Make: Winchester Repeating Arms

Model: 1894 Saddle Ring Carbine

Serial Number: 253423

Year of Manufacture: 1902

Caliber: .32-40 Winchester Center Fire (WCF)

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

Barrel Length: 20” Round

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a blade pinned to a slotted base fixed to the front of the barrel. The rear sight is a three-position folding leaf sight dovetailed to the rear of the barrel. The rear leaf is marked “50”, the front is marked “2” (200 yards). The front leaf is broken in half at the notch. The top tang is drilled and tapped for a tang sight (none present).

Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece smooth walnut with a banded forend, straight grip, straight comb, saddle ring on the left side of the receiver, and steel carbine-style buttplate. The wood is generally “proud” to the metal except at the toe. There is a very small loss on the right side of the wrist at the corner of the receiver and tang. The wood is generally dark where the wood meets metal and in the nicks and compressions. The LOP measures 13″ from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The buttplate has taken a deep patina with some heavier wear at the heel and toe which has exposed the metal to white. Overall, the stocks are in Very Good Condition.

Type of Finish: Blue

Finish Originality: Original

Bore Condition: The bore is dull to dark. The rifling is worn, but visible. There is light erosion scattered through the bore with some minor pitting, mostly in the grooves. There are two rings where the barrel is bulged out, likely from clearing squibs. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates 2/10.

Overall Condition: This carbine retains about 20% of its metal finish. The surfaces that have mostly gone to white have turned to a dark patina. There is some original finish remaining in the protected areas and most of the mag tube. There are some nicks, scuffs, and scratches. The action shows operational wear. There is minor surface erosion throughout the receiver. What appear to be the initials “CHR.” have been hand stippled upside down into the bottom right receiver. The screw heads range from tool marked with strong slots to slightly disfigured. The markings are clear. Overall, this carbine is in about Fair 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 carbine. 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 Saddle Ring Carbine was made in 1902 and is in Fair Condition. It features a 20” barrel, 20% of its original blued finish, rugged two-piece smooth walnut stocks with a banded forend, saddle ring on the left side of the receiver, and steel carbine-style buttplate, a three-position folding leaf rear sight (the front leaf is broken in half at the notch), what appear to be the initials “CHR.” hand stippled upside down into the bottom right receiver, and a dull to dark bore with worn rifling, light erosion, and minor pitting, but two bulges in the barrel significantly affect its condition, thus rating 2/10. With its “been there, done that” appearance, this Model 1894 Saddle Ring Carbine would make a fine entry level addition to a Winchester collection.