Yes - get the story before that old guy is gone - I bet that old gun was filled up with grease and buried someplace - was there talk of collecting guns during the depression or WW2 ? . My grandad buried a 44gal drum of petrol in the middle of his chicken house at the start of rationing in WW2 - they were sposed to declare everything they had and hand in stuff for the war effort - the boys dug it up in 1947 and used it - (we had rartioning till 1950 I think)Originally Posted by Hootmix
What a great rifle! I wouldn't change anything.
Good morning
I would happily buy a caliber 38 rifle like that... It is shootable with a good bore !
It is what is inside that matters. All exteriors will wear but how is the heart, that which gets the job done.
And we also have a second year 1894 in Caliber 38. Our barrel looks better on the outside but was not well cared for inside. Happily will shoot acceptably minute of corn cruncher out to my river bottoms distances.
Mike in Peru
"Behold The Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world". John 1:29
Male Guanaco out in dry lakebed at 10,800 feet south of Arequipa.
Agree with the above. If that old timer could only talk.
I went back today and talked to one of the shop owner's, they're going to try and get me the name and number of the man who sold it to them. He might have been the second or third owner of the gun from what they think, but he did use and shoot this gun, but he's in his 70's now and has called it quits. I am a little concerned about the pitting at the breech end, and I did find another barrel for this gun that will go on it. I already have the correct wood on order for it and a couple of screws that need to be replaced. I will see if it shoots, but I won't be putting my face on that stock the first time when I do. But we will see what happens.
Whatever cannot be remedied, must be endured.
David,, if you relined the barrel ,, not only would it be very safe to shoot,, it would still that " GREAT " character look,, and you wouldn't have to worry about the breach area,, just my thought on it. Now with all that being said,, there is a thing called " Laser Welding " saw a video of a rifle w/ deep pits being filled in and dressed down ,, slick work .
coffee"s ready ,, Hootmix.
I took the magazine tube off last night, and that was fun, it was really on there. The underside of the barrel by the breech isn't too bad pitting wise, nothing like the topside, and there's one little spot of bluing left right by where the mag tube enters the action. All the markings are there. I have thought about filling in some of the spots to help maybe give it some strength. The one thing I know is that the barrel tapers and is thicker at the breech end than the bore, while the replacement barrel I found, which is a correct barrel for the Model 94 rifle, doesn't taper at all which is like another 1894 Winchester .38-55 I once owned, that barrel had no taper either. Right now I am going to play it by ear and I will try and see what happens.
Whatever cannot be remedied, must be endured.
I'm going to try something tonight, not sure how it will turn out, but I am going to try to fill in the smaller spots which can't be seen because of the forearm anyway, with JB-Weld. I want to see how well it blends in with the steel now. I know it will work, have used the stuff for years to fix stuff, not this, but I have filled in pot metal holes with it before. If I don't like how it turns out color wise, you won't see it anyway but it will add some strength on the underside. I don't plan on filling in everything, but those bigger pits I might be able to take care of and help strengthen. I imagine even if I were to fill it in with other metal, it won't match up anyways. I know the more I work on this gun the more I like it.
Whatever cannot be remedied, must be endured.
Very interesting. I can't say I wouldn't change the stock I spose, it would drive me nuts. If the barrel was safe thou I'd probably not change it. Wonder what a winchester letter letter would say of it. Also wonder if you put it on gunbroker what it'd bring. It's just neat, keep the updates coming!
I’m not sure JB Weld will add any strength to the pitted areas.
Glue is not going to be doing anything but fill the pit to provide a smooth surface and sealing in any unkilled rust to continue to work. I would completely disassemble hang big parts in a steam box and boil this small parts to convert the rust then card to remove the scale. Soak everything in some diesel or kerosene for a day oil everything and reassemble. If the wood bothers you replace it. Load some cast and go enjoy.
I'd try and get to the old guy and get the story before it's too late. Load with lighter loads and enjoy the treasure that it is. If you can get the info to the Firearms Museum in Cody, they could give you a manufacturers history - maybe even a first point of sale.
Years ago my brother met a fly fishing guru in Almont, Colorado. Browning had presented him with 2 HiPower Safari bolt action rifles(FN Mauser). The man did not hunt. He loaned them out and apparently were put in cases wet. The soft cases had to be PEELED off of the rifles years later. They were both pitted heavily on one side and the stocks were "two tone". The man sold both cheaply to my brother. I had both bead blasted to remove the rust, refinished the stocks. I filled the pits with JBWELD, sanded flush, and painted the barreled actions with bbq grill paint. They were still ugly but serviceable. The 7mm mag went to a neighbor and the .338 mag went back to the mountains. Dang shame to neglect any gun much less a fine one. They dont get to look like the surface of the Moon with "honest use"!
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Well, the parts came in for the 1894 and I put them on today. I didn't get to see a photo of the forearm, so I got a mix of Walnut and gumwood, but it will work for now. I also did take a little JB Weld and fill in the worst of the pitting, I know it probably won't add any strength to the barrel but it helps a little with the appearance. I am going to take a little bit of cold blue eventually and brown it a little but I am not going to go hog wild on it. I do plan on taking it to the range, hopefully very soon.
Whatever cannot be remedied, must be endured.
I am not trying to start anything so just take my opinion for just that, my opinion. Filling the pits destroyed all the beauty and character of the rifle without adding anything of benefit.
That said it is your gun, enjoy.
Ya know I hadn't thought of this till now. I bet it'd be neat to fill the pits with nickle solder. Thanks for keeping us updated. If it suits you to tinker on it, then I say you're doing the right thing. I'd like to think I'd leave it alone but really I'd end up tinkering on it too.
I think it looks better filled btw, looks like someone took a neglected rifle and loved it enough to clean it up. I wouldn't put any finish on it, but I like raw metal on a gun.
Last edited by Bazoo; 07-01-2019 at 06:53 PM.
Great looking rifle, just what a lever rifle should look like. I just got a Winchester model 92 made in early 1900's that has the same character but without the pits. Anyway, I am looking for a used old stock and forearm for it as the previous owner put on a newer stock and it just doesn't look right. Nice buy and enjoy it by doing what you need to do to make it the way you want.
ONE of the tricks i'v used w/ JB Weld on metal ,, is to add metal shavings from grinding's to my mix ,, yes it mill rust ,, some ,, but a touch of cold blue ( or plumb brown ) adds to the appearance and strength , fine sand before blueing.
coffee's ready ,,Hootmix.
Would that work? You just enlightened me. Would it stick/hold on the steel and withstand recoil? Also it should patina too right?
I am not 100% sure Kev, but I think so. The rib on a double barrel as well as the lug for the forearm are soldered on, they hold fast. I had a mould that was given to me and it had a repair of nickle. It held up to repeated heating and whacks with a knocker I assume as I don't know the history full. I passed the mould on to another member who got it going.
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