Looking for a front sight hood (Disregard-Found one).

[doorgunner]

I just acquired a 1971 Winchester 94 that has seen many years of hard use riding in a saddle scabbard. I am going to rehab it back to life. Does anybody have a front sight hood that they would sell me? I'd be grateful to anyone who is able to help.

[Rimfire McNutjob]

Welcome to the forum. Not sure if it's a "new old stock" or a reproduction item but there is one up on GunBroker at the moment right here. Looks like about $10 shipped.

[BigSky56]

Welcome dg. danny

[JerryB]

Welcome to the forum, what's the history on your rifle?

[doorgunner]

Welcome to the forum, what's the history on your rifle?

Nothing really significant. Bought it a while back from a friend, who inherited it from a relative. The relative had a ranch in New Mexico (and leased a bunch of BLM land), and the rifle spent most of it's life riding around in a saddle scabbard, while he worked cattle, and rode fences.

The back end of the buttstock, where is was not protected by the scabbard, is pretty rough. The blueing around the muzzle and mag tube was also pretty "leather polished". The forend, and protected part of the buttstock is pretty clean. The black chrome finish on the Winchester mystery metal receiver is scratched pretty badly on the flats, and the high spots on the receiver are all worn silver.

So far, I've got the barrel, sights, bands, and mag tube back to 100% condition, with the help of some careful work and Brownell's Oxpho-Blue. I'm going to refinish the wood in the next few weeks, and I haven't decided what I'm going to do with the receiver yet.

I generally wouldn't spend this much effort on rehabing such an uncollectable levergun, but I don't have much invested in it, and it shoots 170 grain Core-Lockts into a pretty fair group with the stock sights and my aging eyes.

Thanks to everybody for the warm welcome.

[doorgunner]

Disregard on the front sight hood. I found one at Numerich, and ordered it.

[JerryB]

Thanks for the rundown on the carbine. I always wonder what kind of life these old Winchesters have lived.

[doorgunner]

Thanks for the rundown on the carbine. I always wonder what kind of life these old Winchesters have lived.

Yea me too. This one has seen many hard days in the saddle scabbard.

I did a ton of work on it today. I reblued the steel buttplate, stripped, steamed, sanded, and stained the buttstock and forend (which, believe it or not, now look like new), and completely stripped down the receiver. Did some touch up bluing on the barrel bands. The internal parts show almost no wear, which leaves me to believe this carbine was not shot much. I did remove a ton of fine silt, which had migrated into every internal nook and cranny. None of the internal parts needs replacing, which is a huge relief.

I ordered a can of Brownell's Aluma-Hyde II in semi-gloss black. I am going to coat the receiver with that, after a thorough degreasing job.

I'll coat the receiver sometime next week, or in between my deer hunts, next weekend. That will take a few weeks to cure. In the meantime, I'll let the stain dry on the wood, and then shoot it with a few coats of polyurethane satin clearcoat.

I suspect this little Winchester carbine is going to turn out to be a beautiful rifle when I'm finished. I hope to post some pictures by the end of the month.