mawkie
C&R Whisperer
-A couple of years ago I posted about a day trip to a central PA sportsman auction in chase of a near new condition Winchester 57. Sadly someone with deeper pockets took it home that day and I settled for an extremely nice Savage NRA target rifle.
-Fast forward to today and there's another auction with a slew of nice Winchesters. Listed in the catalog is a very solid Winnie 57 so I bookmark it. Auction day comes and bidding on the 57 is tepid so I decide what the heck, I'll throw 2-3 bids at it. Can't win if you don't play! Surprise, surprise I get it for about $100 under my line-in-the-sand price! On a roll lately!
-She shows up to day in a box that was beat to death but luckily the Winnie is OK, no damage. Stock has probably been very lightly sanded. Can't tell for sure if it's been re-blued but if it was someone knew his business because all the marks are sharp and crisp. She's a keeper and I'm not upset that I missed out on that first 57. Even found a Winchester issue Kerr sling for it on Evil Pay for $65.
-This example was built in 1928. Overall production of the 57 ran from 1926-1937 with roughly 19k built. The 57 Target and 56 Sporter were slotted below the 52 in Winchester's product line, intended as modest costing .22 rifles. By all accounts it's an accurate rifle but at 5 lbs it was knocked as being a bit too light and after handling the 75 I concur. But it's a little gem that sadly was introduced only a few years before the Great Depression.
-Fast forward to today and there's another auction with a slew of nice Winchesters. Listed in the catalog is a very solid Winnie 57 so I bookmark it. Auction day comes and bidding on the 57 is tepid so I decide what the heck, I'll throw 2-3 bids at it. Can't win if you don't play! Surprise, surprise I get it for about $100 under my line-in-the-sand price! On a roll lately!
-She shows up to day in a box that was beat to death but luckily the Winnie is OK, no damage. Stock has probably been very lightly sanded. Can't tell for sure if it's been re-blued but if it was someone knew his business because all the marks are sharp and crisp. She's a keeper and I'm not upset that I missed out on that first 57. Even found a Winchester issue Kerr sling for it on Evil Pay for $65.
-This example was built in 1928. Overall production of the 57 ran from 1926-1937 with roughly 19k built. The 57 Target and 56 Sporter were slotted below the 52 in Winchester's product line, intended as modest costing .22 rifles. By all accounts it's an accurate rifle but at 5 lbs it was knocked as being a bit too light and after handling the 75 I concur. But it's a little gem that sadly was introduced only a few years before the Great Depression.
