Winchester BB

[lead4me]

I saw my elderly neighbor lady trying to clean out her garage yesterday so I walked over to see if I could help. She is a widow her husband passed about 10 years ago. After about 3 hours of work she asked me inside to have a cup of coffee. She asked me to wait and left the room she returned with this, and said her late husband had bought it for her, but shortly thereafter got sick and they never got to go on their deer hunt. She said she was sick of moving it around her house and wondered if I might like to buy it. As I was looking at the rifle she returned with a shoe box with 10 boxes of ammo & only 1 was empty.
I don't know much about the .375 WBB is this a good whitetail round? What else is it good for? Do they like cast boolits? And I gave her 225.00 for it, the tag says it was almost 300.00 when new. Not much online about this round other than it didn't sell well and was discontinued. Any opinions on this rifle?




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[Hickory]

At even $300 its worth the money.
Buy it!

[northmn]

I had one once but never shot it as it wad part of a trade for a ML. Wished I would have kept it. The 375 Big Bore 94 cartridge is sort of a souped up 38-55 and more than adequate for deer. Loads were available in 200 and 250 grain bullets. I believe the bore is an honest 375 as compared to the 380+ found on 38-55's. Cartridges are very similar but not interchangeable. The Big Bore 94's were Winchesters attempt to modernize the 94 and were good rifles that turned out to be flops. Two other cartridges in that rifle were the 356 and 307 both comparable to the 308 and 358. Marlin has done a similar thing with a 30 caliber but now have the Leverevolution bullets to make it more paractical in tube magazines. Really makes you wonder how practical a 308 is that can only use flat or round nose bullets? Same for the 356. Also why just a 20 inch barrel? It should be an angle eject which makes it more compatable with a scope.

Northmn

[runfiverun]

the 375 win bb goes for about 7 bills.
and is a prized rifle by collectors in that condition.
it shoots cast as good as jacketed.
i use the slightly longer 38-55 brass in mine with a plain based 265 gr boolit.
some h=322 with a filler at about 1500 fps.
it was the load i had worked up [and worked on hard] for my marlin and it shoots twice as good in the win right out the gate.
you have 2 choices for jaxketed horn 220 and sierra 225.
in cast there is about 15 choices but for top end stuff the lyman gas check usually works just fine.

[MT Gianni]

When Win brought it out they told everyone the 375 & 38-55 were not interchangeable. When they dropped 375 ammo they told all owners to use 38-55 ammo. I would consider it a steal at twice that price with out the box and ammo in 85% condition.
Consider "gunshowing" 1/2 the ammo if the price is right.

[bigbear]

With all due respect, I'd give the old lady another $100, even at $450 the rifle and things in your pic are a steal in my opinion. I paid $500 for mine 2 years ago from a fair fellow and am quite happy still with the deal. Check the auction sites, just my thoughts,please take no offense. It is a real pleasure to shoot and load far. Incredibly accurate with minimal load work up.375 Win ammo is about $40/box by the way.

[lead4me]

With all due respect, I'd give the old lady another $100, even at $450 the rifle and things in your pic are a steal in my opinion. I paid $500 for mine 2 years ago from a fair fellow and am quite happy still with the deal. Check the auction sites, just my thoughts,please take no offense. It is a real pleasure to shoot and load far. Incredibly accurate with minimal load work up.375 Win ammo is about $40/box by the way.

None taken, that was all I had at the moment, I looked up the ammo and I see that it is quite pricey. When the funds become available I will make her whole. Her friends at the Senior Center wanted her to take it in for the local gun buy back program "to get it out of the house" but she would have none of it. She also showed me her home protection piece, a double barrel "stage coach 12 gauge" looked a little short to me but who's telling:roll: said it belonged to her grandfather shes pretty salty I wouldn't go in unasked.
On a side note it anyone who has one of these would like a repo of the paperwork "hang tags, warranty papers ect.." just ask would be happy to get them to you.

[76 WARLOCK]

Check the prices on Gun Broker .com I have two and would not part with them. I think $700 is the going price for a NIB.

[NickSS]

I had one and like an idiot sold it after shooting a couple boxes of ammo through it. Several years later I paid $400 for a Marlin 336 in that caliber but I could not get it to shoot, I sent it to Marlin and had them put a cowboy 38-55 barrel, magazine and they also through in a new pistol grip butt stock. I might own the only pistol grip 38-55 marlin as far as I know. The 375 Win or a 38-55 are both premium deer cartridges and the 375 loaded with a 250 gr slug at max will also serve for elk as well.

[Four Fingers of Death]

I had one and like an idiot sold it after shooting a couple boxes of ammo through it. Several years later I paid $400 for a Marlin 336 in that caliber but I could not get it to shoot, I sent it to Marlin and had them put a cowboy 38-55 barrel, magazine and they also through in a new pistol grip butt stock. I might own the only pistol grip 38-55 marlin as far as I know. The 375 Win or a 38-55 are both premium deer cartridges and the 375 loaded with a 250 gr slug at max will also serve for elk as well.

Me too, got a good price for it, but still wondering why I sold it???????????????

Great gun. I'd be taking her and extra $100 when I could afford it.

