newbie here......(NOW W/PICS!!)

[buxman66]

hello all from miamisburg,ohio! found this site from another board im on,ar15.com. i have an opprotunity this coming w/end to latch onto a winchester model '94 and i'm looking for some knowledge that may be imparted! quality issues,value asessment,...etc. its a later model as far as i can tell from the pic i received from the owner.(not signed up yet w/photo-bucket to post a pic.thats next!)near as i can tell it has dark furniture,a straight grip,the end of the barrel is cut off in the pic so i cant tell the length.most likely a ranger.serial # is a more recent 6582xxx. i've been fascinated w/the lever gun all the way back to the daisy b-b gun days and loved the rich western lore in books/movies.back to the '94.....it has the original box,paperwork,tags,2 boxes of shells(unknown) and its in a .30-.30 flavor. is there any quality issues concerning the manufacturing process,type of steel of receiver,...etc. that i need to look for? i cant remember if it was the henry or the winchester that i had heard of a less than nominal type steel being used on the receivers in current production runs. sorry for my long posting! owner is looking for $400 for this win.'94.

[Streetstar]

Hey Buxman ! ARFCOMMEr here too.

The more knowledgable members will be along any 'ol time probably. But i will try to be a little more comprehensive than on the AR 15 board.

A later model Winchester will have either a tang safety or a receiver safety. == this group here prefers neither i think (i personally have no issues with either system --- these are hunting rifles and not tactical rifles)

Winchesters did not have conventional safeties prior to the early 90's. Metallurgy is consistent and pretty good for the late model stuff. A Ranger model was a base price model and the bluing on the barrel is not as highly polished as some othe models, plus the stockset may be made of birch instead of walnut --- which is not as pretty -- but birch is a dense wood. The metal quality is not affected by the lower line polish and the Ranger is mechanically the same as any other '94 from the era. The only real weirdness in receiver finish was in the early 70's when the company experimented with sintered metal receivers (early MIM) the bluing looked too glossy and in some cases - purple. this ended in the mid to late 70's.
The Henry .22 s look different when studied because they ar AL receivers

Another big deal the 'ol timers bitch about is the rebounding hammer. This started long ago. Again --- another unfounded gripe to me. I have 2 Rangers and 2 trappers in 94 angle eject configuration (later model stuff) and neither one has failed to go boom when chambered properly.

Since Winchester closed its doors, the prices for any of their products has gone up a little bit -- and probably will
---- older enthusiasts hold the pre-1964 Winchesters in high esteem. In the future, guys in my demographic will likely start holding up any "pre-FNH" or any New Haven gun in some regard, as Fabrique National has bought out USRAC.

As i said on the other forum,, for $400, you wont be laughing all the way to the bank, but you are not getting bent over either. )for a very very nice condition rifle that is)

With this generation of Winchester (as well as a lot of leverguns) -- the handy dandy gun blue books can be tossed aside because they are not indicative of what things sell for in the real world now. The editors are either out of touch or cant keep up with demand between printings

[Tycer]

Welcome!

Streetstar nailed it pretty good. IMO, $400 for a clean Tang safety is a decent price.

I'm not a fan of the rebounding hammer. I did have problems with mine in .357. Light primer strikes. I fixed it by replacing the hammer/spring/spring guide/trigger/sear with pre-rebounding parts.

[rjohns94]

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your purchase. Good info already provided.

[Hobie]

Welcome to the fire!

Just to note that run on sentences and lack of capitalization and/or punctuation are hard for us old fanny burbs to read. Not only are we literate, don't text, etc, but our EYESIGHT is often bad!

[allhands]

Welcome aboard Buxman. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me. What caliber is it?

By the way, you'll be buying more levers shortly, and then will come the desire to watch more westerns, then the single action revolver to match the lever, then the leather for both of 'em, and so on, and so on, and so on..........

[kimwcook]

Welcome to the forum. It's a unique place.

[Tycer]

What caliber is it?

SEE!!!

A perfect example of what Hobie said about hard to read...

It's in a .30-.30 flavor allhands.

[Borregos]

Welcome to the fire!

