The Winchester Model 94

It can be argued that the legendary Winchester Model 94 could be John Moses Browning’s finest achievement. Having started out in 1894 with the .32-40 and .38-55 black powder cartridges, this model has come in dozens of configurations, calibers, commemorative versions, and model designations over the years. At 7,000,000 units strong, it is the first sporting rifle to make that number and has become synonymous with the .30-30 cartridge.

The subject of this article will cover the basic differences between an old model 94 chambered in .32 Special and a newer .30-30 Ranger Angle Eject carbine. The .30-30 was graciously loaned to me by the Old Town Trading Post (OldTownTradingPost.net) under the new ownership and management of Dave and Melissa Lorenz and his capable gun guru, Dave Mac Donald. Steel composition of the Model 94 has changed over the years. In 1895, higher pressure smokeless powder rounds were utilized.

The first big changes in manufacture came in 1964 to make the firearm less expensive to produce and are described as pre-64 or post-64 models. The pre-64s, in lesser numbers made, tend to be more desirable to collectors and bring a premium in price. Many enthusiasts won’t have anything to do with post-64 models, however, after working on hundreds of these rifles over the years I personally believe some of the changes have been for the good and make note of them here.

The current model 94s are Angle Eject, have aluminum receivers, and are being made by Miroku in Japan. Some of the changes Winchester made after 1964 did not find favor with many followers of the Model 94. In order to increase profitability and do away with labor-intensive work new chief executives of Winchester decided to cease machining the receiver and some small parts out of solid steel billets and go to sintered steel.

The receiver was made of sintered steel which became a problem to blue with conventional methods. The cartridge carrier was made as a stamped part and roll pins used in place of solid pins. After FN Herstal purchased the bankrupt assets of U. S. Repeating Arms, it re-instituted CNC machined parts in 1992. Another good change from 1982 was the Angle Eject receiver.

A cut out was made to the right side of the receiver, the extractor was moved to the top right corner of the bolt face, and the ejector to the bottom left corner of the bolt face to exact an angle ejection. This change allows scopes to be mounted directly on top of the receiver and in line with the bore. In 1992, across-bolt safety was instituted and the half cock notch on the hammer done away with. This was another change I personally liked.

Many others however, did not like this change because it did not look aesthetically right to them. In 2003, FN Herstal and Winchester went to a tang safety on the upper tang that is still being incorporated in manufacture of the model 94. This article will cover the complete disassembly/reassembly of the Angle Eject model with parts differences and information noted with the pre-64s. To begin disassembly, open the action and check that the firearm is unloaded.

Be sure to use properly-fitting gunsmith screwdrivers as the screw slots are of different sizes and can be easily buggered up if improper drivers are utilized. I can’t stress this caution enough as I have had to repair literally hundreds of beat-up screw heads over the course of my gunsmithing career! Remove the top tang screw and move the buttstock off to the rear.

Some of them will be tight so be sure and protect the stock from damage while holding the action in one hand and hitting the top of the comb with the palm of your other hand lightly to nudge the stock off the tangs. Remove the finger lever stop pin screw and drift out the finger lever pin with a small pin punch from the access hole above the loading port on the right side of the receiver. Remove the link pin stop screw on the bottom front portion

of the link and drift out the link pin either way. Remove link and lever down out of the receiver while disengaging the rear of the link from the locking bolt. If it is necessary to remove the lever from the link, drift out the finger lever link pin either way. Normally, The old model on the left and the Angle Eject on the right. it should be left in place unless repair is required. The friction stud and its spring in the rear of the link should also be left in place unless repair is required.

If it is necessary to remove it, drift out its pin either way. On reassembly, make sure the stud slot is properly aligned with the pin hole. Disassembly to this point is the same for the pre-64 model. Remove the carrier screw from the left side of the receiver that sits just ahead of the locking bolt. Remove the carrier out the bottom of the receiver. There will be two carrier screws on pre-64 models, one on each side of the receiver.

Remove the hammer screw from the rear left side of the receiver, then move the lower tang/hammer assembly slightly to the rear and remove the locking bolt downward out of its slot in the re-

ceiver. Remove the hammer thumb piece if present on the hammer. It will be either a unit that slides on the hammer tang held by locking screw(s) directly into the right side of the hammer as the rifle illustrated has. Remove the lower tang/ hammer assembly downward out of the receiver using caution to make sure the hammer tang has clearance from the upper tang of the receiver. Remove the bolt assembly out the rear of the receiver.

On pre-64 models, with the hammer let all the way down, remove the mainspring screw and mainspring from the lower tang. Do not remove the mainspring strain screw. This sets the tension on the mainspring and should be left alone. Remove the hammer screw. While holding the safety catch up and pulling the trigger, remove the hammer up through the receiver. Drive out the lower tang with a brass rod or wooden dowel and mallet. The locking bolt and bolt assembly can now be removed from the receiver.

