Rank these in collectability.

[rangerider7]

Winchester Models 1866, 1873, 1876, 1886, 1892, 1894, 1895, 53, 55, 65, 64, & 71.

Now I know there are SRC, carbines, trappers, short rifles, standard and deluxe, pre-war and post-war, but do your best. All of them could be special order guns so that is included in each model. What is the order of desirability and most sought after by collectors in your opinion. Feel free to include other models. This might be a little difficult, but I think it will be interesting. If you want to include a Marlin model list please do so, Savage too.

[Kansas Ed]

Interesting thought....My list would go like this...figuring standard configuration rifles, with most often seen calibers.

1866
1876
1886
71
1895
1873
65
53
55
64
1892
1894

Ed

[KirkD]

I'm giving a Canadian perspective on this one ....

1866
1876
1886
1873
71
1892
65
1895
53
64
1894
55

[madman4570]

I'm giving a Canadian perspective on this one ....

1866
1876
1886
1873
71
1892
65
1895
53
64
1894
55

+1

[Mike D.]

+2 from way out West. I have little interest in the 66 Model, but most collectors believe otherwise. '73s are extremely common, yet demand somehow exceeds availability. The 1886 has fast become a collecting "target", too. Only 160,000 of them were built, but I believe that 75%+ are still with us today. The large number of calibers available for that model is another factor that also drives the collectability, as is the special order features that many of them possess. Like many other desireable objects that folks collect, the price of older Winchesters rises faster than the CA mercury, leaving many of us in the dust.

[Pete44ru]

1866
1886
1892
M-92
1873
1894
M-64
1895
M-71
M-94
53/65
1876
M-55
M-88

.

[RIHMFIRE]

1886.... I really want one of these for hunting!
1876.....dittos
71.....droooooooolllllling
1892
1873
65
53
55
64
1895
1894
1866 too many $$$$$$

[bogus bill]

Collectibilty and desireability to me are two different matters. I suppose the "value" to collectors are fairly well defined by just looking at prices on old auction lists etc. For instance the 66 would be worth the most, and in the past I have owned or do own a lot of the models listed. However I would rather shoot a 92 than a 73. Stronger action. I love the older "classical" guns. For me, I lightly shoot most of them. If I owned a 66 I probley wouldnt shoot it. If I bought one, I would buy it as a investment that I could look at rather than a figuer in my saveings account. I have been pretty good in the past years as haveing a nose for guns that will have potential future intrest, and also that I enjoy shooting. Out side of haveing guns stolen, I never lost on a gun deal, even new ones, that I shot. I have owned at least 200 guns and probley made money on all of them. Many years ago I also seemed to be able to identify what old cars would be chased after in future years as well as what guns would outrun other models. Just wish I had the money back then to buy and store them!

[hocbj23]

since I own one of each :1886,1873 and 1894.after that not sure.bj

[Old Time Hunter]

I'm giving a Canadian perspective on this one ....

1866
1876
1886
1873
71
1892
65
1895
53
64
1894
55

+3 I agree, the '66 is my least favourite(sp that's for you Kirk) and I think the '73 should be right after the '76.

[winchester1886]

I keep records of Winchester's sold at Cabela's and from what I get from that I think the list would go something like this.

Henry
1866
1876
1886
1873
1894
1895
71
1892
64
55
53
65

My personal list would be.

1886
1894
1892
1876
1873
Henry
1866
71
1895
64
55
53
65

I would never buy a rifle with a half mag, only exception would be a 95 carbine.

[71fan]

Winchester Models 1866, 1873, 1876, 1886, 1892, 1894, 1895, 53, 55, 65, 64, & 71.

I think the 1885 should be added, so I will.

Here goes:
1894, 1886, 1873, 1892, 71, 1885, 1895, and then all the others are muddled in the end.

I selected them based on a combination of desireability, availabity, and collectability.

