Curious Relics #122: Winchester Model 1894 – Part IV

Above, the Winchester 94. Photo by author.

"Curious Relics #122: Winchester Model 1894 – Part IV" is the latest installment of a series of articles in AllOutdoor.

In this installment, the author takes a look at shooting his grandfather's Winchester 94. 

It begins with:

Range Time: Winchester Model 1894

I have shot my grandfather’s Winchester 94 in 32-40 on three separate occasions. The first time was years back with my grandfather himself using factory 32-40 ammunition. My experience at the time was surprise at how a gun that was so legendary in my family kicked very little. It felt like shooting a pistol cartridge in a lever action. Pretty wimpy, honestly. We shot at a bowling ball, and it barely did anything to it.

Recently, I shot it again, two separate times with both factory reloaded 32-40 brass that I reloaded myself, as well as reformed 30-30 brass that I had formed into 32-40. I have an article on TFB chronicling how to do that reformation process. I do not recommend that anybody do it, but that is what I did. For me, it is a sustainable thing, so my cousin can use it and keep the rifle alive.

To read the full article, go here. 

Curious Relics #121: Winchester Model 1894 – Part III

Above, the writer's grandfather's Winchester 1894. Writer's photo.

Part 3 of Curious Relics: Winchester Model 1894 has been posted at AllOutdoor.

It begins with:

Dating: Winchester Model 1894

Dating Winchester Model 1894 rifles comes with challenges. Over 7 million guns were produced across 130+ years. A significant portion of Winchester’s factory records were destroyed in a 1959 fire. The hardest part is that getting verified information involves spending money, specifically for factory letters from the Cody Firearms Museum.

Let me give you a personal example. This specific gun has always been in my family’s lore. It is “Grandpa’s 32-40.” As kids, me and my cousins always heard about it. When my grandfather passed, the oldest grandson inherited the 32-40. I made an effort to get the Cody Firearms Museum documentation, and since we all care about this extension of him, I pursued it.

As with part 2, the focus is on dating the rifle and factory records of the 1894.  Some records still exist, while some (as noted above) were destroyed in a 1959 fire. My Winchester 1894 was made in 1962, so records are still available. 

To read more, go here.

Curious Relics #120: Winchester Model 1894 Part II

Above, the writer's grandfather's Winchester 1894. Writer's photo.

Part 2 of Curious Relics #119 - Winchester 1894 has been posted at AllOutdoor.

This time, the focus is of the differing variations that the Winchester 1894 were made available over the years by Winchester. The explanations on the variations are the most well written that I have seen to date.

It begins with:

Welcome, if you are a newcomer to this fun bi-weekly segment of AllOutdoor.com! If you’re just joining us, we kicked off our deep dive into the Winchester Model 1894 in Part I, where we covered the history of John Browning’s legendary lever-action design. Today, we’re tackling what might be the most confusing aspect of the Model 1894/94: its variations. This is going to be a long one, so settle in.

Variations: Winchester Model 1894/94

Let me be honest right up front: Winchester offered an almost overwhelming array of options and special orders for the Model 1894. For decades, you could walk into a gun shop with a catalog and custom-order darn near anything you wanted: barrel length, barrel profile, stock configuration, engraving, you name it. The Cody Firearms Museum in Wyoming holds the special order books that document this insane variety, and trust me, those records are wild. For the sake of research sanity and word count, we’re focusing on the core production variations, ones I settled on, the actual cataloged models that Winchester manufactured as distinct versions. Everything else, takedown features, octagon barrels, stock options, custom short “Trapper” carbines were features you could add to these base configurations, not variations themselves.

What we’re covering here are the seven true variations of the Winchester Model 1894/94 that you’re actually likely to encounter in the wild.

Above, the Cody Firearms Museum is located at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

 To read more, go here. A Part 3 will be posted when available.

Curious Relics #119: Winchester Model 1894 Part 1 – Grandpa’s 32-40

Above, the writer's grandfather's Winchester 1894. Writer's photo.

Since 1895, the Winchester 94 (or Winchester 1894) has put many venison (deer) on dinner plates. This is easy to understand why since over seven million of these rifles have been sold.

AllOutdoor has posted the first part of an article on a 1902 Winchester 94 owned by the writer's grandfather. It includes a detailed history of the rifle. It is titled, "Curious Relics #119: Winchester Model 1894 Part 1 – Grandpa’s 32-40".

It begins with:

Welcome, if you are a newcomer to this fun bi-weekly segment of AllOutdoor.com! The last time around, we dove into a bucket list psitol, the S&W 1913. We went through the history, variations, dating, and some range time. Today we get to cover a rifle that holds a special place in American hunting history. The Winchester Model 1894 in these photos is my late grandfather’s deer rifle from his hunting days here in Minnesota. With hunting season approaching, it feels like the right time to dive into what many consider the most successful sporting rifle ever made. There’s a saying that the Model 1894 has killed more deer than any other rifle in history, and with over 7.5 million produced, that’s probably not far from the truth. Let’s dive right into the history of the Winchester Model 1894!

To read more, go here.