Just to note that run on sentences and lack of capitalization and/or punctuation are hard for us old fanny burbs to read. Not only are we literate, don't text, etc, but our EYESIGHT is often bad!

+1

[DBW]

Welcome aboard Buxman. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me. What caliber is it?

By the way, you'll be buying more levers shortly, and then will come the desire to watch more westerns, then the single action revolver to match the lever, then the leather for both of 'em, and so on, and so on, and so on..........

Definitely happened to me.

[buxman66]

thanks guys! i'm currently on a ar-15 kick...but i could definitely see a levergun addiction as well.i see a leaning towards re-loading in my future as well.thanks for all the replies and i hope to get it this w/end.if i get the photobucket account set-up i'll be posting the pics of it.

[O.S.O.K.]

Welcome to the board.

I read and post on AR-15 from time to time (I enjoy my AR's too) but I think you will find as I do that this board is much more... relaxing to post on. Nobody's out to prove anything - you can ask questions w/o catching a lot of grief, etc.

[JerryB]

Welcome to a great forum with fine folks here.
Grab that 30wcf and put lots of rounds through it, you will soon enough figure out that you now have the "Perfect Truck Gun".

[pokey]

welcome,


and what everybody else said.

[buxman66]

like the comments! yeah especially on arfcom....boy i dont take much to get flamed on there! i usually hang back and just read,look at pics on there.its irritating when you wanna post a question and you get tons of views but nobody responds to the original posting.kinda makes you not wanna be a participant in topics. thanks for all the responses and i hope to learn from you all. pics will be forthcoming!

[Chuck 100 yd]

Welcome! Go to some of the auction sites and look at what they are SELLING for (not asking price).
Locality has much to do wit it. Areas with lots of levers and the season of the year will have those prices fluctuating a lot!

[86er]

There are no inherent deficiencies with any of the Win 94's that will render it inefficient, inaccurate or downright useless. I have some that work fine. The safety is welcome by me in times of loading and unloading. It is also an additional precaution for the kids or someone borrowing the rifle under my supervision. That price is reasonable. I've seen them up to what I consider way overpriced and I've come across a few that I thought were really a bargain. My personal asssessment of the $400 price tag is that it is low-average and the looks and overall condition would be a strong deciding factor for me. 2 boxes of ammo can't hurt either. Welcome to the forum and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on levergunitis and that rifle in particular when you get rolling with them.

[tman]

welcome to the forum. unbelieveable knowledge on this sight. just my peabrain 2 cents worth. i'd hold out for a pre-64 at the same or slightly higher price. i've bought pre safety, pre-angle models for alot less. unless you can't live without it , do a little research, handle a pre64 for comparision and make your mind up for yourself.

[COSteve]

Welcome, nother ARFCOMer here too.

[gak]

Welcome aboard!

+1 especially of you're not planning to scope it, at least look around at a Pre 64 (focusing on carbines here); basically three eras, 1) pre war where most were usually characterized by the gently curved "carbine" buttplates and "long wood" (compared to 1951 forward)...ahead of the barrel band--and a lot with folding ladder type sight ,2) war and just after characterized by flat (shotgun) buttplates on all plus continued "long wood" forearms, more modern sights (similar up thru today)...and on some years, flat front barrel band,...and 3) later post war 51-63 or so..continued flat butts and shortened/abbreviated forearms ahead of the barrelband. (Some 51s can be found with left-over long woods).


All Pre 64 eras have their charms, but the most recent of these is the easiest to shop for--$, numbers available and condition--as you might guess.

The second best era would be right prior to the USRAC takeover in 1980, basically 1976/7-1979/80 period, where many of the early post 64 "problems" had been rectified to near Pre 64 levels again. In addition to a few Pre 64 beauties, I've got two from this later era - a carbine and rare(ish) trapper--both gems.
1980-1983 pre angle eject (AE) would be another choice, though USRAC, they're effectively the same as the nicer late 70s batch.

Good luck, whatever your choice. In my mind, any (just about) Winchester is better than none. I'm with the one poster about the tang safety--if you gotta have one, that's where I'd want it... Can't abide the receiver cross-bolt ones though.

[Ysabel Kid]

Welcome aboard!!!