The lower tang/hammer assembly of the post-64 rifle is one improvement I really like over the old model. It comes out as one assembly and does not need to be disassembled for routine cleaning. Trigger pull and hammer tension can be easily adjusted by replacing the hammer and trigger coil springs in this unit. Back to Angle Eject disassembly. Remove the spring cover (loading port) screw and spring cover from the right side of the receiver.

Remove the carrier spring screw accessed through the loading port that resides on the left inside wall of the receiver. Remove the carrier spring out of the receiver. On reassembly of this spring, the loop of the spring must be facing downward toward the bottom of the receiver. Look at the proper alignment of the cartridge guides before removal of their screws. The guide troughs must be angled forward and facing each other inside the receiver in order to function properly when reassembled.

Remove the cartridge guide screws from the left and right sides (externally) of the receiver and remove the guides down and out of the receiver. This is another improvement I like greatly in the new model. In pre-64 models the cartridge guide screws are on the inside of the receiver and very difficult to remove and replace. The left guide screw was offset and had to be accessed through the loading port. A special offset screwdriver had to be made to properly access this screw.

Once it was out, another very slim screwdriver is needed to access the right guide through the now open screw hole of the left guide, a very testy procedure for anyone! The spring cover and screw are removed just like the new model. The receiver is now completely stripped. To disassemble the Angle Eject bolt, remove the firing pin straight out the rear of the bolt. Remove the two small screws from the bottom of the bolt to remove the extractor.

Remove the small roll pin at the front bottom of the bolt to remove the ejector and its spring. Restrain the ejector and spring when pulling out the roll pin punch so they don’t go into orbit, never to be seen again. This is a very powerful spring! On the old model bolt, remove the extractor pin and extractor. Remove the firing pin stop pin and firing pin. Remove the ejector pin and ejector and spring, once again, be sure to restrain the ejector and spring. All three of these pins can be removed either way.

Do not disassemble the bolt routinely, only if repair is needed. Unless necessary for repair or rust removal, do not routinely disassemble the Angle Eject lower tang/ hammer unit. If necessary, cock the hammer and you’ll see a small hole at the back of the hammer strut. Place a small pin in the hole to capture the hammer spring in its assembly, then slowly ease the hammer forward. Both pull the trigger and push up on the trigger stop to let American Gunsmith Reader Services 1.

1. Barrel with ramp 2. Front sight 3. Front sight cover 4. Rear sight 5. Rear sight elevator 6. Magazine follower 7. Magazine spring 8A. Magazine tube 8. Magazine plug 9. Magazine plug screw 10. Receiver 11. Cartridge guide, right hand 12. Cartridge guide, left hand 13. Cartridge guide screws (2) 14. Finger lever pin 15. Finger lever pin stop screw 16. Breech bolt 17. Firing pin stop pin 18. Extractor pin 19. Extractor 20. Ejector 21. Ejector spring the hammer fully forward.

Whenever you do this maneuver, with or without a pin in the strut hole, be 22. Ejector stop pin 23. Firing pin 24. Hammer screw 25. Hammer 26. Hammer stirrup 27. Hammer stirrup pin 28. Upper tang screw 29. Carrier screws (2) 30. Carrier 31. Carrier Spring 32. Carrier spring screw 33. Link 34. Link pin 35. Link pin stop screw 36. Friction stud 37. Friction stud spring 38. Friction stud stop pin 39. Finger lever 40. Locking bolt 41. Firing pin striker 42. Firing pin striker stop pin 43.

Finger lever link screw Model 94—Pre-64 (Speci ications subject to change without notice) 44. Lower tang 45. Safety catch 46. Sear and safety catch spring 47. Sear and safety catch spring screw 48. Safety catch pin 49. Mainspring 50. Mainspring screw 51. Mainspring strain screw 52. Trigger 53. Sear 54. Sear pin 55. Spring cover 56. Spring cover screw 57. Peep sight plug screw 58. Rear band 59. Rear band screw 60. Front band 61. Front band screw 62. Buttplate 63. Buttplate screws (2) 64. Buttstock (not shown) 65.

Forearm (not shown) sure to restrain the hammer from flying forward and damaging parts. Tap out the hammer bushing either way with the appropriate size punch and remove the hammer. Tap out the trigger/sear pin either way and remove the trigger, trigger spring, sear, and hammer block. The trigger and hammer block are pinned together and removal routinely is not necessary unless repair is required. This is another improvement over the old model that I like.

A hammer block and rebounding hammer is a good safety measure. Many years ago, I loaned a friend my lever action rifle on a hunting trip and drilled him on the proper letting down of the hammer safely while chambering a dummy cartridge. When we arrived at the hunt and loaded, he let the hammer slip and fired the gun! Luckily, he was in front of everybody with the gun pointing into the ground. Without the muzzle pointed safely this could have resulted in a tragic event.

