Pre 64 Winchester Model 1894 Sporting Rifle - From wall hanger to shooter.

[Poohgyrr]

Looking good, and that should be fun. Congratulations and thanks for sharing.

 

[RedArmy]

Success! Just got back from my local indoor range where the rifle proceeded to run like a Cadillac. Flawless, it kicks like a mule with that cast iron butt plate though. Will have to get a limb saver for the next round.

Taking my time fitting the bolt paid off. Not a single case was bulged and all of the primers are mint. She's living right! PPU 170 grain 2,182 FPS.

Zero case bulge.

Nice deep centered firing pin strike and no bloated primer.

Only at 25 yards from the shoulder. Sights will take some getting used to, she'll connect though. Top holes are from sight in, hole near the bottom is flyer all on me. I didn't bring a small enough screwdriver to adjust the rear sight so next round should be more accurate.

 

[RedArmy]

Will post some final detail shots of the rifle shortly. I'm calling this project done! It does what I want it to, very happy with the results.

 

[RedArmy]

Here she is, I did nothing to the original parts of the rifle and instead weathered the new barrel and magazine tube to match as closely as I could. You just can't beat the weathered patina of an old gun in my opinion. Completely removing the pitting and refinishing it all would have ruined it, you may as well buy a new gun if you go that route. Just my 10 cents.

Click on photos for a larger view.

Correct markings laser engraved into the new barrel by Elliot White Gun Shop.

Original Marbles # 50 front sight.

This cast butt plate is not your friend, lol.

 

[RedArmy]

Your critique welcome. It might not be to every ones liking, I love it though and will be looking for another old Winchester to fix up.

 

[Johnny Diamond]

Absolutely beautiful sir!

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 

[Poohgyrr]

Here she is, I did nothing to the original parts of the rifle and instead weathered the new barrel and magazine tube to match as closely as I could. You just can't beat the weathered patina of an old gun in my opinion. Completely removing the pitting and refinishing it all would have ruined it, you may as well buy a new gun if you go that route. Just my 10 cents.

Click on photos for a larger view.

That’s a good looking M94 rifle there. It should be fun. Congratulations

 

[RedArmy]

Thanks for the compliments, I'm going to take it out again this weekend to see if I can tighten up my groups.

 

[RedArmy]

I need more front sight height so I took the Skinner brass sight I had and cut it for the Winchester. These are made oversize so you can cut the height and the dovetail to suit. They have a nice serrated post to cut reflection as well.

I cut it into a traditional lever gun shape and tarnished it for a vintage look. This gives me a better sight picture and should cure my high hits.

 

[safestuffer]

Nicely done, thats one of my favorite hobbies, making old lever actions look good again.

 

[RedArmy]

Nicely done, thats one of my favorite hobbies, making old lever actions look good again.

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That's a beauty! Nothing beats an old lever gun for pure shooting enjoyment. I still plan on finding another one to fix up, preferably in a pistol caliber. The old thirdy-thirdy with a steel butt plate starts to smart after a while. Still need to finish tuning the front sight height on 1894, might have to get that done next week.

 

[RedArmy]

Updated the sights on this old girl. I added a Marble's rear sight and and a Skinner front sight in steel. The Marble's rear sight is so much easier to use than the original Winchester sight. It's optimized for quick accurate shots, the wider and taller buck horns and white diamond guide your eye right to the front sight post unlike the original sight.

Marbles has been making these rear sights the same way since the 1800's. Their new front sights are different though so that's why I chose a Skinner for the front.

As you can see the front sight has a more modern shape that won't look good on a vintage lever gun so some reshaping is in order.

Here is the completed front sight after reshaping. The bulk of material was removed with a Dremel and the rest sanded into shape by hand. The height of the sight wasn't altered, just the front of the blade was brought to a more traditional lever gun shape.

I gave the new sight an oil quenched finish. I've been slowly antiquing the new barrel and magazine tube to match the original worn finish of the rifle. I think it looks about right now, I used steel wool to remove some of the finish and added wear marks.

I added a little wear to the new rear sight as well to make it fit in.

I also added some faux color case hardening to the top of the bolt. This was done using different bluing solutions applied with a sponge and q-tip then sealed with automotive clear. The clear should protect it from Hoppes No. 9 and gun oil, it's a pretty tough clear.

Ready for the range.