Documented OPP Use of the Winchester Model 1894 30-30 Carbine 20”|Winchester Rifles|Forum|Winchester Collector

Bert H. said
Currently, I have an extensive list (survey) of the Canadian Pacific Coast Militia Ranger (PCMR) Model 94 Carbines & Model 64 Rifles used during WW II, and a good sized list (survey) of the “City of Toronto” Model 1894 SRCs purchased in late 1914.  As of this time I have not (yet) encountered an “OPP” marked Winchester.
Bert
  

Thank you Bert, I’ll keep you posted

Alexander Sanguigni said
Confirmed Ontario Provincial Police (O.P.P.) Use of Winchester Model 1894 .30-30 Carbines — Documentation & Member Contributions
 
Hello, 
 
We now have primary confirmation that the Ontario Provincial Police (O.P.P.) did, in fact, issue or maintain Winchester Model 1894 carbines in .30-30 Winchester for service use.
The reference comes from From Muskeg to Murder: Memories of Policing Ontario’s Northwest by Andrew F. Maksymchuk (Trafford Publishing, 2006, ISBN 1-4251-7089-7). On page 91, Maksymchuk — a 1964 O.P.P. recruit — describes his initial firearms training as follows:

“We were shown the .30-30 Winchester rifle and the 12-gauge Stevens shotgun, both of which would be available to us at each detachment on an ‘as needed’ basis.”

This firsthand account places the Winchester 1894 firmly within the O.P.P.’s inventory as late as 1964, particularly as shared detachment weapons for officers in rural and northern Ontario posts.
It’s an important confirmation of the 1894’s law-enforcement role beyond municipal forces such as City of Toronto, Barrie Police, Calgary Police, and Railway Police.
Much work needs to be done researching specifically- Canadian police-issued Winchesters, though much of it remains unpublished or scattered. By contrast, extensive documentation and photographs already exist for U.S. law-enforcement Winchesters— for example, the L.A.P.D., San Antonio Police Department, and others — which have been well catalogued and are publicly accessible.
These Canadian-issued Winchesters, including those from Toronto, Barrie, and Railway Police, need*** provenance, photographic evidence, and archival research. Another post will be created to focus specifically on these other agencies.
Citation:
Maksymchuk, Andrew F. From Muskeg to Murder: Memories of Policing Ontario’s Northwest.
Victoria, BC: Trafford Publishing, 2006, p. 91. ISBN 1-4251-7089-7.

Call for Contributions
I’m currently assembling a registry of all known O.P.P.-associated Winchester 1894 carbines, along with any related service firearms or accessories.
If you have:

Photos of carbines with O.P.P. markings, rack numbers, or confirmed provenance
Documentation, letters, or oral histories from retired O.P.P. members

***** PS. Bert Hartman is not aware of any OPP issued Winchester 1894 carbines 
  

Jeremy. S, A prominent & well known WACA collector in Ontario, Canada has confirmed he once owned an OPP marked Winchester 1894 30-30 but sold it many years ago. 

More information to be updated as it comes 

Alexander Sanguigni said
Confirmed Ontario Provincial Police (O.P.P.) Use of Winchester Model 1894 .30-30 Carbines — Documentation & Member Contributions
 
Hello, 
 
We now have primary confirmation that the Ontario Provincial Police (O.P.P.) did, in fact, issue or maintain Winchester Model 1894 carbines in .30-30 Winchester for service use.
The reference comes from From Muskeg to Murder: Memories of Policing Ontario’s Northwest by Andrew F. Maksymchuk (Trafford Publishing, 2006, ISBN 1-4251-7089-7). On page 91, Maksymchuk — a 1964 O.P.P. recruit — describes his initial firearms training as follows:

“We were shown the .30-30 Winchester rifle and the 12-gauge Stevens shotgun, both of which would be available to us at each detachment on an ‘as needed’ basis.”

This firsthand account places the Winchester 1894 firmly within the O.P.P.’s inventory as late as 1964, particularly as shared detachment weapons for officers in rural and northern Ontario posts.
It’s an important confirmation of the 1894’s law-enforcement role beyond municipal forces such as City of Toronto, Barrie Police, Calgary Police, and Railway Police.
Much work needs to be done researching specifically- Canadian police-issued Winchesters, though much of it remains unpublished or scattered. By contrast, extensive documentation and photographs already exist for U.S. law-enforcement Winchesters— for example, the L.A.P.D., San Antonio Police Department, and others — which have been well catalogued and are publicly accessible.
These Canadian-issued Winchesters, including those from Toronto, Barrie, and Railway Police, need*** provenance, photographic evidence, and archival research. Another post will be created to focus specifically on these other agencies.
Citation:
Maksymchuk, Andrew F. From Muskeg to Murder: Memories of Policing Ontario’s Northwest.
Victoria, BC: Trafford Publishing, 2006, p. 91. ISBN 1-4251-7089-7.

Call for Contributions
I’m currently assembling a registry of all known O.P.P.-associated Winchester 1894 carbines, along with any related service firearms or accessories.
If you have:

Photos of carbines with O.P.P. markings, rack numbers, or confirmed provenance
Documentation, letters, or oral histories from retired O.P.P. members

***** PS. Bert Hartman is not aware of any OPP issued Winchester 1894 carbines 
  

Clear findings / Note worthy points supported by direct statements.

**Note names and other details have been redacted for privacy reasons.

• Multiple current and retired OPP officers confirm the Winchester Model 1894 (.30-30) carbines were in OPP inventories (use documented by several first-hand accounts).
• The carbines were in service from 1964 through at least the 1980s; several witnesses estimate retirement or replacement around the early–1990s (one says “till maybe 1990,” others reference “early 90s”).
• The OPP used several long-gun types concurrently: Winchester 1894 (.30-30), FN C1 (C1 = FN-type — mentioned as standard), and Remington 870 Wingmaster shotguns.
• Replacement timeline in multiple accounts: lever guns (Winchesters) were replaced by Ruger Mini-14s / Ruger .223s sometime around the early–1990s; one account places NW Air Serviceusing a Winchester into the late 1990s before switching to Mini-14.
• “OPP” marking on receivers was common (large letters), likely on the left side (consistent with how the loading gate is on right).
• Some carbines were released to the public when retired; several officers and at least one member purchased decommissioned carbines

• There are multiple anecdotes of informal retention/use after service: officers driving with a 30-30 in their trunk for years, and rural detachment usage (Seaforth, ON one-man detachment) to put down injured moose, and wildlife etc.
• Ammunition stocks (.30-30) One account states how ammo stocks persisted at detachments even after lever guns were phased out
• One reported practice when retiring guns: a gunsmith “over-stamped” or defaced the OPP marking (stamped out with XXX) before sale/release to the public.

These are many things that require more verification including but not limited to:

• Dates are imprecise. Phrases like “maybe 1990,” “early 90s,” and “late 90s” appear
• Location of receiver stamping: “likely left” is plausible but not confirmed across all guns — Only one known sample recorded
• Who handled disposal/transfer is unclear. Multiple comments imply or at least suggest a firearms dealer purchased these surplus guns, but no dealer name, invoices, or official disposal procedure is given.
• Over-stamp? (gunsmith stamping out OPP mark) plausible but needs corroboration — who ordered it, and was it official OPP policy…?
• NW Air Service usage vs general detachment usage: one account says the NW air service retained one carbine until late-90s —  an exception rather than the norm?