Howdy all.  I am mainly a muzzle loader builder, but a neighbor brought over a rifle to be “restored”.  He told me it was a Winchester .30-30, and that was all he knew.

Well, after he left, got to looking at it.  It felt heavier than the .30-30’s I had seen before, and seemed heavier.  Has a 26″ octagonal barrel, 3/4″ across the flats.  Then I saw the “.32-40” stamped on the barrel, and noted the serial number of 506862 at the bottom front of the receiver.

The rifle has some sort of dirt plug about halfway along the barrel – all my cleaning rods, etc., are 3/8″ or bigger!  The action does not work properly – unless the hammer is cocked first, you cannot operate the lever fully.  The chamber and magazine are both empty.

There is a foldable tang-mounted peep sight, and an adjustable ramp buckhorn rear sight.  Front sight is a hooded post.

I had started using a nylon pad to knock off some of the light surface rust and dirt.  Did remove magazine and barrel.  Then I started to feel over my head, and pointed toward deep water, and looked up this forum.  I had also removed the buttplate, found there was no through-stock tang bolt, like a shotgun, so put the buttplate back on.

I did find that there was a lot of discussion of Winchester 94’s with 7-digit numbers, while this one only has 6-digits.

Ca anyone tell me what I really have my mitts on?  I do not wish to do anymore until I find out more.  I do know that it is NOT a common .30-30.

HELP!   – – Craig Wilcox, Kenton, OH