NRA '71 Centennial Winchester 94

Moloch · August 30, 2020, 07:03 PM

I've got a quick question,

somebody offered me a good deal on a 1971 centennial 26'' fully stocked 1894 Winchester in 30-30. My knowledge about Winchester repeating rifles is very limited, all I know is that I heard that the company cut corners left and right after '64 and the rifles that came out the following decades were not well built and aren't worth getting.

Is this true? Is every model affected? Is it really that bad?

I'm talking about this type: https://www.collectorsfirearms.com/n...usket-com2175/

Thanks!

ghbucky · August 30, 2020, 07:06 PM

OP, I can't address your actual question, but I'm a tad confused about the markings on that rifle.

It is stamped with 'NRA Centennial Musket', yet it is a lever action rifle?

What am I missing?

Pahoo · August 30, 2020, 07:13 PM

Quote:

I'm talking about this type:

Oh, it's the Musket commemorative. I've shot and almost bought one of these. It's a fine shooter. The money is in the older ones. .....

Be Safe !!!

**JohnKSa** · August 30, 2020, 07:35 PM

Quote:

It is stamped with 'NRA Centennial Musket', yet it is a lever action rifle?

What am I missing?

Winchester apparently classifies their lever action rifles as 'Muskets', 'Carbines' or 'Rifles' depending on various characteristics.

44caliberkid · August 30, 2020, 09:09 PM

Starting with the 1866 and then the 1873 rifles, Winchester offered a Musket version with a 33 or 30 inch barrel and full length wood forearm with metal cap which could include a bayonet lug. It was made for military sale. I saw an episode of Bonanza once where Little Joe was using an 1873 Musket in a shoot out. Most of the Winchester commemoratives haven't held their value, being made at a time Winchester quality wasn't the best. At live auctions they bring a little more than a standard model, but the Musket version is kind of an oddball and worth a bit more, especially in unfired condition with the original box.

Moloch · August 31, 2020, 10:11 AM

Thanks for the replies - I decided to give it a pass. I really enjoy quality and craftsmanship in guns so I decided that this is a no go for me.

Too bad, I really like those rare fully stocked military lever actions. They are sweet.

10-96 · September 2, 2020, 10:55 AM

I've got that model. It doesn't group quite as well as my 1976 Canadian Centennial 94 with the 26" octagon barrel... and some previous owner put a weird tall rear sight on it. It shoots about 10" high at 100yds. Finding the correct sight, or one that will work and not look goofy is on my list of things to do. Or, I might put a tang sight on it, I don't know.

**44 AMP** · September 2, 2020, 12:32 PM

As far as I can find out, Winchester only made the "NRA Musket" (NRA Centennial) one year, 1971, the 100th year of the NRA.

They called it a musket, not because it was one, but because it resembled the earlier "musket" versions of their rifles, with the long barrel and full length wood. It had the NRA Centennial medallion in the stock.

Winchester made a lot of different "commemoratives" some of them are of no special value, simply because they made thousands of them.

Unfired, in the box with all original papers, they're worth a bit. Fired, or without the box and papers, they're barely worth more than the standard rifles, 10%, MAYBE, if that.

reloder56 · September 2, 2020, 03:24 PM

I have the "other" Winchester NRA commemorative rifle issued in tandem with the NRA Musket. Mine is the "NRA Sporting Rifle", which is nothing more than a blinged Model 64 .30-30. I removed the rear bckhorn sight assembly and installed a Lyman LA-66 receiver sight and use it for deer hunting. I bought it used from a local gun shop decades ago, no box, no papers, etc. 44 AMP is correct when he states that value as a collectors item is greatly diminished without box and documentation. To me, it's just another deer rifle.

NuJudge · September 2, 2020, 09:59 PM

I have one that Winchester presented to my father that year, with a plate inset into the right side of the butt. Actually, it looks like a very well made piece. I'll never shoot it.

musicmatty · September 19, 2020, 07:44 AM

When referring to the Winchester model 94, we often hear pre 64 and post 64. Most of this refers to the receivers being forged from steel with the pre 64 models and alloy ‘mystery metals’ for post 64 models.

I just learned something new from this gun digest article. With the introduction of the angle eject models in 1983, Winchester returned to the forged steel receivers all the way till the end of their production in 2006. I guess that explains why the bluing on my 1989 model 94 is still pristine 30 years later.

