Todays gun show find.

I dont know too much about Winchester lever guns other than I always kinda wanted one simply because it seemed unAmerican to not own one. I stumled across this '94 30-30 among the many many available at the Hattiesburg gun show today. I must have fondled at least 20 lever guns today but for some reason I came back to this one three different times to admire its patina. The old man had it for $496 if memorey serves me right. I offered him four bills for it and he accepted. He looked up the SN and told me that it was a "transition gun" It was made in 1963 but is considered a 64 due to the 2700300 serial. Matters not to me so much when it was made.

Its got character, all of the bluing is deep and beautiful except the reciever. The loading gate shows plenty of wear indicating that this gun has been a shooter. The action feels like it rides on ball bearings. The screw heads dont show any sign of ever being touched with a screw driver. The crown is still clean and the rifling is crisp and shiney with no pitts or fouling telling me that its been well kept. It has a very very strong smell of pipe tobacco smoke in the wood. I guess its prior owner was a pipe smoker. It reminds me of when I was a very young boy and my uncles and grandfather smoked pipes and I like it. I could imagine some old timer sitting in his rocking chair puffing the corn cob for hours on end with his rifle in his lap.

So.....How did I do for $400? Good, bad, OK, coulda done better or shoulda spent a little more on a nicer gun?
And, why would the reciever show such a patina when the rest of the bluing is still so dark and shiney? Thats kinda odd.

Sorry for the crap lighting.

I really, really like the look of them old levers ... I have absolutely no idea what those things go for -- BUT Hey!! If that is the one you wanted, GREAT to know you got it!! Enjoy!

Doesn't really matter if we think you got a deal or not. Sometimes a gun , or something else, just "speaks" to you. You seem quite pleased, so just enjoy it. By the way, I think it's very nice, puts my old Marlin to shame.

Sometimes a gun , or something else, just "speaks" to you

Yea, that pretty much was it. It was just dripping with nostalgia and I dig that. Plus the fact that its not all pretty and new makes me not afraid to take it out and shoot it.

I really like it. I also need a lever action for my collection.

Nice find.

I have several old lever guns, shoot it and enjoy it. You did good!!

If you like it, I love it! A gun is worth what someone will pay for it. You paid $400, so, to you, it's worth $400!

On the finish, 2 things i can think of. The receiver is a different metal than the barrel, or, you see alot of people carrying these guns by the receiver. I would guess the gun has been carried alot and shot very little!

Great find!

Oh yes..... that 94 is a beauty. I would say that $400 is below market value.

Maybe the receiver had a case-hardening finish when new.


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very nice looks awesome.

very nice looks awesome.

Looks good to me. If u like it, I love it. I'm like the others on price. One thing to remember , they don't make them like that anymore. I passed on a nice one at Slidell show this weekend and kinda regretted until I found something much better.

Good looking gun, probably laid a few deer in its tracks. Glad no one tried to "pretty" it up along the way. As far as price, I don't know. But $400 doesn't seem too much and you like the rifle, that's all that counts.

I share subgunfan's answers all around. Great find and great price! Ya done good!

this is one im wanting to add to my collection. very nice congrats.

That's a nice gun. Everybody needs at least a couple of lever guns, one in .22 and another in .30-30. You're half way there. I've seen a lot of the post-64 Winchesters that had receivers like that. The story I've heard is that part of the cost cutting in '64 involved changing to a different steel composition in the receivers. The bluing would not stick to the steel. The steel used in the barrel and other parts was not changed so they will still hold the bluing.

Nice gun.

Nice Rifle!!!! I wonder how many Whitetail Bucks it has put on the ground in its 40+ years?

I wonder how many Whitetail Bucks it has put on the ground

There aint no tellin. But I did get a chance to take it to the range monday. It shoots great. I put 55 rounds into a 6" black circle with the open sights, casually firing off-hand at 35 yards, the barrel was so hot the little bulls eye was dancing all over the sights and the old Winchester put 'em where they needed to go everytime! I'd challenge anyone else to do that with a 48 year old lever rifle. Not a single problem from the gun and it's action is smooth and solid. Its a shooter so its a keeper. Got another gunshow next weekend and taxes are back in!

My son-in-law bought one last year at a gun show in Philadelphia for $450.If it has ever been fired,you can't tell it.No wear on loading gate or anywhere else for that matter.