I have a pre 64 (1959) Model 1894 .30-30 already.

But,this one caught my eye:





It is from 1941 (serial # 1,260xxx).

How uncommon is the "half magazine" variation? A friend of mine described this as a "Rez" gun meaning that thought the "art work" resembled what he had seen on Indian Reservation where he had worked.





Ever seen one like this before??

When did Winchester stop using the .30WCF caliber designation and switch to .30-30?

Best,
Charles

Half magazine would have been a special order item I believe. But it's not hard to make a 1/2 mag from a full mag either.
Doing so leaves the cross slot in the under side of the bbl at the muzzle where the screw in the front band secured the tube & bbl together as a hint of the orig configuration. Depending on the quality of the rest of the work, that too may give away an aftermarket conversion.
I can only see 2 pics

I always thought the 1/2 mag lever actions looked good anyway!

If that gun could only talk. Winchester 94's are kind of a hobby of mine. I can only see 3 pictures but do have a few observations. The front ramp is like no other I have seen. 1941 guns have a ramp that is integral to the barrel. This has a shape I am unfamiliar with and appears to be a soldered ramp like guns built after 1950. Of course the rear sight is not original. The half magazine cap is incorrect for a half magazine rifle. The half magazine caps were not flat but bowl shaped. To answer your question, Winchester started marking their barrels 30-30 about 1950 to 1951. Man that gun has some personality. Would like to fondle it. Next to the serial number should be a small "w" on guns of this age. Is it present. Neat rifle.

I'd say the rarity of any features doesn't matter, as the gun is trashed from a collector's standpoint.

__________________
War Eagle! '10 BCS & '13 SEC

Hmmmm..... Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

I kinda like it if it's cheap enough

So have you bought this rifle? If so, make some good photos of it once you take delivery. Photos on GB are notorious for their poor quality, especially since they changed the max allowable size.

It could be a reservation gun, or else someone's doodied it up to look like one.

Reckon that depends on what kind of a collector someone is. I have (and had) some guns no purist collector would touch with a ten-foot pole, and I wouldn't sell 'em anyway. But I'm proud of 'em because of their history and because they look like they've been used to do what they were made to do.

And I sure wouldn't belittle someone else's gun just cause it doesn't look like what I think it should look like.

Agreed. I've seen a number of old Winchesters with brass tacks and stock carvings added to make them look "Indian" that have never been anywhere close to a Native American's hands.

According to Ancestry.Com, I am 20% Native American. Guns like
this bring out my Indian blood, makes me want to find "artist"
and scalp him.

I've owned half-magazine Winchesters and I have "made" half-magazine Winchesters and that one was "made".

The previous poster pointed out that the magazine cap is wrong for a half-mag. The forearm, what's visible of the buttstock and barrel length indicate this gun started life as a carbine. I can't recall ever seeing a genuine half-magazine that wasn't in rifle configuration. Yes Winchester did a lot of special order stuff, but it was almost all pre-WWII. The post-war 94s were all carbines and the half-magazine rifles were 64s until the commemorative craze began.

__________________
I need ammo, not a ride.

Thanks for all of the valuable info!!!

Better pics will follow when it arrives.

Just for fun, here is my '59 Model 94:



Best,
Charles

Always nice to see a pre-64 Model 94. Had a post 64 one back in the 70's I bought before I knew any better. Traded it off quickly!

Charles. You have done it again my friend...... I salute you...!! But... OMG!!
I was just getting ready to close the app and go to the bathroom to use some eyewash but you rewarded us with a fab pic of your Model 94!
Whew!!!!

Hope this helps to clear your eyes some more

No buttplate, rear peep sight is missing the elevator-aperture, as well as other items mentioned.

Yea - pretty much a mess. I saw something similar a few years ago and wish i had a pic to post but it was a 1908 25-35 I went to look at for sale. Well long story short but when the guy brought it out I could hardly maintain my composure. The stock looked like it had been made out of a 2 X 6 and was painted black - along with most of the metal. The sights were missing and well, the entire thing was a mess - it was nearly a 'parts only' gun as even a basic restore would have taken more than it was worth. Needless to say I did not even make an offer.

As previously posted, it's a mess, shooter at best.

Value in the old 1894's is all about original factory, and that means untouched original. Not common by any means.

Example, my 1904 SRC in 25-35, untouched original factory.

Attached Images

	Winj 94 001.jpg (237.4 KB, 27 views)
	Winj 94 002.jpg (243.1 KB, 27 views)
	Winj 94 003.jpg (220.6 KB, 28 views)
	Winj 94 006.jpg (233.0 KB, 20 views)

Mistered. Thank you for the pics! Very nice. My eyes are clear! Fabulous rifles. Just classic and so much fun. Wish that I had spent more money on these old classics (and Colt war time Government Models etc.) when I was haunting the gun stores in the Los Angeles area many, many years ago...AND wish that I had hung on to some of the guns that I had then...

The rifle arrived today!




It is going to be a great woods gun. This one is a dandy! The bore is in good shootable condition too.







I found the correct buttplate and screws on eBay. That is probably all I'm going to do to it other than a thorough cleaning.












A family pic w/ its' younger brother.... ( from 1959).....



Best,
Charles