Old Hog gets the acorn....

[yahoody]

Ya hear about the amazing estate sales likely  after the fact.  I  usually do (always have is  the reality).  This time my brother in law brings over the local paper with an ad for a good sale of lever guns, including an original '66 SCR  30 miles away.  Thought I'd better go look on preview day.

Bottom line at the auction today?  Guns were pretty much a steal on prices.  Really nice '95 rifle in 30US  and a TD '94 in 30-30 both went for less a c note or a shade more  $1000.  That '66...in amazingly good shape for $2700!   I should have bought all three!

Anyway I found a decent '73 I wanted out of the more than a dozen there.  I love half mag tube guns and the 32wcf.  19.5" barrel  mag holds 6 with one in the chamber 7.  Already have a 32-wcf '73 full mag gun.   Never figured I'd spend the money most folks want for a decent one these days.  This one ended up in my hands.  I really like it.  Clean chop job on the barrel and original Winchester parts to put it back together some time ago.  Bore is decent for a black powder gun built in 1885.  Wood is original and really good.  Only one major ding  where someone cut a notch in the comb.  Every original I've owned has had a really nice trigger.   No exception here.  Barrel still has some blue although likely a reblue when it was chopped.    Rest of the metal is pretty much in the white.   Still a fun gun for being 133 years old!

Gun reminds me of the '73 Paul Neman used in "Hombre".   Hope you enjoy the photo.

[dusty texian]

What a treasure , that rifle fits you like a glove ,its been waiting for you to come along for a real long time .,,,,DT

[Cliff Fendley]

Nice

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[greyhawk]

Yahoody
now ya have teased us - might as well do the job proper -- price?

That buttstock looks a nice piece of wood !!

[King Medallion]

Looks to be in good shape, congrates.

[yahoody]

What a treasure , that rifle fits you like a glove ,its been waiting for you to come along for a real long time .,,,,DT

Thank you Brother      Might have to rebarrel it  if it doesn't shoot.  What is Winchester's number again!?     Gun cost  just a bit more than what a new barrel cost these days.  Kind feel like I stole it.  Gonna take awhile to get over that I suspect.  

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Re-line if it doesn't shoot? Try a .308 - .311 liner.

[Coal Creek Griff]

Gun reminds me of the '73 Paul Neman used in "Hombre".   Hope you enjoy the photo.

Well, it appears that it doesn't take much motivation to get me to watch a western.  I pulled out "Hombre" and just finished watching it.  Great movie and a beautiful rifle!

CC Griff

[yahoody]

I had hoped you guys would appreciate this rifle...even thought it has been chopped up.  Started shooting it today with my 32-20 hand loads.  Got 5000 of them    First 50 rounds it key holed at 15 yards and the sights weren't even close.  Changed the rear sight, centered it and kept on shooting.   By 150 rounds the rifle had stopped key holing and started to  have "groups"  with occasional fliers from the 7 in the gun.   I don't have the spare pairs of sights I use to....used them all up.  And I like the old style Winchester Rocky Mtn front.   Have to get a new buckhorn of high quality to match it.    Now I am down about 500 in 32-20 stock but the gun is beginning to group pretty well at 30 yards 

[Coal Creek Griff]

I'm about to display my ignorance here.  Why would a gun keyhole the bullets at first, but improve later?  Is the rifling being cleaned up/sharpened by shooting?  If it were mine and keyholing at 15 yards, I'd have stopped "wasting ammunition" and called John Taylor about a barrel reline.  In your case, continuing to shoot has seemed to improve things.  Educate me...

Thanks.

CC Griff

[yahoody]

I know John well, handy fellow    This  barrel is such a mess cosmetically I'd replace it before I'd reline it.

Old black powder guns that have black barrels and soft steel are often lost.  Had wondered if this one was as well.  By the time I saw all the key holing I  was just starting to get actual bullet holes.  So at that point in for a penny in for a pound.  Lead bullets and smokeless powder were just cleaning out the years of use and abuse.

Anyone else notice the set trigger in the picture.  No wonder the trigger was so good!  While I did note the great trigger, I didn't notice the rifle had factory single set trigger till I was done shooting today.

Time to letter this one and see what the story is behind it.

[dusty texian]

With a set trigger to boot , that's a big + . One old 45//60 I was shooting a while back started that way , tumbled the bullets that it should have shot good . After scrubbing and de- leading the bore , then last scrubbing it with gum turpentine  and getting down to the bottom of the groove . I tried shooting the same bullet with a copper gas check installed . Bingo it shot perfect round holes , good groups and believe it or not scraped the bore enough that the little specs that I thought were permanent were gone . After a couple hundred bullets with the gas checks ran through it , the gas checks were not needed .  ,,,DT

[Coal Creek Griff]

Thanks for the education, fellas.  I guess there you don't know if there is hope for an old barrel until you spend a bunch of time shooting (and cleaning) it.

CC Griff

[yahoody]

One has to really like these old beat up beasts to  get them running again.      A big wad of cash helps you like them even more.    Undecided on this one's fate until the letter arrives.   

[greyhawk]

One has to really like these old beat up beasts to  get them running again.      A big wad of cash helps you like them even more.    Undecided on this one's fate until the letter arrives.   

Yahoody
You had a good day getting this one
I have pulled a few barrels back from the brink with a good scrubbing - depends on how much you want to shoot it and whether or not you want to shoot blackpowder .
I use a brass bristle brush thats worn down a bit and I wrap it tight with steel wool - as tight of a fit in the bore as you can get - then damp it all down with "Brasso"  (I guess you guys have brasso?) go to it polishing - you will feel the difference after a bit - this cleans out all the old crud and you need to keep going till you get a shine on whats left of the rifling (if you just remove all the built up crud - some of em will shoot worse) once ya get it shined up - clean out the polish properly - I used gasoline - dried it then a water flush - (unsure of the chemistry of the polish I used) - now slug it and get a proper sized boolit - you might be surprised - how well a crappy looking old barrel will do with this treatment - they will foul out quicker with blackpowder due to the pitting inside.
I even resurrected a shot out 22/250 barrel using this trick (dont know for how long - but its throat eroded and was shooting about two and a half inches at 100yards - I got it back to just on an inch for three shot group - dont use it much - that will probably last for years)
Greyhawk