Guys Im so dam computer dumb I could only move one photo out of 15 to photobucket, long story short, to take photos for Mr Roger Rule and to make sure we had no problems on the backside of crate gun ,my FFL gunsmith and a 35 yr gunman uncrated to check and take photos, they have named this ole boy the King Tut gun! none of us were ready for the fantastic wood or amount of cosmoline! Enjoy !

very best WinPoor

WOW!!!!! WE are going to need many detailed pics, what a find.

That looks AWESOME WP..

Must see more pictures.. That is some nice walnut and that little hanging tag is pretty exciting!

Very nice....

Sweet mercy that is beautiful!

A few more of king Tut




excuse any doubles, Im by far not a computer wizz! very best WinPoor

WOW, does it get any better?

Very nice, indeed, Winpoor.

donsm70

Fantastic figure on that stock!! What a lucky sob!!! Lol. Congrats and great name as well! So cool....!

Eric

Mr Rule has or had a Custom shop Bull that was checkered, his grain was very straight, he has never seen a target nor Bull with wood like this. great guy but he let me know he does not authenticate nor value ,appraise mod 70's. I guess a fellow pees no one off nor hurts feelings by those rules! More photos to follow! Im going to get some real good shots of the .375 H &H super grade up. The ones I took made it look like s#*t, It is fantastic with 2 small compression spots on either side but they are not deep, Im afraid to try the wet towel, iron trick as Im afraid I will screw it up! Ive seen it done and work Im just not that brave with such a nice gun. I brought the .338 home and have to pick it up and look see smile 3 times a day! You can tell the scope base plugs have never been out! Im thinking a good Doctor 6X fixed for that bad boy, I have 120 rounds of 230 gr. older Winchester fail safe ammo coming for it. I have asked around with no response. Have any of you guys used that ammo? Folks around here used to love the fail safe black box ammo. Very Best WinPoor

More pictures please!

My FFL, Gunsmith and I and his crew have a special relationship ,They will not let me bring King Tut nor the SG .375 H&H home. There are a lot more Safari guys in Tallahassee FL than my hometown 45mi N ,Bainbridge GA. and they know I will de grease King Tut and with the turn of 2 big thumbscrews have a 24X Unertl Ultra Varmint mounted and checking the old boy out! Im told that would be a 2K mistake. I lose willpower after about 3 or 4 of those ice cold baby 8 oz bud lites! very best WinPoor

Winchester loons, Im thinking of selling 2 extra tractors, an extra bass boat with less than 50 hrs, a pair of Bellanca super viking wings and a lightly used feed mill, along with deveral double pre 64 mod 70 std guns , I nwill get up a surplus list today or Tuesday! very best WinPoor

Collector value is a funny thing. It is real, because it is a market subject to what some people are willing or not willing to spend. I don't begrudge serious collector's their enjoyment in the least. It is just a different form of loony than whatever forms of "loonyness" I happen to have. Or maybe it is just degree, because I do have a bit of collector loonyness myself. I appreciate the history of a fine vintage firearm even if I don't get super excited about its "virginity." It doesn't bother me if people shoot them, but it does bother me to see them overly modified. To each his own.

Anyway, at the end of the day, an unfired rifle is an untested rifle. Shooting King Tut may very well be a $2k decision, but "mistake" is a matter of opinion.

At the end of the day whats $2K. It's YOUR gun and if you ant to shoot it that's what it was mad for. It will only cost you the 2K IF you sell it. If you pass it on to your heirs you migt as well enjoy it.
Congrats on a very nice find.
I was in Moultrie GA last week hunting Quail. A nice area.

A few year back 3 brothers by the name of House were reunited to build a replica flintlock rifle. Prior to their bit of a falling out they were well renowned in American Longrifles circles. As I was dabbling in building flinters then I went to a show aligned with that craft. They were selling raffle tickets on the gun the brothers built as a fundraiser for the organization. Estimated value was in the realm of $20k as I recall. The question was asked as I filled out my ticket, if you win will it be fired. My reply was that I would invite my close friends over for an unveiling and allow each a photo posing with the artpiece. After that we would all move to the range and christen her properly. The gent selling tickets scoffed at the idea of shooting the piece, his partner at the table asked what it took to be my friend.

I am of the mind that these fine pieces were meant to be used, certainly not abused, but used lovingly in your own way. If that means cuddling up at the range and caressing the trigger until it belches smoke or merely sitting by the fire warming her soul with an oiled cloth only you can decided, and who cares what the guy that doesn't own the gun feels. Much like the debate over who would you pick, Ginger or MaryAnn? The key word is "you".
Enjoy King Tut and my sincerest thanks for sharing it with us all.

Razz, an apt comparison! Mary Ann was portrayed as being, uhem, NIB. Ginger, on the other hand, seemed to be all one might want in a rifle, whoops, I mean woman, but was certainly portrayed as already proven to be up to the task. Yet, the dilemma of which to choose persists.

Yeah, I probably shouldn't have gone there, but I did.

Winpoor: I am GREEN with envy!
I am glad you have that rare and beautiful Rifle in hand and safe.
Pardon my slow reply as I have been out on the west coast tending to a sick relative for the past 18 days!
Again congrats on possessing that fine Rifle.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Time to face the music sugar.

