The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - 1963 Winchester Model 94 .32 Special

Willie Sutton · May 21, 2012, 07:59 AM

Our only center-fire "Farm Rifle" when I was a kid was a Winchester 94 in .32 Win Special, just like yours. I've shot everything from deer to woodchucks to the odd turkey with it, starting at age 12, so....

Cartridge: The .32 Win Spl is just a .30-30 Win necked up a few thousandths of an inch to .32. It's an oddball, but was a very popular cartridge in these rifles for many years in rural America. Why? No clue... it does exactly what a .30-30 does. You have what you have, and it's a classic.

Rifle: These are great brush rifles, able to hit a gallon sized milk jug reliably at 50 yards when shot by the "average" annual deer hunter, which is pretty much all it takes to reliably put venison on the table in much of wooded America. More deer have likely fallen to the Model 94 Winchester than any other rifle built.

Are they accurate? Yeah... someone will argue with me as to how their rifle will print an inch of accuracy at 100 yards, but the real answer is "not really" by "bolt action rifle standards". They are what they are: A carbine designed to be effective on moderate sized animals at reasonable range. These are not shot from a bench... they are shot standing on your own two legs, with both eyes open, at something 50 yards away. If you can hit a milk jug at that distance you're doing your part. You should be able to hit a milk jug at 100 yards in a 5 second time frame from "port arms" every time after a bit of practice. That's pretty fair shooting for one of these.

I would not put the scope on it. It will bady unbalance the rifle, make you place your head where you cannot cheek-up to the rifle well, as a result of that you will see more felt recoil, and it may lead to ejection jams as the cartridges eject more or less straight up out of the action. If you want to make a "period correct" improvement, search around for a Lyman Tang-Mounted aperature sight. These are attached to the tang that runs from the rear of the reciever to attach the stock to the rifle action, are held on using original screw locations (slightly longer screws are used), fold down when not needed, provide a VERY fast and VERY accurate sight picture, and fit the contextual history of the rifle perfectly. Williams probably made these as well. A little searching will find one.

Would I want to "learn to shoot with one": Probably not. Get a good .22, shoot the crap out of it, and then enjoy the 94 when circumstances are right. Find a nice Winchester 94-22, which was the .22 caliber cosmetic clone of the 94 and you'll have a wonderful pair.

Whatever you do, take care of it and NEVER alter it in any way. It's a true classic and it'll be around long after we all are dead. Be a good custodian of it while you have it, and pass it along unharmed when you are done with it.

Willie

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May 21, 2012, 07:59 AM	#2
Willie Sutton Junior member Join Date: January 26, 2012 Posts: 1,066	Our only center-fire "Farm Rifle" when I was a kid was a Winchester 94 in .32 Win Special, just like yours. I've shot everything from deer to woodchucks to the odd turkey with it, starting at age 12, so.... Cartridge: The .32 Win Spl is just a .30-30 Win necked up a few thousandths of an inch to .32. It's an oddball, but was a very popular cartridge in these rifles for many years in rural America. Why? No clue... it does exactly what a .30-30 does. You have what you have, and it's a classic. Rifle: These are great brush rifles, able to hit a gallon sized milk jug reliably at 50 yards when shot by the "average" annual deer hunter, which is pretty much all it takes to reliably put venison on the table in much of wooded America. More deer have likely fallen to the Model 94 Winchester than any other rifle built. Are they accurate? Yeah... someone will argue with me as to how their rifle will print an inch of accuracy at 100 yards, but the real answer is "not really" by "bolt action rifle standards". They are what they are: A carbine designed to be effective on moderate sized animals at reasonable range. These are not shot from a bench... they are shot standing on your own two legs, with both eyes open, at something 50 yards away. If you can hit a milk jug at that distance you're doing your part. You should be able to hit a milk jug at 100 yards in a 5 second time frame from "port arms" every time after a bit of practice. That's pretty fair shooting for one of these. I would not put the scope on it. It will bady unbalance the rifle, make you place your head where you cannot cheek-up to the rifle well, as a result of that you will see more felt recoil, and it may lead to ejection jams as the cartridges eject more or less straight up out of the action. If you want to make a "period correct" improvement, search around for a Lyman Tang-Mounted aperature sight. These are attached to the tang that runs from the rear of the reciever to attach the stock to the rifle action, are held on using original screw locations (slightly longer screws are used), fold down when not needed, provide a VERY fast and VERY accurate sight picture, and fit the contextual history of the rifle perfectly. Williams probably made these as well. A little searching will find one. Would I want to "learn to shoot with one": Probably not. Get a good .22, shoot the crap out of it, and then enjoy the 94 when circumstances are right. Find a nice Winchester 94-22, which was the .22 caliber cosmetic clone of the 94 and you'll have a wonderful pair. Whatever you do, take care of it and NEVER alter it in any way. It's a true classic and it'll be around long after we all are dead. Be a good custodian of it while you have it, and pass it along unharmed when you are done with it. Willie .