winchester 94 in .357 mag

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porkskin

New member
i was considering one of these for home defense as i live in a densely populated neighborhood and i am a member of a range that doesn't allow shotguns or rifle calibers. i could practice with the rifle at my range. however, i asked the gunsmith at gander (where the rifle is) about the gun since winch
is out of business. he said there is a spring in the lever that tends to break. does anyone own this gun or have any expirience with one?
 
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TPAW

New member
winchester 94 in .357 mag
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I assume it's a lever action? For any kind of defense, home or otherwise, I'd go with a semi auto. Ruger .44 Mag., M1 Carbine, Mini 14 or 30, and so on! ;)
 
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Laz

New member
"he said there is a spring in the lever that tends to break" I have had a Winchester 94 in 30-30 for a number of years and have had no problems. There are so many winchester parts floating around, I wouldn't see that as a reason for not buying one. I recently bought a 94 Trapper in .357 just cause it is so cool, but Winchester 94 would not be my first choice for a .357 defense carbine unless I was very sure of its reliability. The 94 is built on the long rifle action and many feel that pistol caliber carbines built on the shorter 92 action or the Marlin 94 action tend to be more reliable feeders. Others might disagree, but the action is longer than needed and was adapted to the pistol caliber instead of being designed for it. Marlin makes a really nice little 18.5 inch carbine, the 1894C and Rossi, either in LSI or EMF or Navy Arms configuration makes a very nice 20 inch carbine which is a clone of the Winchester 92. Mine shoot .357s slick as grease. I haven't been able to shoot my Trapper yet, but I have great hopes for it because it really is a beautiful little carbine with its 16 inch barrel. Still, if you don't have a Winnie, you might want to get one just to have one if the price isn't too inflated.
 
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Tom2

New member
Broke the lifter

I had one once and the cartridge lifter broke. It was a cast part, not machined like on pre 64(?) Winchesters. Not expensive or too hard to replace. Not like parts for these guns will not be available somewhere or other for years. Maybe if they really do shut down completely, they will sell their parts surplus to someone like Numrich who will have them around a long time. The 94 action was designed for longer rifle cartridges, and is a little unwieldy(I think) for the shorter pistol carts, but functions fine. Just not as smoothly as a 92 or 92 clone, or a Marlin. The Marlin 94 was designed for pistol carts like the 92 Win, so it is more compact and perhaps handles the short cases more efficiently. I have a Marlin, so I am biased. But the Win. perhaps is better looking to a levergun purist. If the price is right, go for it. Sheesh, I feel like I just repeated LAZ post!
 
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roscoe

New member
I think that the issue is feeding shorter (.38 special) cartridges. If you stick to .357, I think you should be OK. I have a .45 Colt Trapper and it feeds like a dream. I don't think it is too bad a rifle for home defense.
 
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Cooler King

New member
I have a .357 and a .45 Colt Trapper. I haven't shot the .357, yet, since I just recently bought it. I've had the .45 Trapper for years with zero problems and it is just one cool, compact rifle. I certainly don't regret either purchase, especially with Winchester not making the Trapper any more. I expect mine to provide me with great enjoyment for years. As others have pointed out, I wouldn't expect parts availability to be a big problem.
 
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