What's it worth

[Snake-eye, SASS#45097]

 

What would a stock Marlin 1894 in .32 H&R be worth? 

Local auction will have one offered. Pictures and description indicate like new with the box. I shoot a pair of Ruger .32's and a '73. I thought it would be nice to have a matched rifle caliber to the pistol in .32. 

 

[Widder, SASS #59054]

Howdy Snake-eye.

 

That may be one of the hardest questions to answer.....correctly.   Basically, its what you are willing

to pay for it.   And I don't mean that as a 'smart a$$' answer.

 

The .32's have been all over the board in the past 4-5 years.   Mainly due to their rarity.

Marlin only produced about 600 or 700 of these..... and I've been told its more like only 600, but I

don't know the actual number.

 

They are GREAT rifles.   I have modified a few of them for other Cowboy shooters and they are 

top competitors, if the owner can shoot em fast enough.

They are actually short stroked from the factory.    But they do have some factory flaws which

need to be addressed, even if you don't have any special work done to them.

For example, of the few I have worked on, most of them required the 'Portal' to be opened up

because its diameter would sometimes stop the rim of a cartridge from pushing thru

IF that rim was on the large side of SAAMI specs.

 

As for price, I sold a like new, yet modified and race ready .32 H&R 1894 a couple years back for

$1850.    There were 3 Cowboys interested and none of them made me a lesser offer.

$1850 was my price and all 3 were willing to pay it just to get that rifle.

 

Today, I hear stories of some GOOD condition .32's going for $1800 up to $2500, depending upon

modifications already in the rifle and the owners urgency to sell.

Of course, these are prices among Cowboy shooters who know their value as a competition rifle.

 

At an auction, you may get lucky and get it for $1000 - $1200.   Who knows, maybe less.

 

As for the value of mine and some of the other 'Cowboy' owners of these,  I wouldn't sell mine

for $2500.    I probably wouldn't sell it for anything less than $5000 because its MINE and it is

rare.

 

If you can find one in top condition, such as you stated, anything under $2000 would be considered

a 'Nice Find'.   Of course, this is just my opinion.

 

EDIT:  A fellow Cowboy shooter recently told me he saw a Marlin 1894 in .32 H&R for sale on

one of the 'guns for sale' websites listed for $3000.   It was described as NIB.

 

..........Widder

 

[bgavin]

1 hour ago, Widder, SASS #59054 said:

I wouldn't sell mine for $2500.    I probably wouldn't sell it for anything less than $5000 because its MINE and it is rare.

..........Widder

 

I feel exactly the same way about my Bisley Vaqueros, for exactly  the same reasons.
Some pieces are just keepers forever.

[Phantom, SASS #54973]

Current market value is in the low to mid teens.

 

Phantom

[Snake-eye, SASS#45097]

Thanks to all for the info.