To view items click text or button

                                                BILL GOODMAN, P. O. BOX 2002, BOZEMAN, MONTANA 59771

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

                                              EMAIL: montanaraven@hotmail.com

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. 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 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.

NOTE: THE OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED UNTIL THURSDAY, 10/25/18. PLEASE DO NOT CALL DURING THIS TIME, BUT YOU CAN ALWAYS EMAIL ME. THANKS, BILL GOODMAN

MORE GUNS WERE POSTED ON 10/14/18. WATCH FOR FREQUENT POSTINGS THROUGH OCTOBER.

NOTES FROM THE FIELD: 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. Thanks, Bill Goodman

COLT FIRE ARMS (click text for photo)

1) ONE OF THE SCARCEST OF THE EARLY COLT CARTRIDGE REVOLVERS: THIS IS THE MODEL 1861 CARTRIDGE “CONVERSION” IN .38 COLT CENTER FIRE. Only 2200 made of this model in .38 Rim Fire and .38 Center Fire. I put the word conversion in quotation marks because these were not converted from an original percussion revolver, but were made by Colt in cartridge form using up earlier new parts from percussion models. In doing some research on this rare model in Bruce McDowell’s detailed book THE STUDY OF COLT CONVERSIONS, he states that in the early 1870s when this model was introduced there wasn’t a good supply of .38 Center Fire ammunition, so Colt made the early revolvers in .38 Rim Fire. By about 1873-74 center fire ammo became plentiful and that’s when Colt began making this model in the center fire version. All of this model were serial numbered below 3300 and this example is in the 28XX range. Bruce McDowell also states that the standard finish was blue with walnut grips and that any other finish and stock material was special order and extremely rare. This revolver IS IN THE RARE SPECIAL ORDER NICKEL FINISH WITH GORGEOUS ONE-PIECE IVORY GRIPS! All numbers match on barrel, frame, trigger guard, cylinder and back strap. Only the barrel wedge number is different. Interestingly, McDowell also states that often there is a number “1” stamped under the serial number on the frame, trigger guard and back strap. He gives no reason for this and this revolver has that stamping. All the sharp roll engraved cylinder scene remains depicting a naval engagement. The trigger guard/front strap, butt and back strap retain nearly all the bright original nickel and the left front of the trigger guard is stamped “38 CAL.” The bottom left side of the frame has the correct two line patent dates and retains bright nickel. The barrel and cylinder and remainder of the frame show about half the nickel, but where the nickel is worn/flaked the metal underneath is fairly bright making this all blend nicely into a most attractive overall appearance. Correct barrel marking, fine nickel on the hammer, exc. screws, beautiful mellow ivory grips fit perfectly and appear to be factory original- which would seem probable as this was a special order nickel finish revolver. Tight mechanics and matching assembly numbers on the loading gate and the cylinder arbor. McDowell states that roughly half of this model were rim fire and half were center fire. Considering this there are only 1100 of this model in .38 Center Fire caliber. Of this 1100 there can be only a handful made in nickel finish with ivory grips! An outstandingly rare and attractive Colt! (4 photos) $3850.

2) SINGLE ACTION ARMY, .38-40, 4 3/4" BARREL, #187XXX, WITH FACTORY LETTER SHOWING SHIPMENT TO SIMMONS HARDWARE COMPANY, ST LOUIS, MISSOURI ON JULY 31, 1899. Amazingly only 86 numbers away from the above SAA! And both came out of Arizona. This is a typical cowboy gun that now is mostly gray/brown overall. Good markings with correct two line barrel address, strong patent dates with rampant colt on the frame. Matching numbers. Very tight action and good screws. The grips show wear- especially the right panel which is typical as this is the outside grip that would see more wear. Bore will clean excellent, front sight filed flat on top for sighting in. some aged blue in the protected areas of the cylinder flutes, ejector housing flute etc. butt appears to have had some pitting on it at one time that was filed or heavily cleaned- most of the serial number remains and matches. Good appearance. (4 photos) $2100

3) VERY HIGH CONDITION BLUE AND CASE COLOR SINGLE ACTION ARMY .32-20, 5 ½” BARREL, #344XXX, MADE 1923. This is a really spectacular example that retains nearly all the vivid case color on the frame and hammer with maybe just a touch of fading to the colors on the top strap- even the back of the recoil shield and outside of the loading gate retain the factory colors. Nearly full blue remains with a hint of thinning on the back strap, barely a touch of wear at the muzzle and outside edge of the ejector…all too minor to describe, but just enough to easily confirm that all the blue and case color are factory original. About perfect grips are matching numbered to the frame, trigger guard and grip straps. Untouched blued screws and cylinder pin. About as nice a Single Action as I’ve offered. (6 photos- lots of light reflection made it difficult) $6250.

