Drill and tap an old 94
- Thread starter 6.5x55swm
- Start date
The best solution would be to trade for a rifle better suited to scope mounting. but i suspect you love your old 94.
If I had a 94 that was near and dear ,I think I would look at a small reflex sight that I could mount on the front receiver ring or on the barrel just in front of the action. While it is not a scope I find they are adequate for 30-30 range hunting use. Keeps the rifle trim and light and easier to use the irons.
If I had a 94 that was near and dear ,I think I would look at a small reflex sight that I could mount on the front receiver ring or on the barrel just in front of the action. While it is not a scope I find they are adequate for 30-30 range hunting use. Keeps the rifle trim and light and easier to use the irons.
Would a red dot work for you? Something like this? Mounts in the rear dovetail slot, this one is from Steve Gunz but he doesn’t ship to Canada though. Otherwise you’re stuck drilling and tapping the barrel for a scout scope because of the top eject. Leupold, Redfield, and Burris use to sell long eye relief scope mounts for the 94 because a traditional scope wouldn’t work on the top eject, wish I could find one of those for scout build.
- Location
- Western Manitoba
A Winchester 94 of that vintage will eject straight up out of the chamber - therefore you can not have a scope body directly over the chamber. Years ago - circa 1977 - I installed a Weaver side-mount on a new Win 94 that I had bought around then - I think I used a Weaver K4 scope - the scope body was offset to the left in those mounts, so ejected shells could go up past the scope body - I also had the "elevation" turret pointing to the left and the "windage" turret pointing straight up, to also provide clearance. Of course, that reversed the functions. To fire it, required one to aim with one's shooting eye to the left of that rifle's centre line - so any "check weld" for a right master eye shooter, on the butt stock, was gone. I tried to install that scope both "square" to the receiver sides, and also with the rifle canted when I aimed it. In both cases, you now have introduced a windage offset - so "sighting in" is correct for only one range (elevation and windage) - closer or further than that range and the further away the point of impact was from the bore centreline - up-down for elevation and left-right for windage. That "windage error" might not be a big deal for some 30-30 shooters - say sighted in circa 150 yards - same error at rifle, as at 300 yards, but opposite windage - so still well within kill zone of a deer.
I was well into my 50's before I learned how to use a rear aperture sight - one of those things that I should have started when I was 10 years old, but I did not. I can no longer see rear barrel mounted sights "good enough", but the rear aperture still seems to work fine.
I would say it is not a "big job" to install a scope on a Win 94 - I think that was four holes to drill and tap in a good straight line on side of that receiver to install that side mount base, but I certainly was not pleased with the results. My current Win 94 (made in 1955) has a Williams rear aperture sight and a Truglo front sight - that seems to work fine. If someone were to insist on a 30-30 chambered lever action, with a scope installed, I think they would be much further ahead with a Marlin 336, or similar. If you have an IER scope, like used in a Scout rifle, and can get the rear end of the scope installed ahead of the rear end of the chamber, I think that would work to install such a scope on centre line of the rifle. Not with "ordinary" scope; nor with a "pistol" scope (EER). I have a Burris 2 3/4 power IER scope mounted on a Savage Scout rifle - the view is relatively small - much more than with iron sights, but not close to any of the views through the various scopes that I have on the bolt action rifles.
Much more "modern" Win 94 receivers are built on the Angle Eject receiver - Weaver and others sell scope bases and rings for those rifles - the fired cartridge is ejected off at an angle, not straight up, so a scope can be installed over the barrel centre line.
If you are not "used to" using aperture sights, and do not fire that 30-30 too often, then maybe consider to get similar rear aperture sight on a .22 Long Rifle - we did so on our son's Win 9422 and on my BLR in 22 Long Rifle, and on my Ruger 10-22 and on a Savage "Camper Special" Model 24 that is here. Especially at today's stupid prices, is much cheaper to go through 50 rounds of 22 Long Rifle, versus 50 rounds of 30-30.
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- Location
- Western Manitoba
I think what you are showing in that picture is half of the Weaver side mount. Separately, there is also a base part that it drilled and tapped to the receiver - what you show in that picture attaches to the base unit via those two big thumb screws. There was a straight looking base unit - I installed that on a Cooey 60 and on that Win 94. There was also a base unit that had the top part "leaned" towards the rifle centre-line - I installed one of those on my Dad's P17. I think what you show is the "short" version of the ring part - there was also a longer version. So far as I remember, both ring versions would screw onto any base version.
These are the Weaver side mount units that I found here - the two on the left are the base units that get 4 x 8-40 screws into the rifle receiver - one of the four screws shown in the left most base is not original screw. The shortest base is marked "2" - the middle base is marked "1" - there might have been other sizes and shapes - the ring unit on the right attaches to either of the base units - it is marked "WEAVER SIDE - 1H" I think there were other makes and brands that accomplished similar?
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You used to be able to drill and side mount your scope on right side of receiver. This was not for left handed shooters. This I found more comfortable than the left side mount.
If you mount your scope to the side of your bore you also should sight in your aiming point to the same side or at long range your windage will be off.
A climbing Lyman receiver sight or even just a normal Lyman receiver sight would be my choice.
If you mount your scope to the side of your bore you also should sight in your aiming point to the same side or at long range your windage will be off.
A climbing Lyman receiver sight or even just a normal Lyman receiver sight would be my choice.
If one really wants to mount an optic on a top-eject Win 94, a rear dovetail mount for red dot would be a reasonable option. A "Dr. Pearson" scout style mount that uses the same dovetail and a replacement receiver screw attachment is not terrible either. However, a Marlin or other will always be a cleaner setup that gives flexibility on type of optic used.
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