Winchester Grand European

[farmer7]

I bought this gun from a friend earlier on in the year and have been having thoughts about getting it teagued, its a trap gun choked 3/4 and full. I always seem to shoot well with a trap gun for sporting/game as well as trap.

 

A few years earlier I had a Browning XT which I had teagued but there are plenty of them around. I'm wondering if I will devalue it by having this done? It's done next to nothing and still tight with the top lever well right of centre. I don't want to get the chokes eased out as I like the choking for trap so would have to be multichoked but it's just too tight for game especially. 

 

I'm not a Winchester collector so just wondered from that point of view is it going to hurt its value or should leave well alone and move it on and buy another XT?

[Hamster]

It won't hurt its value at all but at roughly £500 it's money down the drain, especially if you like tightish chokes and shoot Trap, I'd get it eased out to 1/2 & 3/4 or 5/8th and be done. That's not insanely tight for any game worth raising a gun to, will demolish Trap targets to Olympic standards and is just about the choke combo for Sporting. 

It'll cost you about a oner and make no difference to its appeal. 

[TIGHTCHOKE]

I would leave it as it is as it looks to be in very good nick.

If you really need to open up your pattern use a different shell that will throw a wider pattern through that gun.

[chrisp]

I would leave it as is unless you realy like the gun and plan to keep it long term as to some it may devalue the gun but at best you wont get the money back

[Gordon R]

The cost of Teagueing would be about the same as buying a Parker hale - 804 - same gun as Grand European. Get one and have the chokes opened up. Then keep both.

[Scully]

Personally I wouldn’t buy a GE which had been Teagued as it wouldn’t be original, but that’s just me.  As others have said, you’d just be throwing money away as it wouldn’t increase its value, but neither in my opinion would you be increasing its appeal.

[muffin]

Whatever for

[figgy]

Buy a game gun and leave the Winchester alone.

[farmer7]

Thanks for the comments chaps, I think as Hamster pointed out its money down the drain for starters and the general opinion seems to be it may affect resale value. I'll leave it alone!

[Hamster]

Just for the sake of interest I've just had a quick look at all the Winchesters up for sale on Guntrader and they range from very cheap to around £1200 for presumably minters. There are in fact one or two at the higher end of the price scale which are choked 1/4 - 1/4 and 1/4 - 1/2 and several that are choked 3/4 - Full which are well below the £1k mark. 

What exactly are we talking about when we assume its value will be affected ? I still maintain that short of making it Cyl and 1/4 the resale will simply be dependant on the right fellow walking up, 1/2 - 3/4 won't make a jot of difference, I personally would pick that over tight/tight any day. 

[Scully]

32 minutes ago, Hamster said:

Just for the sake of interest I've just had a quick look at all the Winchesters up for sale on Guntrader and they range from very cheap to around £1200 for presumably minters. There are in fact one or two at the higher end of the price scale which are choked 1/4 - 1/4 and 1/4 - 1/2 and several that are choked 3/4 - Full which are well below the £1k mark. 

What exactly are we talking about when we assume its value will be affected ? I still maintain that short of making it Cyl and 1/4 the resale will simply be dependant on the right fellow walking up, 1/2 - 3/4 won't make a jot of difference, I personally would pick that over tight/tight any day. 

You could well be right, and as you say, it’s a personal thing. The point I was trying to make is that I personally wouldn’t buy a gun such as this, which had been altered from its factory spec’, as opening it up wouldn’t, to me, add any value but would effect its appeal. 

Saying that, opening it up would be more desirable to me than having it Teagued. 

There are guns out there however, which the process would increase its appeal; for instance a mate had his Beretta 302 series shortened and Teagued. I doubt the cost of the process has increased its value though. 

For me it’s more about desirability than value. 

Edited November 27, 2018 by Scully