MONTANA, this one was custom built to be like a slightly shorter and lighter "Quigley" model with 32" standard octagon barrel, patchbox, pewter tip, Hartford collar on the barrel, double set triggers, mid-range vernier rear sight with globe front sight that will take apertures (included), full buckhorn rear barrel sight, all excellent plus and appears to have seen very little use, weighs right about 11 1/4 lbs., nicely toned medium-dark walnut stock with some figure on the left side, $2600.

 

2) TWO CUSTOM C. SHARPS MODEL 1875 RIFLES, MADE IN BIG TIMBER MONTANA:

     A) UNUSUAL .22LR PISTOL GRIP SPORTER, 24" tapered round barrel, fancy walnut stock, French gray finish on receiver and checkered steel butt plate, cheek piece with accent line, Ideal tang sight (no dovetail on the barrel for a rear sight), globe front sight that will take apertures, near new condition, weighs a little over 9 1/2 lbs., near new condition, $1695.

     B) PISTOL GRIP SPORTER IN .45-70 CALIBER, 28" heavy lightly tapered round barrel with mid range vernier tang sight and Hadley eye disc, spirit level globe front sight will take apertures, no rear barrel dovetail, case colored receiver and checkered steel butt plate, nicer than standard rich deep color walnut with a little figure, checkered pistol grip and forend, cheek piece with accent line, weighs right at about 11 lbs.,  seen very light use, $1695. SOLD

 

3) HARRINGTON & RICHARDSON .45-70 OFFICERS MODEL TRAPDOOR SPRINGFIELD RIFLE, MADE 1970s, very early serial number 9X, beautifully case colored and engraved receiver group, butt plate, barrel band and trigger guard, engraved pewter forend tip, wiping rod intact, tang sight, checkered stock even has the circle P cartouche behind the trigger guard/tang, all just like the original Springfield it was copied from, made in the U.S.A. and still one of the better bargains in firearms today, exc.+ overall with a few small scattered rust/pitting spots on the butt plate only, exc. bore needs a clean, $995.

 

 

SMITH AND WESSON (click text for photos)

1) SUPER RARE AND SELDOM SEEN SINGLE SHOT MODEL 1891 IN .38 S&W CENTER FIRE CALIBER, ONLY 160 MADE 1893-1905, all matching numbers (very low number 20XX) and is listed in the Neal and Jinks S&W book by serial number as being originally chambered in .38 S&W (5th lowest serial number of the 160 numbers listed), also scarce 8" barrel (most were 10"), good barrel blue showing brown/gray mixing on the sides by frame, frame mostly gray with some blue on the side plate, bore should clean out fine or maybe better, needs rear target sight insert only, correct target blade front sight, black hard rubber extension grips have one chip/sliver out on the upper back strap, fine action, locks tight, almost never seen, $1495.

2) ABSOLUTELY SUPERB CONDITION FIRST MODEL LADYSMITH .22RF REVOLVER COMPLETE WITH PEARL GRIPS AND EXCELLENT ORIGINAL SUEDE  PURSE-TYPE CASE,  SERIAL NUMBER 14XX, ONLY 4575 OF THESE MADE 1902-1906, retains about all of the original bright nickel finish, exc. screws and action, exc. grips fit perfectly and have no chips or cracks, this is the nicest I've seen, stunning example of a difficult to find model, $2450.

3) COLORFUL, FRONTIER USED SCHOFIELD 2ND MODEL .45 CALIBER U.S. MARKED REVOLVER, ONLY 5934 MADE 1876-1877,  typical of those sold as surplus to New York dealer Schuyler, Hartley and Graham who cut the barrels down to 5" or so, often nickel plated the guns (like this one), sometimes added swivels to the butt, changed grips etc. and sold them for use on the frontier (and sold a bunch to Wells Fargo & Co.), this one obviously saw hard serious use, there is a visible mark where the swivel once was in the butt on each side of the swivel hole, nickel remains only in the more protected areas of the frame and cylinder, great worn and yellowed ivory grips, action is lose and sloppy, but mainly works, bore is surprisingly fine, U.S. marking intact on the butt as is the serial number (5XXX), great display, (three photos) $1950.