[buxman66]

thanks alot guys! i'm really lookin forward to goin tomorrow and checkin it out in the mornin'! i called my 82yr old dad last nite to ask him if he wanted to ride along w/ me tomorrow.....just a way to get outta the house.i asked him if he recalled the conversation we had had earlier in the week about this lever gun.he said he remembered,sure.....told him what exactly it was....and he launched in to a story about having one when he had came out of the navy in'49. he had sold it to a gas station attendant in the desert of arizona for gas money to make it back to the east coast (good ole days,eh?) he could'nt remember for how much. he did remember it was a winchester model '94 in .30-.30 though. i think i'm gettin geeked up for tomorrow!

[2571]

thanks guys! i'm currently on a ar-15 kick...but i could definitely see a levergun addiction as well.i see a leaning towards re-loading in my future as well.thanks for all the replies and i hope to get it this w/end.if i get the photobucket account set-up i'll be posting the pics of it.

Welcome aboard, but what is an AR-15? It must be some kind of firearm, right? :>)

Once you get into leverguns, you'll forsake that 'newer technology' mouse gun stuff.

Upon mature reflection, I guesss John Wayne did carry an AR in one of his last movies.

[buxman66]

here's some pics of it fresh off the press.....
yeah i know i'm playin w/it too much!
i though the front sight had a hood over the blade?
$400 clams w/ 2 boxes of shells.1 box of winchester super x 170gr power point and 1 box of 160gr hornady leverevolution.

[Griff]

and welcome to the Forum. Streetstar pretty much nailed the hi-points. One trivia point, FN(H) actually bought USRA in the early 90's. ('93 IIRC), which may or may not be directly related to the "safety" issue. All USRA mdl94s have reeivers of forged steel. The scintered steel receivers were strictly Winchester's doin', from '64 to '82.

That front sight is correct and while I don't like its placement, it harkens back to the origial carbines & "trappers" of the day.I prefer it thusly:


All Winchester 94s may suffer from poor fit or finish; lean economic times have that effect on manufactured goods. Tooling replacement is slowed, training & inspection is lax and the final product suffers.

All things considered, you didn't get hosed. 3-½ years ago you probably have been asked to pay $6-700 for that same carbine.

And, don' let ANYONE tell ya a Winchester 94 ain't a tactical rifle! I have several strategically located around my house. And if that ain't tactical, please 'splain yourself!

[RKrodle]

Congrats on a good looking 94 buxman66. About your location, I make it up to Mason every so often for business.

[LeverBob]

Buxman66...prepare to get your mind blown to smithereens. There's more knowledge on this site than the National Library! Just remember that you prolly have not had any experience in your life to prepare you for what you are about to encounter.

Glad you found the trail back home pard! Your rifle is a beauty and you will not believe what you can do with that 94' 30 WCF. The AR platform is amazing, but not in the same league as your rifle. Space precludes me from recounting all the reloading, casting, hunting, survivalist & woodsman knowledge these boys on this & other levergun sites have as their own from long years of experimentation & field work.

You've just entered a whole new world of discovery.I hope you & your Dad have a ball with it. It's really a lifetime experience.

Hoo Boy! What a time you're going to have!

LB

[Noah Zark]

here's some pics of it fresh off the press . . .
yeah i know i'm playin w/it too much! . . .
i though the front sight had a hood over the blade? . . .
$400 clams w/ 2 boxes of shells . . .

Ya done good. Same rifle in these parts would be $450 MINIMUM and more like $500-$550. Used post-64 Win 94s are $350 in wickedly variable condition, so four Benjamins for your new rig is a decent deal, IMO and local experience.

I too like the safety for loading and unloading, and I ESPECIALLY like the tang safety on the Winchesters as opposed to their "bullseye" crossbolt safety.

Welcome aboard, and enjoy!

Noah

[KirkD]

Welcome, and congratulations on your first levergun! It is a classic caliber. I took two Whitetail bucks last year with my 30-30 and it is my all around gun.

[buxman66]

thanks guys...preciate it! seemed as though i could'nt put the dang thing down yesterday as i wanted to keep on fiddlin' w/it! can't wait to get her out and run it some. kirk,i love your by-line! fits me to a "t"!!