Ever see . . . .

[JimF]

. . . .a Winchester M94, all blue, EXCEPT for a case-hardened lever?
I have one . . .1907-era, 85% condition.
First one I’ve seen!
All my other M94’s are blue-lever specimens.
Wha’-cha’ think?

[Forty Rod Ray]

Serial #?

[cwtebay]

Pictures?
It seems like case colours persist longer and are brighter on levers and hammers and triggers then the rest of the gun (at least in my rifles). And then of course there's refinishing.

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[JimF]

Serial #?

Serial #408799

Rifle DEFINATELY NOT refinished . . . . (“Halo” still surrounds lettering on barrel.)

As I said . . .about 85% finish/condition, with lever colors worn off EXCEPT in inaccessible crannys.

[smithnframe]

Pictures?

[Texas by God]

Sounds like special order; it probably added $.75 to the price!

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[JimF]

Sounds like special order; it probably added $.75 to the price!

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You may be right . . . .

If the lever WAS a special order option, I would have thought a color-case hardened hammer would also be requested . . . .BUT who can say, eh?

This rifle is a beauty . . . even at only 85% . . . .what with it’s 26” octagon tapered barrel.

I removed the original sights (the 32 Winchester Special rear sight and the front bead) ‘cause I couldn’t them clearly with my 80-year-old eyes, and installed a Lyman globe front and a tang rear.

Now I can hit what I’m aiming at fairly well, and haven’t permanently altered anything.

[Ithaca Gunner]

I believe that's the way they came as standard around the turn of the century. I have two, a special order rifle and a standard saddle carbine, both made in 1898, and both with traces of color case on the levers. Another thing to look for on early 1894's are what look like scratch lines running horizontal along the receiver, they came from the factory that way.

[Nueces]

I have a 1904 1886 in 33 WCF with a blued receiver and cased lever. From somewhere, there bubbles up a memory that the early smokeless rated Winnies had blued receivers. Anyone else remember anything like that?

[Beaver Scout]

Another thing to look for on early 1894's are what look like scratch lines running horizontal along the receiver, they came from the factory that way. 86's and 92's also have those, some are more prevalent than others, those are forging marks from the metal folding over onto itself.

As to having just a cased lever and hammer and blued frames, that is normal, all Winchesters after 1901 were blued frames. Winchester ceased the case color hardening in August of 1901 on all frames.

[quack1]

Color cased levers, hammers and butt plates were standard on model 94 and 92, until they were phased out around 1916.