Winchester 94

I just inherited a Winchester 94 from my recently deceased step father. It is chambered in 32 Winchester Special. Serial number is 16439XX. I think that puts it at 1949-1950. I also have the hang tag with the original price of $62.50. "Legend" is it was "shot once" because his first wife wasn't a fan of hunting. Rifle is in amazing shape. I don't plan to part with it.

Is there anything else you guys could tell about it? Does it have any value? Not from a sales point but more in regards to insurance valuation.

I have one other lever action which is a Marlin, so I'm not well versed when it comes to these rifles.

Those early Winchester 94's are pretty nice and gaining in value. I have a 2014 94AE. Not worth much but sure is nice to hold and shoot .44 REMs out of.

A pre-64 Winchester 94 is somewhat desirable. They didn't
make many in .32 Winchester Special, but made many in the
30-30 caliber. I also have one made in 1959 chambered in
.32 Winchester Special. Kicks like a mule!

A pristine 1950-era Winchester 94 in .32 Special? Nah, it ain't worth much, but being a good guy I'll give ya $100 for it. ;-)

Seriously, that's a desirable rifle, and although I don't have a handle on what the value would be these days, I can say it is not inconsiderable.

I have a 94 in .32 Special that's in that void in the 40s where I can't pinpoint the exact year. But I estimate due to Win. sales as 1948. Mine has the "super rare ultra hard to find!!!" flat barrel band. What's that you ask? The barrel band is flattened on the sides and not rounded. Seriously, it's not a big deal, but if your's has it, now you know it's a little different that the later ones. That said, you have a fine rifle.

I'm hoping it get shot a LOT more now. The 32's weren't anywhere near as common as the 30's but it wasn't because there were any flys on that cartridge. They are a little hard to find ammo for them but is available.

As to value, while its always hard to guess I'd say if it's in the condition you describe (fired once) I'd put it at $1000 minimum. Even the post 64 guns climbed in value when Winchester discontinued them. The current M94's made in Japan bring more than $1000 and personally I'd value yours higher.

Great guns....I love those 94's. Congrats on a great rifle.

Dan

Lucky you! A valuable treasure to boot. Only 94 I owned was a post 64 that I paid about $100 for back in 1974. Got sick of being made fun of cause of the pot-metal receiver so I traded for a Remington 700 back in 1984. Wise decision when I see the price of a new BDL today!

I think the .32 WS was the original caliber for the Model 1894, followed shortly after by the .30-30. It was a black powder cartridge at first, and the story goes that the .32 rifling was designed around the use of BP cartridges. Ballistically, there is essentially zero difference between them. Remington had its counterparts to both, the .32 Remington and the .30 Remington. The principal difference between the Remington and Winchester designs was that the Winchester cartridges were rimmed and the Remington was rimless. The earliest Remington cartridge was called the .30-30 Remington.

I'd guess it's 1949 since numbers beginning with 172 mark the start of 1950 production.

I'd sure love to see some photos of your rifle!

You have a valuable Winchester - maybe well in excess of a grand. Keep that hang tag in a safe place! I have a 56 model and it accurate is fun to shoot.

Great guns. I have an affliction for the 30-30 caliber if you can tell by my online name. I have had many rifles so chambered of about all brands but none compare to the early Winchesters. Quality and durability is un-equaled by any other model. The 32 Winchester Special is the cats whiskers. Great cartridge with a small advantage in power over the 30-30. Everybody needs a "knocking around" gun. The lightweight but powerful 94's are the easiest to carry gun I have experienced. My old 94 carbine has been strapped to many a backpack, thrown in the bottom of boats, bungie corded to snowmobiles and ATV's, and rattled around in the back of trucks.

Watchdog said:

I'd guess it's 1949 since numbers beginning with 172 mark the start of 1950 production.

I'd sure love to see some photos of your rifle!

Click to expand...

I'm with Watchdog, I'd also love to see some photo's of your rifle!

My understanding is the first two cartridges were the 32-40 and 38-55 both older lower pressure. In about a year of two they got the steel in the barrel figured out which is why they say nickel steel for the 30-30. The 32special was intended to be easier to reload with lead bullets with the slower twist most likely down to 32-40 levels with BP if desired. Remember at that time black powder was still common.
As a side note you may have noticed John Browning designed many of his guns to be takedowns. This was because in those days no one owned their own vehicles and traveled by public transpotation, trains and coaches. Therefor it was easier to travel with a smaller gun case.
Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

This is the Wikipedia description of the .32 WS cartridge in the Model 94 rifle which seems accurate:

"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 the slow twist of the barrel, accuracy suffered when the barrel exhibited wear."

Winchester announced the introduction of the Model 1894 rifles and started filling orders in 1895. This development was coincidental with the new .30 WCF cartridge, later known by the more common moniker ".30-30". This was the first American rifle cartridge developed for the new smokeless powders.

