Winchester 1897

[tcrocker]

I am going to get an 1897 12ga that was made around 1907. the gun has been nickel plated along time ago. how does this affect the value of the gun. It is one of the old three screw forend modles. Would it be better to have the finish removed and reblued? And what would be a far market price for this gun. Ihave heard of cowboy shooters paying top dollor for these things.

 

[number6jr]

$125 last week for a 1930 that needs a hammer to $425 for a 1933 from an auction two years ago, all E prefix model takedowns, but I have been pretty lucky with all of mine. Some cowboy shooters may want the nickel. Show us some picks.

 

[machinisttx]

I still see them for sale around $300-$450 from time to time, usually when some fool has hacksawed the barrel, but occasionally it's a really clean original gun.

IMO, I'd make sure it was safe for use with smokeless powder(I'm not sure when Winchester started warrantying guns for use with smokeless, but I do seem to remember that they did have some overlap where the where producing both blackpowder only, along with smokeless guns in the same time period.).

I'd say that it would be quite odd for one to have been nickeled, are you sure it's not just a case of the finish being worn off? It may have been a factory refinish, or a special order, you never know with Winchester.