4) LATE PRODUCTION NEW SERVICE .45 COLT CALIBER, 5 ½” BARREL, WITH GORGEOUS YELLOW AGED STAG GRIPS WITH COLT MEDALLIONS, #343XXX, MADE DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION YEAR OF 1937. Colt was making very few New Service revolvers during this terrible economic time in the U.S. and it is thought that some of the finest arms ever manufactured by all the major companies come from this time because they only employed their finest workmen, with everyone else long since let go. The actions on this era firearm are truly works of mechanical art. All were hand fitted and meticulously polished etc. This one is no exception. The action is tight with no “end shake” or movement in the cylinder, double action and single action trigger pulls are superb. Minty bright bore, unaltered front sight, all correct markings including the rampant colt stamping on the left side of the frame and the last patent date on the top of the barrel of 1926. Has checkered trigger and retains the swivel in the butt. Overall metal surfaces are an aged blue that is dulling and mixing plum/brown in the more handled areas with brighter blue in the protected areas and cylinder flutes. Stag grips are solid and free of chips or cracks, fit exceptionally well, are mellowed to a beautiful yellowed patina and retain the Colt medallions. A striking Colt that came right out of here in Montana. $1495. ``

5) COLT 1908 .380 ACP AUTO PISTOL, #99XXX, MADE IN THE YEAR OF THE GREAT STOCK MARKET CRASH OF 1929! Overall a fine example that shows some carry wear. Fine deep blue on most of the frame with a few small smudges of gray in the front strap and normal dulling/thinning behind the safety lever on the left side and on the grip safety.. There is also some dulling of blue on the rear top and left side of the slide. All sounds much worse than it is All exc. markings including the rampant colt on the rear of the slide. Unaltered sights, solid walnut grips with correct Colt medallions show some wear mainly on the bottom edge. Exc. two-tone magazine marked “CAL 380 COLT” on the bottom. Excellent bright bore and tight mechanics. $950. ``

6) ONE OF THE LOWEST SERIAL NUMBER, EARLIEST 1908 .25 AUTO PISTOLS I’VE SEEN! This One is #135. This is a super early example that would be very hard to find with a lower serial number. Has the correct early style slide markings with the last patent date of 1903. Nice hard rubber grips with the early “stylized C” with rampant colt motif. Overall in very fine condition considering age and the fact that most of these little pocket pistols were carried a lot and most show considerable wear. Fine blue overall with only normal light handling and edge wear. Bright bore and tight mechanics. Two-tone magazine is marked “CAL .25” over “COLT” on the bottom. Made within the first eight years of Colt’s auto pistol endeavors! This is a real prize. $1850. ``

MARLIN (click text for photos).

1) SPECIAL ORDER 1893 OCTAGON RIFLE WITH HALF MAGAZINE IN SCARCE .32-40 CALIBER WITH “SPECIAL SMOKELESS STEEL” MARKED BARREL AND MINTY BORE! #408XXX, MADE C.1908. Another rifle that turned up here in Montana, this is a really fine example with nearly all the deep blue remaining on the 26” barrel and mag tube with only light age. The receiver is mainly a cloudy gray with some traces of case color in the most protected areas and on the upper lever along with good blue on the loading gate. Fine butt stock and forend with only light handling marks and tight wood to metal fit. Tight action and great bore. This is a very scarce combination of barrel and magazine in .32-40 caliber. Really attractive. $1495. ``

2) MODEL ’94 .38-40 OCTAGON RIFLE, #412XXX, MADE C.1909. A fine example that retains most of the deep factory blue on the barrel and magazine showing only light darkening from age, exc. markings, receiver case colors have faded to a heavily mottled gray with good blue on the bolt and loading gate, original Rocky Mountain blade front sight with original buckhorn rear sight, excellent walnut butt stock and forend with tight wood to metal fit and only a little spot of surface chipping by the side of the butt plate near the toe on the right side- very minor and hardly worth mentioning. Fine+ bore with some very light scattered surface roughness that ought to brush out better, tight action. Very attractive overall appearance, $1595.

