Old Time Winchester Firearms!
 

I have a Winchester Model 1897 12 gauge with a modified choke i think, it is in normal condition with a little wear and tear from turkey hunting. I also have a Winchester Model 90 or 1890 .22 short pump action rifle, with the heavy octagon barrel. Same condition as the 12 gauge. I would never think about selling these but could you tell me about what they would run truthfully? some guy wanted to buy the .22 for 500$ so im not sure.

The 1890's are strange. Some sell for over $1,000 and some sell for ....$300, and they don't look all that different to me.

The 1890 .22 shorts that I've seen have averaged around $500 in good shape. Some considerably higher, and some lower.

The guy made a fair offer, if you ask me.

When it comes to old Winchesters it's all about the year manufactured, the rarity of the particular model or sub model and the condition they are in. Just because it's a "Model" 1897 or 1890 doesn't mean they were built then. The Model designation generally is the year of first production and most of them ran through the turn of the century and into the early 1900's. Go to the Winchester web sight and you can find the age of your guns by inputing the serial numbers. The earlier (1800's) the more expensive the guns will be. There are of course other factors involved as some sub models are rarer than others etc...

I love old Winchesters too!

Model 1892 (built in 1897)


Model 1890 (built in 1894)


Model 1887 (Built in 1888)


Model 1873 (Built in 1883)


Model 1866 "Yellow Boy" (Built in 1868)

i know the .22 was built in 1906, i think. but those are some nice effin guns! must have spent a fortune unless you inherited them!

Thanks HuntingkidPA

I don't consider myself a "lever gun" collector but I've seem to accumulate a few over the years. I try to keep diversified with my collection. I like military surplus, older guns (1700 & 1800's) as well as Browning Shotguns (Belgium made) and pretty much anything else I find interesting.

Here's a few more leverguns....

wow! you make me jealous! im 14 and i have 4 guns. i cant wait to get a job and start adding to my collection! is the second golden gun with an octagon barrel a henry? its reaaal nice. i am yet to own a lever gun. i was looking into marlins, that or winchester. what do you prefer? i want a 30-30. i sw marlin makes a model 1984, i like it but i think the shell ejects from the top? unlike their 336C models. both brands have been around awhile and seem to make quality guns, i have a marlin xl7 .270. and for only paying 350$ you would be suprised. it shoots just as well as my dads m77 ruger 7mm.

Either Marlin or Winchester will do you just fine for a lever gun. I'd go with the 30-30. It's a great all around cartridge that has probably taken more deer than any other cartridge out there and ammo is readily available just about everywhere.

That second golden rifle is the Winchester 1866-1966 commemorative rifle that I picked up to go with my 1866.

It takes time to accumulate them, you're just starting out, don't sweat it, just keep buying when you can and have fun with it, it's a great hobby. There are more lever guns stuck in one of my safes but these were all I had pics of on my computer. Again, I don't collect lever guns (except for the older ones), the others are just the result of deals and bulk purchases I've done over the years. One trick to collecting is to not sell any guns...just buy them. In my 45 years I can count on one hand the guns I have either traded or sold and I regret every one of them. I have a lot of guns that aren't collectible at all, they just happen to be included with ones I did want, but that's cool, I like them all, expensive or not....what can I say...I'm a gun guy. :)

yea, i love guns too. do you think they will stop making .22 short ammo soon? should me and my dad stock up on it? its not to expensive and i love my model 1890! the sights are incredible and it shoots so accurate!

I have no idea if there are plans on stopping the production of .22 short or not. As for "stocking up" on them.....Hell I do that anyway, the guns aren't too useful without ammo, and lots of it! ;)

yea lol. we stock up on shotgun shells, i dont know why but for .22 shorts we should cause they are very inexpensive.