All the more reason I personally like this improvement. Remove the trigger stop pin. It’s a small roll pin that captures the trigger stop and trigger stop/sear spring. The hammer strut assembly and trigger stop/sear spring are all one unit. The back of the spring is the hammer spring seat. Some people try to pull the hammer spring /strut assembly out before removing the roll pin and inadvertently deform the trigger stop/sear spring. Remove the trigger stop. The lower tang/hammer unit is now disassembled.

When reassembling the trigger/sear assembly use a slave pin short enough to just capture the trigger and sear together. Make sure one end of the trigger spring goes into its slot in the trigger and the other end into the slot in the sear. Set the assembly in place with the slave pin showing in the trigger pin hole and tap the trigger pin in place, driving out the slave pin.

When replacing the trigger stop roll pin, place a small pin punch through the tang, trigger stop, and trigger stop/sear spring using it as a slave pin left to right. Now tap the roll

1 Barrel 2 Breechbolt 3 Buttstock Complete 4 Buttplate 5 Buttplate Screws 6 Carrier 7 Carrier Screw 8 Carrier Spring 9 Carrier Spring Screw 10 Cartridge Guide, Left 11 Cartridge Guide, Right 12 Cartridge Guide Screws 13 Ejector 14 Ejector Spring 15 Ejector Stop Pin 16 Extractor 17 Extractor Retaining Screws 18 Finger Lever 19 Finger lever Link Pin 20 Finger Lever Link Screw 21 Finger Lever Pin 22 Finger lever Pin Stop Screw 23 Firing Pin pin in, right to left, driving out the small pin punch and capturing the assembly.

Set the hammer in place and push in the hammer bushing. Cock the hammer and remove the pin placed in the strut to capture the hammer spring. Restrain the hammer while releasing it from the cocked position. Complete disassembly of the lower tang assembly in the old model is fairly straight forward.

Remove 24 Firing Pin Striker 25 Firing Pin Striker Stop Pin 26 Forearm 27 Friction Stud 28 Friction Stud Spring 29 Friction Stud Stop Pin 30 Front Band 31 Front Band Screw 32 Hammer and Sear 33 Hammer Bushing 34 Hammer Screw 35 Hammer Spring 36 Hammer Spring Guide Rod 37 Hammer Spur Assembly 38 Link Complete 39 Locking Bolt 40 Lower Tang 41 Magazine Follower 42 Magazine Plug 43 Magazine Plug Screw Model 94—Angle Eject (Speci ications subject to change without notice) 44 Magazine Spring 45 Magazine Tube 46 Rear Band 47 Rear Band Screw 48 Receiver 49 Sear and Hammer 50 Rear Sight Assembly 51 Front Sight Cover 52 Rear Sight Elevator 53 Front Sight 54 Telescope Front Sight Plug Screws 55 Spring Cover 56 Spring Cover Screw 57 Trigger w/Hammer Block Assembly 58 Trigger/Sear Pin 59 Trigger Spring 60 Trigger Stop 61 Trigger Stop Pin 62 Trigger Stop Spring 63 Upper Tang Screw the safety catch screw to release the safety catch/sear spring.

Remove the safety catch pin to remove the safety catch. Note that the safety catch in the Angle Eject model is called the trigger stop. The job they do is the same for both models. Removing the sear pin removes both the sear and trigger. Reassembly is in the reverse. To remove the internals of the magazine, remove the magazine plug screw, being sure to restrain the plug and spring from flying out. Slowly release the plug, spring, and follower to remove them.

Remove the magazine tube by taking out the front and rear band screws and pulling the tube out the front. The forend can be removed once the magazine tube is fully removed. Front and rear sights can be simply driven out of their dovetails either way. Reassembly of the Angle Eject is in reverse of the disassembly with these specifics noted. When reinstalling the cartridge guides make sure they are level in their receiver slots and the screws tight.

If not, they can interfere with carrier operation and damage internal parts. The same goes for the spring cover and its screw. This must also be tight to preclude interference with the carrier. When installing the bolt in the receiver, make sure the firing pin is oriented correctly to receive the finger lever pin through the bolt and lever hole. Because the lower tang/hammer assembly rotates on the hammer pin it needs to be properly aligned when installing the buttstock.

If you disassembled the magazine assembly make sure to install the follower ahead of the spring and feed the spring a little at a time, keeping it unkinked until placing the magazine plug in the tube to capture the spring. Orient the plug while holding it fast and install the plug screw. Be sure to install the tangs of the locking bolt into its slot in the back of the link as you work the lever/link assembly up into the receiver.

The old and new models look and handle the same although the internals tell a slightly different story. By studying the accompanying schematics and pictures the differences will be apparent. It’s this gunsmith’s opinion that this venerable classic rifle will continue to be manufactured and sold, just like its Browning cousin, the 1911, as long as this old earth remains as we know it! AG