I'm looking for a little help trying to confirm something. My Dad bought a 1947 vintage flat band Winchester 94 from a friend of his about a year ago who has since passed away. It has signs of being carried at the front of the receiver, but otherwise in beautiful shape for a one owner Pennsylvania deer rifle.
I made the comment to my Dad that it was a shame that a set of sling swivels got put on the gun. He believes that they are possibly original factory Winchester. The swivels are definitely vintage looking. They are 3/4" and he says that the front swivel on the barrel band is actually very neatly welded on the inside of the back barrel band. The bluing on the swivel and barrel band matches the gun perfectly. It also had a 3/4" military style leather "hook" sling on it that was about worn through, so my Dad took it off, so someone didn't pick it up by the sling and break it.

So, I guess what I'm asking, Is there anyone out there who might have a 1947 vintage Winchester catalogue that might show if this configuration was available. Marketing a Winchester 1894 with a sling to servicemen returning from WW II sure makes a lot of sense to me.

And no I'm sorry, I didn't think to take any pictures at the time.
Thanks for any help you guys can offer.

How do you know it’s 1947? My flat band .32 Special is in that void where the serial numbers are missing in the chart for about five years. Based on serial number estimate per year, I figured mine was 1948. It’s great if you found the true serial numbers for that period.
I just checked the Madis Winchester book and couldn’t find an 1894 carbine with swivels, just a rifle with factory swivels, the forend one right on the end cap.

That is a good question, I just looked at my little Winchester date book and saw the dashes. All I know is that my Dad bought it from the original owner, who was a friend and in the realm of things, very little money was exchanged. He bought it when he got home from the Navy after the war. My Dad is just going with what he was told.

Mine is serial# 14451XX. Is that close to yours? I think I looked at how many numbers were missing then divided them up evenly in the years without dates and estimated 1948. Gun writer Rick Hacker somehow knows his .32 Special is 1948 but I don't know the number or how he got the info. Here's the flat band for anyone who never heard of it before.

Regarding swing swivels on Winchester lever action rifles, the 1947-48 Gun Digest shows both the Model 71 and Model 64 (sort of a deLuxe long-barreled M94) as having both quick detachable sling swivels and 1" Army Type leather slings available, but not for the Model 94. Based on that, I would say the M94 did not have factory swivels (or slings), else Winchester would say so.

Gun Collections Online says that 1948 M94 production began at SN 1,500,000, but indicates nothing for 1947 (or any of the war years).

That sound like my flat band 94 at 14451XX Is 1947 which jives with target techs flat band that his dad got that year. But mine’s pretty far away from 1,500,000 so maybe it’s 1946. What do you think?

Hard to say. During WWII (1941-45), there were actually a few more than 90,000 M94s and M64s assembled (frames were the same), and civilian production resumed fairly quickly after the war's end, in September 1945. I would assume considerable numbers were made during 1946 and 1947 to meet pent-up market demand, but I don't know the exact number. At the end of 1945, serial numbers had reached 1352066, so that may be a point of reference to determine the date yours was manufactured. If the 1948 starting SN is indeed 1,500,000, then that indicates that around 150,000 were made during 1946 and 1947, so 75,000 per year would be a good guess for that time period.

If you have a copy of Madis Winchester book handy,
go to page 600. (Mines the 1985 edition)

There are sling swivel options pictured for Carbines using the lower bbl band.
Both a standard swivel and a 'Hook Eye' .
Some were a screw stud and riveted attachment. Others brazed.
I've never seen one that I thought was welded, but never say never.
A riveting job can be nearly seamless if done with the proper set up.

There's even the Hook/Sling Eye w/Stud alone. Which seems to be offered as a separate part to be installed by your favorite gunsmith or the owner.

I think the applications in the pics (stating 'for any rifle or carbine') might be refering to pre-WW2 mfg'g times.
But very early after WW2 when things started getting rolling again at W,
I wouldn't doubt that parts left over and demands/requests being made by customers would get you just about anything you wanted.
Just like it did Pre-WW2.

WB,
I have a flat band 94 in .32 special too. Mine is serial numbered 150165X. I bought it specifically because I wanted one with the flat band and long wood forearm. In my records, I have it listed as a 1948. Don't know where I got my information from though. I have the Madis Winchester book, so if serial numbers are in there, maybe I got it from there. It has been years since I looked at it.
Larry

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