Winchester 94 trigger pin

[destrux]

I just bought a 1974 Winchester 94 .30-30 that's been well used (it's my first Winchester lever action rifle and I was very excited to buy it, especially for $225), and I detail stripped it to check for issues and found a cracked trigger and a sloppily fit lever but an otherwise very good condition rifle. So that leads me to three questions that hopefully someone with more experience can give me some information on.

First, can I install a pre-64 trigger or does it have to be replaced with a post 64 trigger? I prefer the curved face shape of the pre-64 trigger and would like to swap to it if it's possible. The upper part appears to be the same but I can't be sure from the photos online.

Second, my rifle has a roll pin for a trigger/sear pivot pin. Is that original? When I look up a trigger pin all I find is a solid pin listed (but the parts listings are confusing). I assume that I can swap a solid pin in there since that's all Winchester sells as far as I can see.

Third, the lever has a lot of play side to side in the lower receiver piece. From what I've found it seems the older rifles were fit tighter and the newest rifles came with a wave washer on the lever pin to eliminate the slop/rattle. Can I just swap a wave washer from a newer rifle into the older one or won't it fit?

Thanks

[pietro]

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IDK about the pre-64 trigger fitting your post-64; but AFAIK, the roll pins introduced in 1964 would have been changed to solid pins with the other changes (lifter, etc) made in response to post-64 complaints, in 1970.

In any event, I would strongly suggest replacing any roll pins with solid pins - I use the (hardened) shanks of appropriately-sized sacrificial hi-speed drillbits, ground to length.

I would try the wave washer - after all, whaddya got to lose ?

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[destrux]

I guess I'll take a shot and order both triggers then and see. Good idea on the drill bit, that way I can fit the pin as close as possible.

[John Taylor]

http://www.gunpartscorp.com/Products/302090A.htm
http://www.gunpartscorp.com/Products/266770.htm

[destrux]

For the sake of future reference I fitted the pre-64 trigger to my rifle with no problem. It is a direct fit if you swap the roll pin out for a solid 1/8" pin (same as the pre-64 rifles used). The roll pin used on the post-64 will drag slightly in the pin bore on the pre-64 trigger, which is why the pin swap is required. Trigger slop is much reduced.