to fire or not to fire -- sheesh (unfired Canadian Centennia

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Streetstar
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to fire or not to fire -- sheesh (unfired Canadian Centennia

Post by Streetstar »

Picked up an unfired Canadian Centennial on Gunbroker --- for those not familiar, - post 64 model 94 30-30 , 26" octagon barrel, full length mag tube with a little bit of maple leaf renderings on the receiver

Unlike some of the domestic centennial versions, the receiver is blued , so a lot less garish than many of the domestic tribute and centennial guns

I'm in a Brady delay now or the pics would be up, --- but when I went to pay the man my transfer fee and fill out the 4473, -- he brought out the original Winchester box in great shape, (no additional paperwork though) -- and the rifle was beautiful, -- very nice grade wood and the seller's claims of it being un-fired seemed legit

So do I do the deal or not? --- I bought it to shoot - in fact, I wanted to break it in at the Whittington Center on some longer range silhouettes, - hence my desire for a 26" barreled rifle

as I mentioned, I originally bought it intending to shoot - but there are plenty of other shooters out there too
----- Doug
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Re: to fire or not to fire -- sheesh (unfired Canadian Cente

Post by Ray Newman »

Buyers' remorse? Sounds like you might feel better 'bout selling it off and finding a "shooter"....
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Re: to fire or not to fire -- sheesh (unfired Canadian Cente

Post by jnyork »

Just send it on out to me, I'll relieve your anxiety by shooting it for you for a few years. :D
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Re: to fire or not to fire -- sheesh (unfired Canadian Cente

Post by gamekeeper »

Shoot it......I certainly would.... :mrgreen:
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fordwannabe
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Re: to fire or not to fire -- sheesh (unfired Canadian Cente

Post by fordwannabe »

First there are lots of these in unfired condition as many bought them to put away as a collectable, which they have not become because so many people bought them and put them away. I see several a year at gun shows in unfired condition.
Second it seems as though Winchester used better barrels on the commemorative rifles and the few I know that shoot them regularly say they are the most accurate of the post 64's.
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Shasta
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Re: to fire or not to fire -- sheesh (unfired Canadian Cente

Post by Shasta »

I have a Canadian Centennial that I use for shooting NRA Lever Action Rifle Silhouette. It shoots great, and cost half as much as an original Winchester rifle. In my opinion, rifles are made to shoot, even those manufactured as a "collector's item". In fact, I mounted a Marble's tang sight on mine, and drilled/tapped a hole right through the "D" in the word "CANADIAN" stamped on the upper tang. Let someone else worry about lowering the value. I'm having a good time shooting!

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Pete44ru
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Re: to fire or not to fire -- sheesh (unfired Canadian Cente

Post by Pete44ru »

.

FWIW, I've long (40-odd years) hunted with high-grade rifles, just because......

YMMV, but I'd rather have the commemorative than a plain shooter, just to have something to admire during those slow times when game seem scarce, if for no other reason.

After all, how else can one obtain a high-grade ( great wood, a little engraving, long barrel, etc) Model 94 at less than 50% the cost of a pre-64 genie ?

As long a it's not physically used to "beat the brush" or as a crutch during a stream crossing, it should keep it's original condition for a very long, long time.

.
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Re: to fire or not to fire -- sheesh (unfired Canadian Cente

Post by Griff »

I have a Canadian Centennial that "someone" bubba'd into a Trapper
Image

The post '64 Commemoratives have not gained value appreciably from their original cost... in fact, if compared to a standard carbine of the same era, due to their original cost, they've not done as well. The sole exception being the John Wayne Trapper. And all of them I'm encountered have been exceedingly accurate shooters. I just installed a tang sight on my '66 Centennial mdl 94...

So... SHOOT IT, the only way it would be worth anything as a "collector" is if you have the original box, wrapper and all the paperwork and hang tags. Take good care of it, and you'll not lose money, even if your shoot it a LOT!
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Re: to fire or not to fire -- sheesh (unfired Canadian Cente

Post by Bill in Oregon »

I had one of those probably 15 years ago. Was muzzle heavy, but a very accurate rifle thanks to that barrel stiffness.
I remember many years ago, the late Gary Sitton did a piece on the .30-30 for Rifle or Handloader and his test bed was "one of these Winchester 94s commemorating nothing in particular."
:lol:
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Re: to fire or not to fire -- sheesh (unfired Canadian Cente

Post by Tycer »

Bang bang
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Re: to fire or not to fire -- sheesh (unfired Canadian Cente

Post by Blaine »