 

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

1) SCARCE FIRST MODEL 1873 TRAPDOOR SPRINGFIELD, .45-70, MADE 1875, has the correct long wrist first model stock with good circle P cartouche and maybe a hint or trace of the other stock cartouche, correct barrel without proof marks (later models had proofs), correct first model rear sight with also correct slotless screws, 1873 dated lock plate, has a later arsenal replaced 1873 dated low arch breechblock and the hammer also was replaced with the fine knurled later type- both should be easy to replace with first style or just left as is, exc. bore, aged blue barrel, some scattered pitting on the hammer, butt plate, trigger guard and lock, there is pitting where the serial number is located on the breech but the first two digits are legible under magnification and good light- #55XXX,  tight action, early  two click tumbler, needs cleaning rod only, comes with bayonet, $795.

2) RARE MODEL 1881 TRAPDOOR FORAGER SHOTGUN, SERIAL NUMBER 3XX, 100% CORRECT, ONLY 1376 OF THIS DISTINCT MODEL WERE MADE AT SPRINGFIELD FOR ISSUE TO FRONTIER OUTPOSTS FOR HUNTING AND FOOD GATHERING BY THE TROOPS! Most of these saw very hard use and abuse, this is one of the better ones I've seen, 26" barrel, bore should scrub out about exc., light cartouche in stock (rarely found on these, stock generally fine with one small chip just ahead of the forend retaining screw in the bottom of the forend where the Springfield Arsenal filled the original ramrod channel (these were made using left over Civil War stocks!), correct 1873 dated lock plate with two click tumbler, breech block correctly marked "1881" etc.  fine aged barrel blue, fine dark patina on breech and trigger guard, one of the more scarce of the U.S. Indian Wars Springfields, $2650.

3) SUPER RARE EXPERIMENTAL 1886 TRAPDOOR SADDLE RING CARBINE WITH CORRECT 24" BARREL AND FULL STOCK, ONLY 1,000 MADE FOR THE CAVALRY IN 1886, correct "XC" (for experimental carbine) marked Buffington rear sight, correct special curved front swivel used only on this model, in the proper serial number range #342XXX, rarely encountered model that even most military collectors have never encountered, lightly cartouched stock is in fine+ condition showing only normal light handling, fine markings, this model had both sling ring and swivels (ring only taken off ring bar- easily replaced), barrel looks like it's been cleaned at some point and is silvery- possibly done at arsenal, bright excellent bore, correct trap in butt plate, all of these were issued to cavalry troops in the west during the last years of the Indian War period and most saw very hard service, $3450.

4) ONE OF THE RAREST AND HARDEST TO FIND U.S. MILITARY MODELS! UNALTERED 1898 KRAG SADDLE RING CARBINE! Only 5,000 of these were made in 1898 only and nearly all of them were later recalled and converted to the 1899 carbine without the saddle ring etc. This one, serial number 120XXX and is correct right down to the sharply 1898 dated stock cartouche, excellent stock and matching handguard with sight protector barrel band, cleaning rods in butt! correct carbine rear sight, fine lightly aged barrel blue, mottled receiver with good fire blue on the bolt, saddle/sling ring intact, exc. bore, about as nice as one could hope to find in this, the last of the saddle ring cavalry carbines! $3650.

5) REMINGTON O3-A3 SPRINGFIELD, BARREL DATED 1943, last of the great Model 1903s, nice example with about all the metal finish remaining, bright exc. bore, exc. wood with light FJA and circle P cartouches, tight action, original peep rear sight, $795.

6)  REMINGTON MARK III WORLD WAR ONE SIGNAL PISTOLS (see above in Remington section)

 

 

WINCHESTERS (click text for photos) .

 

  1. 1873 .38-40 WITH RARE 28" OCTAGON BARREL, MADE 1889, scarce 4" longer than standard barrel, overall metal an aged plum brown with good blue on the loading gate, dust cover intact, uncleaned brass lifter, generally fine+ wood with one ding in bottom of the forend- minor, original buckhorn rear sight with small blade front, dark bore will scrub out VG or better, overall uncleaned attic condition, $2395.

  2. 1873 .32-20 OCTAGON RIFLE, MADE 1890, really nice uncleaned appearance with receiver, barrel and magazine a deep attractive plum patina, original sights, original dust cover intact, exc. screws, exc. wood showing very light handling with tight wood to metal fit, bore is dark with some roughness and needs a good scrubbing out, tight action, uncleaned mellow brass lifter, $1395.

