New old Winchester 1894

[ligonierbill]

Can any of you Winchester aficionados tell me more about my recent addition? Serial number indicates 1901 manufacture. Caliber 32-40 with a 22" barrel and 2/3 length magazine. A website I use describes a "light weight sporting rifle" with these characteristics but states that model had a shotgun butt. As you can see, mine is the traditional crescent. It is not marked "nickel steel". I am a collector of interesting shooters, so I am unconcerned with market value. But history is part of the shooting experience. I have dies, bullets, and brass is on the way.

 

[44 AMP]

In those days, Winchester, and many other gunmakers would build any variation and combination of "standard" features the customer asked for, sometimes for a small fee, sometimes not.

SO, finding a Winchester with the "wrong" butt or barrel length, magazine length, sights, etc is entirely possible and can simply be a gun some customer ordered that way, different from the standard production model.

For example, I have my Grandfather's Ithaca sxs 12ga. He bought it "made to his order" in 1909. The stock was made to his order, with more drop than usual, the gun has 26" tubes and is choked Full/Full. Not a standard production gun, one made to his request with the features he wanted. Winchester did that too, some changes might cost as much as $1.50, but if you paid for it, you got what you wanted.

If you've got something that doesn't match the standard cataloged features, its mostly likely a gun someone had made to order with the features they wanted.

 

[Pathfinder45]

That's probably a black-powder barrel. If so, I'd recommend cast-bullet handloads at appropriate pressures. Avoid high-velocity loads.
Great looking rifle, by the way.

 

[eastbank]

it may be a cut down rifle, check the magizine tube end plug. it should be dome shaped, not flat-straight cut. and check to see if there is a filled dovetail under the barrel out at the muzzle(may not be there due to the barrel being shortened). a factory letter will tell the truth.

 

[ligonierbill]

I should get a letter on this one. Several of my Colts are "lettered", and it is always interesting to see where they started out. I can get it "free", as I joined the Cody Museum. That seems a worthy institution.