Winchester 1894 - what model do I have?

[Bayou Renaissance Man]

Hello, fellow levergunners. Glad I could join you on this forum.

On Friday I purchased a Winchester 94 rifle, chambered in .30-30 and in very good to excellent condition. I'm not sure what model I have. The serial number indicates late 1966 production according to the Blue Book or 1967 according to the online resource at Leverguns.com. The rifle is as follows:

* 26" heavy octagonal barrel with semi-buckhorn sights;
* Full-length magazine tube, no barrel bands - a band around the magazine tube appears to be fitted to the bottom of the barrel about 4" from the muzzle;
* Color case-hardened receiver;
* Gold saddle-ring (although why anyone would want a saddle ring on a long-barrel heavy rifle I don't know - this may be a later addition);
* It has a longer fore-end than my 20" Winchester 94, almost half the length of the barrel, with a heavy brass fitting at the end;
* Metal butt-plate, not crescent-shaped but flat, with a cross-hatch pattern;
* Blued hammer but bright polished (chromed?) trigger;
* Receiver is engraved with whorled lines;
* Straight stock (no pistol-grip) with very nice light honey-colored wood.

Can anyone identify the model of this rifle? It doesn't appear to be a commemorative edition.

I grabbed it at once when the seller offered it to me for $400, and within half-an-hour someone else offered me double that for it, which gives you some idea of how nice it is! It'll fit in nicely with my collection of nine other lever-actions . . . now to go for a round dozen!

Many thanks in advance for your help.

[Ysabel Kid]

Not sure - but someone here will know. Welcome aboard!!!

[Old Savage]

Pictures?

[Bayou Renaissance Man]

No pictures available yet. I can post some in a day or two if necessary.

[J Miller]

It's either a "Classic", or an "Antique". I can never remember which.

Joe

[Bayou Renaissance Man]

Joe, are you referring to me or my rifle?

[awp101]

It's either a "Classic", or an "Antique". I can never remember which.

Joe

Joe, are you referring to me or my rifle?

Ah yes, with a sense of humor like that you're gonna fit in just fine...

[J Miller]

Joe, are you referring to me or my rifle?

Well, your rifle of course.

Unless your frame is color case hardened and you got a gold saddle ring in your side.

I used to have some really old Winchester catalogs, but they have disappeared. One of them has a blued receiver with a scroll engraved on it, and the other was like yours. But like I said, I can't remember which.


Joe

[Bayou Renaissance Man]

Well, my frame is hardened, but I dunno about case . . . and I'm not saying where I wear my saddle ring!

Thanks for the input so far. Hopefully someone will recognize the description. I'll post pictures tomorrow or Tuesday.

[Griff]

The "Antique" was a SRC (saddle ring carbine) that meets your description to a "T"; except fot that barrel, mag & forend. The "Classic" was the rifle version of same, although it used a curved steel buttplate like was used on almost all commemorative rifls of the era. It did not have a SR (IIRC) and was rollmarked on the right flat above the forend "Classic".

I believe you have an "Antique" someone has rebarrelled into a rifle.

Pics would be a big help.

[hartman]

I've got the same rifle manufactured in 1966, 1866-1966 commemorative. The difference is mine has a curved rifle but and all metal is brass. Mine also has the saddle ring for some unknown reason. It sounds like to me you have an antique, but I'm a little baffled by the butt as the antiques I've seen have had the curved rifle butt.

.02c
Hartman

[kimwcook]

I have an antique and it doesn't have an octagon bbl.

[Griff]

Again, the "Antique" is a SRC and the "Classic" is the companion arm in rifle configuration. Identical except in thiose respects' both have color case hardened receivers, "gold" colored loading gates & triggers, with appropriate stocks & buttplates for their configuration.

An "Antique":


Sorry, I don't have a pic, but here's one on Gunbroker": "Classic". It appears I was wrong 'bout the buttplate.

[Bayou Renaissance Man]

Griff, that Classic looks close. The differences between it and mine are the saddle ring (which, as I said, is incongruous on a rifle - it might be a later addition) and the engraved receiver (the Classic seems to have a plain metal receiver). Also, the fore-end cap on mine appears to be brass.

Curiouser and curiouser . . . I'm beginning to wonder if the combination of features on this rifle make it a special-order from the factory! I might have to do some digging.

I'll post pictures in a day or two.

Many thanks to everyone for their help so far.

[20cows]

Sounds like a Puzzle to me.



This is Puzzle Four.

[Bayou Renaissance Man]

20cows, yes! The engraving on my receiver is identical to that in your photograph. Visible differences are that the hammer spur on mine is a bit higher or more sharply angled than on yours, and my rifle's trigger is bright as opposed to blue on yours. The saddle ring is in the same place, except that mine appears to be at least brass and perhaps was gold-plated, judging from the finish on one part. The ring is fairly worn, unlike the rest of the gun, so it's hard to be sure.

What is the "Puzzle"? Never heard of that name in connection with a Winchester 94 - or is it just a term meaning "we don't know what this is"?

Thank you!

[20cows]

Well, I have this habit.

I keep finding parts lying around and kind of put them together like pieces of a puzzle.

Puzzle One (nickel receiver) and Puzzle Two:



Puzzle Three:



Puzzle Five is in the works.

[WIN 1894]

What is the serial number?

[Griff]

The "Classic" does have a roll-engraved receiver. The link I showed is not quite clear, but if you look closely you'll see the "engraving". The picture is a little muddy, and in the daylight, it appears the receiver is blue, not case colored. The only "Classic" I've fondled was over a year ago in a gun shop in Dallas, nearly bought it, but... other commitments to my project guns kept the CFO from releasing additional funds! It may have not been original, but... well, it sure looked right. The buttstock had a blued curved buttplate, case color receiver with gold trigger and loading gate, 26" octagon barrel and the word "Classic" roll-engraved on the right flat of the barrel. I just don't recall there being a saddle ring on it. But... maybe sometimer's disease has set in! (Sometimes I remember, sometimes, I DON'T!)

[Bayou Renaissance Man]

Serial number is 3076xxx. Date of manufacture is 1966 according to my gunshop's books and 1967 according to the Savage99.com online look-up facility.

Barrel has the following engraved:

NICKEL STEEL BARREL
ESPECIALLY FOR SMOKELESS POWDER

on the left hand side, on the octagonal surface below the leaf of rear sight;

MANUFACTURED BY THE WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO.
NEW HAVEN, CONN. U.S.A. PATENTED AUGUST 21,1894.

on the center (top) octagonal surface, a little more than half-way from the muzzle towards the breech. All engraving appears factory-original. No other barrel engraving is visible, although I suppose there might be something beneath the forearm.

Sorry about the lack of pictures: I loaned my digital camera to a friend, who hasn't yet returned it. As soon as it comes home I'll take a few pics and post them.

Judging from the feedback so far, it seems to be similar to a "Classic" with the exceptions that that word isn't engraved on the barrel, and it has a flat butt-plate and the saddle ring. Any other ideas?