Winchester 94 Feeding Problem

Slug870

Slug870

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I have a 1951 Winchester 94 30-30 which I decided to take out for the first day of gun season for bear yesterday. When I got out to the stand, I attempted to "cycle" the lever to chamber a round; but was surprised to find that I could not chamber the round. The bullet tip entered the chamber, but then jammed up solid, with the bolt hitting the side of the casing instead of behind it. I had to use my Gerber in order to remove the jammed round, after which I attempted to chamber another round by "cycling" the lever only to have the same thing happen. I was forced to manually insert a round into the chamber in order to ready the firearm.

Has anyone else had this happen to their 94? I am hoping that this is a problem I can fix myself, but if I have to I will bring it to a smith to get the problem fixed properly.

Also, do any of you Winchester gurus have a link to a detailed parts breakdown for the model 94? I'm going to search the interweb here in a minute, but I'd love to here about any you might prefer.

Thank you.
 
Did you cycle the action with a vigorous snap or slowly? (I always try to be quiet when hunting). I am assuming you have a good clean rifle to start with and it's one you've fired before with no problems.
I'm also assuming you used factory ammo so no problems with overall cartridge length.

If you haven't already done so, load some rounds in the mag and work that action smartly. Make sure the lever goes as far as it can before you bring it back.
 
Slug870 said:
I have a 1951 Winchester 94 30-30 which I decided to take out for the first day of gun season for bear yesterday. When I got out to the stand, I attempted to "cycle" the lever to chamber a round; but was surprised to find that I could not chamber the round. The bullet tip entered the chamber, but then jammed up solid, with the bolt hitting the side of the casing instead of behind it. I had to use my Gerber in order to remove the jammed round, after which I attempted to chamber another round by "cycling" the lever only to have the same thing happen. I was forced to manually insert a round into the chamber in order to ready the firearm.

Has anyone else had this happen to their 94? I am hoping that this is a problem I can fix myself, but if I have to I will bring it to a smith to get the problem fixed properly.

Also, do any of you Winchester gurus have a link to a detailed parts breakdown for the model 94? I'm going to search the interweb here in a minute, but I'd love to here about any you might prefer.

Thank you.
Click to expand...

Theres some great instructional videos on YouTube for tearing down the action.
 
Several things.
The mag spring forces the cartridge to the back of the cartridge lifter, the lifter lifts the cartridge upwards so the bolt can catch the back edge of the rim, and it's pushed into the chamber.
So, it comes down to the lifter not raising high enough for some reason.
This could be, simple cleaning/lubrication issues, broken lifter spring, wrong cartridge, short stroking the action, or a really long handload. I kind of doubt that last one, as I think it wouldn't get that far if it were too long.
 
Thanks for the replies and suggestions all, gonna have a look at my 94 tonight sometime and check everything out (haven't had time since the weekend). Hopefully I can get it figured out.

John Y Cannuck said:
Parts break down available HERE.
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I was looking for, thank you!
 
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