Make: Winchester Repeating Arms
Model: 1894 Saddle Ring Carbine Deluxe
Serial Number: 284754
Year of Manufacture: 1905 / C&R
Caliber: .25-35 Winchester Center Fire
Action Type: This is a Lever Action Rifle with a Full Length Magazine Tube.
Barrel Length: 20" Round
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a Lyman beaded blade set and pinned in a square block integral to the barrel. The rear sight is a carbine ladder sight. The top tang is drilled and tapped for a tang sight Lyman tang sight has been installed.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece checkered walnut with banded forend, capped pistol grip, straight comb and steel carbine style buttplate. The LOP measures about 13 1/8" from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. There are handling marks, scratches, and compression dents. There is a crack in the bottom front of the forend. There are minor losses in the top corners of the wrist at the receiver. 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 distinct. There is light erosion. In this writer's opinion the bore rates 7/10.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 40% of its finish. The barrel has bluing loss at the leading edges. There is light intermittent oxidation. The receiver has largely turned to a brown patina. There are a few notable scratches on the receiver. There is case color in the in the protected areas of the hammer and lever. The screw heads are sharp to tool marked with serviceable slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle is in about Very Good condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The hammer has a half-cock safety. The lever safety is present and fully functional. 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: Cody Firearms Museum Records Search which confirms this rifle as a carbine in .25-35 with a plain pistol grip checkered stock, Lyman front sight, and a serial applied date of November 01, 1905.
Our Assessment: The Winchester Model 1894 is one of John Browning’s most enduring lever-action designs, and its early smokeless-powder chamberings helped define the modern American sporting rifle. The .25-35 W.C.F. cartridge was introduced as a lighter-recoiling, flatter-shooting companion to the .30-30, favored for small to medium game and valued today by collectors as one of the classic early Model 1894 chamberings. This 1905 carbine is particularly interesting for its Cody Firearms Museum confirmation as a .25-35 carbine with plain pistol grip checkered stock and Lyman front sight, giving it desirable factory-supported configuration details.
This example retains about 40% of its original blue finish, with the receiver aged mostly to brown patina, scattered handling wear, and some case color remaining in protected areas of the hammer and lever. The checkered walnut stocks show honest use, including handling marks, a forend crack, and minor losses at the wrist, while the bore remains serviceable with distinct rifling and light erosion. With its scarce .25-35 chambering, early C&R manufacture, Cody documentation, pistol-grip checkered stock, and period sight equipment, this is a notably collectible Model 1894 carbine with the kind of configuration detail Winchester buyers look for.
