Winchester 94 in 44 mag

[KCcactus]

I'm trying to decide if I want to buy a Winchester 94 in 44 mag that was made in the early 70s. What is a fair price for one in good condition? It has a 20" barrel. The stock is not checkered.

[Zim]

Best if we had pictures. Prices are climbing & it depends how bad you want it, as always. I paid $450 for one with a tang mounted safety and cheap scope in good to 90% condition. Mostly they run 6-800 from what I've seen. Some collectors will pay more for NIB.

If it's been used for 40 years and shows it, price will drop. Good luck with your decision.

[KCcactus]

9498094981

His pictures aren't the best. He is asking 600.

[GabbyM]

Looks like someone refinished it with polyurethane. I've done silly thing like that myself before I knew better. It will come off so no big deal.

[oneokie]

Looks to be missing front sight hood and saddle ring.

[MtGun44]

Seems high to me, but I haven't been in the market for them for a
while.

Bill

[nicholst55]

If you buy one, be certain to slug the bore; they tend to run large. Mine mikes .432".

[JFE]

I had one of those early 94's in 44 mag and it was one of the most disappointing leverguns I have owned. The shell lifter in that model was sheet metal and kept breaking. After it did this three times I let it go after I fixed it one more time. I think the later 94's were better but the late 60's / early 70's production was the first time Winchester produced the 94 for a short cartridge and it wasn't their best effort. If you really want a 44 then look at the 92 Winchester or clone or a 94 Marlin. These were designed for shorter cartridges.

[KCcactus]

I definitely want a 44 mag. I have a Rossi 92 in 357 that I really like. Unfortunately, my son likes it too. It will take him a while to grow into a 44.

A large bore would be a problem for me. My Redhawk's cylinder will just barely take a load with .432 boolit.

[seaboltm]

I had one of those early 94's in 44 mag and it was one of the most disappointing leverguns I have owned. The shell lifter in that model was sheet metal and kept breaking.

Happened to me too. Brand new, never fired. Racked the action with no ammunition in the magazine and SNAP went the shell lifter. It took months to get another one. So I had a brand new gun that could only be fired as a single shot. For that kind of money get an older Marlin, or if you can find one, an older Browning B92.

[jgt]

The Rossi 92 with that steel buttplate and curve will kick the livin snot out of you with a hunting load in 44 magnum. If you get one I recommend you replace the butt stock with one from a Browning with a shotgun style cut to it and install a good pachmayr recoil pad. Also check the front sight. The early ones had it on the barrel band and would move as the band moved. What you want is one that is dovetailed or at least one on a ramp attached with screws.

[Reg]

The Brownings were hampered with a very short overall cartridge length. They wouldn't handle the longer Keith and round nose designs. The Marlin was much better in this respect.

[KCcactus]

I figured the 44 would kick like a mule with hot loads. My 357 feels like a 22lr with light 38s. With near max charges of 2400, it will get your attention. My son shot without having it firmly on his shoulder and it left a nice bruise. I asked if he wanted to go with a load with a little less powder to hunt with, but he said no. A few hours later, he got his first deer with that 150gr swc using 14.6gr of 2400.

I'll mostly be using target level loads in the 44. For the hot stuff, I'll probably make a wooden spacer to get rid of the curve and add a slip on pad. At 6'1", the 92 stock is a little short anyway.

Thanks everyone for the advice. I'm going to pass on this one and watch for a decent price on a new Rossi.

[JFE]

It's not just about the curved metal buttplate with those stocks, it's also the comb design and thickness. A stock style like those on Win 94's is better with heavy loads. I have never tried it, but I believe that stocks for Win 94's and 92's are interchangeable.

You can also load the 44 lightly too - just keep bullet weight and velocity down. A 200 gr cast at 1000-1100 fps is a nice practice and small game load. Keep it below the speed of sound and its a little easier on the ears too.

[smkummer]

In the late 70's, I had 4-44 mag. rifles. A Remington 788, Marlin 1894, Browning B-92 centennial and a Win 94-44. The first one I sold was the Winchester partially because I doubled my money on it but as stated it was a long action for a short cartridge and it seamed "clunky" compared to the others. Next was the Remington (again doubling my money) and sometimes wished I had not when I later read of the accuracy some were getting with this combination. While the B-92 was the sweetest action of all and by far the nicest finish, I just never warmed up the "Made in Japan" stamped on to the barrel, I would still have it had it not been made in japan. I still have the Marlin and its killed some deer and other critters and now has a re birth as my cowboy action gun.

[MGD]

When presented with the opportunity allways buy a pistol-caliber carbine. They are fun. The good buy or priced too high will not matter after several years of shooting and enjoying.

[jlchucker]

I had a 44 mag Winchester 94 Trapper, early angle-eject model. This one was the early model without that big dumbell crossbolt safety that came out a couple of years later. It had a lever that rattled, but it shot very well, mostly with boolits. That little gun showed a distinct preference for the RCBS 429215 boolit, cast from wheelweigths and sized to .430, behind around 20 grains of 2400. It never did nearly as well with heavier boolits. I've got to think that it liked that lighter boolit because its barrel had a 1:38 twist. That's the same twist found in old Winchesters chambered for 44-40. The 44-40 was typically found with 200 or so grain loads, not heavier. Mine was a fun gun, and I spent many an hour at the range with it, on pleasant afternoons, plinking clay pigeon fragments that had landed on the 100 yard berm after being launched from the adjacent trap and skeet ranges.

[KCcactus]

As much as people rag on Rossi for using a 1:30 twist, I find it interesting that Winchester used 1:38. I appreciate the all the advice. My 20" stainless Rossi M92 in 44 is on its way to my local ffl. Our next weekend outing will include some quality father/son time with matching levers in 44/357.

[fecmech]

I appreciate the all the advice. My 20" stainless Rossi M92 in 44 is on its way to my local ffl. Our next weekend outing will include some quality father/son time with matching levers in 44/357.
You made the right move IMO. I just sold myWin 94AE .357 after stealing a B92 in .357. The 94 was a piece of carp from the gitgo. Good thing about it was it taught me all I ever want to know about 94's, put about 10K through it and made about $200 on it if you don't count labor. I have 2 Rossi's and they haven't given me a lick of trouble in 5 yrs with many thousands of rounds.

[Patrick56]

I have a Winchester 94 in .44mag made 1976. Despite using hours to get the action smooth it is still rough compared to my 65 in 25-20Win and my 94AE 30-30. Not all had saddle rings. The Wins made in the -70 seems to be not so well made. All the parts are rough and need sanding to get them working properly. Even the part of the bolt that rides on the hammer was filled with grooves left by dull tools. Even the timing of the action feels wrong. I know now why the former owner sold it to me, as he had no skills to work on it.

[KCcactus]

I picked up my Rossi 44 tonight. Here he is next to his little brother in 357. 97993

The action is smooth and the trigger is really nice right out of the box. Now I just have to wait until spring break to get to try it out.

[Old School Big Bore]

I was about to get rid of my B92 because the Keith is my go-to .44 boolit. Then I figured out I could cut back the stop on the lifter. The front sight on mine was integral on a chunk of steel soldered to the barrel behind the front band. I wish it WAS on the band or dovetailed in or on a screw-on ramp so I could have changed it out more easily.