Finally! The Winchester '94

[Capybara]

I have looked at perhaps twenty or thirty '94s in my price range this week all over Arizona but this was the one. I think I did okay for $395.00, what do you guys think?

I love that the barrel is stamped, "Winchester Proof Steel", although I wish it was also stamped with ".30 WCF" instead of "Winchester .30-.30 although I am told those were the 1940s and earlier '94s that were stamped that way. Bore is sharp and mirror shiny and action seems to cycle and fire perfectly although I haven't shot it yet naturally. Can you safely dry fire these?

1952 Winchester Model 1894 .30-.30 Winchester

[Capybara]

[bedbugbilly]

Nice find! I like it! That Winchester looks like it has some good, honest "character" to it. My father-in-law had one like it and I used it to hunt deer for a number of years. It was a sweet gun. When he and my mother-in-law sold their home and went to Florida - he gave it to his son (my brother-in-law) and like the idiot he is, he sold it. I would have given my right arm for it. As far as I'm concerned - Winchesters are like fine wine - they just get better with age! I'm glad you found one . . . now just enjoy it and have fun! Nice photos - thanks for posting!

[Capybara]

Thanks Billy. Now I just need to locate some good .30-.30 brass so I can reload for it.

[hootey]

Had one just like it. When ya get your brass, try a midrange load from Sierra. 150gr FP on top of 30gr of IMR4064. COAL 2.52" with a medium crimp. From a hundred yards, with a solid rest, I could hit the bottom of a "green bean" can three out of three times. It was the first load I tried, printed a perfect "sight picture". According to Sierra, it will leave the barrel a hair over 2000fps. Hit a 2" target, light recoil, and dead on sight picture, I hope yours does a little better Very nice rifle, enjoy it !

[Capybara]

Thanks for the recipe hootey, have to give that one a try. Still hunting for some brass, man .30-30 is hard to find!

[Lavan]

I had a BRAND NEW pre 64 94.

Hated that hard kickin thing.

Pretty, but IMO absolutely obsolete. Too many better calibers now and far better rifles.

Although they aren't as "cowboy."

[hootey]

Capybara: if you can not find any new 30-30 brass. Try "oncefiredbrass.net". It is fired brass but, it is all name brand. Have never received any "junk or trash" brass from them. Good prices and fast shipping plus they had it in stock ten minutes ago! Good Luck!

[KBP]

The Winchester Model 94 is just as good at killing deer today as it was 50 years ago! The deer don't know that some people consider it obsolete! The deer have not developed an immunity to the 30 caliber bullet! For shooting deer out to 100 yards or so, it does the job. Use the new Hornaday bullets and you can extend the effective range way past 100 yards. The important thing to remember is that the rifle was never intended to be a 500 yard hunting rifle. It was made to be a fast handling short to medium range hunting rifle. Even today, their are few, if any rifle that feels so comfortable and easy to carry, swing, acquire a sight picture and shoot at a target! Use the Winchester 94 for the type of hunting it was designed for and it is still effective and deadly.

[Hawg]

Hated that hard kickin thing.

a 30-30 kicks? Methinks its more of a nudge than a kick. Its not obsolete. Its the prefect woods gun.

[bedbugbilly]

+1 to KBP and Hawg . . . . I'd rather carry, shoot and hunt with a good 94 30-30 than some of the new stuff that is out there. And kick? I've shot other long guns with a whole lot more kick to it. In addition to the 94 in 30-30 that my father-in-law had, my Dad bought a pre-war 94 in 32 special. That was a nice one as well - he ended up trading that one off in 1966 on one of the Winny 94 gold plated centennials.

The "obsolete" comments kind of make me chuckle a little. A few years back, I won a beautiful Weatherby Vanguard in 30-06 at one of our Shriner's annual fund raising events. I needed it like I needed a hole in the head. I decided to sell it and just about every young fella that looked at it turned their noses up because it was in . . . and I quote. . . . "the old fashioned worthless 30-06 cartridge". But then again I'm getting old and maybe my ideas are just "old fashioned".

[skit]

that is just the way I like my 94s to look. its a beaut.

[Revoltella]

Beautiful patina on that. Enjoy.

[Capybara]

That's why I bought it, the patina is just beautiful. I found this rifle at a pawn shop in Kingman, Az. Left it and went and worked around Arizona for the rest of the week. But I kept thinking about it. On my way home, I stopped back in to see if they still had it. When they did, I had to buy it. Talked them down from $500.00 to $395.00, now it is mine.

[Armybrat]

That's a really beautiful old '94 and a great buy!

Mine was made in 1914 - stocks were sanded but still solid, no finish left w/some scattered moderate pitting on the receiver. But it has a very good bore and crisp action.

[Capybara]

Wow, yours looks newer and it was made 37 years before mine! Very nice. I have ammo on the way so I can actually shoot it, .30-30 Win is difficult to find and impossible to find cheap. I picked up some Prvi for .75 per round and was happy to get that.

Now that I will have a few hundred rounds of brass, I just ordered a die set and will be hunting down some RN projectiles. Can't wait to reload for this gun.

[BMR]

I just bought a Model 94 with production date in the mid 50's. Seller said it may have been restored. It does not have the normal stamping on the left side of barrel near reciver that says winchester model 94 30-30. Instead it has a small stamp at back of barrel in the center. It is a very light stamp that looks like a P ontop of a W. The stamp is about the size of a pea. The same stamp is also on the top of the receiver close to where the barrel goes into the receiver. My question I have is this this a winchester barrel? Does the barrel change the value of the rifle. How do I know the caliber is 30-30. If so what concerns if any should I have. Should I reurn the rifle and purchase one with the normal stampings? If not can anybody point me in the right direction. Thanks

[NWPilgrim]

Capybara, that is a beautiful working man's rifle! Sounds like a great dela to me. If you get tired of that old fashioned thing let me know and I will gladly give you what you have in it already!

Armybrat, that looks just like the one my brother has from our Grandfather, except his is 1916. Saddle ring carbine. Very nice! It was a wedding present from his FIL, was handed down to my Dad, and was us boys' first hunting rifle when we each turned 14. Still being used for west coast blacktails.

[Capybara]

I learned long ago, never sell guns, only buy and treasure them.

[Gaucho Gringo]

BMR, your rifle has the barrel replaced. Hurts collector value but not a shooter providing you did pay collector price for it.