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.

1) SCARCE MODEL 375, CHAMBERED FOR THE FINE .375 WCF CARTRIDGE AND ONLY MADE IN LIMITED QUANTITIES FROM 1980-1983, a really great short to medium range caliber (I have one in a Ruger No.3 single shot that shoots amazingly small groups), 20" barrel with 2/3 mag., factory sling swivels and factory drilled and tapped for scope mounting, this one is in near new condition, $795.

2) PRE-SAFETY SCARCE 1894 .357 CARBINE, MADE 1982. These are particularly hard to find now, correct 18 ½” barrel, buckhorn rear sight with bead front sight, has a scope base correctly mounted in the factory holes, retains nearly all the blue, excellent wood and has a single quick detachable sling swivel stud in the “bullseye” in the bottom of the stock. If you wanted to, you could remove it and replace the little bullseye inlay that is available through several sources. Tight action and perfect bore. $995.

3) MODEL 1895CB, .45-70 WITH 26" OCTAGON BARREL, MADE 2008. This model has the "Ballard style" rifling that works well with cast or jacketed bullets. These are getting very hard to find now as shooters who own them aren't parting with them! This one is in near new condition with no extra holes or alterations. Aside from some very, very light handling marks on the forend (you have to look carefully to see them), it is basically like new. I have one like this that shoots great! $1195.

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

MODERN AND CUSTOM CLASSIC FIREARMS (click text for photos)

1) BROWNING BLR LEVER ACTION RIFLE IN LIMITED PRODUCTION AND DESIRABLE .358 WIN. CALIBER. This is a Miroku of Japan made rifle that is unusual in that it has a much fancier than standard grade of walnut in the butt stock. Usually the wood on these is a plain piece of blonde walnut where this one has some nice figure/fiddleback in it. Checkered forend and wrist, exc. blue overall, original Browning marked rubber butt plate, gold trigger and comes with one extra factory magazine. There is one tiny smudge of blue wear at the muzzle and a few light marks in the stock finish which is all that keeps this one from appearing new. Comes with a Leupold scope base installed along with the factory open sights on the 20” barrel. I think if I were going to keep this rifle, I’d strip the stock finish and replace it with an oil rubbed finish. With the figured walnut of this rifle that would be a knock-out! $895.

2)DISCONTINUED SAVAGE MODEL 24 OVER-UNDER RIFLE/SHOTGUN IN .223 REM CALIBER OVER 20 GA. SHOTGUN. There is no box with this one, but I don’t believe it has ever been used. Comes with all paperwork and supplied factory scope mount and lock etc. Fully adjustable rear barrel sight and scope mounting bar on the right side of the .223 barrel for easy scope mounting with supplied mount. 24” barrels, synthetic stock with recoil pad and quick detachable sling swivel studs. One of the most versatile and practical firearms ever designed and rapidly becoming hard to find. $595. ``

REMINGTON (click text for photos)

1) VERY FINE CONDITION 1871 U.S. ARMY .50 CAL. CENTER FIRE ROLLING BLOCK PISTOL. This is a really nice example with a good clear cartouche on the left side of the stocks. Has the correct “P” and “S” U.S. government proof stampings on the left side of the frame. Retains fine case colors on the left side of the frame and trigger guard side with the right side a bit more faded into mottled/cloudy gray with color in the more protected areas of the frame. Excellent Remington markings on the frame with equally excellent screw heads. Barrel blue is uncleaned and naturally ageing/thinning, but fine overall. Front sight is unaltered, MINT, BRIGHT BORE, excellent forearm and very fine walnut grip that does NOT have the usual dings on the butt that most of these seem to have. Very tight action and much, much better than usually encountered. $1795. ``

2) OUTSTANDING MODEL 1901 ROLLING BLOCK MUSKET IN 7MM MAUSER CALIBER. One of the best I’ve seen in a long time, this example shows fine case colors on the receiver, excellent blue on the barrel, exc. walnut stock and handguard, correct sling swivels and cleaning rod intact (these often missing), original military style ladder rear sight with slide intact (again, these often missing), excellent deep blue on the hammer and breech block as well as on the two main receiver pins and retainer on the left side, exc. deep barrel blue, tight action, bore needs a good scrub but will be excellent, sharp markings on the tang with last patent date 1901 with no foreign proofs or foreign cartouche stampings in the stock, and all in about as nice as one could hope to find without somehow being brand new! (4 photos) $1195.

