Winchester 94 Receivers

[BruceB]

I've got a 1981 Winchester 94 Trapper whose receiver's finish has seen better days. If I steel wool it like this guy did, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeHoQ8YDpOg , will it stay "in the white"? It won't blue, but will it rust? I had thought about getting it matte hard chromed, but was told it would require lapping the screws and barrel upon reassembly. Thoughts?

[Old Savage]

I have always thought they would look good in hard chrome. I recall reading that you can leave the screws in to have it chromed.

[FWiedner]

I powder-coated mine.

[BruceB]

I powder-coated mine.

I've had it suggested that I use Gun-Kote on it.

[M. M. Wright]

It is my understanding that Uni-bath was developed specifically for 94 receivers and will do the job. Expensive stuff though.

[Hobie]

Parkerize.

[Tycer]

Hey Bruce, long time pard. Nice to see you post.

I'd brown it. Someone here did that and I thought it looked quite nice.

You could sand it and use something like a metal prep/zinc phosphate that auto body guys use that leaves a phosphate coating and an etched satin finish. Combine that with normal wipe down oil and it should stay in the white forever.

[WyrTwister]

I've got a 1981 Winchester 94 Trapper whose receiver's finish has seen better days. If I steel wool it like this guy did, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeHoQ8YDpOg , will it stay "in the white"? It won't blue, but will it rust? I had thought about getting it matte hard chromed, but was told it would require lapping the screws and barrel upon reassembly. Thoughts?

Try the Brownells Oxpho-Blue cold blue . Best I have found . Not as good as hot blue , but not bad . And economical .

Also , I have read if the hot blue is run hot enough , it will " blue " the cast receivers ?

God bless
Wyr

[Griff]

A 1981 Winchester mdl 94 would be iron clad. It'll take a blue, but it does require a special formula. Check with Classic Guns Inc.

I had my 1979 color case hardened... and love it:

[pokey]

'75 browned

P5030087.JPG

'80 cch

sprecialollie3.JPG

depends on whether you want to do the work yourself or send it out.

[Hagler]

BruceB,

I bought a rusted & pitted '94, built in 1975, from a pawnshop:



The insides are in very good condition, so I wanted to clean up the outside. I stripped the peeling finish off of the wood, but I left the original stain. I used Tru-Oil on the wood. The receiver was wet sanded, then blued with Birchwood Casey Super Blue. When I was finished applying the bluing, I neutralized it in boiling water. I left the rifle "full of character", instead of going for a full restoration. Here is the result:





Shawn

[Hobie]

That looks good Shawn!

[Griff]

That looks good Shawn!

+1 on the "used" not "abused" look!

[gak]

That looks good Shawn!

+1 on the "used" not "abused" look!

++1 great job!

[BruceB]

That looks great Shawn. Pretty much what I was looking for. "Wet sanded" with what?
I was hoping to do this as a home project as a distraction from my divorce. The wood on my Trapper is good as are the insides. Rust isn't near as bad as Shawn's.

[Hagler]

Bruce, et al,

Thanks for the kudos.

I wet-sanded the receiver with a few different grades of "wet-or-dry" sandpaper (if I remember correctly): 100; 360; 600, with Automatic Transmission Fluid as my lubricant. For the long, flat areas, I wrapped the sandpaper around appropriately-sized scraps of wood. I was careful to stay away from the proofmarks & the serial number. I gingerly sanded away most of the pits from those areas, but I left a few pits, rather than deface the markings:





Also, if you look carefully, you can see the remnants of someone's intials on the link:



I took down the surface of the link as far as I felt comfortable with. Patience is the key. Go slow, and take plenty of breaks. Degrease your work, before you blue it. Warm up your parts, so that they are not cold, but do not make them so hot that the solution dires immediately upon application. ...and, a little trial-and-error figures into my "success", too.

Shawn

[Hagler]

...and, so you can see what can be done with an old beater, I will add this:

My '94 came with a short frontend (seen here after I refurbished the rifle):



I bought a bag of "unknown" (probably for some Uberti rifles) long forends off of eBay, from a guy in France:



I sold all of them, but one. I adjusted it to fit my '94, and I bought a secondhand sling from a pawnshop (for $5.00) & added them both to my gun. Here she is, today:



I think that the long wood really makes the rifle. The sling actually appears, to me, to make it look like a working gun. Good luck, Bruce!

Shawn

[Hoosierdaddy]

Here's one I did that was made in 1964. It was rusty and had some serious pitting. I hand sanded it, then scratched it up. It is in the white, and I have shot it weekly and in matches for about 2 1/2 years. Just have to make sure to oil it after each use.
Hoosierdaddy