B.L.E. said:
" Looking through the gun library at the Cabelas in Buda, TX, around 1200 is what they seem to want for a common pre war .30-30 with a steel buttplate and a band around the forestock.Then there's the uncommon configurations and calibers.They have a capped pistol grip 26" octagonal barrel half magazine takedown model with a metal fore end cap instead of a band and factory checkering on both the pistol grip and forend in .30-30, circa 1921, they are asking $10,999."
"Pre Wars" certainly are another thing altogether, and yes most of them are asking (and mostly fetching) a pretty penny. As said, in general conversation most folks consider "Pre 64" to be Post-war (or during war at most) up to 1964.
The "Pre Wars" - especially ones that are noticeably different than the 1941-1950/51's (which some late Pre War carbines especially resemble), have a market mystique all their own. Specifically saddle ring carbines (SRCs) with the "old west" (66, 73, 92 etc) features of curved "carbine" butt, ring, oftentimes carbine ladder flip sight, and earlier (further forward) front barrel band with post sight--which was the normal configuration up to the 1930s or so (+/-)...when more started taking on what would become later the standard flat "shotgun" butt, ramped front sight and leaf rear ubiquitous with 94s right up to the 2000's.
Another distinction of course is model/configuration availability, primarlily - any rifle (as opposed to round barreled carbine) made before 1964--short, long, round,. octragonal, doesn't matter--is a Pre War with very few exceptions (special orders and maybe a commemorative or two, neither a common occurence 1941-64 and mostly the province of Post 64s). IOW, war and post-war production was almost entirely 20" round-barreled carbines. No rifles or even short (20" octagonal) rifles to speak of. IIRC, neither were there any factory Pre 64 (war and post war) "trappers" (aka baby carbines), which were mostly 16" round barreled SRC's and already a very limited commodity even Pre War. Originals of these represent one of the Winchester collector "holy grails" and are some of the rarest, most sought after--and hence precious $--regular production guns out there. Rarest among those are 12"-15" barreled examples, now requiring an exemption letter of course.
What are most often thought of as Pre 64s (again 1941-1964) are also divided into two general groupings - "long wood," which all carbines had from 1894 up to 1950 (and some 51s)...which is a longer extension of the forend piece ahead of the barrel band. After 1950/51 up to 1964 (and beyond), the standard carbines were all lessened to "short wood" configuration. Some Post 64's--again, commemoratives and some later AEs had the same long-wood feature, sometimes paired with something resembling the old front post sight -- both aspects again harkening back to the "old west" guns' configuration, and 16" "trapper" production also resumed some time Post 64 for the first time since the Pre War period. Clean "long wood" Pre 64's generally command a little more than same-condition "regular, run-of-the-mill" Pre 64's, being considered a bit more "vintage," having retained at least that one feature found on all Pre War carbines.
" Looking through the gun library at the Cabelas in Buda, TX, around 1200 is what they seem to want for a common pre war .30-30 with a steel buttplate and a band around the forestock.Then there's the uncommon configurations and calibers.They have a capped pistol grip 26" octagonal barrel half magazine takedown model with a metal fore end cap instead of a band and factory checkering on both the pistol grip and forend in .30-30, circa 1921, they are asking $10,999."
"Pre Wars" certainly are another thing altogether, and yes most of them are asking (and mostly fetching) a pretty penny. As said, in general conversation most folks consider "Pre 64" to be Post-war (or during war at most) up to 1964.
The "Pre Wars" - especially ones that are noticeably different than the 1941-1950/51's (which some late Pre War carbines especially resemble), have a market mystique all their own. Specifically saddle ring carbines (SRCs) with the "old west" (66, 73, 92 etc) features of curved "carbine" butt, ring, oftentimes carbine ladder flip sight, and earlier (further forward) front barrel band with post sight--which was the normal configuration up to the 1930s or so (+/-)...when more started taking on what would become later the standard flat "shotgun" butt, ramped front sight and leaf rear ubiquitous with 94s right up to the 2000's.
Another distinction of course is model/configuration availability, primarlily - any rifle (as opposed to round barreled carbine) made before 1964--short, long, round,. octragonal, doesn't matter--is a Pre War with very few exceptions (special orders and maybe a commemorative or two, neither a common occurence 1941-64 and mostly the province of Post 64s). IOW, war and post-war production was almost entirely 20" round-barreled carbines. No rifles or even short (20" octagonal) rifles to speak of. IIRC, neither were there any factory Pre 64 (war and post war) "trappers" (aka baby carbines), which were mostly 16" round barreled SRC's and already a very limited commodity even Pre War. Originals of these represent one of the Winchester collector "holy grails" and are some of the rarest, most sought after--and hence precious $--regular production guns out there. Rarest among those are 12"-15" barreled examples, now requiring an exemption letter of course.
What are most often thought of as Pre 64s (again 1941-1964) are also divided into two general groupings - "long wood," which all carbines had from 1894 up to 1950 (and some 51s)...which is a longer extension of the forend piece ahead of the barrel band. After 1950/51 up to 1964 (and beyond), the standard carbines were all lessened to "short wood" configuration. Some Post 64's--again, commemoratives and some later AEs had the same long-wood feature, sometimes paired with something resembling the old front post sight -- both aspects again harkening back to the "old west" guns' configuration, and 16" "trapper" production also resumed some time Post 64 for the first time since the Pre War period. Clean "long wood" Pre 64's generally command a little more than same-condition "regular, run-of-the-mill" Pre 64's, being considered a bit more "vintage," having retained at least that one feature found on all Pre War carbines.
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