3) U.S. GOVERNMENT WORLD WAR II ISSUE MODEL 11, 12 GA. RIOTGUN. These U.S. marked riotguns are becoming very hard to find now as all W.W.II firearms are popular with collectors and investors. This one has the correct U.S. and flaming bomb markings on the receiver as well as on the barrel. It also has a "C D" stamping on the right side of the receiver just ahead of the ejection port that may stand for Civil Defense. Additionally, the barrel and receiver serial numbers DO MATCH which is both very unusual and very desirable on this model as usually when the guns were taken apart for cleaning barrels and receivers got switched. This example is an early one in that it was a commercial Remington with the typical pheasant and duck hunting scenes roll engraved on each side along with a blue finish. The later Model 11s have a dull finish without the roll engraving. Later guns actually say “Military Finish” on the side of the receivers. Has the correct “CYL” choke marking on the left side of the 20 inch barrel. Butt stock has the original Remington butt plate as well as a light but visible crossed cannon cartouche etc. on the left center of the stock. Fine lightly aged blue overall on receiver and barrel, exc. mechanically, bright bore, forend shows one age crack coming back from the tip on the right side and goes nowhere. There is a similar one on the left side only of the butt stock coming forward from the middle of the butt plate that also goes nowhere- minor and simply from the wood drying. All excellent markings and a very fine example. $1395.

4) CUSTOM HEPBURN VARMINT RIFLE (see above in custom & classic section above)

5) REMINGTON/SPRINGFIELD MODEL 03-A3 (see below in U.S. Military & Springfield section) ``

RUGER FIREARMS (click text for photos)

1) CLASSIC MODEL 77 IN 7MM REMINGTON MAGNUM CALIBER, MADE 1981, a truly great rifle in every way that is no longer in production, this is the variation without open barrel sights, 24" barrel, comes with a sling and Ruger scope rings, seen very little use as about all the blue is present with barely any edge wear to the trigger guard, original Ruger rubber butt pad and grip cap, sharp checkering, there are some very shallow scratches to the wood on the left side of the receiver which are minor and hardly worth mentioning, classic tang mounted safety, exc. inside, about the most perfect "do anything" caliber available, if you wanted one rifle to hunt anything from antelope to big elk, this one would do it very nicely, $575.

2) "MADE IN THE 200TH YEAR OF AMERICAN LIBERTY" MARKED MINI-14 .223 RIFLE WITH WOOD HANDGUARD, MADE 1976, Ruger used this marking only for guns made in the Bi-centennial year of 1976 and now these are eagerly sought after by Ruger collectors. This rifle is a Pre-Warning rifle and has the early metal butt plate- later ones have plastic. Overall near new condition with flash hider on the muzzle, desirable variation not only because of the Bi-centennial marking but because of the early wood handguard, needs only a magazine. $775. ``

3) RARE AND DESIRABLE VARIATION OF THE NOW DISCONTINUED RED LABEL OVER/UNDER SHOTGUN: 20 GA. WITH STRAIGHT STOCK, 26” VENT RIB BARRELS, FANCIER THAN USUALLY ENCOUNTERED WALNUT AND FIVE FACTORY CHOKE TUBES, MADE 1993. It is now a fact that even the standard 12 ga. Red Label guns with pistol grips are hard to find, with 20 ga. Models scarce and those with straight grips almost impossible to locate. Additionally, this excellent example has automatic ejectors and barrel selector. It also has a particularly nice piece of figured walnut in the stock (looks much better than photos show) along with the original and unaltered butt pad. All in near new condition with owner's manual. These rarely seem to come up for sale. $1495. ``

SHILOH SHARPS 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) GORGEOUS FANCY BURL WALNUT ON THIS LIMITED PRODUCTION THOMPSON/CENTER HAWKEN “COUGAR” SPECIAL EDITION .50 CALIBER PERCUSSION HALF STOCK SPORTER. I believe T/C made a small number of these in the mid-1980s for only one year. They are distinctive in that they had upgraded walnut in the stock and “French Gray” steel furniture instead of the usual blued and brass fixtures like butt plate, trigger guard, ramrod thimbles, forend cap etc. This example has superior burl walnut in the stock along with the correct “Cougar” disc inlay. The barrel is blued and has the standard adjustable rear sight and blade front sight. These almost never seem to come up for sale and the wood alone in this one makes it an outstanding looking muzzle loader! Seen very little use and ready to be shot! If you don’t have at least one traditional styled muzzle loading rifle, you need one! These are simply too much fun not to own and shoot. (4 photos) $695.

