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Hi there, I’m new to the forum and have just acquired a 1st model 94 with a serial number of 928. My father’s first rifle was a winchester 94 in 38-55 in 1946 and he said he always wished he had it back. He passed last year at almost 91 so I figured I’d look for one. Turned out a guy in my gun club had one he wanted to sell. Lucky me.
Welcome to the forum. Sounds like you found a nice model 1894. We would love to see pictures of it.
Once I figure that I part out, I will. Can’t seem to figure it out after reading how to do it.
Scott McNally said
Once I figure that I part out, I will. Can’t seem to figure it out after reading how to do it.
Very few can, excepting those with advanced computer skills. You can send them to Bert, or any other member willing to post them for you. I don’t know how.
November 7, 2015
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Lucky you, indeed! Congrats on a very special old 1894.
Mike
TXGunNut said
Lucky you, indeed! Congrats on a very special old 1894.
Mike
Thank you all. Now I need to get some various information but first would like to get it thoroughly cleaned. The man I bought it from had it for 15 years and never shot it.
I live in southeast PA so if anyone knows a reputable gunsmith to do this work, I’m all ears.
Scott,
That’s a nice three digit serial number first model with the “10 oclock” screw. If it were mine I would contact Cody and get a letter on it. If you find a gunsmith, do not have him do anymore to it than check it out and clean it. A first model just sold on gun broker for $5,090 https://www.gunbroker.com/Item/975783829.
Al
Scott McNally said
Now I need to get some various information but first would like to get it thoroughly cleaned. The man I bought it from had it for 15 years and never shot it.
I live in southeast PA so if anyone knows a reputable gunsmith to do this work, I’m all ears.
Scott,
I would clean the bore, spray the working parts with a lubricant, and wipe it down. Leave the screwdriver in the toolbox. Then take it to the gunsmith to inspect to make sure it’s safe to shoot. If he needs to repair something then he can use the screwdriver. Taking antique guns apart to clean is fun but not always in your best interest. T/R
TR said Then take it to the gunsmith to inspect to make sure it’s safe to shoot.
Asking for trouble. In the first place, how much shooting will he be doing with a 5 G gun? Leaving it in the hands of your “average local gunsmith” (who probably makes his living working on ARs) for 5 min is a risk not worth taking. The possibility of some “accidental” damage occurring in such a shop is far greater than the possibility of the gun being unsafe, esp. because there’s no obvious evidence of it being abused or excessively worn.
Very cool gun and worth some extra money for being that early. Like the others have said. Don’t let anyone mess with the gun. Oil it and if everything is functioning leave it alone. If you really want to shoot it and are not experienced with this type of gun have a gunsmith look at it. Unless he finds something really messed up don’t let him tear into it. Not all gunsmiths know these old guns.
I would like to see a better picture showing the back side of the rear sight and closer look at the side view of the front of the elevator. I have a hunch that the elevator is not correct. A correct one can be about $50. The front sight is not in the best shape and getting a better one is not that expensive.
Great find.
If I own an old car I want it to work. If I own an old gun I want it to work. An antique gun can have a stuck firing pin or an old action problem that keeps it from feeding, I can’t live with that. If you put a live round in it and it jams or the shell goes off not good. I’ve had two “not goods” in my life time of playing with old guns. Both times I bought the gun, can home and put in a live round, pointing it in a safe direction with safety glasses, and bang. Now I inspect it closely and use a dummy round.
If you are not capable of inspecting the gun you need to find someone that is. Leaving an antique gun with a unknown problem for someone else to find is not good. All my center fire guns feed and fire. T/R
Chuck said If you really want to shoot it and are not experienced with this type of gun have a gunsmith look at it. Unless he finds something really messed up don’t let him tear into it. Not all gunsmiths know these old guns.
Not all? Chuck, it’s relatively few, unless you’re living in some kind of gun-lover’s paradise, which I doubt. To the “average gunsmith,” this gun would be no more than a garden-variety, run of the mill, ’94. If the gun feeds & ejects properly, why would it require inspection? There’s a tendency on this forum to assume new members are ignoramuses. His father was a hunter & he belongs to a gun club, which doesn’t spell ignoramus to me.
Clarence, I do not assume that but I do want them to be safe and not ruin a good gun. As far as gun lover’s paradise. If you consider the population of Southern Ca. the percentage of gun lovers here may exceed some entire states. I don’t know of a gunsmith that I really trust. I order a lot of stuff through the internet and have been asked more than once why the supplier gets so many orders from this area.
Chuck said
Clarence, I do not assume that but I do want them to be safe and not ruin a good gun. As far as gun lover’s paradise. If you consider the population of Southern Ca. the percentage of gun lovers here may exceed some entire states. I don’t know of a gunsmith that I really trust. I order a lot of stuff through the internet and have been asked more than once why the supplier gets so many orders from this area.
Fear not my fellow antique gun lovers. I’ve been around guns and am an avid muzzle loader shooter and builder. I have hand loaded in my earlier years and am getting back into it. The gun is clean and sound and I have put a total of 30 rounds through it counting 10 today. I tried a cast 246 grain bullet with 16 grains of 2400 and it did OK but not great. Another older club member fed me 3 of his loads today using 21 grains of 4198 and a .377 cast bullet and was wowed with a 1″ group at 50 yards.
It does have an issue and that is it won’t cycle rounds from the magazine unless the overall length is 2.465 or less. Any longer and it gets hung up in the notches of the side rails.
I also tried 2 blackpowder loads today which shot 1″ from each other at 25 yards. They came from a guy in N.C. who was at the Baltimore show selling bags of 12 rounds. I pulled one of the bullets and it is very course black powder and 37.5 grains on the scale. The bullet was cast and 252 grains and .377.
The cycling issue bothers me and that is the primary reason I want someone “reputable” to look at it. I agree with all the comments about not just giving it to anyone.
tionesta1 said rnScott,rnrnThat’s a nice three digit serial number first model with the “10 oclock” screw. If it were mine I would contact Cody and get a letter on it. If you find a gunsmith, do not have him do anymore to it than check it out and clean it. A first model just sold on gun broker for $5,090 https://www.gunbroker.com/Item/975783829.rnrnAlrn rnAl, thank you for your comments and recommendations. I was thinking about getting a letter from Cody so based on your recommendation, I will follow up on that.
Chuck said
Very cool gun and worth some extra money for being that early. Like the others have said. Don’t let anyone mess with the gun. Oil it and if everything is functioning leave it alone. If you really want to shoot it and are not experienced with this type of gun have a gunsmith look at it. Unless he finds something really messed up don’t let him tear into it. Not all gunsmiths know these old guns.I would like to see a better picture showing the back side of the rear sight and closer look at the side view of the front of the elevator. I have a hunch that the elevator is not correct. A correct one can be about $50. The front sight is not in the best shape and getting a better one is not that expensive.
Great find.
Chuck, I will try to get a good picture of the rear site and get it posted. I, too, was wondering about the ramp. I can say the rear site has a leaf that will slide up and down if you loosen a little screw to the right of it. The front site is banged up a bit and I need to move it a little to the left to bring me in line at 50 yards since the rear site is slightly right of center and I’m still hitting a little left.
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