Winchester 94 and mag follower?

J

jmstr

New member
Hello All,

I have my dad's Winchester 94 from the 1950s.

This fall I will be doing a detail strip, clean and then address any function issues I find.

One thing that comes to mind is the mag follower. I believe it is steel, in a steel tube, and it was an Oregon rifle.


I am thinking I may need to clean the snot out of the mag tube, but was wondering if I should replace the follower with an aluminum or brass one [if I can find them] so that there is no chance they can rust to the actual tube in the future?

No, it isn't currently rusted shut- but it is old, and I would think brass would glide smoother over steel [and not rust] than the original follower.

Any thoughts?
 
4

44 AMP

Staff
First thought, a rifle from the 50s isn't really "old" in the firearms world.

Next thought, if its working fine now, and there is no rust, why do a detail strip?

Sporting arms, particularly those designs from the pre-1900 era, were not made with the idea of them being detail stripped except for needed repairs.

One of the most common ways of damaging a gun is doing a poor job taking it apart and putting it back together when it doesn't need to be done.

Firearms designed for military service are different. They are expected to be stripped and reassembled countless times by indifferent GIs and are built to survive that and still work.

Many (and nearly all older) sporting arms are not made for that.

That being said, if you are CAREFUL and use the PROPER TOOLS (including actual instructions on what to do and not do, and how to do and not do) you can do a decent job. Don't lose any small parts!! :D

Its an "Oregon" gun, from the 50s..if it hasn't rusted shut by now, and it receives at least the same level of care it has had in the past, its unlikely to rust now.

As to replacing the follower, its your gun, do as you think best, but I recommend considering the general rule of "if it ain't broke, don't FIX it!"
 
J

jmstr

New member
Thanks All.

I think I'll just clean the tube, inspect the spring, and go from there. I'll wipe down the follower, but plan on leaving it alone.

44 Amp- I appreciate your warning, as well as wisdom, regarding detail stripping firearms- especially how diplomatic you were, as you don't know my skill levels.

I may or may not detail strip, but- I have hollow ground screwdrivers to do so, if I get to it. They came in handy numerous times- such as on the Auto 5, Winchester Model 12, Savage 99 and numerous other long guns- as well as handguns [both semi and revolver].

I am not a gunsmith by trade or training, but my skills are better than the average bear. Any explanation or listing of projects would feel like bragging.

That is why I really appreciate how diplomatically you mentioned the difficulties. My father is one who should never do more than clean a gun while at the range. No disassembly more difficult than removing a slide or removing the barrel from an 870.

I see the wisdom of your advice to those you don't personally know- but also appreciate not being 'talked down to' with the assumption that I am just like my dad.

He is better behind the trigger. I am better on the workbench, and ok behind the trigger.


BornFighting88, thanks for the tip on Numrich.
 
G

G.O. West

New member
If you intend to reload and use pointed flex tip bullets there is a potential problem. So, if you do remove the magazine follower which is a pretty easy task, you might want to consider having a follower machined with a different nose shape. The reason for this is that the factory follower has a slightly rounded nose. In my 94, when I use the Hornady 160 gr. FTX flex tip bullets they will sometimes jam between the magazine tube and the follower making the rifle inoperable. The only solution is to remove the magazine tube to dislodge it. A slightly concave nose on a more closely fitting follower solves this problem.
 
J

jmstr

New member
GoWest

Good tip!

I will look into this. However, my .94 is in .32WinSpecial, and I am in CA.

All 'hunting' ammo has to be non-lead.

For ranges, so far, lead is fine.

So- while I LOVE the idea of the pointed flex-tip bullets [LEVERevolution, for example], I don't think it is worth it to try to use them.


I also have a 94AE in .357, but, again, same issues with projectile materials.

sigh....


maybe milling a slight 'divot' in the nose of the .357 94AE would help with lead round nose .38super and .357 ammo?

I don't think there are any round nose .32winspecial loads to worry about.
 
J

jcj54

New member
Aluminum follower warning

A follower made of aluminum risks dissimilar metal corrosion, also known as galvanic corrosion. This is why steel bolts in aluminum engine blocks are often rusted in place. A better choice would be a stainless steel follower if you feel it must be replaced.
 
B

BornFighting88

New member
Good point about the aluminum causing dissimilar corrosion. Brass would/could even cause the same issue. Though less likely. Free machining brass is used for bushings all the time. Even if you bought a chunk of Oil-lite and had a shop tool up a follower for you. That has lightweight oil impregnated into the porous bronze. Two stones, one bird.

Having the proper tools for any job makes it easier than trying to half-a@@ it with what you may or may not have.

Wish you the best of luck.
 
P

Paul B.

New member
My M94s a 25-35 and 30-30 are both circa 1911. The followers work just fine. The 30-30 is a coastal California gun and I have no idea where the 25-35 lived before I bought it. I also have a couple of M64s circa 1938 and 1957, Magazine followers work just fine.
Like others have said, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Paul B.
 
S

Scorch

New member
If you want to take it apart and clean it, and know how, I don't see a problem with a detail cleaning. As far as the magazine tube and follower, the gun is about 70 years old and hasn't had any problems, I would suggest leaving it as it is. When you clean the magazine tube, clean it as if it were a rifle barrel (swab with solvent, scrub, swab dry) and clean the spring (they often have decades of crud on them), clean off the follower, and put it back together. In 30 years as a gunsmith, I have seen more guns damaged by people trying to do things with a gun it was never intended to do. The magazine system on a 94 is about as simple as you can get, there's no need to complicate it.
 
J

jrothWA

New member
Detail the ID of mag tube and the follower with spring. light coat of grease [Slick Lube} on the spring.

after drying , run a clean patch with car wax down the mag tube and do the follower OD, let dry.

Reassemble and use it. repeat two years later.
 
J

jmstr

New member
jrothWA- Interesting idea.

What about using dry gun lube instead of wax for inside the mag tube and on the follower?

I have some Otis dry lube that seems a perfect match for this purpose- what do you think?
 
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Slopemeno

New member
Had hundreds of M-94's pass through our shop. I've never seen one with a sticking follower due to corrosion- but I've seen many with slightly dented mag tubes cause a stuck follower.
 
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bamaranger

New member
best of luck

I've read that detail stripping a M94 is no small task. If the carbine is running fine I'd be inclined to lube as best as possible with something like Kroil, which finds it's way deep into cracks and mechanism's, and carry on.
 
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Drm50

New member
Coming from experience the #1 thing DIY gun tinkers foul up on 94 Wins is the Barrel Band screw and loading gate screw. I’ve had many tube mag guns apart, some neglected. I have never run into a follower rusted to tube.
 
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