2) WINCHESTER LIMITED EDITION 1906-2006 1895 SADDLE RING CARBINE IN .30-06 CALIBER. This is a quality re-introduction of the great 1895 carbine made to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the equally great .30-06 cartridge. The top left of the receiver is marked “1906-2006 CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF .30-06 SPRINGFIELD.” The receiver ring has the usual Winchester proof mark plus “.30 GOV. 06” over “.30-06 SPRINGFIELD.” The upper tang is marked “WINCHESTER” over “MOD. 1895.” There are no other markings visible. This is a fine reproduction of the original 1895 saddle ring carbine that retains the original style military ladder rear sight with slide, matching walnut handguard, saddle ring and even has the sliding door trap in the carbine butt plate for cleaning rod storage (a nice touch). Another feature I like is that the rear of the left side of the receiver is pre-drilled and tapped for a receiver sight. Nicely finished and nicely figured walnut stock, forend and handguard. Richly and deeply blued overall. This one is about new and unfired with all paperwork in the original box (some of the Styrofoam only missing) with the original end label and factory printed serial number (this one is numbered in the 003XX range. Has only the most minor of storage marks in the wood that you would have to look very, very carefully to notice. I’m not sure how many of these fine carbines were made, but this is the first one I’ve seen. $1295. ``

SMITH AND WESSON (click text for photos)

1) A GREAT SMITH AND WESSON FIND!!! A VERY SCARCE 5^TH MODEL .38 DOUBLE ACTION REVOLVER, 4” WITH NICKEL FINISH, IN THE ORIGINAL MATCHING NUMBERED BOX! THESE WERE ONLY MADE 1909-1911. As stated in the last edition of Flayderman’s Guide (It’s a shame nobody has picked up on this great book with much needed new editions since Norm Flayderman died several years ago), “…production run of about 15,000 (however, specimens available on the collectors’ market always scarce).” Aside from some internal improvements over earlier models, the 5^th Model is easily identified by having the front sight integral with the barrel and not pinned as before. The barrel also does not contain patent markings. Caliber .38 S&W, this example retains most of the original nickel with only some minor freckling/peeling mainly on the extreme front edge of part of the cylinder- very minor. The hammer retains nice case color and about all the deep blue remains on the trigger guard and barrel latch. Excellent grips and tight action with all matching numbers on the frame, latch, cylinder and barrel. Remarkably, the box is in excellent condition with all intact corners and only one small inch section of the wrap around inner-box that fits inside the lid when closed is missing- minor. All instructions in the inside of the lid and inside the box are intact as is the end label stating in thee lines: “Smith and Wesson; DOUBLE 38 ACTION; Nickel 4 inch.” The bottom of the box is numbered with the matching serial number 542XXX and has a factory stamping in red ink stating that "This arm is guaranteed with either black or smokeless powder factory loaded ammunition." It is interesting to note that this model was serialized from 539001-554077. This example falls right in the middle of production, probably 1910. Amazing that a 108 year old cardboard box survived to the present time, let alone in this condition! This should prove to be an excellent investment S&W! (four photos) $1295.

2) ONE OF THE RAREST POST W.W.II MODELS! THIS IS THE PRE-MODEL 37 CHIEF SPECIAL AIRWEIGHT WITH THE EARLY AND QUICKLY DISCONTINUED ALUMINUM CYLINDER, MADE 1953! This model was introduced in 1952 and by 1954 the aluminum cylinder was replaced with steel as the aluminum was prone to crack (or worse!) when used with anything more powerful than standard .38 Special "mid-range" loads, I believe most of these revolvers were either destroyed or returned to S&W for a steel cylinder. I can't recall seeing another of these with the original numbered cylinder intact. All matching numbers on frame, cylinder, barrel AND INSIDE THE GRIPS, beautiful condition overall with nearly all the blue intact on the barrel, case colors on the hammer and trigger and "black" finish on the aluminum frame and cylinder, an extremely difficult to find flat latch S&W in superb condition, (note: light reflection makes it look like there is blue wear/edge wear. It is near full blue overall) $1100.

