Winchester 94 Serial #34

[Bzcraig]

I promised photos some time ago but finally got to it. Ain't she beautiful?

[prestonj12]

Beautiful!

[gpidaho]

Very nice! When are you bringing it north? Gp

[Bzcraig]

Well unfortunately it belongs to a friend with a very large collection but we will arrive permanently on 4/10! Can't come soon enough!

[DougGuy]

WOW how cool is THAT?????

[TXGunNut]

Very nice, 38-55?

[Bzcraig]

Very nice, 38-55?

Yes it is!

[Lead Fred]

Dat be the cat's meow

[clum553946]

That's an amazing piece of history & very nice to boot!

[smokeywolf]

WOW! One more time. WOW!

She's in amazingly great condition. Wood still proud to metal, darkening proximal to edge grain, suggesting it has never been refinished.

Octagonal barrel and tang sight. That is a treasure.

If your friend hasn't had it lettered by the Cody Museum, he should probably consider it.

Thanks very much for the pictures. Gives me the warm fuzzies. Sorry Marlin lovers, but except for the Volcanics and the Henry, no other lever guns have the elegant lines that the Winchesters possess.

[rpludwig]

Beautiful!

Ditto on getting it lettered!!!!!

[enfield]

It's very nice but somewhere out there, there's 33 older ones :)

[Scharfschuetze]

Yep, a serious WOW!

[Char-Gar]

That is a seriously wonderful and seriously collectible Winchester.

[hornady308]

I'm having to remind myself not to covet thy neighbor's Winchester.

[tdoyka]

[smilie=w::happy dance:in 38-55:awesome:

[nicholst55]

I saw a write-up in American Rifleman many years ago where they located Winchester Model 70 serial number 2. I can't recall many specifics, but it was wearing a vintage Fecker target scope. At least at that time, nobody knew where SN: 1 was at.

[ReloaderFred]

I saw Winchester Model 12, Serial # 2, at the Winchester Collector's Association gunshow in Cody, Wyoming, a few years ago. It had been the gentleman's hunting gun for many years, and he was trying to sell it. I saw him at the motel on Monday morning after the show and he said he'd turned down $20,000 for it. He said he had agreed to sell it for that price, but the prospective buyer only had $10,000 in cash, and wanted to write a check for the other half. The guy said he "wasn't going to take a check from anybody, period!" The owner was on his way back home to Washington, with his shotgun....

Fred

[Blackwater]

One more WOW here! What an amazing find! And it's SO good to know it's now in really good hands! Thanks for sharing the pics with us.

[John Taylor]

I saw a write-up in American Rifleman many years ago where they located Winchester Model 70 serial number 2. I can't recall many specifics, but it was wearing a vintage Fecker target scope. At least at that time, nobody knew where SN: 1 was at.
I thought I would never see a lower numbered model 70 than #20 that came into the shop but then #2 came in for some repair from another shop. It did not have a scope on it then.

[Bzcraig]

When I asked if I could buy it, he threw out a number of 5k, when I said yes immediately, his eyes got big. I went on to tell him to get the Cody letter and if really wanting to sell it, take it to auction. He really didn't have a FULL grasp of what he had. I couldn't really call myself a friend and take advantage of him that way. (I have leaned on him pretty hard for other guns though and got some really good deals, he's a FFL) I have to admit it was an almost spiritual experience holding that rifle and imagining it's history. A little back story for the curious. My buddy is the second generation owner of a pawn shop his dad opened in 1949. My buddy recalls the gun coming in the early 60's and his dad placed a tag on the gun that reads, "low serial number don't sell." The guns in my buddy's collection have come via the day to day business of the pawn shop, not because he is a collector, and he just can't get rid of stuff he knows is valuable. I told him the gun belongs in the collection of someone who fully appreciates it and I would help him get there if he wants, that's all I can do because I don't have the kind of money to purchase it myself and stay married and no heir who would appreciate it after I die.

[TXGunNut]

Very nice. Never seen a gun like that outside of a museum. My shooting buddy has a four-digit 1894 (5XXX) and it has been well taken care of these past 120 years.

[flint45]

very cool 1894 and a38-55 WOW!

[Treetop]

Bzcraig, thanks for sharing those pictures and the back story. That rifle would go way beyond cool anyway, but in a .38-55? It's in a league of it's own, IMO!

[stubbicatt]

So cool! So... are you going to shoot it? :kidding:

[John in WYO]

I saw a write-up in American Rifleman many years ago where they located Winchester Model 70 serial number 2. I can't recall many specifics, but it was wearing a vintage Fecker target scope. At least at that time, nobody knew where SN: 1 was at.

I remember reading it was found in Texas, a .30-06.
Rancher walked into a gunshop
with it after it bounced around in his pickup for years, got offered $$$$$$ and finally inquired as to what he had.

maybe a search on the 'net will link to the story.

[modified5]

What a great piece of history. And I thought my 94 receiver with an 1898 date was old. It's numbered in the 137xxx range.
If I could I would send lead down range with the fine piece. How sweet would that be?
One has to wonder, did JMB hold that one?

[Walter Laich]

They knew how to make them last back then.

wonder what kind of stories it could tell?

[TXGunNut]

What a great piece of history. And I thought my 94 receiver with an 1898 date was old. It's numbered in the 137xxx range.
If I could I would send lead down range with the fine piece. How sweet would that be?
One has to wonder, did JMB hold that one?

What's stopping you? I and my shooting buddy shoot rifles of that vintage on a regular basis. And no, it's doubtful JMB held your rifle. During that time period he only came to the Winchester factory to sell new designs and sometimes to consult on production issues. He wasn't above rubbing shoulders with the production machinists so the possibility can't be ruled out without a careful study of your rifle's build date and the dates of his known visits.

[modified5]

I meant I would shoot that number 34 rifle.
Right now mine is a stripped receiver that I bought from a guy who is stripping old 94's and selling off the parts. Mine was an octagon barreled 38-40 with an old peep sight on it. He probably got around $800 for all the parts. Since it's "value" is gone I'm planning on doing a time period correct restoration on it but building it into a octagon barreled 30wcf. It's a long term project that will eventually hang above my 1894 made in 1906 that my wife bought me for Xmas.

[David LaPell]

That's a beautiful gun and it's nice to see that's its been well cared for, a real piece of history and if it could only talk.

[John Taylor]

What a great piece of history. And I thought my 94 receiver with an 1898 date was old. It's numbered in the 137xxx range.
If I could I would send lead down range with the fine piece. How sweet would that be?
One has to wonder, did JMB hold that one?
My father got an old 93 Marlin that we knew part of the story on. It was found in a miners cabin and the roof had collapsed and bent the barrel and mag tube. It was sent back to Marlin and a new carbine barrel was install in 30-30 ( original was 25-36 rifle). The part of the history I would like to know is about the three notches cut in the bottom of the stock. Speculation is, it could be three claim jumper, three indians, three bears......... I found an old 25-36 barrel that had been shot out and rebored it to 38-55 and it is fun to shoot. Still got the three notches.