My 34 and my 514 are 99% guns and the Winchester is absolutely brand new. It has an interesting story. I found it at a gun show and I got it for $100. The seller was honest and told me it was worthless because "It couldn't hit a dinner plate at 50 feet." His grandfather bought it years ago to shoot rats around the farm. When he couldn't hit any, he set the gun in the closet in disgust and bought another gun. It sat in that closet, untouched, for decades. When its owner passed on, the grandson got permission to sell it and I grabbed it. The gun had had less than a box of shells run through it! The blueing is flawless and the wood is the same. I have run a few 22 shotshells through it, and it does pattern nicely. As a pristine example of an old, non classic Winchester, it is beautiful. As a practical, useful firearm, it is worthless. But it is still pretty to look at, and that makes it worth a hundred bucks to me.
The 34 and the 514 were acquired from another collector's widow, who just wanted to get rid of them. She was desperate for cash and I gave her more than they were worth, to help her out. The butt plate on the 34 was case hardened, curiously enough, and as you can see the case colors are pristine. Whenever I find an old 22 that looks to be in exceptional shape I always look first at the butt plate. they were often made of plastic or hard rubber or some other material that did not hold up well. When the gun looks good and the butt plate doesn't...... well, that is a red flag to me. The butt plates on the other two are both as new.
Now, I am a collector, and we collectors are kind of anal about shooting classic high conditioned firearms. I shoot the two Remingtons because they aren't exactly "classic" guns. They were made in the hundreds of thousands. They will never be worth more than the joy of shooting them gives me. I would shoot the Winchester if I could figure out what it is good for, besides admiring.
You have a good eye, Barbaroja. The rear sight on the 34 is indeed a 55R