4) LIMITED PRODUCTION AND HARD TO FIND EARLY FIRST MODEL MILITARY AND POLICE "MODEL 1899 HAND EJECTOR" IN .38 SPECIAL CALIBER, these "Grandfather of all the M&Ps" were only made from 1899-1902 and are immediately recognizable because it is the only Hand Ejector made without a locking lug on the bottom of the barrel for the ejector rod to catch, also, all had round grip frames, this one with 5" barrel is in the 19XXX serial range and has matching serial numbers, very tight action and exc. bore, nice bright case colors on the hammer sides, case color on the trigger a bit dulled but shows some color, exc. correct hard rubber grips with patent dates on the bottom left grip panel, fine S&W logo marking on frame, fine blue in all the usual protected areas with thinning/ageing blue on the more exposed parts- like the outside of the cylinder, back strap etc. yet retains plenty of blue overall on the frame, trigger guard and barrel, front sight has not been filed or altered, exc. screws and markings, a limited production fairly scarce model to locate, $795.

5) PRE-WAR .44 SPECIAL SECOND MODEL HAND EJECTOR REVOLVER, 6 ½” BARREL, SCARCE NICKEL FINISH, MADE 1921. Only 15,510 of this model were made from 1915-1940 and I’m sure that low number reflects limited manufacture and demand during the Great Depression of the 1930s.The classic book STANDARD CATALOG OF SMITH WESSON indicates that nickel finish in this model is worth "a premium." This one retains nearly all the original nickel finish with only some scattered freckling mainly on the edges of the grip straps and on the right side of the frame behind the cylinder (this is typical as this is the area that holster straps rub), still retains some light case color on the hammer and trigger, sharp bright bore with only a spot or two of light surface corrosion that might brush out, tight action, exc. markings, matching numbers, exc. diamond checkered walnut grips, unaltered front sight, lanyard ring intact, these big frame pre-war .44sd are becoming very difficult to locate and this is a particularly fine example in desirable nickel finish. (4 photos) $1495.

6) A TRUE PRE-WAR RARITY WITH S&W FACTORY LETTER! MILITARY & POLICE MODEL OF 1905 FOURTH CHANGE WITH FACTORY 2” BARREL SHIPPED IN 1934! The first 2” barrel M&P was shipped from the factory in January of 1934…this one was shipped on June 2, 1934. It is thought that only a very small number of these were made before World War II. This was the Great Depression time when sales were small and production was limited. Very few of these pre-war snubbies turn up for sale these days. This is an excellent example with blue finish and round butt with matching serial number on frame, barrel and cylinder of 626XXX. According to the factory letter it was shipped to Western Metal Supply Co., San Diego, California. The beautiful, sharp checkered walnut grips are not numbered and the letter states that “there was not a listing about the grip material.” Overall excellent bright blue with only some minor edge wear/dulling of the high polish finish on the cylinder, a little on the sides of the barrel and some mixing on the bottom of the trigger guard and back strap etc. Exc. markings, nice case color on the hammer and trigger, bright bore, tight mech., simply a great example of a super rare Pre-War, 5-screw 2” M&P revolver. $1250. ``

7) MODEL 1905 .32-20 HAND EJECTOR, 4^TH CHANGE WITH SCARCE 4” BARREL, #68XXX, MADE 1915-1916. The 1905 4^th change .32-20 revolver was made from 1915-1940 starting with serial number 65701 and ending with144684. Obviously, this is a very early 4^th change M-1905 probably made in the first year or two of production. Most of these that I’ve seen in this caliber tend to be 5” and 6” barrels with the 4” fairly scarce. This is an all matching numbered revolver with no number penciled inside the grips that I can make out, but the grips are excellent and fit perfectly which makes me believe that they are original. Fine deep blue overall with some very light and minor wear and flaking to brown on the right side of the frame and some also minor dulling of the blue in the usual paces/edges from normal light handling. Still retains some nice case color on the hammer and trigger. Front sight has not been altered or filed, minty bright bore, wonderful pre-1920 hand fitted tight action (!) and correspondingly light and crisp trigger pull. All excellent markings with the last patent date on the barrel of 1909. Guns like this will never be made again. $875.

