Got A '94 Winchester in 38-55

[doubs43]

I've just traded a friend out of an Oliver F. Winchester commemorative rifle in 38-55. It was made in 1980 and never fired but it was improperly stored and has a bit of the gold plating about pin-head size flaked off the rear of the receiver and a small amount of corrosion on the edge of the butt plate. Otherwise it's perfect and I'll be shooting it tomorrow with 250 grain Lyman boolits. I have somewhat less than $500 in it and figure that any '94 Winchester in 38-55 is worth that much, especially in unfired condition. Beautiful wood too.

[Throckmorton]

Souns like you're in for some fun !! I'd shoot it also in the shape it's in.
Let us know how much fun ya had !!

[Catshooter]

Very nice score.

I have a 94 in the same caliber. It's a put together with a half round 26 inch "One in One Thousand" Winchester barrel. It'll shoot into an inch and a half at 150 yards and knocks down those 200 yard Rams with authority. I love it.


Cat

[doubs43]

I shot the rifle this afternoon with Lyman 248 grain boolits sized to .377". I was quite pleased with my groups even though the wind was blowing right to left pretty hard. Function was perfect and it has a nice trigger that helped too.

Indications are that it's going to be a real shooter. My ancient eyes don't do real well with open sights and just minutes ago I ordered a Lyman 66A peep sight that will mount on the side of the receiver. Once I get the sight, I think I'll be able to get really respectable groups out of it.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
Hard to beat a good deal on a 38.
You might want to slug the throat area. I have not had one of those models but I would be supprised if the throat was not fatter than .377.

[NickSS]

I have an old winchester 94 in 38-55 that was made in 1913 per the serial number. It is a special order short rifle with a 20 inch half round barrel, half magazine and shotgun butt plate. It originally was factory drilled and tapped for the lyman 21 reciever sight but the sight is gone but the holes remain. One of these days I need to find the sight so as to cover the holes. With 379 dia cast bullets it shoots really well out to 200 yards with a lyman tang sight I have on it. Per a book I have they only made less than 2000 shot rifles so this was a real find.

[Guesser]

catshooter; I also have a '94 put together with one of those "1 of 1000" half & half, 26" barrels. Mine is mounted on a angle eject receiver with the cross bolt safety. Simplest build I ever did on a rifle. Barrel screwed in perfectly, no machining required, headspace perfect. I load 375449, 265 gr. GC over 22 gr. of SR4759 for 1800 FPS 10" from the muzzle at ambient 65 degrees. I have a Lyman tang sight and it is accurate like I never would have believed. My bore slugs at .3765, I size my 375449 to .379. I like 38-55!!!!!!!!!!

[drumgool]

I too like Cast shooter put a 94 together with a 1 in a thousand barrel half octogon half round barrel shot it for the first time this week. I think you will realy enjoy this caliber .

Great find.

[doubs43]

M5155, when I get the Lyman peep sight mounted I'll be able to tell more about the accuracy of the .377" bullets I shot it with the other day. My eyes don't allow me to do my best with open sights. If the accuracy isn't there I'll definitely slug it. Maybe it'll be time to shoot the boolits as-cast with liquid alox lube.

NickSS, that sounds like one sweet rifle! Finding a rare model in top condition is always exciting and then for it to shoot like yours is icing on the cake!

Catshooter, Guesser & drumgool, where did you fine the "1 of 1000" barrels? Building a rifle with one sounds like a winner. My load with the RCBS 312 boolit gives a MV of 1319 fps and reliably takes down an NRA full-size ram at 228 yards. That's what I use in my Winchester (Miroku) Hi-Wall. While I need to go with the 45-70 for 350 yard rams, the 38-55 is one of the best cartridges out there IMO.

[Guesser]

If I remember; the barrels were made up by Winchester (Olin) just prior to the take over by U.S. Repeating Arms and were to be used in a run of AE guns. It never happened and the barrels were sold as surplus to a "liquidator". Mine was from a friend that bought 4 of them and he and I built our custom "special order" guns. His on a "Legacy" action, mine on a standard 20" 30-30. Both were cross bolt safety guns and there was very little machine work required, his more than mine.
Mine was finished in 2004, don't know if there are any barrels still out there.

[Marvin S]

I have the Lengenday Frontiersman. Size em at .379 and let her rip, mine shoots very well with a receiver sight