Price Check: Win. 64 32 Special, UPDATE

[Mainehunter]

Never owned a Winchester in a lever, always been a Marlin/Savage guy but there's one sitting at a local gun shop. Very nice looking, hardly used, mint bore, 24" barrel, going for $750.00. I really don't need another lever but this one....looks awfully nice!

Mainehunter

[Mainehunter]

The other thing I forgot to mention it's a non-deluxe model and also it's a pre-64. I did a little snooping and found out they made a short run of the 64 in the yearly 70's but only in the 30-30.

Mainehunter

[WinM71]

If it's all original & looks that nice, it's a very decent price on a choice pre-64.

[Sixgun]

Big difference in desirability if its a pre-war or post war. Check the number. Is a great buy if its pre-war and OK if post war.

[earlmck]

You're not letting that nice rifle sit there exposed to predators while you type on the computer, are you? Run down there and rescue that baby.

[geobru]

That is a good price around here when you actually see one for sale. Most that I have seen are model 64 barrels screwed onto a 94 receiver. They're asking 5-6 c notes for those gunzillas. A few years ago, the local candy store sold a mint deluxe model for $1200.

[1894c]

i just put on lay-away a pre-64 (vintage 1957) Winchester 94 in 30/30, it's in good condition, 85-90% original blue, bore is shiny (good lands and groves) no big nicks or cracks on the stock, just a slight scratch on the left side of the receiver, the Win 94 didn't look like it was used much. The asking price was $595.00, my local LGS sold it to me for $550.00, more than i wanted to pay, but i really wanted a pre-64 and this was best one i've seen--PICS AND A RANGE REPORT WILL COME AFTER I GET IT OUT OF HOC, SOMETIME AFTER CHRISTMAS...

Mainehunter --- i'd buy it, before you know it, it'll be beyond our reach financially, that's why i jumped at mine...i want to own, shoot, and hunt with a piece of history, i can't afford the pre-WWI or WWII ones, but the post-war pre-64's are still doable... :)

[Mainehunter]

You're not letting that nice rifle sit there exposed to predators while you type on the computer, are you? Run down there and rescue that baby.

It's funny that you mention about the predators. The gun shop called me back asked if I was still interested because there's a few guys asking about it. Sooooooooo....



I bought it. The serial number puts it around 1943. Had to do a shot gun trade and some cash. So now I'm a proud owner of a Winchester 64, my first lever at that!

Mainehunter

[1894c]

very nice WINCHESTER 94...great choice, great caliber, great find, good home... :)

[ollogger]

Great looking rifle, glad ya got it, youll like the old 32 WS

ollogger

[Old Savage]

Congrats similar to the way I got an NIB 88.

[earlmck]

Oh yeah! That's a beauty. And a war-year one to boot. Ya done good!

[Dave B]

Nice rifle!
The Model 64 in 32 special is the very rifle I plan to buy when times are better.
I hope yours brings lots of enjoyment.

Dave B

[Griff]

All the post-64s mdl 64 were stanped on the barrel as a Model 64A. Known as the "Deer Hunter's Rifle." I have one of the 64As. Still a very handy rifle. I won my 1st one in 1972 on a shipboard raffle. $5! Got stolen shortly after I got home from VN. Mod71alaska sold me a NIB mdl 64A he had a few years back. IMO, same great handling gun, even if not valued as highly.

You got a good'un!

[Mainehunter]

Thanks for the kind words gentlemen! After owning nothing but Marlins or Savages for years, something about this Winchester is different. I have shot a few Winchester over the years, all felt and shot great but I think what prevented me of owning one was the high cost and my sense of loyalty toward's the Marlin/Savage brand. But I have to admit after handling it last night and comparing to my other guns I had in my vault...gulp it's probably the most well balanced rifle I own. As for the 32 Win. SPL I'm pretty impressed on the ballistics from what I'm reading. Also with it's slow twist rate it shoots cast bullets quite accurately which I like.