  3. 1886 .45-70 ROUND BARREL RIFLE, MADE 1902, Winchester factory letter verifies all aspects of this rifle, fine magazine blue, barrel blue aged and mixing plum/brown, original front sight with three leaf express rear sight with all leaves intact (sights not mentioned in factory letter), fine wood with a shallow slivers out at upper tang juncture on each side,  receiver mostly gray with some aged blue in the protected areas, bore should scrub out about exc., tight action, hard to find in this desirable caliber, $2750.

  4. 1886 .40-82 OCTAGON RIFLE, MADE 1892, fine example with very good aged and lightly thinning barrel blue, mag tube mostly gray/brown with some blue on the very top section below the barrel, fine blue on the bolt, fine wood with tiny chip out of the usual upper tang/receiver juncture on the left side, mostly gray receiver with untouched screws, repaired crack in the upper tang just behind the hammer (this was always a weak spot) and is now solid- you have to look for it to really see it, original front sight, rear buckhorn may be a replacement and needs elevator bar only, fine bore has some scattered very light roughness that may scour out, tight action, this one came out of Idaho, sharp appearance, $2450.

  5. CUSTOM RE-BUILT 1886 .45-70, the rear half is an antique serial number receiver (no FFL required) and crescent butt stock, the front half has a model 71 .348 style forend and mag tube with a medium weight 22" round barrel with nice ramp front sight with blade/bead dovetail sight fitted in ramp, rear sight is buckhorn, the entire gun has been professionally blued, tight action, tight action, I almost kept this one myself! Should make a great shooting/hunting rifle, serial #32XXX, I know I'd rather have this than a new Made in Japan model with ugly safeties! $1595.

  6. THE RAREST 1892 VARIATION I'VE SEEN! FACTORY 32" OCTAGON BARREL WITH DOUBLE SET TRIGGERS AND CORRECT TWO MAGAZINE RETAINING BANDS! MADE 1907, longer than the standard 24" barrels were only offered until 1908 and according to the Winchester Handbook by Madis only 744 rifles had longer  than standard barrels- in my experience 26" seems to be the most common and even these are of course rare, this is the only 32" I've ever seen, barrels in all models over 30" (32"-36") were made with two magazine retaining bands, close coupled double set triggers are also rare, caliber .25-20, standard buckhorn rear sight with Beech folding globe front sight, mottled uncleaned gray/brown barrel and mag, mag tube has a few dents just ahead of the forend cap,  fine markings, receiver mostly gray with some replaced screws and one minor screw missing on the top left side of the receiver, set triggers function fine, fine wood, dark bore should clean out good to VG, tight action, Winchester couldn't have made more than a small handful of this barrel length! $3650.

  7. 1892 .32-20 OCTAGON RIFLE WITH LYMAN TANG SIGHT, MADE 1905, fairly bright exc. bore, fine slightly aged deep barrel and mag blue, fine blue on the left side of the receiver and bolt, right side shows a bit more blue wear to the forward part, nice blue on the loading gate, exc. screws, wood shows normal light handling only with tight wood to metal fit, rear sight removed (because of tang sight), tight action, attractive overall, $1495.

  8. RARE STAINLESS STEEL BARREL MODEL 1892 SADDLE RING CARBINE IN .25-20 CALIBER, as this one was made in 1910 it obviously went back to Winchester sometime between about 1926-1930 when they offered stainless steel barrels, this was obviously done at Winchester as it has only the Winchester proof mark on the barrel and receiver and NO mail order barrel proof mark., deep plum/brown receiver and mag, barrel stainless color and marked on the left side "-STAINLESS STEEL-" etc., correct carbine sights, wood shows normal handling with a super tiny chip at the top of the tang/rec. juncture that is hardly worth mentioning as well as a wear spot just ahead of the receiver on the forend, perfect bore (of course), tight action, unusual and rare variation, $1895.

