Need help idenifying value??

[erikroach]

Hello,

I am new to this forum and firearms in genaral especially antiques. Im pending a barter deal with a local internet user on craigslist. He needs a mac computer i put up for barter. He has offered me 3 riffles for trade he said he has no idea what there worth and received them from an elderly friend who has passed away. He has listed them as 1886 Remington rifle, 1898 Springfield rifle and 1850 musket rifle. Can anyone tell me if there real or have any value or if there worth trading a $1500 computer. Thanks for your help in advance see pictures.

[larrybtoast]

Those are damn pretty

[XP100]

If the 1898 Springfield is a genuine carbine it is worth quite a bit. They quit making all those rifles a long time ago.and they still make Mac computers.
What will the computer compared to the guns be worth in 5 or 10 yrs.?
I would swap but then again I am a gun nut and can get another computer for a lot less than 1500.00.

[rhmc24]

One simple reality: in a year or so the computer will be obsolete, worth a quarter of what it's worth now and in a year the guns will be a little more antique and worth a little more than now.

[Jim K]

The Model 1898 (Krag) is probably a cut down rifle, or at least has a rifle stock, since carbines did not have sling swivels, plus the pistol grip has been added. It also does not appear to have a rear sight. Value would be around $200 on the used gun rack, maybe less if the bore is in poor condition.

The Remington is probably 7mm, one of many thousands imported in the 1960's. The number is not factory; it was probably put on by whatever country the gun was sold to originally. If the bore is in good condition, it would be in the same price range as the Krag, maybe a bit less.

The caplock is a half stock rifle, not a musket. We would need better pictures, especially of any markings, and the caliber before setting a value, as there have been many similar guns made in recent years that are shooters, but have no collector or antique value.

HTH

Jim

[erikroach]

Originally Posted by erikroach

Hello,

I am new to this forum and firearms in genaral especially antiques. Im pending a barter deal with a local internet user on craigslist. He needs a mac computer i put up for barter. He has offered me 3 riffles for trade he said he has no idea what there worth and received them from an elderly friend who has passed away. He has listed them as 1886 Remington rifle, 1898 Springfield rifle and 1850 musket rifle. Can anyone tell me if there real or have any value or if there worth trading a $1500 computer. Thanks for your help in advance see pictures.

Thanks for all the input guys i attached the only other 3 pictures he sent me. I know computers are definitely replaceable. My main concern is authenticity. The guy claims these are all the markings he can find seen in the pics. Honestly the computer is only worth $800 now that its two years old. I would rather have the guns i just want to make sure i can't go buy the same ones some where cheaper then i can sell the computer for. Basically just need someone to tell me to pull the trigger no pun intended.

[Jim K]

I am not sure what you mean by authenticity. The Krag and the Remington are authentic, that is they are really those rifles, not reproductions or fakes. But to collectors, the condition is all important and the further a gun is from the original condition the less it is worth in relation to one that is in original condition.

The values I gave are about what those guns, as shown, would be worth at retail, that is what a gun dealer would ask for them, not what a dealer would give you for them.

I can't evaluate the percussion rifle because I do not have enough information to determine if it is actually an antique or if it is a modern replica. It is not a matter of disbelieving what the other person says - he might not know himself what it is.

As to whether that trade would be to your advantage, I can't tell without knowing what the third rifle is. Certainly the values on the first two are low; if the other one is a replica, it is probably worth no more than $250, depending on the maker. If it is an antique, then it may well be worth several used computers.

Jim

[rhmc24]

The percussion 'rifle' looks more like a shotgun to me -- no rear sight, octagon to round barrel. As a shotgun, worth a bit less than a rifle, but seems real and of good utility quality, my guestimate up to maybe $400 as a better-than-average piece for over the fireplace. Best sale possibility to a hi-dollar interior desecrator (decorator?). As usual, all subject to hands-on exam.

[CHW2021]

Personally, I believe that you can't go wrong with the deal; make the swap. A decent condition Krag is a good start to a collection, find the rear sight and start researching the gun. The percussion gun will need a bit of research before a value could be assigned, regardless, it is certainly interesting.

Please remember that condition is everything, do not get carried away cleaning or refinishing these guns untill you have a better idea of the origin/value for them. I would probably assign a higher value to the Krag than Jim K. but will not argue with experience.

[erikroach]

Thanks guys! Still haven't met up with the guy its a bit of a drive probably be another week if i do it. Open to any more opinions till then. Thanks again!

[Ken W]

I would love to come across a Krag for $200. Shops around here want $800 - $900 for ones similar to that. Needless to say there's no way whatsoever I'm ever paying such an outrageous price.
I'd definitely go for the trade. I'd love to have all three of those.

[BETH]

so pm the guy maybe he will sell them to u

[jjmitchell60]

The percussion is a shotgun a stated and looks original to the time period (to a degree) of the mid 1800s to 1880 BUT it was made in the Hawken style from what I see (has me wondering as to if a shotgun barrel was put on a hawkin stock) and has issues that take value away from collecters but nothing major that can be seen of the pictures. With that said collector value is not that much anyways. The Krag as stated is a cut down but by whom, anyones guess up to the NRA being they cut many and sold them in the early to mid 1900s. Stock has been altered though. The 7mm interests me. IF it is originally that short from the factory it could be worth the most even though it was for export. Most of those rolling blocks were longer so was it originally a carbine or iwa it cut down, good question.
Prices, if good bore the Krag will fetch $300 at any gun show.
If the percussion is good as to barrel and no cracks on stock, it will sell for between $200 and $400 depending on where you try to sell it. Sell it on the black powder forums or at Friendship IN and it will bring the upper end of $400 but if on the forums more and better pictures/description will be a must.
The 7mm is the wild card IMHO and venturing to guess that it is a cut down it will bring $400 to $600 on the online auctions if a good bore, no cracks, and all works well.
The 2 major online auctions are a god place to get a rough idea as o value.
So on low end you are looking at $900 on the guns and high end is open due to if the 7mm is a cut down or not and the percussion could be a wild card in itself IMHO as a vivid black powder shooter.

Bottom line is IMHO you haave been given good info and advice well before I posted in what others have said. The guns will be worth more than the MAC and any computer savy person knows it. Take a computer to a pawn shop and a gun, see which gets the most attention from the ones behind the counter and which gets the fastest loan/buy offer. In this area, the guns.

Take the adbice from otehrs who replied and make a trade IMHO.

[Iron Eagle]

Pull the trigger. They don't make those anymore.