Nice Discovery

[Pygmy]

Since The Mermaid and and I have been together, she has talked about a gun that belonged to her father that was supposedly buried SOMEWHERE in her sister's cluttered upstairs, but hadn't been seen in years.

Well, Sister Gracie called yesterday and said she had found the gun(s)..It turned out that there two of them. I hurried over to identify the long lost treasures. She brought them down the stairs wrapped in old pillowcases.

The first one was an old Stevens M94 16 gauge single shot marked Wards Western Field. It has seen lots of use, and the bluing and case hardening are mostly gone.It has a plastic stock and forend, and the buttplate is missing. It seems mechanically sound and functional, but hardly rates as a valuable heirloom. It looks like the gun that kept in the milkhouse for years and years to deal with varmints around the barn.

The OTHER one, however, was a jewel...

It is a Winchester M1892 saddle ring carbine in 32-20. Despite years of neglect, it is still in at least NRA "Good" condition. The stock is sound , with a few dents and digs but no cracks. The barrel bluing is pretty good, with some surface rust and minor pitting. The receiver has more bluing wear, mostly from handling and carrying, I suspect. The screw heads are not buggered..It doesn't appear to have been taken apart by an amateur gunsmith. As far as I can tell the bore and rifling are in good shape, albeit in need of a good cleaning. The action is tight and crisp. All parts appear original. It was made in 1912.

I am looking forward to giving a good (gentle) cleaning. I don't intend to shoot it. Perhaps we can find a nice place to display it and someday one of The Mermaid's sons or Grandsons will inherit it.

[grampy]

Those old "family" guns are a joy to look at and pass down. Even if they are not to be shot. But if it were me, I'd just have to shoot that old Winchester!

[maytom]

Great find Danno!!! Wonder what the value of that gun would be in todays collector market?

[Pygmy]

I checked some auctions and similar M92s in that condition are going for upward of $1500, maybe more if you find a collector who's looking for one.

I may shoot it a few times, Grampy.It wouldn't hurt the value. Cool little carbine . If it had the oversized lever loop it would look just like the one John Wayne carried in many of his movies.

And ya can take that to the bank, PILGRIM !

[airedale]

Nice find Dan, those 92s are fine rifles.

 

 

Al

[Lawdwaz]

Well that is certainly a neat deal! 

 

Any idea how long it has been in mothballs?

 

Any ammo or other trinkets discovered?

[BizCT]

The mermaids sister is Gracie? Figured it was unicorn

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[ants]

Nice find!! Stuff like that never happens to me.I have two friends who are general contractors. One found an old Winchester 1897 shotgun, in a closet of a house he was remodeling. He told the 80 something year old woman, who owned the property, about it. She said she thought it was her fathers old gun, and told him to keep it. It was /is in very respectable shape.

My other buddy was remodeling a big old house , I think in Buffalo. The house was supposedly once the home of a 1930's- 40's gangster. My buddy found an old Savage .32 auto pistol in a wall. It was wrapped in a rag that was so old it just fell apart when he touched it. He has it on his permit.

Edited April 20, 2016 by ants

[Pygmy]

Well that is certainly a neat deal! 

 

Any idea how long it has been in mothballs?

 

Any ammo or other trinkets discovered?

The Mermaid's Dad kicked the bucket around 1980, so the rifle has been in Sister Gracie's upstairs bedroom for perhaps 35 + years with no attention whatsoever. Fortunately it was a relatively dry environment.

No other goodies found at this time, but who knows WHAT else might be buried in Gracie's house..

[The_Real_TCIII]

Whatever you do, don't post a picture...

Edited April 21, 2016 by The_Real_TCIII

[Pygmy]

Whatever you do, don't post a picture...

You're going to shame me into learning how to do that, aren't you ?

I still miss my dial telephone!

[Lawdwaz]

You're going to shame me into learning how to do that, aren't you ?

 

 

I'm going to pass the hat to fund uploading classes when we go for chicken & biscuits.....

[Buckmaster7600]

What a find! Let's see the old girl!

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[Culvercreek hunt club]

Without a picture, it didn't happen. lol