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December 29, 2022
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Hello all, to set the stage I\’m 31 years old and my father were he still alive would be 88. He left behind a few guns. The one in question is a 1894 that looks to be in great shape as I never handle it except to clean and oil every so often. I have search, read, and talked to countless sources and get a different answer from each. It\’s a 20\” barrel with crescent butt plate that protrudes an inch foward on top, no saddle ring, and left side barrel markings of 30 w.c.f., oval wp, oval p, no stamps on the receiver that I can see and serial is 142xxx the only thing that screams repro is the polished hammer looks machined sort of with little circular marks in it evenly spaced. This thing is my pride and joy, I just would like to know if anyone can age it. Thanks in advance.
April 15, 2005
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A complete serial number will allow me to provide you with the Month & Year it was manufactured. At this point I can only tell you that it was manufactured early in the year 1902.
The markings you describe on the barrel indicate that it is not the factory original barrel.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
November 19, 2006
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Updog said
Hello all, to set the stage I\’m 31 years old and my father were he still alive would be 88. He left behind a few guns. The one in question is a 1894 that looks to be in great shape as I never handle it except to clean and oil every so often. I have search, read, and talked to countless sources and get a different answer from each. It\’s a 20\” barrel with crescent butt plate that protrudes an inch foward on top, no saddle ring, and left side barrel markings of 30 w.c.f., oval wp, oval p, no stamps on the receiver that I can see and serial is 142xxx the only thing that screams repro is the polished hammer looks machined sort of with little circular marks in it evenly spaced. This thing is my pride and joy, I just would like to know if anyone can age it. Thanks in advance.
Welcome –
It is refreshing to hear that you have kept your father’s gun and it is your pride and joy. Many who show up here with their father’s rifle simply want a valuation so they can unload it for the cash. This is the place to come for answers to your questions. Particularly if you can post photos (as a guest you would have to use an outside photo site) (or you can e-mail photos to a member here and they will post the photos for you), we can tell you a great deal about your rifle. In addition, your rifle is in the, “letterable” serial number range. This means that the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody Wyoming can do a search of the original factory ledgers and tell you details about your rifle as it was originally shipped out (e.g. caliber, round or octagon, barrel length and any special order features). If the rifle was returned for repair or other work, that may well have been entered as well.
By the way, what is the history of the rifle? How long did you father have it, did he hunt with it?
December 29, 2022
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steve004 said
Updog said
Hello all, to set the stage I\’m 31 years old and my father were he still alive would be 88. He left behind a few guns. The one in question is a 1894 that looks to be in great shape as I never handle it except to clean and oil every so often. I have search, read, and talked to countless sources and get a different answer from each. It\’s a 20\” barrel with crescent butt plate that protrudes an inch foward on top, no saddle ring, and left side barrel markings of 30 w.c.f., oval wp, oval p, no stamps on the receiver that I can see and serial is 142xxx the only thing that screams repro is the polished hammer looks machined sort of with little circular marks in it evenly spaced. This thing is my pride and joy, I just would like to know if anyone can age it. Thanks in advance.
Welcome –
It is refreshing to hear that you have kept your father’s gun and it is your pride and joy. Many who show up here with their father’s rifle simply want a valuation so they can unload it for the cash. This is the place to come for answers to your questions. Particularly if you can post photos (as a guest you would have to use an outside photo site) (or you can e-mail photos to a member here and they will post the photos for you), we can tell you a great deal about your rifle. In addition, your rifle is in the, “letterable” serial number range. This means that the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody Wyoming can do a search of the original factory ledgers and tell you details about your rifle as it was originally shipped out (e.g. caliber, round or octagon, barrel length and any special order features). If the rifle was returned for repair or other work, that may well have been entered as well.
By the way, what is the history of the rifle? How long did you father have it, did he hunt with it?
Sorry for the long delay, I’ve been over run with work, a wife heavily pregnant with our first, and golf. To answer to you and Bert, I have no history of the gun, it was my father’s and now its mine. Also I’d love to send pictures because I’m a history nerd and I want to know everything about it.
December 26, 2017
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The way you describe the hammer I would say it is jeweled also known as engine turned. It is mostly a cosmetic practice that would certainly be out of place on your rifle. It would not be a sin to either remove it or replace the hammer.
THIS ALL STARTED WITH JUST ONE GUN!
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