Original Item: Only One Available. This is a great find! A very desirable Winchester model 1894, Serial number 49242 in the .32-40 Ballard / Winchester "Match-Grade" caliber, popular for sports shooting as well as small animal hunting. This rifle is one of the most popular lever action repeaters ever marketed, and is popular to this day as a sporting and hunting rifle. This example features an aftermarket "semi-buckhorn" rear adjustable sight, with a standard blade front sight. It features a full-length magazine tube, and a special order 26 inch barrel, which is marked:

The barrel is also correctly marked 32-40 above the chamber next to the receiver. The Model 1894 was originally chambered to fire 2 metallic black powder cartridges, the .32-40 Winchester and .38-55 Winchester. In 1895 Winchester went to a different steel composition for rifle manufacturing that could handle higher pressure rounds and offered the rifle in .25-35 Winchester and .30-30 Winchester. The .30-30 Winchester, or .30WCF (Winchester Centerfire), is the cartridge that has become synonymous with the Model 1894. This example was made early in 1896, before the new chamberings had time to be come popular.

The rear receiver tang is also marked with the model and patent information:

The Stocks are in very good condition, with just a few small dents and chips, and both show the lovely red brown color of aged oiled walnut. There are no structural issues to speak of, and the stocks show lovely grain in the black walnut wood. The butt stock is fitted with a lovely "crescent" butt plate, like those used on the earlier model 1873.

The rifle is offered with a crisp tight action in fully functional condition. Metal work is good, with a lovely speckled patina of age, and no signs of major cleaning or restoration. The original bluing is still present in the more recessed areas, such as along the wood line by the fore stock. We checked the bore, and it is in good condition, showing clear lands and grooves and a partly bright finish. It definitely does show some wear and light overall oxidation from use. This is definitely a rifle that saw real use, possibly out on the frontier!

A very nice example with a desirable 26" octagonal barrel. Pre-1899 production (1897) and rated Federally as an ANTIQUE. Ready to Display in any Collection!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1896
Caliber: .32-40 Ballard/Winchester
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 26 Inches
Overall Length: 44 Inches
Action type: Lever Action Repeater
Feed System: Round Magazine Tube

The Winchester Model 1894 rifle (also known as the Winchester 94 or Model 94) is a lever-action repeating rifle that became one of the most famous and popular hunting rifles of all time. It was designed by John Browning in 1894 and originally chambered to fire two metallic black powder cartridges, the .32-40 Winchester and .38-55 Winchester. It was the first rifle to chamber the smokeless powder round, the .30 WCF (Winchester Center Fire, in time becoming known as the .30-30) in 1895.

The 1894 was produced by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company through 1980 and then by U.S. Repeating Arms under the Winchester brand until they ceased manufacturing rifles in 2006. Reproductions are being made by the Miroku company of Japan and imported into the United States by the Browning Arms company of Morgan, Utah.

The Model 1894 has been referred to as the "ultimate lever-action design" by firearms historians such as R. L. Wilson and Hal Herring. The Model 1894 is the rifle credited with the name "Winchester" being used to refer to all rifles of this type and was the first commercial sporting rifle to sell over 7,000,000 units.

One Model 1894 is on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the Arms & Armor department.