Mainehunter

[mod71alaska]

Good decision there, Mainehunter. You bought a very nice rifle! The Model 64 in 30 WCF/30-30 and 32WS and the Model 71 in the heavier .348 caliber are my favorite Winchester lever action rifles.

Here is a photo of 3 Model 64 rifles showing some differences. The top rifle is a prewar Model 64 showing an overall more delicate stock and the older style, more abrupt buttstock comb. It also has cross hatch checkering on the hammer.

The middle rifle is a Model 64 Deluxe from the late 40s or early 50s. Notice the heavier stock appearance and more sloped comb. It also has a ribbed or serrated hammer (similar to todays Model 94).

The bottom rifle is a Model 64A, which only were made for about a year in the early 1970s and is a somewhat rare production Winchester. This one (at the time) was NIB and is the 64A Griff referred to above. (I'm pretty sure Griff has taken meat with it by now!)

[Marc]

Yes, that is a nice 64! I like the 64's!

[Booger Bill]

Have to show my 1952 30-30 again. It might have a box through it. I also have a 94 that I bought new I think in 1957 so I dont shoot this one. I did try it out with a couple rounds.

[Sixgun]

We got him hooked boys! Mainehunters posts will jump to a thousand in no time.

Nice rifle Mainehunter. Even though the number puts it at 1943, its a pre-war gun. Look at the hammer serrations. It will have the pre-war cuts----dang it, I don't have pics available. The blue has a different look. You 'da man!---------Sixgun

[Remington40x]

I had a Model 64 in .30-30 for a while, which I traded in some now long forgotten deal. At some subsequent time, I bought a Marlin 336A, also in .30-30 made sometime in the 50s. The Marlin proved to be far more accurate than the Winchester, but I have to admit that the Winchester's lines are far more graceful.

[OldWin]

Mainehunter,

You got a good one! I've always liked the 64 because my grandfather carried one as a warden in the late 30's to early 40's. I started on straight-grips so they feel more natural. That's why i bought the rifle on the left. An 1899 vintage rifle returned to the factory for a 64 front end in 32WS and a Lyman 56. It's one of the most balanced and accurate Winchesters I've owned. Next is a 64 in 30wcf made in 49. Third is another standard 64 in 32WS made in 52. On the right is a 20" 64 short rifle in 30wcf made in 37. Sadly I don't have gramps or any deluxes.
Here's to hoping you make meat with that beautiful 64 and experience the fun I have with old Winchesters

[Canuck Bob]

Major score. That is a beauty!

[Mainehunter]

We got him hooked boys! Mainehunters posts will jump to a thousand in no time.

Nice rifle Mainehunter. Even though the number puts it at 1943, its a pre-war gun. Look at the hammer serrations. It will have the pre-war cuts----dang it, I don't have pics available. The blue has a different look. You 'da man!---------Sixgun

Oh my gosh Sixgun I nearly spilled my drink all over the keyboard reading your post.

I was picking up some last minute supplies for my hunting trip and I stopped at a few gun shops that did have ammo. I asked this question in my other post what brand to get. The last stop was not really a gun shop more of a mom and pop hardware store and they only sell ammo no firearms, go figure! They had the usual Remington Core-Lokts but they did have one box of the Hornady Leverevolution.

The older gentlemen behind the counter (old enough to be my grandfather) handed me the box of Hornady's and asked what was I shooting? And I told him. OH BOY! He grabbed the Hornady's out of my hands and looked at me as if I had three heads. For a moment I thought he was going to take me behind the wood shed if you know what I mean. Seriously! I never got such a tongue lashing since my father passed away. After the scolding he handed me the box of Remington's. I payed quickly as I can and shot out the door with my tail between my legs!

So I headed to the range with box of Remington Core-Lokts and my Winchester. Set the target up to about 75 yards give or take. Loaded up three rounds and fired them off. Didn't have my spotting scope so I had to walk down and look at the results. I nearly fell over when I saw three of the rounds touching each other...in the bullseye! I was practically skipping on my way back to the table. I left the sights the way they were, packed up my things and drove back home with a big grin on my face!

