To shoot or not to shoot
 

I just inherited a Winchester Model 94 Trails End in 44 mag. It is case colored and has an octagon barrel. It has never been shot and came with the box and all the papers. Is it worth me hanging on to it and not shooting it, or should I take it out and see what it can do on the range? My Grandpa bought it right before Winchester discontinued manufacturing the rifle. A local gun shop offered me $750.

personally i would say find you a nice display case and display it the way firearms have been destroyed you may actually have one of the last few left.... especially if they are offering you 750 bucks for it...

It isn't worth thousands of dollars and unless you consider it special because your grandpa bought it, I would be using it for deer since it's legal where you live and would be the perfect gun for down there in S. IN.

i would. I use all the classic firearms my grandpa passed to my dad and then to me. Of course they weren't in mint condition. Just keep it free of rust. I'd definitely use it hunting, i love those old octagon barrels!

guns are made to shoot.

I walked into a gunshop last year and they had a 50th Anniversary .44 mag Blackhawk...They told me it had never been shot, I said well I can fix that...Bought it, shot it, love it!!! :)

Personally, I don't see any reason why the Trail's End model in .44mag would ever significantly gain any collectors value. They are discontinued, so they are still able to fetch new price (they ran about $600-700 until they were discontinued), but they aren't an "old collectible rifle" that will gain a ton of value over time. The Winchester 94 is one of the highest volume rifles of all time (claims to be THE highest selling rifle), so there are tons of them out there. Yes, the Trail's End was a limited run, but the collectibility of rifles that were produced up until just 6-7yrs ago just isn't there, and they aren't that hard to find.

Look on Gunbroker for the 94 trails end. There are several on there. Some are asking "collectors price" of $1200-1600, and they don't have any bids. The ones that are asking "buyers price" are getting bids, and are in the $700-$900 range. There is a big gap in what people ASK for prices, and what they actually get when it comes to these.

Don't be mistaken, just because the 94's look old and collectible, that really doesn't mean they ARE old and collectible. I have two Winchester 94's still, one is worth about $600, the other worth about $4500 in REAL prices. Set them side by side, a layman couldn't tell the difference.

EDIT: Forgot the first time - If you're a shooter/hunter, and have a use for it, then shoot it. If not, then don't shoot it. If you need the money, then sell it. It's not going to gain much over the years, so don't keep it as a collectors item. I have several guns that I own that aren't collectors items that I've never shot, but I just want them. I had an 1895 Marlin Cowboy that I regret selling, don't have a use for another one, but want one. If I get one, I probably won't ever shoot it, and it won't increase in value really, but I just want to have it, and have the luxury of being able to do that.

Shoot / use it. That's what it's made for.