Mr Varmint Guy, My hat is off to you, I know what 8mos of taking care of my precious wife did to me as a person and in reality tried and shook me to my very soul!Thank the good Lord Ive reconnected with a dear (40yr) friend that more or less brought me out of the rabbit hole and showed me I can live ,love and laugh again! You are the SOB that has me not wanting to clean the cosmoline and screw that 24X ultra varmint Unertl on and NOT try her out!I may take you up on shooting yours when I come to Idaho and pick my male Drents Partridge Hound pup up from our old friend Dutch! very best to you ole Pal..... WinPoor

That is cool beyond words!! Thank you very much for sharing.

WP, you must have just the couple rifles I just got wind of. (those fit the exact description I was given).

Just curious, was the owner a quite elderly gentleman (90+) ?

Either way, congratulations on your find. Now I understand why you're selling off a few of your other treasures.

Yep,one and the same, I talked my FFL Gunsmith into letting me bring em home for a couple heavyhitter investors to look see, In reality I am proudest of the NIB 338 win mag the most! Im just to torn about not shooting the bull gun! The .375 SG had been shot but not abused at all, I also have a NIB 61 06 target and a put togeather SG FWT GS coming out of same collection.Time to move several out as Im out of the buying market for some time!very best Photos to come WinPoor

winpoor, what does GS stand for, Gopher special?

John

Yes Gopher Special, slick barrel

Guys, Ive decided I better move this crate gun before I clean it up and screw the scope on. I had rather move here, PM offers or abrockcattleco@gmail. com , very best WinPoor

Good Evening WP,
I don't post much, but usually enjoy tuning into anything Winchester or posts by you and BSA. Per your post yesterday, is this the only beauty your moving, or might there be some others?
What would it take to have this one leave the herd?
Greg 540-797-3649

Mr GBOB, Its been graded investment grade, My Gunsmith FFL and an oldtimer gunguy took it out of crate just to make sure we had no problem , I do not know how to price it as there is nothing out there to compare it to! I look at it 3 times a day, want to keep it but know damn well I will get weak, clean the cosomaline and bore, with just 2 thumb screws have a 24X unertl scope on it and go to my airstrip and bang away, then varmint guy will be hunting me down for a shot at a wore out cowboy! I can tell you it was not cheap coming in and it will not leave without a pile of cowtongues! very best WinPoor

This isn't James Woodward & Sons vertical game gun if that was so I would say keep if for sure. My best advise is to go private, strike a deal and move "the crate".

Mr Slavek, The day I need or ask,want your advise is the day all here will know I left the reservation! very best winpoor

Just to give you guys an idea of what is going on with crate gun, I turned 10K down BUT 12K and its got to go to the advanced collector guys...I want to clean it up, mount the 24x Unertl with the turn of 2 screws, take the bolt out and bore sight it at my range and see what the old war horse will do! Ive not done that yet! very best WinchesterPoor

What do you mean by "advanced?"

Not to speak for Winpoor, but I'm betting "advanced" means "has $12K to spend and is willing to spend it on this rifle." But I could be wrong.

Advanced Collectors are these guys that will only buy NIB have not been shot since Winchester proof fired and stamped that WP on barrel and action. Most of them must have the box with them. These are the guys that put the white gloves on when they handle the guns and handle them like a new born baby! I have met one or two in my life time. Yes they are usually rich as 2 foot up a bulls azz! These things are pure investments and in the end, big picture they usually pay off very well for them or beat a CD or stock, ect. These guys are just parking money they do not need in a Winchester. My hats off to them,I on other hand am a shooter collector. very best WinPoor

Well, yeah, that's the real answer. But nothing morally wrong in my book if someone wants to shoot one of those NIB rifles . . . as long as they can afford it! Lord knows there are worse ways to spend money.

I have had a couple of NIB guns, one a FWT 358 and I have sold them all as I am more of a shooter. if I can't shoot it then I don't need it. I can't bring myself to shoot a NIB gun either. One pays a premium for the condition and I just can't do that so it's better to leave them for someone else. A mans got to know his limitations.

"Advanced Collectors" to me, are the folks that know what they're doing. Some of the best I've seen were plumbers, electricians, teachers, etc., people that worked really hard for their money. They're shrewd and skeptical, and above all smart. They are the true experts. Some of the best collections come from estates that make you wonder how and the hell did they do that. They're not looking for a place to "park" money and put on white gloves for crying out loud. Advanced collectors buy guns, art, coins, etc. that have provenance, that can be proven, that have factory records.....The white glove collectors you're talking about make me think of people with more money than they know what to do with and a new gun collection seemed like a good idea because the guy at the country club is doing it.

I had an advanced collector start whinning like a little girl because the true to the gun box was a little to tattered on one end! There was absolute no doubt the gun was NIB and it was the box the gun came in! He started pissing and whinning about 200 bucks over the damn box and I very nicely said sir thats fine, I gathered my NIB gun up and put it in the back seat of my truck and put the go home in gear! I had driven 86 miles to show the gun, he called 3 times and I told the azz hole I had scoped it up ,zeroed her in and was going to hunt hell out of it! He will not waste my time nor his again in this world!!! very best WinPoor

Whatever Pilgram! very best WinPoor

I need to buy some white gloves so that I can be an Advanced Collector.

Seriously, though, these guns are too fun to not shoot 'em!!

Eric

Mr Eric ,Im the same way BUT my hat is off to a man with a safe full of NIB guns! Not my bag, I think I have now scoped and hunt,enjoy 4 or 5 NIB guns, I do not run out in foul weather to hunt them and I do take very good care of them BUT had it not been for these NIB, white glove guys I would not have been able to buy them! Some of these guys are to old to hunt and this is their passion. To each his on.... This is America (for now)! very best WinPoor