Also offered in .25-35, .32 WCF (.32 Special), .38-55, and perhaps a few others on special order, the Model 1894 was a huge commercial success. By about 1970 over 6 million pieces were produced in a wide variety of rifle and carbine models. The .30-30 was the most common caliber and had a great deal of success with customers.

.32 Winchester Special was an interesting development. Essentially the same cartridge case, but necked up to accept a .32 caliber bullet with rifling twist intended to maximize performance in that bore, but most especially intended for those who might not jump on the new smokeless powder bandwagon and intended to provide best performance with black powder loads with cast bullets. This filled a market niche among those not willing to make the big change to smokeless before much more experience was available.

The .32 Special remained relatively popular until 1980 or so, and many folks debated the relative merits of the .30-30 and .32 WCF for hunting, or accuracy, or ease of handloading, etc, for decades. In reality there is very little difference between the two for any practical purpose.

Your approx. 1950 vintage Model 94 Carbine is a very desirable piece for both collectors and shooters. Condition is everything. While you have the original hang-tag (by all means, keep that with the carbine) the Winchester has been stored for over a half-century, so nicks and scratches could become issues for value. Also, if the carbine has been fired it is likely that it was done with pre-1960's ammo, which was almost all loaded with primers based on fulminate of mercury, known to cause serious damage to chambers, bores, and rifling unless promptly and thoroughly cleaned with appropriate means (hot soapy water followed by thorough oiling prior to storage).

I advise having the carbine closely inspected by a knowledgeable gunsmith or other expert, with particular attention to any issues related to use or storage. If in 95%-plus condition I would expect market value to be in the range of $900 to $1200. If any significant issues exist I would expect market value to be reduced by 20% to 50%.

Demand and market conditions vary considerably across the United States. If you intend to sell your carbine I would recommend doing so in a venue that provides national exposure, as some regions may not support best prices due to local demand.

Best regards.

The 32Special was a 1901 WRA development and a pure smokeless cartridge from the start.
It was made with the same rifling specs & bore as the earlier Mod1894 chambering 32-40 which was a BP cartridge (later loaded w/ smokeless also, but never to the limits of the 32Special).

32Special won't chamber in a 32-40 for reason,,they wanted to keep the smokless only factory loadings from making their way into the older weaker BP rifles chambered for it. The early 94, the Stevens & Ballard rifles, Hopkins & Allen and others.
Yes it can be loaded with BP,,the 7mm Magnum can be loaded successfully with BP. The 38sp was orig BP as was the 303 Brit.

Winchester would sell you loading tools and moulds for the 32SP and the instructions would include info to the fact that the cartridge could be BP loaded.
But that was not the marketing direction of the cartridge. You have to dig for that info. It was marketed as a Hi-Vel Smokeless rifle round to group up with the already intro'd Hi-Vel Smokeless duo 30-30 & 25-35 cartridges that came out in 1895 in the Model 1894. None of the 3 were ever factory loaded in BP.
All three are based on the same 30-30 case.

On the Marlin side they have pretty much the same line up,,except the 25-36 rd instead of the 25-35.
The two came out the same year (1895),,they are NOT interchangeable,they have very different dimensions though close.
The 25-35Win will fit into the longer 25-36MArlin chamber and fire. But it's not recommended as some of the early MArlin rifles are not rated for the extra chamber pressure the 25-35Winchester loads develop.

The 25=36MArlin is sometimes said to have been designed/made off of the 32-40 Ballard cartridge. That's make some sense as the 32-40 Ballard was in full name the 32-40 Marlin & Ballard later on when MArlin aquired the Ballard Firearms Co.

Winchester's 32-40 round is the exact same round as the Marlin&Ballard as far as specs,,they just dropped the M&B thing and added WCF.
Most everyone has assumed the 32-40WCF has been a Winchester development when in fact it was originally just a name change of the MArlin&Ballard target cartridge.
The same thing is true for the 38-55 round. A Ballard Rifle Co cartridge that went on to become the 38-55 MArlin&Ballard.
Win just started using it and the 32-40 in the Model 1894 when it first came out and changed the names to 38-55WCF and 32-40WCF.

I love the '94. Mine is in one of the less common calibers, 25-35, and dates to 1919. I would love to get a few more less common chamberings!

Thank you so much everyone for all the information!!!!

I will try to take some pictures tomorrow and post them.

I do have one question:. Will this rifle handle modern 32 Winchester Special loads?

I just want to squeeze a couple off. I got a box of REALLY old cartridges with it, but curiously some of the bullets are pushed back into the casings.

Would like to try shooting new fresh production provided it won't hurt the rifle.

Modern production ammo is made to be fired in any arm designed for that cartridge. If the ammo was loaded hotter, it would increase their liability.

Here are some pictures of my 1959 1894 in .32 Winchester
Special. It's not pristine, and was used to hunt. Has some
scratches from branches on the stock. A great shooter.