Make: Winchester Repeating Arms

Model: 1894 Saddle Ring Carbine

Serial Number: 451216

Year of Manufacture: 1910 / C&R

Caliber: .32-40 Winchester

Action Type: Lever Action Rifle fed by a Full-Length Tubular Magazine

Barrel Length: 20"

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a beaded blade pinned to a base integral to the barrel. The rear sight is a Kings flat top invertible V/v notch semi-buckhorn sight, dovetailed to the barrel and fine adjustable for elevation. The top tang is drilled, tapped, and filled for a tang sight, none present.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two piece smooth walnut with a banded forend, straight grip, straight comb, and checkered steel shotgun style buttplate. The left side of the receiver has a saddle ring. There are handling marks, scratches, and compressions. There are no chips or cracks. The LOP measures 13 1/8" from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The buttplate has worn to white with scattered light pitting. Overall, the stocks are in about Good condition.

Type of Finish: Blue

Finish Originality: Original

Bore Condition: The bore is gray and the rifling is worn. There is light to mild erosion throughout. In this writer's opinion the bore rates 4/10.

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 20% of its metal finish. The receiver has worn to white. Most of the finish on the barrel and magazine tube has worn to a mottled patina with some blue preserved in the protected areas. There is thinning on the leading edges. There is light erosion on the frame and at the muzzle. The markings are clear. The screw heads are sharp to tool marked with strong serviceable slots. Overall, this rifle is in about Good condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The hammer has a half-cock safety and the lever safety functions properly. 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 is one of the defining American lever-action rifles, designed by John M. Browning and adopted by generations of hunters, ranchers, and outdoorsmen. While best known in .30 W.C.F., early carbines chambered in older black-powder-era cartridges such as .32-40 Winchester have a distinct collector appeal. The .32-40 began as a respected target and sporting cartridge and remained popular with shooters who valued mild recoil, accuracy, and useful field performance. A 1910-production saddle ring carbine in this chambering represents a desirable prewar variation of the classic Model 1894.

This example has the classic 20” carbine barrel, full magazine tube, banded forearm, saddle-ring-carbine profile, King rear sight, and shotgun-style checkered steel buttplate. It shows honest age and field use, retaining about 20% of its original metal finish with the receiver worn mostly to white, mottled patina on the barrel and magazine tube, and light erosion at the frame and muzzle. The walnut stocks rate Good with scattered handling wear but no cracks, while the bore rates 4/10 with gray metal, worn rifling, and light to mild erosion. For the Winchester collector who values scarce chamberings and early carbine configurations, this .32-40 Model 1894 SRC offers a lot of character in a less commonly encountered pre-64 variant.