8) EXTREMELY SCARCE BARREL LENGTH, EARLY PRE-29, FIVE SCREW .44 MAGNUM WITH RARE 4" BARREL AND FACTORY LETTER. This one turned up in Arizona and I sent for the S&W historical letter myself. The letter states: “…that the 44 Magnum pre-Model 29, five screw variation, serial number S169XXX was shipped on March 6, 1957 and delivered to Belknap Hardware Co., Louisville, KY. The records indicate that this revolver was shipped with a 4 inch barrel red ramp front sight, white outline rear sight, target hammer and target trigger, blue finish and checkered Goncalo Alves target grips. This shipment was for 10 units of this model in the above configuration.” This example has seen only light use and shows some minor muzzle wear and high edge wear to the cylinder. The blue is bright, grips excellent and retains the original sights, hammer and trigger with about all the case color remaining. Excellent inside with tight action. The latest STANDARD CATALOG OF SMITH AND WESSON, 4^th Edition states the 4” barrel should command a 25% premium in value. Original factory letter included. $2950.

9) BIG AND ULTRA-LIGHTWEIGHT MODEL 329 PD "AIRLIGHT" .44 MAGNUM REVOLVER, 4" barrel with finger groove wood grips. When you want a lot of power, but don't want to lug around a heavy steel sixgun, this is the one to have! In fact, I do have one of these and carry it hiking here in Montana. The only .44 mag. I can carry for miles in the mountains and not even notice it's there! Not very pleasant to shoot, but it's not really made for that. Rather, it's to be carried a lot and fired a little. Adjustable rear sight with high visibility fiber optic front sight, wide checkered target hammer, great single action and double action trigger pull, this one has just a very little carry wear, but is as tight as new. Interesting tip: these fit the Bianchi U.S. flap holsters made for the M-9 Beretta! I often use this holster with mine as it keeps debris out and also keeps me from catching my arm on the hammer or sight when hiking. $795.

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

1) VERY FINE CONDITION CLASSIC EARLY MODEL 1879 TRAPDOOR SPRINGFIELD .45-70 RIFLE WITH CRISP AND CLEAR 1881 STOCK CARTOUCHE. Serial numbered in the 172XXX range, this rifle still retains the original 1879 rear sight with the original “slotless” screws and early style cleaning rod. The 1873 dated breech block and lock plate are correctly stamped. Receiver has an attractive deep aged patina and the barrel blue is all there with some surface freckling that is on top of the blue and has never been cleaned! Fine blue on barrel bands etc. This is really a rifle that was put in storage and left for a lot years- when I got it I couldn’t see any rifling in the bore until I ran an oil patch through it to knock out decades worth of dust to reveal a bright excellent bore. I noticed the tip of the cleaning rod which is indented was full of dust- which I left. There is nice deep blue on the trigger guard and some case color on the upper tang. Exc. stock showing only light handling with a sharp circle P cartouche and dated stock cartouche. I still believe these beautifully crafted Springfield products in the great .45-70 caliber are the biggest bargains on the antique firearms collector market today. Beautifully made and full of history. And all for $995. (3 photos)

2) EARLY 1898 KRAG RIFLE #191XXX WITH VERY SHARP AND CORRECTLY CORRESPONDING 1899 CARTOUCHE. This is a particularly fine example of a U.S. Military rifle that is becoming increasingly difficult to find in unaltered, cartouched condition. Tight action with nice deep mottled gray receiver, extractor still retains some nice fire blue finish, original 1898 rear sight that has not been upgraded to any of the later Krag sights which is usual, barrel blue and bayonet lug/barrel band is thinned but not cleaned and still retains good color. Excellent butt stock, forend and handguard- butt stock has the remnants of an aged stenciled “2” rack number on the right side. Correct sling swivels, particularly deep, sharp and excellent circle P and dated cartouche. Bore a bit dark and would benefit from a good scrubbing to be fine or better. This is a very attractive early 1898 Krag rifle that has not been updated or altered. (3 photos) ($975. ``

3) U.S. GOVERNMENT WORLD WAR II ISSUE MODEL 11, 12 GA. RIOTGUN (see above in Remington section)

4) U.S. ARMY MODEL 1871 .50 CAL. ROLLING BLOCK PISTOL (see above in Remington section)

WINCHESTERS (click text for photo)

BILL GOODMAN, P. O. BOX 2002, BOZEMAN, MONTANA 59771 TEL. (406) 587-3131 FAX (406) 219-3415 montanaraven@hotmail.com

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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

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 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 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 field load of 3 1/2 drams equals about 95 grains 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 Elmer's 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. 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! Today 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