Original Item: Only One Available. This is a great find! A very desirable second year of production Winchester Model 1894 Repeating Rifle, Serial number 42719 in Winchester .38-55 Caliber. Made in 1895, this rifle is one of the most popular lever action repeaters ever marketed, and is popular to this day as a sporting and hunting rifle. This example features the classic "flat top" Winchester rear adjustable sight with a standard blade front sight. It features a full-length magazine tube, and also is fitted with a very nice custom order "pistol grip" butt stock, which has a rubber WINCHESTER REPEATING / ARMS CO. butt cap on the bottom. The rifle has a desirable 26 inch octagonal barrel, which is marked:

By the chamber, the barrel is also marked .38-55, as is correct. The 1894 was originally chambered to fire 2 metallic black powder cartridges, the .32-40 Winchester and .38-55 Winchester / Ballard. The latter cartridge was first introduced in 1876 by Ballard. It was used by Marlin Firearms from 1875 on for various single-shot target rifles and their 1893 lever-action rifle. It was later offered by Winchester in its Model 1894.

In 1895 Winchester went to a different steel composition for rifle manufacturing that could handle higher pressure rounds, and offered the rifle in .25-35 Winchester and .30-30 Winchester. The .30-30 Winchester, or .30WCF (Winchester Centerfire), is the cartridge that has become synonymous with the Model 1894. This is one of the few made with the older composition barrel, and it was not later rebarreled as many were.

The rear receiver tang is also marked with the model and patent information:

The Stocks are in very good condition, with the lovely red-brown color of oiled aged walnut. They do look to possibly have been finished at some point long ago, or they are just nicely waxed and polished. They do show wear from use, with the fore stock showing overall wear, with a chunk missing on the front left woodline. The butt stock shows a bit less wear, but it does have a crack on the left side in the grip area, which looks to be from age and stress.

The rifle is offered with a crisp tight action in fully functional condition. The metalwork is very good, with a nice aged blued finish overall, and no serious pitting or other oxidation. The bore is partially bright with clear lands and groves with pin prick pitting in the grooves, typical of fouling in old black powder rifles. We would probably rate this a 7 out of 10.

A very nice example with a desirable 26" octagonal barrel. Pre-1899 production (1895) and rated Federally as an ANTIQUE. Ready to Display in any Collection!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1895
Caliber: .38-55 Winchester / Ballard
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 26 Inches
Overall Length: 44 Inches
Action type: Lever Action Repeater
Feed System: 9 round Magazine Tube

The Winchester Model 1894 rifle (also known as the Winchester 94 or Model 94) is a lever-action repeating rifle that became one of the most famous and popular hunting rifles of all time. It was designed by John Browning in 1894 and originally chambered to fire two metallic black powder cartridges, the .32-40 Winchester and .38-55 Winchester. It was the first rifle to chamber the smokeless powder round, the .30 WCF (Winchester Center Fire, in time becoming known as the .30-30) in 1895.

The 1894 was produced by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company through 1980 and then by U.S. Repeating Arms under the Winchester brand until they ceased manufacturing rifles in 2006. Reproductions are being made by the Miroku company of Japan and imported into the United States by the Browning Arms company of Morgan, Utah.

The Model 1894 has been referred to as the "ultimate lever-action design" by firearms historians such as R. L. Wilson and Hal Herring. The Model 1894 is the rifle credited with the name "Winchester" being used to refer to all rifles of this type and was the first commercial sporting rifle to sell over 7,000,000 units.

One Model 1894 is on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the Arms & Armor department.

NOTE: This gun is NOT considered obsolete calibre, so we are not able to ship to the United Kingdom. Please note that for international shipping, these MUST be shipped using UPS WW Services. International customers should always consult their country's antique gun laws prior to ordering.