Model 94 opinion

[McKenzie]

I have a Model 94 that was made back in the mid 40s, according to serial numbers. It is an excellent shooter with j-bullets and shows promise with cast boolits. Metal/bluing are about 90+% and the wood is decent. It has seen its share of deer woods. It's a very nice piece, but no museum piece. It was given to me by my father nearly 30 years ago and I have no knowledge of its history before dad got it, shortly before he gave it to me.

My dilemma is the open sights. My old eyes just can't get the best this gun has to offer with them. I have considered having the receiver drilled and tapped for a peep sight, but haven't been able to bring myself to alter such a nice, and original, gun that drastically. Actually, I’m not even sure it would take a peep sight with the top ejection. I have had no luck finding a tang sight that wouldn't require drilling more holes in the tang either.

So, sages of the cast boolit, what recommendations have ye? Are there any good options, or does it even matter with this rifle? If its age counts for anything, I’d hate to devalue it.

Many thanks.

[Jon K]

McKenzie,

I don't think you'll devalue it putting on a tang or reciever sight since, as you've said -
"Metal/bluing are about 90+% and the wood is decent. It has seen its share of deer woods. It's a very nice piece, but no museum piece."
Many of these 94's were fitted with sights, and are quite common. Of the sights, I prefer the marbles Tang, which many were factory installed. They cost a few bucks more than the Lyman Tang, or the Williams Reciever sght, but look around at the local range, you're bound to see examples of each. This will help you decide, because this is one of those personal choice things- like Ford & Chevy.
And the 94's Love Cast BOOLITS..........

Have Fun Shooting,
Jon

[Pepe Ray]

Value?--
Sounds to me like your thinking about selling it. What would your Dad have done?
Pepe Ray

[versifier]

D&T for a Williams receiver sight is no big deal - especially as it's been and will be a working rifle. It may have a minor effect on the value, but it is much more versatile and easily adjusted than a tang sight. Tang sights are an option, but they do not generally have much windage adjustment, and it is almost impossible to return to the same setting (as in using two or more different loads) without burning a lot of ammo. I would consider a tang sight if I shot only one load in the rifle and intended to leave it set up just for that.

[floodgate]

McKenzie:

Your 94 may already be drilled and tapped for the Lyman No. 66, made for these rifles, Midway Stock Number 716636 - I think I saw it on sale in their June flyer. Look at the top rear corner of the left side of the action flat; there should be two small slotted plug screws. If so, the sight will fit right on, and will clear the top ejection area.

floodgate

[9.3X62AL]

McKenzie--

If you have a "flatband" example--your "made in mid-40's" cued me here--you might want to think twice about an aftermarket D&T. I have one of these of similar vintage, one of the few assembled by Winchester during WWII per the serial number. It is NOT drilled and tapped for the receiver sight, BTW.

My point here.....I'm not one of those collector Nazi types, but have a cousin in the Bay Area who is a full-on SS-grade Winchester levergun addict. He found out about my rifle last spring, and that it is in 25-35 caliber, and has not left me alone since he learned of it. It seems to have substantial collector value, even at 85%-90% condition with honest wear and sling loops installed. My cousin's buy offers surpass decadence and approach ridiculous. He groans audibly over the phone when I mention range days with it. He was kinda mean and ornery when we were kids, so I enjoy that part a lot.

I would verify whether your rifle was built during the war or postwar before doing any drilling on it, in other words. I usually consider these collector fetishes with pristine condition to be bizarre and unrealistic, but you can be assured I won't be drilling and tapping my rifle.

[McKenzie]

Deputy Al, according to the web site I checked, by its serial number it was made from 1943 to 1948. That was the best it could narrow it down.

It has no sight mounting holes in the receiver currently. I don't think that they came with them back then.

Oh, no, I have no plans to sell it. However, someone will have to consider it after my passing. I was just worried that being a potential "war years" gun that altering it might detract from whatever value it would have, given condition, caliber, etc.

[Pepe Ray]

Yep, when you're gone one of your grandkids will trade it for a stack of "really neat baseball cards".
Pepe Ray

[pumpguy]

I am not a Winchester guy or a mega collector. Having said that, I would not alter it. I have some old Marlins that are not valuable, but, I leave them alone because they have earned their scars. I also shoot them every chance I get. 94's are common and cheap enough that I would get a newer one in an AE and alter it if I needed to. By the way, where are you in Kansas??

[scrapcan]

you have a couple of options other than D&T. You can try a hood on the front sight if you have a front sight with the slots for one. sometimes the hood can make the front sight easier to acquire. The other option is to buy the replacement rear leaf that is form of aperture/ghost ring. I cannot think of the maker at the moment but it is basically a replacement for the adjustable leaf on the rear sight.

[9.3X62AL]

Duh, I'm kinda dull today.......have you tried one of the Merit Apertures that fit on or around eyeglasses?

[Mallard57]

Smoking the sights or spraying the sights with sight black can help considearbly too.
Jeff

[Blammer]

get a really strong magnet and put on a peep, or glue it on, Can always rub off the glue...

[John Taylor]

Your 94 should have a sight screw hole just behind the hammer for a tang sight. Lyman and marbles still make a tang sight for the 94. The Marbles has windage adjustment. Midway has both sights

[McKenzie]

Yep, when you're gone one of your grandkids will trade it for a stack of "really neat baseball cards".
Pepe Ray

My hope is that my daughter will preserve them for her kids, but failing that, I have a couple of nephews that I believe would appreciate my guns and gear.

[McKenzie]

I am not a Winchester guy or a mega collector. Having said that, I would not alter it. I have some old Marlins that are not valuable, but, I leave them alone because they have earned their scars. I also shoot them every chance I get. 94's are common and cheap enough that I would get a newer one in an AE and alter it if I needed to. By the way, where are you in Kansas??

That's kind of how I feel about this gun. I'm just east of Wichita, in El Dorado.

[Lloyd Smale]

Im not a big fan of them but what you might want to consider is a set of willaims fire sights. There a fiber optic front sight and a rear sight that installs in your existing dovetail in the rear with two fiber optic pieces in them. You wouldnt have to alter your rifle to use them just drift out the old and drift in the new.

[Cimarron Red]

McKenzie,

I'm surprised that your 94 is not D & T'ed for either a receiver sight or a tang sight. Assuming neither, there is an acceptable option for a tang sight. I've done this on two Browning rifles -- the 86 carbine and the 53 rifle.

Marble's makes several tang sights with short bases designed for use on the Miroku tang safety Winchesters. They use the gun's tang screw hole, of course, and also have a smaller screw that is to be mounted in a D & T hole just in front of the tang screw. However, I mounted mine without using this screw. I applied an appropriately-sized piece of double-sided adhesive tape on the bottom of the sight base and tightened the new tang screw. These sights have been on my guns for several years with no problem. A friend of mine has a Miroku 86 Win. with the tang safety and he, too, chose to not drill the extra hole. And he took the gun to Africa on safari. No problems.