Model 94 Custom Repair

It was well into the 2015 Wisconsin deer hunting season as a hunter greeted me with his Model 94 Winchester lever action .30-30 in hand. "Sure hope you can put this one back in service, we’ve come too far to even think of becoming separated." As I queried him regarding the problem, he pointed to the loading ramp—a trap-doorlike piece of metal extending upward through the cartridge loading port—obviously out of place. This presented a real problem in successfully loading the tubular magazine, resulting in a jam.

During normal function, the loading gate allows thumb-fed cartridges to be pushed fully into the spring-loaded magazine beneath the barrel. Loaded correctly, the cartridge is placed lengthwise, nose first, onto the loading gate and the typical round-nose bullet is pushed downward and inward until the case rim is received by the magazine.

This locks each cartridge in place, ready for successive pickup Below left and center: The problem was solved by forming and installing a semi-circular piece of steel into the front of the loading port to reduce opening size. Though the loading gate is depressed, a malfunction in loading will ensue. and chambering. Each cartridge then goes through the same process. As the finger lever is worked and the bolt goes rearward, a single cartridge is released and pushed back by the magazine follower.

It is then received by the cartridge guide, which in turn lifts it at an upward angle allowing the forward motion of the bolt to push it forward and into the chamber. The process cocks the hammer all ready to fire, or to let it down to the half-cock safety position. A quick glance at the history of the old Model 94 Winchester lever action repeating rifle places it in a class by itself.

It was designed by John Browning in 1894, initially for a black powder cartridge, and was the first rifle chambered for the use of a smokeless power round: The 30-30 Winchester Center Fire. The eight-round lever action rifle, built between 1894 and 2006, was the first commercial sporting rifle to sell over 7,000,000 units, making it the best-selling, high powered rifle

Properly used, J-B Weld is like penicillin for some ailing rifles. Above center: A common ice pop stick is used to hold the part in place while the weld is bonding. in U. S. history. While undergoing a number of changes and ownership, the much revised Model 94 is now produced in Japan by Miroku Corporation but the vast majority of the old Model 94s are still out there serving hunters and shooters well, and usually with only minor repair.

Correcting Loading Problems Precision measurements of the old gun strongly indicated anew loading gate would not solve the problem. While the loading gate had worn some, the forward margins of the Below center: Finishing touches of the repair used to prevent the loading gate from popping up through the loading port. But the customer immediately noticed the improvement as he headed for the deer woods. loading port had worn even more. Years of use can have some unusual effects on the guns we use.

I informed the customer that a loading gate, complete with anew pin, would likely not correct the problem. I pointed out where the front borders of the loading port were badly worn from years of use. There was a full 0.010-inch gap between the front of the loading gate and the port. I suggested that I could make and install a thin, semi-circular piece of metal at the port to solve the problem. On that he gave me the go-ahead.

Making The Part The small semi-circular part installed at the front end of the loading port was made from apiece of sheet metal 0.070" thick x 0.450" long x 0.090" wide. I used a special round-nose pliers to bend the part to fit the front end of the loading port. The special part was bonded in place using J-B Weld, which has very high bonding and tensile strength. The part was held firmly and squarely to the front of the loading port with a rounded, wooden stick as the J-B Weld set.

The part was then smoothed out using a machinist file and 400grit polishing paper, then touch blued with Brownells Formula 44/40 Instant Gun Blue. On testing, things worked out perfectly as the rim of each cartridge easily slides by the new part. Conclusion Sometimes those little things can mean a lot in repairing a firearm. A bit of innovation can mean the difference between junking a gun or restoring it back to full service. The customer also stands to save a lot of money in the process. AG