  9. SPECIAL ORDER 1892 .32-20 ROUND BARREL RIFLE WITH HALF MAGAZINE, MADE 1911, aged barrel blue mixing heavily  with brown, exc. wood (maybe slightly higher than standard grade walnut as usually picked for special order rifles) with tight wood to metal fit, uncleaned aged gray/brown receiver with good blue on the loading gate and some evidence of some old wiped-off rust- NOT steel wooled- very minor and barely noticeable, bore will clean excellent, original sights, tight action, $1295.

  10. SUPER RARE CHECKERED PISTOL GRIP 1892 WITH EXTRA LONG 28” OCTAGON BARREL AND FULL MAGAZINE! .25-20, MADE 1901, everything checks out with the Winchester records at Cody, all pistol grip 1892s are really rare and one with a 28” barrel is amazingly so!  Aged and thinned barrel blue, mag tube mostly brown, original sights, uncleaned mostly brown receiver with some blue remaining on the loading gate, unusual that it has a crescent butt plate as most pistol grip guns have shotgun butt plates, checkering a bit worn but good on the pistol grip, checkering on forend visible but heavily worn, initials in right side of butt stock- old and worn in- could probably be rubbed out, tight action, bore a little dark with fine rifling, a true 1892 oddity! $2950.

  11. 1892 SADDLE RING CARBINE, .25-20, MADE 1918, typical ranch gun that came out of Arizona, metal mostly gray/brown with some blue on the rear most part of the barrel and on the loading gate, generally VG wood showing normal handling/hunting wear with one saddle scabbard rub spot on the left side of butt stock- minor, saddle ring intact, nice three leaf express rear sight with all three leaves intact, tight action, bore is a bit dark and shows light wear with good rifling, $1150.

  12. 1892 .38-40 OCTAGON BARREL RIFLE MADE 1903, nice unfooled with example with deep even lightly aged barrel and mag blue, original sights, receiver blue aged to an attractive plum/brown patina, fine blue on the loading gate, generally exc. wood, bore should clean out about exc., tight action, really fine appearance (looks better than in photos), $1395.``

  13. HIGH CONDITION 1894 .25-35 OCTAGON RIFLE, MADE 1910, fine deep barrel and mag blue, fine receiver blue that is slightly thinning on the sides and mixing brown on top, edges and bottom, exc. attractive reddish brown wood with exc. wood to metal fit, three leaf express rear sight (as is typical, middle leaf has one side "wing" broken), original Winchester front sight, bore is dark with good rifling and needs a good scrubbing out, unturned screws, very hard to find octagon .25-35 rifles and this is a particularly fine one, (note: receiver looks better than in photos) $2150.

  14. UNUSUAL SPECIAL ORDER 1894 SADDLE RING CARBINE, .32WS CALIBER, WITH 3/4 LENGTH MAGAZINE, MADE 1920, all original and unaltered, fine deep blue on barrel and magazine, receiver mostly flaked to gray with some blue on the bolt and in protected areas, good blue on loading gate, generally excellent wood with tight wood to metal fit, minty bore, correct carbine sight with slide intact, saddle ring intact, scarce variant, $1195.``

  15. 1894 FACTORY 20" OCTAGON SHORT RIFLE, WITH LONG LYMAN RECEIVER SIGHT, .30WCF, MADE 1924, fine example of this scarce variation, has the correct one inch shorter than standard forearm used only on short rifles, retains most of the deep barrel and mag blue showing light age only, exc. markings, original front sight, rear sight replaced with slot filler, receiver sight retains the flip-down aperture and is complete- probably put on at the factory as there is some blue remaining under the sight, Most of these saw very hard use and this is much better than most encountered.  $2650.``

  16. 1894 SPECIAL ORDER HALF OCTAGON BARREL, HALF MAGAZINE, SHOTGUN BUTT, .30 WCF RIFLE, MADE 1907, special three leaf express sight (all leaves intact) with standard factory front sight, fine+ wood showing light handling only, checkered steel shotgun butt plate, fine aged barrel blue showing some thinning gray/brown receiver with nice blue on the loading gate, bore is dark and frosty with good rifling- I ran a brush and patch through it and it came out full of black crud, so I assume it needs more brushing and cleaning- tight action, nice appearance, $1295.

