Re-Bore a Mod. 94 to .45 Colt?

[Potsy]

I want a .45 Colt Levergun. I had a '94 Trapper, and while it had some shortcomings, I liked it. When Winchester quit making '94's for a while, I relegated it to "safe queen" status, and eventually traded it.
Regretted it ever since.

I thought about my qualifications for my "ideal" .45 Levergun. I came to the conclusion that the following comprises what would suit me. Understand, this will be more or less a plinking, hunting, and truck rifle. No cowboy action shooting. Nobody want's an ugly gun, but it doesn't have to be beautiful either.

-I want to be able to run some pretty heavy weight bullets. Day in day out will be a 270SAA, but having enough action length to size a350 Ranch Dog down to .454 and playing with it would be nice too. I've measured my loaded rounds with Miha's 270 SAA mold, and I'm longer than Henry's recommendation (though it's my understanding you have a bit more room than they indicate).

-A fast enough twist rate to stabilize said Ranch Dog or heavyweight LBT.

-I want a 16.5" barrel. Period.

-The ability to mount a good peep sight.

-A recoil pad. Not so much because it will kick (and it will), but few things annoy me more than not being able to lean a gun up in a corner without fearing it will slide out on the floor.

-I want it "svelt" and light. Marlins feel chunky to me. Henry's feel chunky to me. My Trapper felt good. Rossi '92's feel great (but you can't find one new, and now, they ain't cheap either).

-Regular sized levers feel best to me. I don't wear huge mittens and I'm not getting in a gunfight with Sammy Davis Jr. any time soon (for those of you who get that reference).

I wish I'd have bought a Rossi when they were readily available, but their future seems a bit uncertain.
I've looked at a Henry. It was nice, but I thought it a bit chunky and am concerned about OAL issues.
Marlin isn't currently building anything that dings my bell.
Same with Winchester (plus they're pretty steep anymore).

I've come to the conclusion that a re-vamped '94 angle eject, worked over to the specs I want, might not be a bad way to roll. Plenty of Wal Mart models still floating around at semi reasonable prices chambered in .30-30. Why not chop, re-bore (with better than usual .45 Colt chamber dimensions), add a pad, add a set of XS sights, rock on.

Anybody done anything like this? Anybody have any good 'smith suggestions?

[Shawlerbrook]

Personally, I would prefer an 1892 for pistol length cartridges, but it should be possible with a 1894. I would talk to Ranger Point Precision or Steve’s Gunz about your project.

[john.k]

Will a 45 fit in a 30-30 magazine tube.?..........not a big difference,about 006.........if the rim fits,its do able IMHO,the other issue would be the dovetails in the barrel making the rebored barrel too thin in wall thickness.

[Jedman]

Sounds like to me you want a Rossi, They are around used. Be patient and keep watching one will find you.

Jedman

[CraigOK]

Someone mentioned recently that the Rossi's are being made again, maybe production was taken over by another company? Might check on availability again.

Link to that thread: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...maker-Rossi-92

[Multigunner]

I've heard the only reason that lever actions weren't chambered for the .45 Colt revolver cartridge back in the old days was that the original Colt cases had rims that weren't suited to the extractors. Not enough taper as well.

Modern repros in .45 Colt probably wouldn't work well at all if old style balloon head Black Powder cases were used.

[john.k]

I suspect the project would be problematic.........I know Winchester had a lot of trouble getting the 94 to feed reliably in 44-40 and 44 mag back in the 70s.I also know that fiddling with the feed guides is a job for an expert.....which is someone who has ruined a few guides trying things out,to find what works and what doesnt.And who isnt likely to share that info for free on a forum.........I think starting with a Marlin would be a far more sensible option,because the design is more tolerant of case shape.Or buy a new Rossi.

[Rokkit Syinss]

Uberti 1873 is worth looking into.

[Texas by God]

Sounds like to me you want a Rossi, They are around used. Be patient and keep watching one will find you.

Jedman

This^^^^ for a LOT less $ than converting a 94 Winchester and getting it to work.
Hello, Jedman!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Greg S]

https://www.gunbroker.com/Lever-Acti...2355&bl=200014

Been a few years since I've seen one of these and low and behold... 357, 44 or 45. Better strike while the iron is hot or you'll be looking for over a year for a used one to show up like I had to.

If you want to shoot above SAAMI 45 Colt loads, the 92 is the way to go. The barrel, bolt, lifter and cartridge guides would need to be changed or modified. Here is a fine example of a Winoko 1892 Octagonal Trapper TD. The wood is kinda plain but ya get what ya can get when you miss the 500 limited run.

Chiappa also makes a 92 Trapper and haven't heard any bad press on them.

[bikerbeans]

Potsy,

I would talk to JES reboring to see if a 94AE 30-30 is a candidate for a 45 pistol cal rebore. On their website the biggest rebore listed is 375 cal.

