bronko22000

I just acquired but yet to receive a never fired Winchester 94XTR Big Bore in 375 Win. Looking at the prices for these rifles I don't see much difference in unfired vs used.
I have a whole bunch of other lever rifles and really don't need this. Just something I had been looking for a while. Either this or a 38-55 in a 94.
I'm looking for ammo now for it but still undecided if I should shoot it. I'm not one to have a a firearm and not use it.
Pics to follow once I get it.

Oldtimr

You are free of course to do what ever you want, but if is was me, I could not wait to shoot it. I do not buy firearms as an investment because the odds are someone else will reap the benefit of the investment if I don't use it.

mrbb

I doubt there will be much down the road in an investment
not saying its not a desirable gun
just it wasn;'t a super rare gun ever nor one that folks went crazy looking for!

and all gun's are fired at the factory, so its not like it wasn;'t ever shot!
and it would be hard to prove that YOU didn;t shoot it
now, there is a BIG difference in firing it a few times to SAY??
scratch the itch
and see what she does

and firing a few hundred rounds out of it
the wear and tear will be noticeable different\
where a few rounds, odds are won't be noticed!

Over my life time I bought many guns with plans to Never shoot them, some made a lot of leaps and bounds in values, some not so much!
and I also noticed as I have sold some of them, that very few folks cared about some of mine that I DID fire a few times to see what they would do
NEW owners didn;t care I shot 10-20 rounds out of them, and it really didn;t hurt the price either!

In order for a gun these days to really show some sort of BIG money difference in a NEVER fired gun(new in box ORIGINAL OWNER< as even being sold a few times hurts prices!), these guns that has a BIG following down the road, and folks desiring it down the road,
it , won't really happen till 50-70 yrs later!
SO< Honestly, unless your very young, or really have family or a person in mind your planning to leave things too that WILL ALSO< have that STRONG desire to HOLD onto them till they make that leap and bound in value

odds are your just saving things for someone else you don't know At all, and odds are the sale might not even benefit your chosen person at all!

Having had my gun shop, and seen countless gun collectors pass away and OH so sadly, so many times, the NEW owners just wanting to sell things as fast as they get them, KNOWING NOTHING< about them, and just happy to get a FAIR cash value, or a number they THINK is fair ??

Its also one of the main reasons, I sold off a LOT of my collection over the past many yrs, as I KNOW things values now on what I have and know for a fact , my family wouldn;t and they'd get taken/robbed selling them as I also know they DON"T want any of them!
in a perfect world, our kids/family would cherish things we cherish, but sadly that doesn't happen very often!

SO saving a GUN, NOT shooting something you will enjoy now??
unless a super rare gun NOW already
I say shoot it and enjoy it! while you can!

Nomercy448

I had a Win 94 Big Bore in 375win cross my bench last winter, new in box, never fired, but wouldn’t eject and did not feed well. Turns out the ejector was wedged tightly in the bolt to the point of being unable to pivot as designed, and the ejector nose wasn’t sufficiently beveled, nor the claw cut deeply enough. It simply wasn’t moving over the rim as it should, and had bent itself as a result. Minor fine fitting to get it running, and rebluing, and it was as good as... well, it was as good as it was supposed to be as new...

The most frustrating part of the job was the restriction to NOT fire the rifle. Obviously I didn’t NEED to fire the rifle to correct the feeding and ejection issue, but dammit... I REALLY wanted to...

So, were I to buy one of my own, I wouldn’t make it home before stopping somewhere to shoot it.

Bocajnala

I would use it as it's intended to be used!

I shot three deer a few seasons ago with the .375 win.



All three were drt. Including a 6 point that jammed dirt up his snout when he dropped. I was very pleased with it, especially after reading a good amount of negative reports.

-Jake

bronko22000

You're all of the same mindset as I. As soon as I'm able to locate some ammo I'll e running it through its courses and see how it shoots.

Father Forkhorn

I think you're doing the right thing. If it were NIB and not out of the packaging, that's a different story, maybe. Since it sounds like it isn't, I'd be more inclined to shoot it and make the decision to keep it after seeing the results. It might be magic in your hands and a gun never to be relinquished or just the opposite ad a gun to get rid of quickly.

Neversleeps47

I fully agree with your full statement! It's only common sense, after all guns were made to shoot! Otherwise they wouldn't need barrels, would they?

bronko22000

That Big Bore shoots great and doesn't rexoil near as much as i thought it would. No where near the recoil of my 45-70 Guide Guns

Bocajnala

My .375 (Savage model 99) was the same way. Sweet shooter with almost no recoil.

-Jake