Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors In box pre 64 70

I’d have to at least shoot it. Pretty cool find, for sure

Normally I would agree, and have done so many times with mint-y but not mint collectibles. But, the couple times I've splurged on vintage new-in-the-box somethings I couldn't bring myself to shoot them, and took the profit instead of constantly resisting the urge to shoot them.

One example: a 1940-vintage Colt Officer's Model .38, mint unfired, in its pristine box.* There wasn't even a hint of a trace of a turn mark on the cylinder - the gun had never so much as been cocked. I was proudly showing it to my Dad, and as I saw his thumb moving toward the hammer I yelled "Stop!" A fella offered me a handsome profit and it became his because I would have had dreams (nightmares?) about saying "screw it, I'm gonna shoot it."

* The story went that an Army Air Corps pilot bought it on the eve of shipping out, and didn't make it home from the war, and it laid in a closet for four decades before I bought it. Neat story. True, untrue? Who cares, the gun spoke for itself.

For reasons stated by Gnoahh, I hate any and every gun new in the box but old.

It's a curse on the owner.

I would shoot the crap out of it. Just to hear the gasps and pearl clutching.

I have a 1958 Ruger Single Six 22 LR never been fired bought it in late 90's. Probably would sell if right deal came alone.

Cardboard can be very expensive

I’m torn. I would like to put my own dings and dents in it, and pass it on if I have kids someday. But I can find clean used ones pretty regularly. That and there are places I hunt where a 30-06 hits a little softer than I’m comfortable with.

You must hunt Africa or never tried a 200gr partition??

A guy could shoot the op’s rifle, clean it, and no one would even be able to tell. It’s been fired at the factory. But it’s the op’s rifle. He can do what he wants with it.

I have boxes of 200 grain partitions, and they are pretty impressive, I haven’t taken any game with them but have shot them through phone books and spruce trees behind the house. I have witnessed a 7 foot interior grizz shot over a fresh gut pile with 180 partitions (spicy hand loads) in a 30-06. It soaked up the first like nothing happened, enough time to get a second well placed shot. After some nerve wracking tracking we finally found him. After that I decided to pack meat back to the boat/strip with something a little heavier. I also like moose to drop where I want them to, 338 win or 9.3 (knock on wood) has always worked great for me in that sense.

I stopped using 180’s because they don’t put 2 holes through elk. The 200 partition penetrates so much better. I’ve also shot them with the 9.3 and 260 partition. I saw no difference between that and the 30-06 loaded with 200’s. I also use a 338wm a lot and it works great, but I’d never feel undergunned with the 30-06 running 200gr partitions.