New/old rifle....

1899

1899

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
34   0   0
Location
West
I have been thinking of old rifles lately (again) and one of the recurring thoughts was "I should buy one". I used to have a decent little collection, but sold them all to help with finances - 2 x M1908 Mannlicher Schoenauer, M1903 Mannlicher Schoenauer, 3 x Brno 21H, 1895 Winchester in .30 US (manufactured in 1896).

So, and sorry for the lack of pictures, I found a little gem yesterday.

It is a Winchester 1894 in .32 Special, takedown model with an octagon barrel. It does not look refinished and is in very, very nice condition. The bore is bright, but there seems to be some dust in it, which I will hopefully clean this evening. It has an interesting rear sight marked .32 WS for smokeless and has 50 yards and 100 yards on it. It has a brass blade front sight. The rifle was manufactured in 1901.

Now I adhere to the buy the rifle not the story, but the story is the fellow's grandfather bought the rifle a very long time ago (he said it has been in the family for over 100 years).

Do any other CGNers have any takedown 1894's with octagon barrels? Please post a picture if you do.

Cheers.
 
Nice score 1899. I have no pics but there was a 32W.S. in my family sometime between 1911 and 1940. No idea of brand or style but one day I will get one. Button mag I hope. I have a real cool vintage hunting pic at home of a couple but they aren't like the one you bought.

Better get your camera out.
 
That must be a very early production....didn't the .32 Special debut in 1902? How cool is that? Enjoy the rifle!
BTW, I think all of the early .32 Specials had the special sight....I believe they are graduated for smokeless and black powder, since the .32 was introduced to be a smokeless cartridge that could be loaded with blackpowder if desired. The .30-30 was introduced strictly as a smokeless round.
 
Red foreman said:
I would think with a handle like 1899,you'd have a bunch of old savages kicking around.
Click to expand...

Had that too! One day I found CGN, I don't know how I stumbled onto the site. I thought I would sign up but I am not very imaginative with handles - this was the first forum I ever joined.

I had just finished cleaning/fondling a nice little 1899 takedown in 250/3000 and I thought hey, I'll be "1899".

Kilo Charlie - I punched in the serial number on www. savage99.com and it gave me the 1901 date...perhaps it is wrong.

EDIT: according to the Hornady Handbook of Cartridge Reloading, 6th Edition, vol I, the .32 Winchester Special came out in 1895.
 
Last edited:
It's not unusual for a Winchester action serial number to date previous to the year it was actually produced as a finished rifle if in fact 1902 was the debut year for the 32. What is the barrel length? Close to 26" ?(don't be surprised if it is not exact at 26. Most of them were about 1/8 or 1/4 inch different than advertised barrel length). You could probably learn the actual shipping date from the factory by having the rifle lettered at Cody. They would also tell you all the details of the rifle as it was shipped. They do charge a fee but if you find the rifle is fully original you would recoup that cost in having the letter acompany the rifle should you ever sell it.
 
Congratulations, and nice find. The long octagon barrel with TD is a really nice look. I have a 38-55 and 32-40 with octagon, but not in TD.
According to Madis, the 32 special was introduced by 1902 for the model 1894. That said, for all his excellent work, his dates for the model 1894s and a few others are off for certain years. If you were to letter your gun at Cody via their polishing room records, I would guess you'd see your gun left the warehouse in likely 1903. As Stocker said, if the gun is in really nice shape, a Cody letter to go with it certainly doesn't hurt. Enjoy the ol' gun!
 
I have been thinking of old rifles lately (again) and one of the recurring thoughts was "I should buy one". I used to have a decent little collection, but sold them all to help with finances - 2 x M1908 Mannlicher Schoenauer, M1903 Mannlicher Schoenauer, 3 x Brno 21H, 1895 Winchester in .30 US (manufactured in 1896).

My answer_ they dont make land anymore and neither do they make then old guns anymore. Buy'em up, as long as you can afford it of course.

Cause when your older, those guns like you had, that are any good shooters at all, will all be gone.
 
The .32 Winchester Special is a rimmed cartridge created in 1895 for use in the Winchester Model 94 lever-action rifle. [2] It is similar in name to the .32 WCF and .32-20 Winchester cartridges, but cannot be interchanged since it does not share the same dimensions.
 
The cartridge may have been created in 1895, but according to what I have read, it did not go into production that early. The first model 1894s were chambered in 32-40 and 38-55, then 25-35, then 30WCF, and as per Madis "By 1902, the 32 Winchester Special was introduced for the Model 94".

Difference between manufacturing and actually going to market.
 
Last edited:
While we're talking 32's, I have a 32-20 coming, but I am new to the caliber and chambering. I have found info suggesting the bore is usually around the .309" to .310" area. Can anyone here confirm? I thought they were a .321" like the 32 Special.
Thanks
 
I seem to have ended up with an assortment of .32s :rolleyes:
I have a Hex barrel standard rifle, a 1954 M-64 & a 1/2 & 1/2 barrel, with 1/2 mag T/D in .32 in really nice shape. The half & half & half really handles nice, sort of a precurser to the sporting rifle only in a T/D version.
I also have one of the .32 Special special sites in minty shape.
 
Noel: The 32-20 is on my little list too. I think it'd be a neat little cartridge to shoot. Don't really know the particulars about the caliber itself though...sure somone else here will chime in.

Senior: You seem to have quite an assortment of 32 specials. Do you have a special affinity for that particular caliber (and if so, why?) or is it just that you found these really nice special order rifles, and they happened to be in that caliber? I've always been more interested in the odder calibers like 38-55, 25-35, 32-20, 32-40, etc, but do know where there is a really nice 32 special with octagon barrel in between 90-95% overall condition, and with a tang sight that I might have to reconsider buying after all this talk about them!
 
Matt74 said:
Do you have a special affinity for that particular caliber (and if so, why?) or is it just that you found these really nice special order rifles, and they happened to be in that caliber?
Click to expand...

Probably because it is superior to the 30-30. :)
 
I have both 30-30 cal. carbines and 32Sp. carbines and shoot them both regularly. I class them both in the same class. They are so close to being identical in size and power, I could not give superiority to either one. 32 Sp. being a "less made in number" caliber interests me most. Altough I also have a variety of carbines, rifles and SRCs in 30-30, 38-55, 32Sp. and 45-70,....even some 1892s in 25-20.
 
Last edited:
Yup, I'd say they're pretty darn close too, and both get the job done.

Hunters have been arguing over this since the introduction of the 32 special, so I don't imagine we'll ever see a definitive answer to the question. I can remember when I was just a young fellow, listening to men who at that time were well up in their years (and now long gone) debating the issue. I didn't think much of it at the time, but it does bring back fond memories of some great old hunters.

Matt
 
1899 said:
Probably because it is superior to the 30-30. :)
Click to expand...

Well of course it is, because it has a larger dia bullet to start with, everything else being the same it just has to make a bigger hole right ;)

Matt74: just turned out that way, I actually prefer the 38-55 to all other 94 cals, but those 94s came to me in .32s, couldn't change that! Still the .32 in the 1/2n1/2n1/2 is probably much rare'r than a similar 1894 in other calibers except the 25-35, just thinkin that would be a find wouldn't it!!

1894 .32 beside a early .250
HPIM02651.JPG
 
Senior, I call first dibs if you ever decide to sell that 32. Beauty!
That looks very much like the one in my old picture.
Been doing a reno in the basement so I haven't got it scanned yet. maybe tonight!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom