Winchester 1894 94 Saddle Ring Carbine SRC .32 Special Lever Rifle 1913 C&R

SOLD FOR: $805

WOA#: WY240407MC003

Make: Winchester Repeating Arms

Model: 1894 Saddle Ring Carbine

Serial Number: 660637

Year of Manufacture: 1913

Caliber: .32 Winchester Special (32 WS)

Action Type: This rifle has a lever action with a full-length tubular magazine.

Markings: The left of the barrel is marked “MANUFACTURED BY THE WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO. / NEW HAVEN CONN. U.S.A. PATENTED AUGUST 21. 1894.”, “-NICKEL STEEL BARREL- / ESPECIALLY FOR SMOKELESS POWDER” and “32 W.S.”, the top is marked “BROWNING BROS CO. OGDEN U” in front of the rear sight. The top-rear of the barrel and top-front of the receiver each have an ovalled “WP” proof. The front underside of the receiver is marked “660637”. The top tang is marked “MODEL 1894 / -WINCHESTER- / TRADE MARK REG. IN U.S. PAT. OFF.”.

Barrel Length: 20″

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a Marble beaded blade pinned to a slotted base fixed to the front of the barrel. The rear sight is a Marble’s “V”-notch buckhorn elevator sight dovetailed to the rear of the barrel; the notch is fine-adjustable for elevation. The top tang is drilled, tapped and filled for a tang sight (none present).

Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are 2-piece smooth walnut with banded forend, straight grip, straight comb and steel carbine-style buttplate. The stocks have scattered nicks, dings, scrapes and scratches. Some of these have damaged or removed portions of the surface wood. There are no cracks. The LOP measures 13″ from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The plate has worn to white with scattered minor oxidation. Overall, the stocks are in Good-plus condition.

Type of Finish: Blue

Finish Originality: Original

Bore Condition: The bore is gray. The rifling is well defined. There is light erosion and some minor pitting scattered through the bore. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates 6 out of 10.

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 70% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. The barrel and magazine have generally strong finish with some light wear, mostly on the barrel behind the front sight. The receiver is mostly worn to white with some finish at the rear of the flats. There are scattered nicks, scuffs and scratches. The left of the receiver has wear from the saddle ring. There is infrequent minor surface oxidation. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle is in Good condition (see Mechanics).

Mechanics: The lever safety does not function properly. Otherwise, the action functions correctly. The hammer has a half-cock safety. The trigger is crisp. We did not fire this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None.

Our Assessment: The Winchester Model 1894 rifle followed the other John Browning designed lever action rifles to become one of the most famous and popular hunting rifles of all time. It was the first commercial sporting rifle to sell over 7,000,000 units, making the name “Winchester” synonymous with all lever action rifles. It was also the first commercial American repeating rifle built to be used with smokeless powder. It was introduced in 1894 in two black powder cartridges, the .32-40 and .38-55 Win. rounds, but by the next year Winchester had developed a different steel composition that could handle higher pressures, and the .30-30 Win. family of cartridges was born.

This is a Winchester Model 1894 Saddle Ring Carbine made in 1913 with a 20” round barrel and chambered in .32 Winchester Special. The .32 WS is a necked-up .30-30 (technically a necked-down .38-55) allowing for the use of heavier projectiles for game that needs a little more punch. Interestingly, this example has a Browning Bros. marking on the barrel. Winchester not only paid Browning in cash for his designs, but also provided payment in the form of complete rifles to be sold through his Ogden, Utah store. The rifle looks like it has seen some use, and the lever safety needs a little work, but is a nice example of the 1894 Carbine that will add to a collection. It may also still prove to be a good shooter. Please see our photos and good luck!

Please forgive any typos, I was educated in California. -Bud