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Here is an nice old 1894 Saddle Ring Carbine, which a factory letter says was shipped on July 11, 1902.
I received it from my mother in law back in 1982. It had belonged to my wife’s grandfather, who bought it only slightly used, after his college graduation from Harvard in 1913, when he went out west to work in the family timber company. It was then passed to my wife’s father upon his Harvard graduation in 1938. My wife’s father died very young in 1961, and the rifle sat in a gun cabinet, unused, until I received it 21 years later. It had a Marbles tang sight on it when I received it, but I don’t much like how those feel in the hand on a saddle ring carbine, so I removed it. It had a piece of brass stock, quite bent, for the front sight and I replaced it with the Sheard Gold Bead front it now wears. Makes for a much cleaner sight picture. I took it out in 1994 and it brought home the meat for the first time in decades when I harvested a nice Mule Deer with it. Eventually it will go to my son or one of my grandsons.
The factory letter makes no mention of the three leaf rear sight, but it has obviously been on there since at least 1960, and maybe an awful lot longer. Just a nice old honest SRC in better shape than most, since it has been sitting for more than half a century. It will remain in the family, I hope for generations to come.
I hope to see that at least one of my grandsons takes his first deer with it.
BRP
Very nice rifle . I with you on the tang sights. I would not skip the son, let him pass it to the grandson.
Better to be judged by twelve than carried by six.
Grumpy old man with a gun......Do Not Touch.
Your old SRC is a very nice Model 1894. It has Walnut stocks as it was manufactured before Winchester made the change to the cheaper Gumwood stock material. I too would have taken the Marbles tang sight off of it. The 3-leaf Express sight was a commonly installed (factory) alternative option sight on the Model 1894 Carbines, and I believe that it is factory original on your SRC.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
Thank you, Bert.
That was certainly how it appeared to me. I much prefer it to the ladder sight that most carbines shipped with.
At what date or approximate serial number did Winchester switch to the gum wood stocks on carbines?
I hope I look as good as this old SRC when I am in my 122nd year! (NOT even remotely likely.)
BRP
Blue Ridge Parson said
Thank you, Bert.That was certainly how it appeared to me. I much prefer it to the ladder sight that most carbines shipped with.
At what date or approximate serial number did Winchester switch to the gum wood stocks on carbines?
I hope I look as good as this old SRC when I am in my 122nd year! (NOT even remotely likely.)
BRP
Winchester made the switch to Gumwood stocks on the Model 1892 and Model 1894 SRCs sometime in early 1906. For the Model 94 SRCs, they began phasing out the use of Gumwood in the mid 1920s, and were back to exclusively using American Black Walnut by the year 1928.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
BRP,
That’s a very nice SRC, and I agree on a very nice shared story. Hard enough to find them, let alone in that nice Honest condition.
Thanks for sharing,
Anthony
I too have a M1894 30-30 with a long family history. A SRC bought originally in 1903 and handed down in the family thru WW1 and WW2, and Korea and later. A friend bought it from the last family member to own it. I have the complete history written down. The older owners were sheep ranchers and their initials and brand are cut into the stock as well as into the scabbard I got with it. It remains in great shape and also has an Express 3 leaf sight with platinum lines. It also has a fabricated front sight. Sorry, no pics. Big Larry
Blue Ridge Parson said
Here is an nice old 1894 Saddle Ring Carbine, which a factory letter says was shipped on July 11, 1902.I received it from my mother in law back in 1982. It had belonged to my wife’s grandfather, who bought it only slightly used, after his college graduation from Harvard in 1913, when he went out west to work in the family timber company. It was then passed to my wife’s father upon his Harvard graduation in 1938. My wife’s father died very young in 1961, and the rifle sat in a gun cabinet, unused, until I received it 21 years later. It had a Marbles tang sight on it when I received it, but I don’t much like how those feel in the hand on a saddle ring carbine, so I removed it. It had a piece of brass stock, quite bent, for the front sight and I replaced it with the Sheard Gold Bead front it now wears. Makes for a much cleaner sight picture. I took it out in 1994 and it brought home the meat for the first time in decades when I harvested a nice Mule Deer with it. Eventually it will go to my son or one of my grandsons.
The factory letter makes no mention of the three leaf rear sight, but it has obviously been on there since at least 1960, and maybe an awful lot longer. Just a nice old honest SRC in better shape than most, since it has been sitting for more than half a century. It will remain in the family, I hope for generations to come.
I hope to see that at least one of my grandsons takes his first deer with it.
BRP
Mr Blue Ridge. What was the family timber company “out West”?
I don’t wish to reveal the family name, but the firm did logging in Oregon back in the day when old growth trees were still abundant.
BRP
Blue Ridge Parson said
I don’t wish to reveal the family name, but the firm did logging in Oregon back in the day when old growth trees were still abundant.BRP
BRP
I understand the privacy factor. I have lived my whole life here in SW Washington and have studied and hunted much of the ground once owned by Benson and R.A. Long. I am always looking for a connection to that era. The Long Bell holdings have all been sold off and traded. Some of the Benson land is still family owned, although under a different family name.
Just thought maybe…. 
Nice carbine,
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