The fact that you know the history of the gun makes it much more valuable as far as I'm concerned.

[oldhickory]

I regret not buying one about 10 years ago for more than you paid. Fine gun.

[Hurricane]

You have a great gun. With 10 boxes of ammo you also have a lifetime supply of cases to reload if you use moderate loads such as cast bullets. You should be able to use 38-55 cast bullet data for reloading. If you don't already reload, this is a good time to start as factory ammo is very expensive. That rifle is capable of any hunting need most people will have. Enjoy you new rifle.

[Charlie Sometimes]

Man, I'm glad that didn't end up in a cutting room somewhere! Gun buy back program? I'm glad that lady knows what is right! You got a GREAT DEAL there. Keep all the ammo, shoot and reload until your hearts content. Goes to show that a good deed will not go unrewarded!:D

I'm still kicking myself for getting rid of the one I had a few years ago........:bootgive:

[jlchucker]

I always wondered how those would be as a cast-boolit only rifle. I wondered too long, they went off the market, and now they are too expensive unless one can run into a deal like you did. I agree with the others, though. Getting it from a backwoods "dealer" for what you paid is one thing--but when you can afford to, you sound like a gentleman about to do a good thing by giving her more money for that gun. They are asking huge prices on Gunbroker and at shows for these. More if in the box unfired.

[Bret4207]

Grab it, never even think of letting it go!

[stubshaft]

I could never figure out why it wasn't as popular as it should have been.

Light, handy and packed a decent punch.

I still have mine with a Lyman reciever sight designed for the BB rifles.

Buy it now and never loog back.

[pmeisel]

Nice gun. I wish she was my neighbor.

Maybe she used to be, I lived in Belleville 30 years ago!

[lead4me]

I could never figure out why it wasn't as popular as it should have been.

Light, handy and packed a decent punch.

I still have mine with a Lyman reciever sight designed for the BB rifles.

Buy it now and never loog back.

What is the number of that sight? I would like to add one to mine as I always liked the look & function of a good peep sight. Also what cast boolit do you shoot in yours? I would like to use this on Black Bear & Whitetail. Looking at the ballistic tables this rifle & the .460 S&W pistol are really similar.

[runfiverun]

never could figure the reasoning on the shorter cased slightly smaller diameter higher pressured round that would definately chamber in the older guns.

[mack1]

The ammo is worth at least 80-100$ the 375 BB with the box 600$ if you needed fast cash.

[pmeisel]

lead4me, tell that fine old lady that a bunch of us admire her judgment and wish her well. At least me...

[Frank46]

I had gone to a local gun show and a dealer had a nice one on the table. Seeing as how all I could find was a clunky marlin in the same caliber with rust in and out I gave it some serious thought. Then passed on it. Couple days later called the dealer and he still had it in stock. You guessed it, told him it's mine and would be down in an hour to pick it up. When I got there he told me they were just going to put it up on one of the auction sites when I called. I already had brass, bullets and cases long before I bought it. Beautiful condition, mint bore. Cost was $500 otd and glad I bought it. Frank

[lead4me]

lead4me, tell that fine old lady that a bunch of us admire her judgment and wish her well. At least me...

I will pass it on, I really admire her for staying in her home at her age and making it work. I mean she has 2 acre's that she mows & keeps up, she is always out working in and about her home & she has a walker. It has just been in the last couple of years that she has allowed us to lend a hand. I just hope that when I hit my 80's I'm still doing the same!!

[hammerhead357]

Sounds like she is a fine woman and takes nothing from anyone. I sure wouldn't want to face her with that shotgun....Treat her well and help when she will let you. They can be very independent at times and want to be that way too. It keeps them healthy...Wes

[pmeisel]

They can be very independent at times and want to be that way too. It keeps them healthy...Wes

My Aunt Doris kept a quarter acre garden and painted her own house (one side a year) until she was in her mid eighties. Stayed in the house with a smaller garden until she lost her eyesight a few years later, and didn't let her blindness keep her from writing letter and getting the responses read to her until she finally passed at about 95 or so..... and kept her sense of humor all the way.

[silverbuzzard]

I'll give ya 226.00

[Four Fingers of Death]

My old Dad is 89 and an ex WW2 jungle fighter. Until he had a fall a year and punctured his right eyeball he was on top of everything, painting gardening, clearing leaves out of the gutters on top of a big ladder, etc. He also drove interstate regularly to visit my sister and attend army get togethers, etc. We have a big march here to commemorate Anzac Day on Sunday. He has marched every year since 1945. He's just about buggered, but he will be marching in a wheelchair probably for the last time on Sunday. True Grit!

I invited him on a hunting trip some years back and he said the only thing he shoots is Japs and they don't let you shoot them anymore.

I sure have a hankering for a big bore and I will find a 444 one day!

[blackpowder man]

I gave over $600 for mine, but the wood was better than i've seen on a 94 before.
Only thing is i swear my rear sight dovetail is cut wrong so one of those williams peep sights is in my near future. Have one on my marlin and it does well. Just be sure you get fp sight model 94/375 the others won't work. Like someone else said 38-55 loads work great with cast.