Make: Winchester Repeating Arms

Model: 1894

Serial Number: 385765

Year of Manufacture: 1907

Caliber: .25-35 Winchester Center Fire (WCF)

Action Type: Lever Action Rifle with a full-length tubular magazine.

Barrel Length: 26” Octagonal

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a Lyman #4 ivory bead steel blade hunting front sight dovetailed to the barrel. The rear sight is a “V”-notch semi-buckhorn elevator sight dovetailed to the rear of the barrel. 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 capped forend, straight grip, straight comb, and crescent steel buttplate. There are no chips or cracks. There are scattered compression marks throughout. The wood has darkened where it meets the metal. The LOP measures 13 1/4" from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. Overall, the stocks are in Fine Condition. 

Type of Finish: Blue with Case-hardened lever, hammer, and buttplate. 

Finish Originality: Original 

Bore Condition: The bore is bright and the rifling is sharp. There is minor erosion intermittently down the length. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates 8/10.

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 70% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at some edges, mostly on the receiver and edges of the barrel. The case color is all but muted. There are some light nicks and scratches. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to tool marked with usable slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle is in about Fine Condition.

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

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None

Our Assessment: The Model 1894 was another Winchester lever action rifle designed by gunmaking genius John Moses Browning, and it became one of the most famous and popular hunting rifles of all time. It was the first commercial sporting rifle to sell over 7 million units, and 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 Winchester Center Fire rounds, but by August 1895 Winchester had developed a different steel composition that could handle higher pressures, and the .25-35 and .30-30 WCF chamberings were introduced. As R.L. Wilson relates in his reference book “Winchester An American Legend”, Winchester’s announcement of the Model 1894 in their November 1894 catalog certainly proved prophetic: “We believe that no repeating rifle system ever made will appeal to the eye and understanding of the riflemen as this will and that use will continue to warrant first impressions.”

This Winchester Model 1894 Lever Action Rifle was made in 1907 and is in Fine Condition. It features a 26” octagonal barrel, 70% of its original blued finish (the case coloring on the lever, hammer, and crescent buttplate have all but muted), elegant two-piece smooth walnut stocks, a Lyman #4 ivory bead steel blade hunting front sight, and a bright bore with sharp rifling and only minimal erosion considering its age. Whether you're looking to add to your Winchester collection or want a trusty Model 1894 in .25-35 WCF for coyote or deer hunting, this is a nice rifle for any collector.