Pre-64 winchester 94

I'm thinking of getting my 8 year old one for christmas in .32 ws.....He has been watching an old show called rifleman ,and told me he wanted a lever action. Is this a good cal. for a child?????

Never knew they made one in that caliber. Do you think the ammo would be hard to find or is that the same .32 as the pistol takes?

I was shooting 30-30 at that age out of the same gun, seems the 32 would be expensive/hard to feed. If he wants a lever and you don't want a big caliber I'd say get a Marlin model 39 .22lr.

I think at that age the main thing would be keeping him shooting. The .22 would do that and would be something for him to pass down.

I would have thought so to ,but hornady loads it in a ballistic tp for a little over 20 a box.....I.m not sure if its nihger or smaller than a 30-30 but it is rifle cartrage though.... .32 winchester special

If you get the right deal it's hard to go wrong with an older Winchester. Its bigger than the 30-30. Internet skills have this to say about the caliber:

"This cartridge is based on the .30-30 Winchester cartridge of 1895, but differs from the .30-30 in bullet diameter. More significantly, Winchester decreased the rate of rifling twist in their Model 94 rifle, from 1:12 when chambered for the .30-30 to 1:16 when chambered for the .32 Winchester Special. Winchester used the slower twist to reduce fouling retention when creating a new cartridge for sportsmen who wanted to reload their own ammunition using black powder and cast bullets. It was also marketed as something more powerful than the .30-30 and yet had less recoil than the .30 Army. This new cartridge enjoyed only moderate success, and remained hampered by the small selection of available bullets in the .321 diameter. There is a wide selection of bullet types and weights for the .30-30, while the only commonly-available bullets in .321 diameter are 170 grain and 165 grain. Also, due to slow twist of barrel, accuracy suffered when barrel exhibited some wear."

What Eaglestroker said. My Bruder in Law has a .32 WSPL. He always gave me his brass. My .30-30 digests them fine after they are full length resized. If you reload, use .30-30 brass.

Doug

The .32 WS is a great cartridge. I've got a Marlin 336 and two Win 94's in that caliber. Can't tell the difference in recoil between it and a .30-30. I reload mine with the 170 FP bullets. The one problem with the older 94's is mounting a scope. You have to use a side mount. If you plan to put a scope on it I would try and find a 336.

What 22lrfan said. The older marlins are better rifles IMO. Simpler actions. Less moving parts. Ive never owned a Winny with as smooth an action as a good older marlin. Granted i havent owned many but ive owned a few

There is a Marlin 336 in 32WS at www.joesalter.com for $385. I think it is a 1962 model.

I have a Marlin Model 93 chambered in 32 special. Like doug said if you reload you can use 30-30 brass and full length resize.
scott