I think the 1866 could be higher on the list, but they are pretty much out of reach of most everyone. So folks like me, and probably most on this forum, don't even look at them. I figure I'll never have one in my collection, and I'm fine with that.

[Sixgun]

Collectibilty and desireability to me are two different matters. I suppose the "value" to collectors are fairly well defined by just looking at prices on old auction lists etc. For instance the 66 would be worth the most, and in the past I have owned or do own a lot of the models listed. However I would rather shoot a 92 than a 73. Stronger action.

Good point Bill! For the average guy/shooter/hunter, the 1894 is the most desireable. For the average collector who knows his Winchesters, the 1886 is tops. For the well heeled, the 1866 is #1.

My personal list (money excluded) of favorite Winchesters is:

1886
1895
1892
1894
1885
1873
You can lump the 71's, 76's, 55's, 53's, 64's, 65's, '66's into a big pile with the 71 being my favorite and the 64 at the bottom. The '76 is the only one I have never owned as I never wanted to stretch my bucks for a gun with unseen problems as many of them (like 1873's) have.--------Sixgun

[rangerider7]

I was thinking not of my personal taste but of desireable to own because of worth. I would think it would be, just my opinion:


Henry
1866
1876
1886
1873
1895
1892
71
1894
53
64
55
65

[KirkD]

I keep records of Winchester's sold at Cabela's and from what I get from that I think the list would go something like this.

Did you account for differences in volume due to number produced?

By the way, my ranking was based on how fast the particular model sells up here and how much people are paying for them. For example, there are a lot more 1886's than Model 53's, but the 86's will sell for about double what a 53 sells for. There are tons of '73's and '92's, but they seem to sell fast, though not for a lot of money, and the 73's sell faster than a 1892. A '76 sells right now for a hefty price.

[Kansas Ed]

I think these lists are interesting. Especially Kirks view on the Canadian supply. I noticed that Kirk ranked the 71 lower than the '73 and the '95 in the lower half. Since the average Canadians typically used more powerful cartridges than the average Americans this would indicate that there are just more of the 71s' and '95s' available up north. And interesting also that the lower powered '73's which were a staple of the American West and more common here, were possibly less thought of up north. Now since the supply is lower in the north, the comparative value is higher.

I started collecting Winchesters back in 89 when I moved from the Midwest to Wyo. Back then, every one was after the 7mag and 300 mags out there. The great elk rifles. So there was a lot of reasonable deals on nice lever guns which were thought of at the time as worthless for real hunting. I had seen the prices many of these were commanding in the midwest, and started buying when my savings would allow. I suppose that is the advantage to seeing the different trends in different areas.

Great subject to be bantering around.

Ed

[winchester1886]

Kirk I go on Cabela's and Leroy Merz sites nearly every day, at cabela's I actually keep a written record of 86 sales, I would say it is probably gut feel, I think for people that money is not a problem I think the list would go something like that, but I guess it depends on where your coming from, if I was going to Alaska and could take only one rifle it would be a smokeles 86 carbine in 50 cal, if I couldn get one of those in good condition it would be a 71. I love posts like this one should be more of it. Nothing to do with this topic but Leroy Merz has a 71 Winchester deluxe possibly unfired for $2760..00 which I thought was a pretty fair price.

[KirkD]

... if I was going to Alaska and could take only one rifle it would be a smokeles 86 carbine in 50 cal,

I have a terrible weakness for '86 carbines, though the price of them has pretty much determined that I have never owned one (except for a modern Browning '86 SRC I once had).

[rangerider7]

I have two. One is a shooter the other is probably not a shooter. It is just a little too good to drag to the woods. I love them too.

[winchester1886]

Probably in all reality if I was going to Alaska I would be taking a Browning 86 in good ole 45-70, the other thing I just went back on Leroy Merz site and that 71 I mentioned has gone up in price it is now $3500-00, thought it seemed kind of cheap at $2760-00, never seen to many gun dealers give to much away.