The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - 1894 winchester take down 38-55

PetahW · May 1, 2012, 04:55 PM

[The barrel is 25" from muzzle to receiver ,so add another 1/2" for a total of 25.5" barrel ....]

FWIW, barrel length is properly measured from the inside, via dropping a rod downbore against the face of the closed breechbolt, marking the rod at the muzzle, then withdrawing the rod and measuring it from the downbore end to the mark.

AFAIK, the earliest DOCUMENTED (aka: verifiable) Model 1894 of any ilk, made in a caliber other than .38-55 was SN 5056, assembled/shipped 9/4/1895.
That tells me that Winchester made at least 5,000 Model 1894's in .38-55 before 3rd quarter 1895, which makes that chambering the most common, and not scarcer, in those early Model 1894's.

It's also been seen that, once the .30WCF was introduced, more than a few .38-55 owners had their Model 1894's so rebarreled, making the Thutty-thutty chambering a virtual tidal wave.

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May 1, 2012, 04:55 PM	#9
PetahW Senior Member Join Date: September 19, 2008 Posts: 4,678	[The barrel is 25" from muzzle to receiver ,so add another 1/2" for a total of 25.5" barrel ....] FWIW, barrel length is properly measured from the inside, via dropping a rod downbore against the face of the closed breechbolt, marking the rod at the muzzle, then withdrawing the rod and measuring it from the downbore end to the mark. AFAIK, the earliest DOCUMENTED (aka: verifiable) Model 1894 of any ilk, made in a caliber other than .38-55 was SN 5056, assembled/shipped 9/4/1895. That tells me that Winchester made at least 5,000 Model 1894's in .38-55 before 3rd quarter 1895, which makes that chambering the most common, and not scarcer, in those early Model 1894's. It's also been seen that, once the .30WCF was introduced, more than a few .38-55 owners had their Model 1894's so rebarreled, making the Thutty-thutty chambering a virtual tidal wave. . Last edited by PetahW; May 1, 2012 at 05:13 PM.