Nothing at all wrong with collecting. I understand it, but much prefer shooting them vs. collecting them..
If selling the wood stocks for upwards (or more) of $400.00 and replacing them with Mcmillans is a sin, count me in...
. To go back and answer the OP's question about where to begin, try small town gunshows. I've had good luck finding some primos at small town gunshows. Get in good with someone who is willing to teach you the ins and outs of collecting Winchesters. One of my mentors is a gunsmith and a "good ol boy" who has collected Winchesters for a long time. Like ball town bob mentioned, hands on experience trumps book knowledge. This is damn true, and in a perfect world you would have someone there who can show you the ropes. If you don't know what you are looking at, you will likely never know, as some subtle changes were made during different era's and it is hard to know this unless you are a gunsmith or similar. This is extremely true when it comes to Winchesters. Little things like how the factory blued parts and pieces is good to know when you are looking at a rifle. A keen eye can spot one that has been "re-done". Some small parts like triggers or bolt shrouds or bottom metal, may look similar, but will have differences that a seasoned collector will point out. Crowns can be altered, bolt faces opened up and chambers may be different than when they came from the factory. Facing the receivers to adapt a different factory barrel to look like an original is something else to look for. This will degrade the value of the firearm, or maybe someone may be trying to pass it off as an original and you will be educated enough to know the difference. Unlike ball town bob, I also believe book knowledge is of huge value when accessing value of these old Winchesters. Some of us don't have the luxury of having a good ol boy gunsmith Winchester collector guru to teach us everything we should know about these fascinating old rifles, so our next best option is to go to the books or forums like this one.
