This auction just closed at ebay, 338 barrel @ 916.00. A 375 H&H barrel closed last week @ 898. Where will it end and at what cost? I hate to think what a 22 Hornet or 250-3000 barrel would sell for.
Take off stocks in good condition are bringing from 200+ up to and over 400.
Here I thought I had a nice collection of pre 64's but its looking more like they will become parts guns at the pricesparts are going for.

Jimmy,

You are not kidding. I have participated in part of the craze selling a few items here and there on ebay, but nothing recently. I was happy with the prices I got a year ago, but they are a lot higher now. I have a mess of parts and some stocks but still feel I should hang on to them rather than sell as they are not getting any easier to find. I don't even know why I have them as they just sit in labeled packages in old cigar boxes. Never thought I would be a part "collector" but there is something about that pre-64 quality that keeps me interested.

If you want to sell anything from your stuff let me know.

prewar70, I just did sell a standard stock in very nice used condition, nothing fancy with minor huntin dings and the damn thing went for 406.+ shipping.
I thought I paid a bunch for a "NEW" pre 64 standard takeoff at 300.00
I did sell a couple of stocks this weekend at the gunshow but the fellow needed them real bad, so I tried to help lighten his wallet a tad

yes the price on parts that bidiots are paying has risen significantly in the last couple years.

I've kept myself in donor actions by parting them out. The last 243 FW I did, I ended up being up $25 over my outlay and a nice action on my bench.

Yes, I am shocked at some of the prices they get on the auction sights, especially on ebay. Some buyers seem to have $ to burn. I'm sure the closing of Winchester is contributing to the price growth in no small part. I think the post-64 Classic CRF was considered by many to be suitable substitute for the pre-64, but now that that is gone, both are going no where but up in price...

Actually, those high priced parts mentioned will likely be used to change standard pre-64 rifles into very expensive ones, the 338 is a good example. Spend $700 on a nice pre-64 in say 30-06, spend $900 on the 338 bbl, screw the two together, and you have a rifle worth $2000 easily. Sometimes sellers do this and even forget to keep the serial number in line with when the 338 was made! I've seen one!

They sold a 358 barrel a couple of wks ago on e-bay for around 900-if my memory is right last I looked at it it was over 800 with 18 hrs to go with like 18 bidders so i'm guessing 900.

I went to a small town gunshow last weekend and I could not belive what some guys were asking, for complete rifles. I saw a couple pre 64 06s that were not stock , had pads and 1 had a white diomond in the stock, 750.00. The worst was a sadle ring carbine 30/30 with a shatterd butstock with tape ad at least 4 screws holding it together 600.00. rediculas,
But I might not be so ready to go hunting with the very clean 55 featherweight 06 in my safe, i just bought it for 550.00, and I bet I could get 900.00 now. Ah what the hell i bought it to hunt with !!...tj3006

Just like always, right after something is discontinued, the ones selling are making money, the buyers are buying at a over market price. Anyone over 40 will remember the same thing when the Brownings were moved to Japan, every A5 with a polychoke and the stock cut off and refinished was assumed to be a $500 shotgun, this was in pre inflation dollars. Fifteen years later these shooter only A5's, etc were $200-$250 guns. The same thing will happen with these common grade M70's, ones not original or in average or worse condition will be a terrible investment, the people with the really special ones will still be holding onto them.

I talked to a guy with two Win 70 30-06's on his table yesterday at the show.

a) 1948 with old Weaver swing mounted Weaver K-4 post reticle scope $475, there was a notch in the stock, where someone had once mounted a rear peep sight. It had a 1903 Springfield sling.

b) 1949 with old Weaver swing mounted Asian scope $475



After reading this forum, I bought a pre 64 30-06 a few months back at a similar price, but mine has a counter bored replacemtnt barrel, and the receiver has been sanded down and re blued. The two I saw yesterday had not been sanded and had original barrels.

I saw some other pre 64 win 70s yesterday, but they were from $550 to $2200.

I don't see why people here are calling other people names like bidiots, etc. for paying more and more for pre-64 actions and parts and complete rifles.