Shoot that thang.... :P
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Pisgah
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Re: to fire or not to fire -- sheesh (unfired Canadian Cente

Post by Pisgah »

I long ago decided that if any of my guns ever increase in value down the road it will be a pleasant unexpected benefit to the many other benefits I have enjoyed during my years of owning and using them. Shoot away!!
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Re: to fire or not to fire -- sheesh (unfired Canadian Cente

Post by AJMD429 »

Pisgah wrote:I long ago decided that if any of my guns ever increase in value down the road it will be a pleasant unexpected benefit to the many other benefits I have enjoyed during my years of owning and using them. Shoot away!!
Yep.
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Re: to fire or not to fire -- sheesh (unfired Canadian Cente

Post by Streetstar »

Thanks for the responses gents

A logical person would have just bought 2 --- the unfired , pretty one, to look at, ---- and one that's a little more "seasoned" to burn through my post election excess ammo stash -- LOL

I am neither logical enough nor moneyed enough to have multiples of everything, so I guess the old gal is going to have to be broken in by me


--- its been a couple years, but it I think I had the same question when I drug home an unfired 2nd Gen NRA anniversary Colt -- now, it has definitely been fired and I don't feel the slightest bit guilty about it :)
----- Doug
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Re: to fire or not to fire -- sheesh (unfired Canadian Cente

Post by Chuck 100 yd »

Shoot it !!! I shoot mine and mine is very accurate. The Commemoratives are not as collectable as some people think they are.
Back in the '70's when they were really pumping them out, seems like a different one each week, my old boss invested in them heavily. 25 years later his unfired hoard was still worth just about what he paid for them new.
Shoot and enjoy. :D
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Re: to fire or not to fire -- sheesh (unfired Canadian Cente

Post by Buck Elliott »

It's a rifle..
SHOOT it..
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Re: to fire or not to fire -- sheesh (unfired Canadian Cente

Post by 6pt-sika »

If I got a nice unfired Parker 8 gauge that was valued at thousands of dollars I'd still fire it !

I buy nothing any longer unless I intend to shoot and or use it .
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Re: to fire or not to fire -- sheesh (unfired Canadian Cente

Post by Old Savage »

It is not like it is a Rembrant
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Re: to fire or not to fire -- sheesh (unfired Canadian Cente

Post by cas »

My only addition would be, if you shoot it, shoot it a lot and keep it.

I bought an unfired 50+ year old pistol once and fired it. But just a little, I babied it because it was so nice. Too nice for me to keep and baby, so I sold it a couple years later. I got more than I paid, but those few hundred rounds I fired cost me a lot from what I could have gotten. (Though this was a lot more uncommon than an unfired Winchester commemorative)
Slow is just slow.
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Re: to fire or not to fire -- sheesh (unfired Canadian Cente

Post by Sixgun »

Old Savage wrote:It is not like it is a Rembrant
Streetstar,
The boys here had said it right and my personal confidant, Mr. Old Savage, esquire, could not have said it better. But then again, het gets "all of the soft stuff". I killed my first deer back in '68 with a Canadian Centennial...still have it....well, my son has it

There were 90,000 of these rifles made. It will be the year 2428 before they are worth anything much more than what they are now bringing.

Like many have said here, they make excellent shooters and in my opinion, the most accurate, and reliable rifles Winchester ever put out. Several of my buddies from upstate, who are Pennsylvania State Silhouette Champs and three of these guys who are National Champs from Raton, use these commemorative rifles in one form or another. Al Faust uses a Long Star, Mike Haines uses a Canadian Centennial...I think?.......and Brian Wakefield uses any rifle he can grab a hold of and still shoots 75 x 80's.....the guys amazing.

Shoot it and enjoy........life is short.----6
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Re: to fire or not to fire -- sheesh (unfired Canadian Cente

Post by J Miller »

Shoot it, the enjoyment you have will be far better than just looking at it. :)


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Re: to fire or not to fire -- sheesh (unfired Canadian Cente

Post by geobru »

In about 1929, my dad bought an 1886 beater for $1.75 at an auction. The auctioneer handed it to him and said, "Here kid, use it for a crowbar!"

You can buy a crowbar for $20 now. I am sure you paid more than $20 for this rifle, so rather than treating it like a crowbar and letting it sit in the corner, unused, treat it like a rifle and shoot the heck out of it!

Those commemoratives are excellent shooters. A friend shot a coyote offhand at 150 yards with a Buffalo Bill commemorative. I shot that rifle and it was a tack driver.

Enjoy that RIFLE to the fullest!!
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