What exactly have I got? Winchester Model 94

[Hargrave]

It's been some time since I've posted, work school and other fun stuff has kept me away.

I have inherited a few things that belonged to my Grandfather.

One of note is a Model 94.












From what I've been able to find from Winchester ( Records are spotty ) This one was made between 1927 and 1928.
Is that right?

What exactly have I got?

What is it worth? ( Not that I'm looking to sell it.. you can pry it from my cold dead hand.. )

What should I insure it for? Or just keep it under wraps?

I know next to nothing about these lever guns other than they are pretty darn neat

Enlighten me gents.

[old Grump]

You have a 32 Win spcl, a great little gun, basically the same ballistics as the 30-30 but a little heavier punch on the target. Mine is almost that old and wasn't in nearly as good condition as yours is but a little bluing job and some gunsmithing work to replace missing parts and it is now my favorite woods walking gun. It would be a shame to make a wall hanger out of it if its as accurate as mine is. That is a gun for shooting. Your gun was made in1927, mine in 1941, During the war years the numbers are pretty much up for grabs because they had other things on their mind at the time.

[Helen Keller]

wow that's in pretty good shape for it's age.











I found a Win model 54 made in 1927 last week for $250 .. all mines.......

[Schuetzenman]

What you have is an old Winchester model 94 in .32 Winchester Special. (.32 is clost to 8 mm in size, bullet is .321 for the .32 and .323 for 8 mm Mauser). Old Grump covered it pretty well. What is it worth, I'd place it's value around $600 to $700 ish. It is not a Winchester 76 worth $4000 or more. You can shoot deer and most lower north American game with it, or paper targets.

[Hargrave]

Thanks guys!
And yes it's going to be shot and used, just pampered a bit

From what my grandmother and uncles have told me, it's shot factory ammo it's whole life. And my grandfather would compete at target shooting with it.

The bore is pristine and I can't find any mechanical issues to prevent me from shooting it.

Heck, it's still full of oil from where grandpa put it in the safe around 84.

I'm so happy that this one came to me.

[ltorlo64]

Congratulations. Those are great rifles. It is easier to find ammo on line for them but Remington, Winchester and one other large ammo company are still making rounds for them. There is a rumor that you were supposed to be able to load this round with black or smokeless powder, but I wouldn't try it.

[Helen Keller]

There is a rumor that you were supposed to be able to load this round with black or smokeless powder, but I wouldn't try it.

just a rumor.
real black powder though, not this Triple 7 bullshit.
It will be filthy but it's safe .





For something in that condition , I'd cast/load my own using 11gr Unique loads.

[old Grump]

Here's what Winchester's Catalogue No. 70, dated March, 1903, had to say about the .32 Winchester Special Cartridge:

.32 Winchester Special Caliber.
For Smokeless Or Black Powder.

We have adapted the popular Winchester Model 1894 rifle to handle the new .32 Winchester Special Cartridge, and are prepared to furnish it in solid frame or take-down style with 26 inch round, octagon, or half-octagon nickel steel barrels with full or half magazines. Rifles for the .32 Winchester Special Cartridge are fitted with a new and specially designed rear sight, which is graduated for either Smokeless or Black powder cartridges. All extras furnished on .30 W. C. F. or .38-55 caliber Model 1894 rifles can be furnished for this gun except extra light weight barrels. Model 1894 .32-40 caliber rifles will not handle the .32 Winchester Special Cartridge, and .30 Winchester caliber rifles cannot be bored up to do so.

The .32 Winchester Special Cartridge, which we have just perfected, is offered to meet the demand of many sportsmen for a Smokeless powder cartridge of larger caliber than the .30 Winchester and yet not so powerful as the .30 U. S. Army, and which could be reloaded with black powder and give satisfactory results. The .32 Winchester Special Cartridge meets all these requirements. Loaded with Smokeless powder and a 170 grain bullet, it has a muzzle velocity of 2,112 foot seconds, thereby generating a muzzle energy of 1,683 foot pounds. At the standard testing distance of 15 feet from the muzzle, this cartridge, with a full metal patched bullet, will give a penetration of 37, 7/8 inch pine boards. Its trajectory is as follows:

100 yards Trajectory. Height at 50 yards, 1.17 inches.
200 yards Trajectory. Height at 100 yards, 5.60 inches.
300 yards Trajectory. Height at 150 yards, 15.26 inches.

From these figures it will be readily seen that the advantages of this cartridge are its great striking energy, penetration, high velocity and consequent flat trajectory.

With a charge of 40 grains of black powder, the .32 Winchester Special develops a velocity of 1,385 foot seconds, which makes it a powerful black powder cartridge. In loading or reloading the .32 Winchester Special with black powder the Winchester No. 5 ½ primer should be used.

We load this cartridge with Smokeless powder only, but are prepared to furnish primed shells, full metal patched, metal patched soft pointed, or plain lead bullets, and reloading tools, for loading black powder only. We do not advise hand loading or reloading of this cartridge with Smokeless powder by individuals.

Beginning in March, 1903, and continuing thru June, 1910, Winchester catalogues recommended loading the .32 Winchester Special Cartridge with 40 grains of any of the following powders:
American Powder Mills' "Rifle Cartridge No.2", or "Rifle Cartridge No.3";
Hazard Powder Company's "Kentucky Rifle F.G.";
E. I. DuPont de Nemours & Company's "DuPont Rifle F.G.";
Laflin & Rand Powder Company's "Orange Extra F.G."
Comparison with a Hazard Powder Company advertisement c.1903 indicates that "Kentucky Rifle F.G." was approximately equivalent in granulation to today's GOEX FFg.

Some use FFFg instead of FFg because of the small amount of powder capacity in the case, either way you have a nice plinking round and rabbit gun using a hard cast lead bullet. 40 gr FFFg nearly fills the case, insert lubed bullet slightly compressing the load and hold bullet in place with a roll crimp.

[hazmat]

Nice gun. I scored a rather beat up pre-1964 Model 1894 carbine in .30 WCF (made in 1963) last year for a whopping $350 OTD. The only issues with it were a broken screw in the front barrel band I originally thought was rusted out and the associated marks of a loose barrel band on the magazine tube. A little Citri-Strip on the stock parts to remove the ugly orange shelac and a little oil on the wood and it almost looks good. Except the rust pits and 80-grit sandpaper stripes on the receiver.

Goes really good with my 1894 SRC made in 1909 in the same caliber.

Your .32 Win Special will command a little higher price than both mine due to its condition and its caliber. Looks to me, based on the pics, to be in at least 80%-90% condition, so whatever the Blue Book says would be a good starting point. If I were to venture a guess, I'd say somewhere north of a grand.

If you haven't already, get in touch with the Buffalo Bill Cody Museum, they can dig up records of your gun, like year of manufacture. For a fee, they'll provide documentation that will also increase the value.

Also, I checked your SN here and found it was most likely made in 1928.