doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Winchester Model 55 question w/pics

I'm researching a Winchester Model 55 I am considering purchasing. It's a 30W.C.F. solid frame gun that is serial numbered in the M94 range, 10783XX which dates it to 1930.

The gun looks great, 99%. I can find no evidence of a reblue, no dished screw holes, all the screws look perfect, no carry wear on the receiver bottom. The barrel is beginning to get a slight plum cast to the blue but it's not thinning anywhere. The wood has a few dings but all the varnish is there and has aged beautifully.

I looked at a lot of online auctions and even guns in high condition from this era seem to have a bit of flaking on the receiver, the gun I am looking at has absolutely none. Is this alone cause for suspicion?

The flash pictures show the color of the blue, I was having some issues with the old point & shoot so some were taken w/o flash.

thanks, Rob

Looks like a very nice and high condition M55. They are not common.

I've never even heard of a 55 Winchester but it sure is very nice, and I bet it looks a lot better in life than in the photos too.

The one thing that surprises me though is that it looks like the final polishing was up and down across the action instead of lengthwise as I would have finished it. Is this diagnostic of factory guns? I'm interested in learning if there are any special tricks to identifying something like that.

Brent

I have the same question about the final factory polishing. What direction is it supposed to be? Does it normally show at all?

I'd like to know about the polishing as well, perhaps I can find out more info.

thanks, Rob

I think what you have there is a very nice hand polished reblue. The grit marks should be vertical but very parallel because they were factory polished on a large wheel. That rifles grit marks show signs of a hand polish because it's very difficult to keep them parallel. Also, if you look closely at the barrel stampings, you don't see any slightly raised edges that usually occur from the roll stamp. One more clue is the barrel turning a plum color as a hot blue will do after some years because of the high nickle content in the steel. From the color of the blue, I would say it was dipped in Dulite salts as they give a more blue look than some of the other salts used. Just my nickles worth.

What Bob said. The polish marks were the first clue for me but there are a few other questionable areas as well. But, altogether, it's a splendid refinish of a very rare factory offering and would grace almost anyone's collection.
Regards, Joe

Yes, Bob nailed it.

I emailed the photos to the Winchester Collector's Assoc. president who said "The gun clearly appears to have been refinished�.."

I also emailed Turnbull's and they told me that while the direction of the polishing is correct (vertical), their assessment is that since the lines are not parallel it's a refinish.

While looking at the barrel in sunlight today I see it's not turning plum but rather is a grayer blue than the receiver.

When I first handled the gun last night I immediately thought "refinish". But the owner who is a friend said it wasn't so I didn't pursue it, looking at the job at night I didn't see any rounded edges, no dished screw holes,etc. It looked that good.

The pictures showed up the polishing marks though and the truth comes out.


I am learning to trust first impressions...

Thank you gentlemen.

As you've already discovered, it's been repolished and blued.
1930 production,,the receiver should be Carbonia Blue (Machine Blue) and the bbl rust blue.
You're correct in that the type of receiver blue flakes and wears off much more easily than the bbl blue. Leaving many otherwise pristine rifles with receivers showing less than perfect bluing coverage.

The polishing directions are correct (rotational,,not lengthwise) except for one missing.
On the sides of the leveractions, the rebate scallop cut at the rear of the side is not parallel to the rebate cut at the front.

That makes the polisher take an extra cut or sweep at the rear rebate to polish that area at a slight angle to the rest of the side.
The slight variance in width of that angled polish cut is more easily seen on some than others,,probably just a result of who rather than how it was done.

It shows wider if done after the side was parallel polished,,very narrow if done first. But in every case it's still present.
It's all done on belts and hard wheels. No hand polishing afterwards. Straight even polishing grit lines.
Nothing of the back and forth scratch pattern seen from hand polishing.

The sharp edges of machine polishing are missing here. The best of careful hand polishing will dull the edges.
Those crisp sharp lines on early firearms like Colt & S&W were put there with polishing belts and wheels.
It takes alot of skill to do that holding the part in your hands against a wheel.
The polishers in the old factorys were amoung the highest if not the highest paid skilled workers

I can't see it in the pics, but the serial number stampings should be standing proud and sharp as they were done after the polishing was done.

The proof mark on the recv'r looks slightly different in oval shape fom the bbl mark. Can't see the W/P markings inside the oval to compare.
They both should obviously be the same and done through the blue.
They were applied to a finished & blued firearm,,and should show it.

Aftermarked Winchester and other proof and mfg'r marking stamps are available for restoration work.
They aren't always represented as such however.

Rob:

When I reblue Winchester lever guns I hand polish in the direction that I think the factory did. I pull the barrel and rust blue it for contrast as I believe the factory did.

Whoever did the model 55 polished the receiver in the wrong direction as so many gunsmiths do because it's easier, also it appears to have been machine buffed.

As long as you know it's a re-blue and the gun is priced accordingly.

This '94 38-55 of mine is circa 1917 and I restored the gun, blueing and wood etc. trying to keep it in theme with the factory work, i.e. colors, hand polishing in the right direction etc. This is what I think they should look like IMO, but none-the-less, still a re-blue but I like it.



Best,