I have heard more than once that the model 94 from the mid-1990s through the end of its production in 2006 are arguably the best model 94s ever made for various reasons.

https://gundigest.com/more/classic-g...r-94-receivers

August 30, 2020, 07:03 PM	#1
Moloch Senior Member Join Date: November 27, 2005 Posts: 1,419	NRA '71 Centennial Winchester 94 I've got a quick question, somebody offered me a good deal on a 1971 centennial 26'' fully stocked 1894 Winchester in 30-30. My knowledge about Winchester repeating rifles is very limited, all I know is that I heard that the company cut corners left and right after '64 and the rifles that came out the following decades were not well built and aren't worth getting. Is this true? Is every model affected? Is it really that bad? I'm talking about this type: https://www.collectorsfirearms.com/n...usket-com2175/ Thanks!

September 2, 2020, 10:55 AM	#7
10-96 Senior Member Join Date: October 19, 2005 Location: Tx Panhandle Territory Posts: 4,159	I've got that model. It doesn't group quite as well as my 1976 Canadian Centennial 94 with the 26" octagon barrel... and some previous owner put a weird tall rear sight on it. It shoots about 10" high at 100yds. Finding the correct sight, or one that will work and not look goofy is on my list of things to do. Or, I might put a tang sight on it, I don't know. __________________ Rednecks... Keeping the woods critter-free since March 2, 1836. (TX Independence Day) I suspect a thing or two... because I've seen a thing or two.

September 2, 2020, 12:32 PM	#8
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,814	As far as I can find out, Winchester only made the "NRA Musket" (NRA Centennial) one year, 1971, the 100th year of the NRA. They called it a musket, not because it was one, but because it resembled the earlier "musket" versions of their rifles, with the long barrel and full length wood. It had the NRA Centennial medallion in the stock. Winchester made a lot of different "commemoratives" some of them are of no special value, simply because they made thousands of them. Unfired, in the box with all original papers, they're worth a bit. Fired, or without the box and papers, they're barely worth more than the standard rifles, 10%, MAYBE, if that. __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

August 30, 2020, 07:06 PM	#2
ghbucky Senior Member Join Date: June 12, 2020 Posts: 1,177	OP, I can't address your actual question, but I'm a tad confused about the markings on that rifle. It is stamped with 'NRA Centennial Musket', yet it is a lever action rifle? What am I missing?

August 30, 2020, 09:09 PM	#5
44caliberkid Senior Member Join Date: May 15, 2017 Location: Iowa Posts: 1,098	Starting with the 1866 and then the 1873 rifles, Winchester offered a Musket version with a 33 or 30 inch barrel and full length wood forearm with metal cap which could include a bayonet lug. It was made for military sale. I saw an episode of Bonanza once where Little Joe was using an 1873 Musket in a shoot out. Most of the Winchester commemoratives haven't held their value, being made at a time Winchester quality wasn't the best. At live auctions they bring a little more than a standard model, but the Musket version is kind of an oddball and worth a bit more, especially in unfired condition with the original box.

August 31, 2020, 10:11 AM	#6
Moloch Senior Member Join Date: November 27, 2005 Posts: 1,419	Thanks for the replies - I decided to give it a pass. I really enjoy quality and craftsmanship in guns so I decided that this is a no go for me. Too bad, I really like those rare fully stocked military lever actions. They are sweet.

September 2, 2020, 03:24 PM	#9
reloder56 Member Join Date: July 2, 2013 Posts: 59	I have the "other" Winchester NRA commemorative rifle issued in tandem with the NRA Musket. Mine is the "NRA Sporting Rifle", which is nothing more than a blinged Model 64 .30-30. I removed the rear bckhorn sight assembly and installed a Lyman LA-66 receiver sight and use it for deer hunting. I bought it used from a local gun shop decades ago, no box, no papers, etc. 44 AMP is correct when he states that value as a collectors item is greatly diminished without box and documentation. To me, it's just another deer rifle.

September 2, 2020, 09:59 PM	#10
NuJudge Member Join Date: October 17, 2005 Location: SE Michigan Posts: 86	I have one that Winchester presented to my father that year, with a plate inset into the right side of the butt. Actually, it looks like a very well made piece. I'll never shoot it.

September 19, 2020, 07:44 AM	#11
musicmatty Senior Member Join Date: September 30, 2009 Location: Eastcoast Posts: 346	When referring to the Winchester model 94, we often hear pre 64 and post 64. Most of this refers to the receivers being forged from steel with the pre 64 models and alloy ‘mystery metals’ for post 64 models. I just learned something new from this gun digest article. With the introduction of the angle eject models in 1983, Winchester returned to the forged steel receivers all the way till the end of their production in 2006. I guess that explains why the bluing on my 1989 model 94 is still pristine 30 years later. I have heard more than once that the model 94 from the mid-1990s through the end of its production in 2006 are arguably the best model 94s ever made for various reasons. https://gundigest.com/more/classic-g...r-94-receivers