Caribou Gear

Pre 64 winchester

BRoth82

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 3, 2017
Messages
265
Location
South Central Minnesota
I'm wondering what a pre '64 winchester 32 special is worth? It's my dad's gun, he said it's in close to mint condition, he also has a matching. 30-30 but it shows some wear.
 
Making huge assumptions

Winchester has pretty good records about mfg date from the serial number. “Pre 64” and “lever actions” makes me guess model 94.

Use your google-fu and get a date range., then look at auction sites and get a very approximate valuation. Look at what they sold for, not what people are asking.

Failing that, pay someone to appraise them. That may be a good choice anyway, for insurance purposes.

Having familial firearms around makes me smile. Remembering time in the field with the people who came before me, or taking the next generation that gets to use them along is high on the list.
 
Last edited:
If dad wants to give them to you put them in the safe even if you have little interest in them now. You’ll thank me later. Otherwise they are worth only what some one will pay for them. Research the date of manufacture check gunbroker etc and see what they are selling for. Original condition and age are the factors.
 
If dad wants to give them to you put them in the safe even if you have little interest in them now. You’ll thank me later. Otherwise they are worth only what some one will pay for them. Research the date of manufacture check gunbroker etc and see what they are selling for. Original condition and age are the factors.
Same. If it's a family gun, doesn't matter what it's "worth." Stick it in the safe and hold on to it.
 
32 Special is useful for shooting a sick heifer in the head at close range and that's about it. This gun may have some value as a collectible but if you're thinking of hunting, talk him out of the 30-30.
 
32 Special is useful for shooting a sick heifer in the head at close range and that's about it. This gun may have some value as a collectible but if you're thinking of hunting, talk him out of the 30-30.
32Spl will shoot the same weight bullet faster than a 30-30 even with a shorter barrel. 50-150fps faster.
It also has a better twist rate than 30-30 for handling cast bullets more accurately.
Availability is where it loses out.
People didn't like it because it "kicks more" which should be obvious since it's pushing the same weight bullet faster.
 
I'm in the giving stuff away stage, not the buying stage, but a 32 Special would be too cool if you could find brass.
 
32 Special is useful for shooting a sick heifer in the head at close range and that's about it. This gun may have some value as a collectible but if you're thinking of hunting, talk him out of the 30-30.
I like to proofread what I print before I post it just in case it doesn't come across right and you can learn a lot from a dummy like me. I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
 
In my opinion, the pre 64 winchester thing has more to do with the controlled round feed of the bolt action than any of there other guns but someone can teach me if I'm off base.
 
My uncle shot many treed bear with a .32 Winchester 94. Last I asked him it was over 80 bears during his lifetime that had been killed with that gun. Only thing he ever packed as far as I know.
 
32 Special is useful for shooting a sick heifer in the head at close range and that's about it. This gun may have some value as a collectible but if you're thinking of hunting, talk him out of the 30-30.

I kinda think you’re thinking of the wrong .32…. I guess I had always heard the .32 Special as being better than a .30/30 and we all know that cartridge doesn’r exactly suck. Same case, wider bullet.
 
In my opinion, the pre 64 winchester thing has more to do with the controlled round feed of the bolt action than any of there other guns but someone can teach me if I'm off base.
No, it matters with the model 94 as well. In 1964 Winchester officially started to cheapen their guns in production costs to stay competitive. There was a lot of machining in the pre-64 guns that was discontinued and they replaced some internal parts with cheaper cast parts. The post 1964 guns do show the difference, which in many cases is significant.

It started before 1964, but that was the year that the most radical changes were made in the production of those guns…
 
Back
Top