  17. 1894 .25-35 SADDLE RING CARBINE, MADE 1923, a nice used but not abused example with original sights and excellent bore and screws, aged and thinning barrel and mag blue mixing brown, uncleaned mostly gray/brown receiver, ring intact, fine wood showing normal handling and two tiny chips out of the upper tang/receiver juncture- hardly worth mentioning, tight action, overall a working gun that was used but well taken care of in a scarce desirable caliber, (note: what looks like discoloration in the wrist wood in top photo is just the way the light caught it, it's like bottom photo)  $1295.

  18. FIRST ONE LIKE THIS I'VE SEEN: MODEL 1912 20 GA. PUMP SHOTGUN WITH 25" SOLID RIB BARREL AND CYLINDER BORE CHOKE! MADE 1924, these CYL bored sporting shotguns (not riot guns or trench guns) are known as "Brush Guns" and are fairly scarce, this is the first I've seen in 20 Ga., this is a well used gun, but unaltered and taken care of, aged blue on the barrel, receiver is an uncleaned gray/brown with maybe some traces of aged blue, tight action, exc. wood with original Winchester embossed hard rubber butt plate, bright exc. bore, tight action and takedown, matching numbers on receiver and barrel assembly, a real rarity in the Model 1912!  $895.

  19. MODEL 55 TAKEDOWN RIFLE, .30WCF CALIBER, MADE 1929 (THE YEAR OF THE GREAT STOCK MARKET CRASH!), fine example of a scarce model of which only 20,580 of all styles and calibers were produced from 1924-1932, retains nearly all the barrel blue with only minor wear, Marbles buckhorn rear sight, receiver mostly flaked to gray with good blue in the more protected areas and nice blue on the bolt and loading gate, tight takedown, exc. wood with correct steel butt plate, tight wood to metal fit, exc. bore, exc. screws, another Montana rifle, $1395.

  20. HIGH CONDITION EARLY MODEL 63 20" CARBINE, #5XXX, MADE 1935, super example of this rare variation retaining about all the bright deep blue with only a little silvering on the butt plate and forward sides of the forend cap and a touch of thinning on the forward portion of the trigger guard bow, wood and metal lightly cleaned- just enough to see some very minor steel wool lines on the receiver sides and smoothing of the stock, exc. wood with a slight age/stress crack coming back for an inch or so on the right side of the forend coming back from the forend cap- really minor and hardly worth mentioning, tight wood to metal fit, very sharp markings including the proof mark on top of the barrel and receiver ring, original sights, exc. action and bright bore, $1495.

  21. SUPER RARE HIGH CONDITION MODEL 64 20" CARBINE IN .25-35 CALIBER! MADE 1941, all carbines in this model are scarce and in this caliber they are almost impossible to find, this one is in overall excellent condition with nearly all the deep blue on the barrel, magazine, forend cap and front sight hood, receiver also shows excellent deep blue with only a few light scratches and minor edge wear, even the upper tang shows about all the bright blue, exc. screws, original sights, correct unaltered checkered steel butt plate, exc. wood with most of the original finish showing the lightest of handling only, a great investment Winchester carbine! (NOTE: photo lights reflected off the blue making the receiver in the top photo look dull and washed out- it is bright blue and the bottom photo looks like it has more edge wear than it does- again light reflection only.) $4250.``

  22. MODEL 71 DELUXE RIFLE, .348 WCF, MADE 1956, ONE OF THE LAST OF THIS GREAT MODEL, a particularly fine example with exc. blue overall showing only a few minor barrel scuffs and some gray on the receiver bottom from normal hunting/handling, correct Lyman receiver sight with rear dovetail filler, generally excellent wood shows light normal handling, fine checkering and correct Winchester embossed grip cap and super grade inletted swivel studs, exc. bore and tight action, original checkered steel butt plate, tight wood to metal fit, (NOTE: lots of photo light glare and reflection makes the receiver blue look washed out and thin etc., it is deep bright blue except on bottom of rec. as noted, just go by my written description)  $2495.

 

    BILL GOODMAN,  305 DONEGAL DRIVE,  BOZEMAN,  MONTANA  59715           TEL.  (406) 587-3131          FAX  (406) 219-3415   

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

NOTES FROM THE FIELD:  (27 April 2011) 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!

          

 

NOTES FROM THE FIELD:  (24 OCTOBER 2011) "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 f elt 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 investment.