Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors Collecting Winchesters...where to start?

Where did I say that? You need to work on your reading comprehension skill....

The time to start collecting pre 64 M70's (or any New haven Winchester guns), was..... 1965...which is gone.So in short, I think there are better things to do with your money if you want investment opportunities..

But if a guy wants to start today, he should have a big check book. I would buy with an eye to guns i would actually use but I understand guys get a kick out of buying scarce calibers/models etc....but for me a M70 in (say) 35 Remington would be a safe queen and I hate safe queens.

I personally think the pre 64 market has gone to hell and people are paying stupid money for them. They are my favorites but it'll be a cold day in hell before I part out $5-$10 k for one. I'd rather spend the money on a hunt or a custom.

Dog gone you azz! Jeeze , Im in a sell not buy mode right now but unless that gun is shot out and most are not that is a very good BUY!!! LOL the very best WinPoor
Everyone cannot own a pre 64 to hunt, I have had to reach back a time or two to out shoot Rem Sendero guys BUT for my money and the money I took from them shooting, make mine a Winchester!!! vbest winpoor
As a side note, I have 3 Winchester 7STWs , 2 Laredos and a sporting sharpshooter, all 3 are very accurate, 2 are for sale and the BOSS I keep for bad weather LR shooting...vb winbroke

I had the good luck to speak with the main man on the BOSS R&D team, this guy shot over 36,000 rounds thru them in a tunnel, Im working from his quote here! The Winchester barrels shot better than the Browning barrels ,he did not tell me why that was the case! He said it was a common thing for a gun to shoot a 1/4 inch 100 yard group. If I remember correct as this was in the early 2000's and he had retired he was using a Leupold 36X scope and factory Winchester ammo... A lot of folk PooPoo the BOSS, Im not one of them, they will blow your eardrums out but Im deaf anyway. I have the solid weights that make em like a regular gun but on the big bores the break weight sure reduces recoil to 243 type feel.I will be the first to admit they look like a dog peter stuck out there but I am all about accurate!!! YMMV very best WinPoor

When someone says, "the book learning part is the easy part", they are full of chit, reading comprehension difficulties or otherwise. There is so much information listed in the 2 books that I mentioned earlier in this thread, it will make your head spin. Of course, you can probably re-cite Rules book word for word and know the Red book of Winchester values like the back of your hand don't you???

Being a lefty, Winchester and I never played in the same ballpark until around Y2K so I never developed an interest in them until recently. Just taking a guess though, I'd have to say that the vast majority of pre-64's have at least been through the hands of one collector/accumulator if not more. Regardless where you find them, most will carry a "collector" price tag and thus they move from one safe to another.

Call them what you might but given my latent interest in Winchesters, I think that the late New Haven CRF's would be of interest for someone wanting to "start". They're available, they're not outrageously priced and they're not made anymore. More specifically I'd look for lefty's but I'll leave them for someone younger with more passion!

Hahaha! You welcome!

I doubt the New Haven guns will ever be collectible. Just because there not made anymore won't drive a "collectible" market. The Japanese Mfg Browning A5's aren't made anymore either and I know of no collectible market for them.

The pre64 M70 is a icon for rifles just as the M12 is for pumps(the Rem 870 while a good gun isn't collectible)and the Belgium Browning A5 is for autoloaders.

My advice is to buy one that you can hunt with and be done with it. There is little future in collecting pre-64 70 Winchesters. Reasons are: possible regulations, fewer people interested in them and fewer people with disposable incomes that will be able to pay outrageous prices for them.

Ok, on the upside it could be worse. You could be contemplating collecting old model 12 field guns. Heavy 2&3/4" (most) without rib and no choke tubes. How is that for hopeless?

Come on!

Possible future regulations will be even more favorable for these antiques.

As the collectible pre-'64's become fewer, more and more collectors will find them an attractive investment.

Disposable income and investment capital are 2 different things.

Bless you and your Momma's heart.

Pretty much all $ assets are in a bubble,so a hiccup is in order...how big? I don't know.

I looked at a mint M70 in 35Rem cost $10K Firm. A 250/3000 also mint cost $7K also firm. Would you make money on them only time would tell. They would still be more fun to have than a mutual fund.

The average guy is not doing all that well in the market right now, but there are those out there that are doing better than well. For the most part, the market only lets the little guy make enough to stay in compared to other options we have available.

Don't doubt for a second that if someone wanted a collectable Winchester, and they were sure it was real, the money is out there. And some don't care if they can turn a profit, they just would want it and for the real deal will write the check. And for some, the whole-meaning the entire collection-is worth more than the sum of the parts.

Ive been watching hard and buying for about 6 years and I feel like pre 64' 70's are a just tad soft thru the summer, lot of nice ones hitting the market as the old timers see the end coming to there time at the range... I have friends that want a new custom built by Mr CatDaddy, Mr Gradous http://www.gradousrifles.com/index.php
up in N GA. Ive shot them and hot damn! Right up the road in Doerun GA is another riflemaker thats turning out hotshots
http://www.mcwhorterrifles.com/
. Im not sure these guys spending those bucks will ever go pre 64, they sure like to fondle mine. The young crowd that were black gun crazy may come around one day.... Im just happy 600K was all that were built!!! my 2 C winpoor

Thank you kindly gentlemen...your advice was needed and will be put to use.

I have decided that I am going to collect Model 71's to begin with.

Does EVERYBODY put them in Tupperware??? What ever happened to a beautifully grained piece of walnut, well inletted and with skillfully done checkering? It's likely just me, but it will be a VERY cold day in Hades when I buy a glass-stocked gun.
yooper

I bought more AAPL this week with a 13:1 p/e ratio.
I typically make 3%/yr from gun appreciation and 20% from stocks.
I only own two pre 64 M70s.
The gun I am in love with is Win 61 pump 22.
I got a couple coons this week. One was a running brain shot.
I am looking to buy more of 61s so I can give them to hunting buddies.

News Flash:

Your wife and your kids and you heirs don't give a damn about your pre-64 Winchesters. Collectors are hoarders so they are never going to be able to part with them while they are still alive. Then the people left behind, who don't care a damn about them, send them to an auction house and pay 20% sales commission on them.

You want to collect guns? Fine. Call it what it is, a hobby or in some cases even an obsession. Don't rationalize it as an investment. You are doing your family a disservice.

You want to do the people you love a favor; leave them liquid assets.

This is the funniest damn thing I've read here in a while.