Why it's a good thread?

JeffR

JeffR

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I just picked up an old Winchester 94, and I wanted to see if anyone had a rough idea of its value.
The serial # is 725###, which place the date of manufacture as 1914. It has a 20" barrel, saddle ring, steel butt plate and a pop up leaf sight. It has some light surface rust, and the stock is varnished, so I am guessing the stock has been refinished. The action and the bore seem to be in good shape. Any info would be appreciated.

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$450.00 - $500.00

The saddle ring and stud, folding sight and the curved steel buttplate will bring close to 400 bucks on their own on eBay.
 
Looks like a keeper.
I think by the pic the stock is refinished, so collector value is reduced, but, the rifle looks to be otherwise original, and in good condition. As mentioned, that rear sight, is quite collectable.
upwards of $450 would be my guess, and it's really just a guess.
 
I also have a '81 made, top eject Win 94 and I can see noticble differences between the two guns.

Even after 93 years the action on the older 94 is tighter, the hammer spring has way more tension and the trigger is crisper and lighter than the newer gun.
 
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Not to be excessively picky, but "pre-64" only has any significance when refering to the Model 70.
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From Chuckhawks.com

- "Surely among the most beloved firearms of all time are the Winchester pre 1964 Model 94 carbines. These graceful little rifles are a study in functional walnut and steel. With nearly perfect lines and balance, they became the best selling sporting rifles of all time.

Unfortunately, by the early 1960s the production costs of the traditional Model 94 with all of its forged steel parts had risen dramatically. Winchester executives realized that soon the Model 94 would have to be priced beyond the reach of the average hunter. This is exactly the fate that befell the classic Mannlicher-Schoenauer carbine, and eventually spelled its doom.

To save the Model 94 and restore a reasonable profit margin, Winchester redesigned the action for cheaper manufacture, substituting stamped sheet metal and roll pins for parts previously machined from forged steel. The steel buttplate became plastic and a less durable metal finish was substituted for the traditional bluing. The new guns still worked and shot just fine despite their aesthetic flaws, but the credibility of the Model 94 took a serious hit, and examples manufactured prior to the 1964 changes became instant classics.

Most of the shortcomings of the post 1963 Model 94s were eventually corrected, but the pre '64 versions remain the most desirable of all Winchester Model 94s."
 
JeffR said:
From Chuckhawks.com

- "Surely among the most beloved firearms of all time are the Winchester pre 1964 Model 94 carbines. These graceful little rifles are a study in functional walnut and steel. With nearly perfect lines and balance, they became the best selling sporting rifles of all time.

Unfortunately, by the early 1960s the production costs of the traditional Model 94 with all of its forged steel parts had risen dramatically. Winchester executives realized that soon the Model 94 would have to be priced beyond the reach of the average hunter. This is exactly the fate that befell the classic Mannlicher-Schoenauer carbine, and eventually spelled its doom.

To save the Model 94 and restore a reasonable profit margin, Winchester redesigned the action for cheaper manufacture, substituting stamped sheet metal and roll pins for parts previously machined from forged steel. The steel buttplate became plastic and a less durable metal finish was substituted for the traditional bluing. The new guns still worked and shot just fine despite their aesthetic flaws, but the credibility of the Model 94 took a serious hit, and examples manufactured prior to the 1964 changes became instant classics.

Most of the shortcomings of the post 1963 Model 94s were eventually corrected, but the pre '64 versions remain the most desirable of all Winchester Model 94s."
Click to expand...


Not the best place to be quoting Chuck Hawks, he does not have many fans on this site :D.
 
Wow, that is a fine looking rifle!

BTW I have a 1966 model 94 30/30, and it has a steel buttplate.

About the only difference I can see when comparing to a pre 64 is that little lifting platform inside to raise the cartridge is made of cheaper metal...just a flat strip of metal. In the older ones it is strong steel, and even shaped to hold the cartridge.
 
Really? Why is that?
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..............The dribble drabble Chuck Hawks spews is true for the most part but what people don't respect about him is that he pretty much plagerizes like a grade 7 student writing a report. He has nothing new to say or add to the gun world.
 
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