Winchester Model 21 Records

[budrichard]

A few years back I was offered a 20 gauge 'Grand American' set for sale at an asking price of $20K that was consigned to a dealer.
A request from Cody got the following record from the Winchester archives.
The serial #31067 was for a 28 gauge Model 21!
I went to examine the 20 gauge and found just about everything consistant with a 21-6 with inlays but the color of the wood was slightly different than any Winchester Model 21 I had ever seen. Hard to describe but maybe just a slight reddish hue. In any event I passed on the gun even though I could have picked it up for less than asking as I judged it not to be a 'Grand American' and of course the Cody record further supported my conclusion.
Now, what exactly happened will/may never be known. An error in the serial # of the inspectors part on the document submitted to Winchester after his inspection? I can't concieve of someone taking a factory Model 28 gauge and using the frame to make up a 'Grand American' which would require the acqusition of two 20 gauge barrels. I'm afraid the truth is lost to the ages.
My conjecture is that there are two Winchester Model 21's out there with the same serial #, one the 20 gauge set I viewed and the other the 28 gauge set in the Cody record. The 20 gauge set is not a 'Grand American' but either a 21-6/inlays or a very well done upgrade.
In any event, the lesson to be learned is that Winchester Factory records are not infallible and may in some cases have been added to over the years.
Winchester Factory Model 21's with no Cody record are not rare. I purchased one 'Custom Built' with no record and judged it factory. Dealers with whom I respect have told me that only at the top end of Model 21 such a Pigeon or 'Grand American' do they insist on a Factory Record. They personally examined the 'Custom Built' i purchased and believed it to be Factory. One of the dealers eventually purchased the gun from me and some happy Winchester Model 21 owner is shooting the gun today.-Dick

[durco]

For whatever it is worth, my 21 wood has a sort of reddish hue also.
As for the letter stating that it was a 28, I am a long-time single-action colt collector and letters from Colt archives too often have what are considered errors as to caliber, finish or barrel length. Many of these Colt revolvers have been studied by experts and judged to be correct, the only conclusion being there was a mistake made in the shipping ledger entry years ago when the piece was newly built. It is a shame, since a "bad letter" puts a cloud on an otherwise great gun.
As my colt mentor once told me, "At some point, when you develop an expert level of knowledge, you stop "buying the letter" and just "buy the gun". I believe that is what you are implying in your comments.....
Mike