30 W.C.F ammo still available???

Skinny 1950

Skinny 1950

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
42   0   0
Location
Vancouver
I was in my local gun store today and they have a well used Winchester rifle that takes 30 W.C.F. ammo and the guy said it is the same as 303 which is still made and costs about $1.00/round. I don't know much about rifles and would like to know if this is true.
I think the rifle is a Model 1896 or something similar and the bore is good with very strong rifling and the mechanics seemed solid, there is no original finish and the stock has some repairs but it look O.K.
Is ammo a problem for this?
Thanks for any info.
 
.30 WCF aka 30-30

Skinny

Find a more knowledgeable dealer. The .30 WCF is also known as the 30-30; available at your local Wal*Mart and CanTire.

The rifle is most likely a '94.
 
Yep, 30-30 ammo is still available (aka 30 W.C.F.). But the 30-30 wasn't not chambered for the Model 1896 .... in fact, there never was a Model 1896.
 
Skinny 1950 said:
I was in my local gun store today and they have a well used Winchester rifle that takes 30 W.C.F. ammo and the guy said it is the same as 303 which is still made and costs about $1.00/round. I don't know much about rifles and would like to know if this is true.
I think the rifle is a Model 1896 or something similar and the bore is good with very strong rifling and the mechanics seemed solid, there is no original finish and the stock has some repairs but it look O.K.
Is ammo a problem for this?
Thanks for any info.
Click to expand...

It frightens me that a gunstore employee in the lower mainland not only identified a gun as a winchester 1896, but then didn't know what 30 wcf was, and then suggested it was 303.

Care to mention the store?
 
To be fair to the dealer he may have said 30-30 and the Model I may have confused with a Lymans sight that has been attached to the rifle which had a Patent date on it.
So ammo is no problem...good to know,they are asking $399.00 for it plus tax would that be considered a reasonable price for a shootable Winchester that is in well used condition ie: dings and minor repairs to the stock?
 
If you want an idea when it was made (to confirm that it is pre-64) take a look for the serial number and date of manufacture on the following link. http://www.proofhouse.com/win/index.html
Mine was built in the 1940's and is in very good condition - I wouldn't consider selling it for less than $500. At that price, I would buy it - but offer him $350 and have him throw in two boxes of 30-30 cartridges.
 
They do go cheaper - pre-1964 guns go for EDIT - morewith winchester 94's because that's the date they switched over their manufacturing practices to an easier to produce, but some say substandard quality.
 
Last edited:
H Wally said:
They do go cheaper - pre-1964 guns go for cheaper with winchester 94's because that's the date they switched over their manufacturing practices to an easier to produce, but some say substandard quality.
Click to expand...

That's funny because most guys I know pay a premium for a pre 64 winny of any stripe
 
Thanks for the reply's folks...I am going to go back to the dealer and jot down some info on the rifle..find out when it was made etc.
I spent some time looking on the EE and for a few dollars more I think that I can get one in better condition.
If I take my time maybe this urge to buy another gun will pass and I can pay off some of my debts.....................NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA :D
 
c1a1 said:
Pre-1964 Winchesters usually command a higher price, than post 1964.
Click to expand...

Definitely!!!! In 1964 the production process was changed to produce less expensive rifles. Many feel that quality suffered as a result. Pre-64 Winchester 94's are more desireable and cost a little more than post 64 models.
 
I strongly agree with a couple of you posters; an employee in a Gun Shop should NOT be giving out bad data, especially to do with calibre. He should not have guessed; all he had to say was "Standby while I confirm the answer"...all would have been well.
 
Pre 1964 Winchester hired a bunch of university grads and their job was to figure out ways to save money in production. They did things like spot welding the slide levers on model 12's rather than have a rivot and that saved just over a dollar a gun. In the end winchester repaired EVERY model 12 they built as the spot weld would not hold. All repairs were under warranty and cost buckets of money.

They went to a cast carrier in the model 94 rather than a machined one and that move cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs under warranty.

Now what makes this even more interesting is there was a long time (old guy) in the factory that told them from day one what they were doing with the Model 12 and 94 would not work. They literally told him he didn't know what he was talking about and guess who had the last laugh.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom