mawkie
C&R Whisperer
-Lots of C&R today but it was of the sporting variety with lots of Winchesters and Colts. Wearing tan trousers and a red golf shirt I was a beacon in a sea of flannel and camo.
-There were three items of interest today that got me out on the road to Gettysburg. A pristine, boxed Colt Woodsman Target Match pistol, a Remington 51 in .380 and what was labeled a Savage 1907 auto pistol in .380.
-From the advance photos I knew that the Savage wasn't a 1907 but a very rare model 1915 with grip safety and magazine hold open device. I've wanted a 1915 for years now but nice examples fetch $800-900 and rarely come to market. This one was only in fair to good condition and boo-hiss, it was missing the original magazine that activates the hold open (any Savage Model 1917 magazine will work in the 1915, but it doesn't activate the hold open device lever so that feature is inoperable). Those mags are impossible to find so I put a bidding limit of $500 in my head. In the end that's exactly what it cost me to get it as one other bidder must have known what it was too and drove me to my limit. I'll keep an eye out for the right mag, might just hit the jackpot some day.
-The Colt Woodsman sold for an eye-popping $2400 which exceeded my estimate of $1500 by a long shot. It was an excellent example but somebody really wanted it bad.
-The Remington went for a very strong $575, which is current market value (it was a nice example). I'd been more interested if it was one of the harder to find .32 models.
-The Savage 1915, chambered for both .32 and .380, was only built from 1915 - 1917 during WWI before being replaced by the Model 1917 (see photo below that shows the 1915 next to a 1917, both in .380). Total production of the .380 version was 3,900. The vast majority of these, about 3,500, were built in 1915 with a mere 250 in 1916 and only 150 in 1917. Mine was one of the last 150 built in 1917. It was a failure design-wise in that the slide hold open feature didn't work well and was easily broken (I took a look at the lever that does the work and it is a bit suspect for strength). And it was a commercial failure in that Savage sold it for the same price as the previous Model 1907 but the grip safety and magazine hold open meant that it cost more to produce so profit margins were thinner. Eventually more lucrative military contracts (Savage produced Lewis guns during WWI) sidelined the 1915 for good.
-The other item I got was a wonderful Al Freeland Regal bipod spotting scope stand with two extension rods and the zoom head. I've been lurking about Evil Pay for a nice example for years but they're in demand and usually bring out lots of aggressive bidding. This time I won out cheap: $100 (these sell new for around $190 with the two extra rods).
-There were three items of interest today that got me out on the road to Gettysburg. A pristine, boxed Colt Woodsman Target Match pistol, a Remington 51 in .380 and what was labeled a Savage 1907 auto pistol in .380.
-From the advance photos I knew that the Savage wasn't a 1907 but a very rare model 1915 with grip safety and magazine hold open device. I've wanted a 1915 for years now but nice examples fetch $800-900 and rarely come to market. This one was only in fair to good condition and boo-hiss, it was missing the original magazine that activates the hold open (any Savage Model 1917 magazine will work in the 1915, but it doesn't activate the hold open device lever so that feature is inoperable). Those mags are impossible to find so I put a bidding limit of $500 in my head. In the end that's exactly what it cost me to get it as one other bidder must have known what it was too and drove me to my limit. I'll keep an eye out for the right mag, might just hit the jackpot some day.
-The Colt Woodsman sold for an eye-popping $2400 which exceeded my estimate of $1500 by a long shot. It was an excellent example but somebody really wanted it bad.
-The Remington went for a very strong $575, which is current market value (it was a nice example). I'd been more interested if it was one of the harder to find .32 models.
-The Savage 1915, chambered for both .32 and .380, was only built from 1915 - 1917 during WWI before being replaced by the Model 1917 (see photo below that shows the 1915 next to a 1917, both in .380). Total production of the .380 version was 3,900. The vast majority of these, about 3,500, were built in 1915 with a mere 250 in 1916 and only 150 in 1917. Mine was one of the last 150 built in 1917. It was a failure design-wise in that the slide hold open feature didn't work well and was easily broken (I took a look at the lever that does the work and it is a bit suspect for strength). And it was a commercial failure in that Savage sold it for the same price as the previous Model 1907 but the grip safety and magazine hold open meant that it cost more to produce so profit margins were thinner. Eventually more lucrative military contracts (Savage produced Lewis guns during WWI) sidelined the 1915 for good.
-The other item I got was a wonderful Al Freeland Regal bipod spotting scope stand with two extension rods and the zoom head. I've been lurking about Evil Pay for a nice example for years but they're in demand and usually bring out lots of aggressive bidding. This time I won out cheap: $100 (these sell new for around $190 with the two extra rods).