Mainehunter

[Catshooter]

Sweet Mainehunter, nothing better than a beautiful rifle that also shoots! I've always thought that the 64 was one of the most graceful & balenced rifles ever made. You done great.

On another note, was Winchester really making 64s in 1943? Maybe they were, but it's hard for me to imagine it. Not like it was a war effort gun. Or maybe I'm wrong.


Cat

[65bee]

First of all - Winchester made NO sporting rifles in 1943. It was a violation of Federal law for them to do so. ALL production was for the war effort. Any sporting rifles said to be so, are offered by owners who don't know better. Those guns out there that have pre-war parts are most likely very early post-war issues made up to supply a terrific demand after the war, using a combination of pre and post-war parts, but before the manufacturers were geared up for full production. I have owned many model 94, 64, and 71 rifles that fall into this category. Even though many owners believe there were sporting guns made during the WW2 era, it just ain't so! These supposed war-time guns usually exhibit inferior fit and finish. As regards the model 94s, I have found a pretty good indicator of a true pre-war gun is the presence of the WINCHESTER trademark on the tang. Lack of this trademark is a red-flag that it was most likely made 1945 or later. The Model 64 in .32 Special is a real treat. I have owned many, and they were all tack-drivers. I have always had a love for the pre-war model 64s, as they had much more attractive/sexy stocks than the later guns.

[WinM71]

If Winchester made NO sporting guns during 1943, why do we find among their factory records tallies of serial numbers assigned during that year for some few sporting models? Many models so recorded (M70, M97, M12, etc) may have been for the war effort, but 89 Model 71s? Perhaps this was assembly & finishing from existing stocks of parts? In any event, their records seem to say that they turned out 89 M71s that year. Smaller quantities of a few other sporting models. Here's the link to their records:

http://www.winchesterguns.com/support/f ... uments.pdf

[65bee]

I quote from a notice in the 1943 Shooters Bible: "...the manufacture of all firearms and ammunition for civilian use has been completely stopped by order of the War Production Board. As a result, none of the arms or ammunition factories are in a position to make deliveries for the duration." There may have been a few guns made up out of existing inventory, and perhaps a few for gov't use, but certainly not enough to account for the huge numbers, especially of 94 carbines, out there that were supposedly 'war-time' production. I maintain these guns are late 1945 thru 1947 manufacture.

[WinM71]

Winchester's own records (see link in my post above) show no model 94s for the years 1943-1947 inclusive. This seems consistent with your quote from the 1943 Shooter's Bible. Their records do show, however, about 30,000 during 1942. Seems to me that qualifies as "wartime". Whether those 30,000 were actually fully assembled and sold, I have no idea, I'm certainly no expert. Perhaps they sat around as "parts" until after the war, who knows.

[Pete44ru]

very nice WINCHESTER 94...great choice, great caliber, great find, good home...

Well............. technically, mainehunter's rifle isn't a Winchester Model 94, it's a Winchester Model 64 (as others have posted), differentiated by at least the standard 2/3 mag & PG stock - and a pretty decent Model 64 Standard, at that !




.

[65bee]

Win71: Regarding 1942 production, it is entirely possible that those numbers are correct. I am not sure when the War Production Board ordered the factories to stop civilian production. I do know that there were some 1942 model automobiles built for public sale, of course those might have been manufactured before Dec. 7, 1941. I would guess that those 94s listed as built in 1942 might have been assembled from parts already on hand? My Dad, who is 99 years old now, and was an avid shooter and hunter during those war years, has told me many times that there was absolutely no new guns or ammo available. He hunted with a Model 70 .257 Roberts and ammo was non-existent. However, he managed to scrounge up a few boxes of old .25 Remington ammo at local hardware stores, and he pulled the bullets and reloaded them in the .257.