[capanther]

I am looking for some information and value for a 1893 38 55 ....with the octagon barrel ..... i searched the serial number and it was made in 1906..........i took it to a friend of mine who is a gun dealer and he said it was in good condition and shooting shape........i will add pictures later , i am at work now...........i have did some searching on the internet and i have seen prices that range from 1800.00 to 3500.00 and another peson told me not to sell it less than 10000.00..... i find that a little hard to believe...........so i thought this would be a good place to come and get some opinions from some good people who like to talk about old guns.......again..i am probably opening myself up for a variety of answers...but good knowlegable peoples comments will be greatly appreciated,

capnther

 

[Flyin Brian]

Welcome to the forum!

We definitely need good photos to be able to start the guessing on a value but I will say it's mainly depending on condition and bore condition. If it has some special features like a pistol grip stock, engraving, or if it's a takedown model, then the value will be higher.

 

[drjjpdc]

Cap,

Here's what you do. Go over to the Gunbroker site. Search for lever rifles. Then go to advanced search. At the top of the form is a tab that says completed sales. Click on that tab and plug it Marlin 1893 .38-55. Hit the search box.

You will now get a accurate estimation of what that gun actually sells for (at least on GB).
Good luck and like Brian says, try to get some more pictures.

John

 

[capanther]

thanks....the bore is in good shape ....a friend of the dealer who is interested in it search for ammunition and found that...i will probably buy that too.....ill try to upload pictures tonight or sometime this weekend...thanks for all the help.....the gun was my father in laws and and before him his father's ........

 

[lever addict]

Without good case color on the receiver, good original wood, original sights, special order features a plus and condition..condition...condition a collector would not even want it. NOW a guy who wants it for a shooter is another thing. At the price range you state $1800-$3500 it better look like it's been barely used since the day it was made! Like new...could be over $10,000 and up! PICTURES!

Here's an example of a nice one in that price range.
http://www.marlinowners.com/forum/marlin-collectors/144567-picked-up-new-1893-a.html





Here's a shooter. No case left. A basic nothing special 1893 that saw a lot of use over the years.

 

[capanther]

thanks for the info...i had thoughts of selling the gun....but i have decided to keep it......one guy is looking for ammo.....i know i have went online and most of the sites it is out of stock......any suggestions on a good place to find it.....again, thanks for the help.

 

[Flyin Brian]

Ammo for a 38-55 is easy to find on gunbroker. I see a lot of Winchester Frontiersman and such "collectible" type ammo but it's not cheap. You should probably expect to pay $35+ per box of 20 rounds plus shipping, but if you are just looking to try shooting your rifle, that is the easiest solution.

 

[DesmoEd]

.......and here is what a $4000 Marlin (1894) should look like

The true antiques (pre-1899) do tend to bring more money as well