Guns are like anything else. Certain desireable ones go up in value, just like paintings, certain photographs, cars, bronzes, and all sorts of antiques. Heck, I remember when I was living in california in the early 70s. One could buy black and white prints by Edward Weston for $500 to $1000. I didn't have any money and never boutht any even though I liked Black and white Photography. Today those same prints go for in the $50,000 range. So what is so strange about a pre-64 Winchcester going for a what they go for. It is their relative scarcity along with our county's prosperity, and the falling value of the dollar, that causes them to go up in value. No different than other hard goods like Fine Art, gold, etc.

A few years from now those people who said it was stupid to pay so much for a pre-64 Model 70 today will be saying "gee, I wish I would have bought a couple of Pre-64 Model's 70s back there in 2006 when they were cheap!!!!!)

The show I attended yesterday had alot of pre-64's. There were a couple that I really wanted and then one table that had about 15 or so in various conditions. I picked out 10 that I could have used and brought back to excellant condition just by restocking with stocks I have rat holed. So, I ask the fellow if he is open to offers on all 10, he says sure, I offer him 9,000.00 for the ten guns and he looks at me as if I just kicked him in the nut sack or something. I really thought I had made a fair offer as half of these needed restocking and there was 1-300 H&H,1 375 H&H, 3 270's , 2- 06's, 1- 243 and 2-264 mags. Oh well, maybe next month.
There were two Al Biensen (sp) rifles there and both were mint and made me weak kneed for a minute.

Please tell a little more about the Biesen Rifles. What calibers were they, what actions were they on, and what were they going for?

22, sent ya a PM

Jimmy,
I do think we are bringing you back from the dark side (as in black plastic tupperware hollow sounding so called gun stocks). You are even more on the road to ruin. Good to see.

Chic, think I had a "RELAPSE"
picked this up last night for the upcoming sage rat safari!!!!

Calling the pre-64 Winchester a craze is a misnomer in my opinion it is a hard fact. It was dubbed "The rifleman's rifle" many years ago by the head Guru and nothing has changed. A craze, also my opinion, is a new rifle in 236.86 ultra maxi eland express with a lot of plastic and stainless steel with a flash hider and intregal bipod. To get a quality rifle, be prepared to shell out kilobucks today. My most recent "new" rifle, a 1949 220 Swift cost me a grand and I don't anticipate the value of it going down the day after I bought it till the day I go TU. It hurts to see the fine rifles torn apart to have the components auctioned off on eBay, but I admit to using this medium for original parts for my 4 model 70's. For me, I'll keep lusting after every primo one I see and be prepared to spend more than the $50 dollars I paid for my first one, a 1947 Hornet, around 45 years ago.

Jim Young: Dittoes on your post!
In fact the first pre-64 Model 70 I bought was back in the mid 1960's it was a 22 Hornet also and I paid $180.00 for it then - as I recall.
I recently turned down 10 times that amount for it and when the time does come for me to sell it I will not consider the $2,000.00 profit I will make on it to be "CRAZE" money!
It will be real money!
40 years of fun, enjoyment, learning and profit is how I would describe my relationship with the "Riflemans Rifle"! No craze there either.
In addition to my collecting of Model 70's I also Hunt big game and Varmints with them and enjoy shooting them at the range!
They are among the safest, strongest and most handsome Rifles EVER made!
The most desirable and handsome custom Rifles are of course made on the pre-64 Winchester Model 700 actions. I know several custom Riflesmiths and they prefer them and privately and quietly bemoan the increasing rarity and difficulty in finding the old Model 70's for their projects and clients!
I again agree that describing the phenomenon and worth of the pre-64 Model 70's (and their parts) as a craze is slightly disrespectful and a misunderstanding to begin with.
The recent problems at the Winchester Company with their union workers has nothing to do with the beauty and inherent worth and present value of these quality made, safe and beautiful Rifles.
Strength, safety, beauty, reliability, accuracy,
value are better descriptions of the old Model 70's, than the term "craze" would bring to mind!
E-bay is REALITY!
If someone will pay a price for an item then that is what it is REALLY worth!
Its not crazy its reality.
Be impressed by it, be amazed by it, but don't let anyone tell you its part of a craze.
Long live the Riflemans Rifle!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
P.S.: Is that handsome standard Rifle in 220 Swift for sale?