BB

[northmn]

I suspect the project would be problematic.........I know Winchester had a lot of trouble getting the 94 to feed reliably in 44-40 and 44 mag back in the 70s.I also know that fiddling with the feed guides is a job for an expert.....which is someone who has ruined a few guides trying things out,to find what works and what doesnt.And who isnt likely to share that info for free on a forum.........I think starting with a Marlin would be a far more sensible option,because the design is more tolerant of case shape.Or buy a new Rossi.

Marlin had similar issues with their 336. They did get the 44 to work but some claim problems. It would make more sense to either get a 92 Winchester or Marlin 94 already made up.


DEP

[redhawk0]

Take a look at the Henry also. They make a 45 Colt Big Boy.

I think the amount of money you'd spend converting a Win94 would be better put toward an already 45LC ready firearm.

redhawk

[Potsy]

Looked in Cartridges of the World (didn't have any .30-30 cases laying around). .006" difference in rim diameter between a .30-30 and .45 Colt. Can't imagine too many problems there.

Dad has a late 60's model '94, I need to look at the lifter/chamber relationship and see what's going on there. Tempted to run a couple .45 Colt cases up a .30-30 sizer so the action will close and see how the action will run with shorter cases. If it'll feed stubby empties, I'd likely not fret a '94 .30-30 feeding about anything, thought it would be a different rifle being converted.

Action/feeding wise, I had zero complaints about my '94 Trapper .45 Colt. Though admittedly I've never owned a '94 Marlin or a '92 Winchester and don't do any C.A.S.

I've also been looking at Henry Big Boy Steels a bit closer, but that'll be another thread......

[john.k]

if you can buy a lifter and a set of feed guides for the 44-40 version,then you might have a chance.......otherwise Im sure you would end up with a single shot.

[Griff]

Having many Winchester mdl 94s, and one being chambered in 44Mag from 1969, I'll say this... don't waste your money! The Winchester mdl 94 action is for cartridge lengths of 2+ inches... the 1.6" of the 45 Colt or the 44-40 or 44 Mag are not well served on this model. The 1873 & 1892 Winchester (& their clones), WERE designed from the ground up with this cartridge length in mind. The length of the action adds in quite a bit of sloppiness in the feeding of the cartridge from mag tube to chamber. You need to adjust not only the guides and carrier but also the lower link. For that contains the "nub" that holds cartridges in the tube, so one doesn't double feed. The bolt for a mdl 94 in 45 Colt is the same as the bolt for the .44-40 & .44Mag... but not the same as the .30-30 class cartridges.

I have 6 45 Colt rifles; an 1885 single shot, a Uberti 1860, 2 Uberti 1873, a Rossi 1892 and a Marlin 1894. They're all a pleasure to shoot with the right cartridge overall length and bullet shape, and they're all pretty accurate for iron sights with the correct bullet dia. and powder charge. They all don't love the same load, they all like one or two well enough that they've become my standard loading. (one for smokeless & one for BP).

Getting a Rossi mdl 1892, the video on how to tune it from Steve's Gunz and you'll be dollars, time and shooting pleasure ahead of trying to convert a mdl 94. Oh, and if you're thinking of hot-rodding the 45 Colt... definitely get a 1892. The shorter action and twin locking lugs give less twisting surface and more bearing surface for pressure retention than the mdl 94.

[.45colt]

I will second what Griff says above. We can put a lot of time and effort into a 94 to get it to work like it should........Then the day will come when You have a 92 action in Your hands and the light goes on in your head.......Good Luck.

[wildwilly]

I have a post-64, Winchester 94 conversion 44-40WCF from 30-30. I assure you, it functions as slick as a 92 Winny. It even has a shorter lever throw. Some twenty years ago I acquired a 94/30-30 rifle for cheap. At that time Numrich offered a conversion kit for the 94 in either 44 mag., or 44-40 WCF. I ordered the 44-40 kit.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the barrel was genuine Winchester manufacture.....factory roll marked and stamped 44-40WCF, but the cartridge guides and lifter appeared to be inferior (junk).
The local gunsmith installed the barrel, but the rest of the kit parts made feeding unreliable.

The rifle became a safe queen for several years. About the time Winchester was acquired by Browning, I became curious about substituting genuine Winchester guides and lifter for Trapper 94/45 Colt. I ordered the parts from Browning (about $40 at the time) and installed the parts myself. The only mod. I did was to open up the bolt face slightly with a Dremel tool. Utilizing the 30-30 magazine tube presented no feeding issues. It still resembles a 30-30/94, until you observe the muzzle end.

These days, Winchester 94 parts for the pistol cartridges are pretty much unobtainium. Good luck.

[Don McDowell]

Why not just look around for another 94 trapper in 45 colt? Mine is over 30 years old functions just fine, always has most likely always will...
Or look around and find a 92 Winchester in 45.

[john.k]

Altering 94 feed guides is a shortcut to a single shot...Very tricky,unless you have examples to copy ,or the factory drawings...And spares for the 44s were rare ,even when the guns were current.I tried to alter a 44 mag to 44-40 using a new 92 barrel,and it didnt turn out well........I also had plans of altering my 44-40 factory gun to a longer case.....like the 44-55 /1.8" mentioned on this forum.Anyhow,commonsense prevails,plans shelved.