The screws and pins on the receiver are numerous and may be confusing. They are: the hammer screw (24), the carrier screws (29), the spring cover screw (56), the finger lever pin (14), the link pin (34) and the cartridge guide screw (13).
Winchester Model 94 Rifle and Carbine
In November 1894, Winchester introduced its new Model 94 lever-action rifle with the following prophetic words: “We believe that no repeating rifle system ever made will appeal to the eye and understanding of the rifleman as this will and that use will continue to warrant first impressions.” Winchester’s new rifle quickly became the preferred firearm of Western settlers, prospectors, law enforcement officers, hunters and ranchers who appreciated its power, reliability, light weight and compact dimensions. Today, more than 100 years and 5,500,000 rifles later, the Winchester Model 94 remains a bestseller for those same reasons. Like so many other successful rifles and shotguns, the Winchester Model 94 rifle was designed by John M. Browning who sold his Model 94 patent (No. 524702 of August 1894) to Winchester.
Although similar in appearance to other Winchester rifles, the Model 94 differs in that it was the first repeating rifle designed exclusively for use with smokeless powder. To accommodate the then-new propellant, Winchester Model 94 rifles had high-strength, nickel-steel barrels. Initially, Model 94 rifles were offered in two popular blackpowder chamberings: .32-40 Win. and .38-55 Win.
In the spring of 1895, Winchester introduced two new cartridges that were designed from the beginning for use with smokeless powder: the .25-35 Win. and the now classic .30-30 Win. The combination of power, low recoil and relatively flat trajectory of the .30-30 Win. cartridge revolutionized hunting. The .32 Win. Spl. cartridge chambering was added in 1902. A little more than 83 years would pass before other calibers would be introduced: .44 Mag. in 1984, .45 Colt in 1985, 7-30 Waters in 1989 and .357 Mag. in 1992. By far the greatest number of Model 94 rifles have been made in .30-30 Win.
The Winchester Model 94 will be encountered configured as a rifle, saddle-ring carbine or trapper’s short carbine. Small-loop or large-loop levers, round or octagonal barrels in lengths from 14" to 26", takedown models and wood or synthetic stocks may be encountered in seemingly never-ending combinations. Finishes range from the pedestrian to the elegant. Regardless, the basic design has changed very little through the years.
In 1964, the Model 94 design was slightly modified to reduce production costs. Subsequent rifles are distinguished as “Post-’64” in contrast to those made earlier as “Pre-’64.” In 1982, angled ejection and a crossbolt safety became standard in order to accommodate the increasing number of hunters who preferred optical sights. The following year, Winchester introduced a much-modified model called the Model 94 Big Bore in calibers .307 Win., .356 Win., .375 Win. and, later, .444 Marlin.