Winchester 1894 Lever Action Rifle

This week for Firearm Friday we are shining some light on a icon, the Winchester 1894 Lever Action Rifle

The Winchester Model 1894 rifle, also known as the Winchester 94 or Model 94 is a lever-action repeating rifle that became one of the most famous and popular hunting rifles of all time. It was designed by John Browning in 1894 and originally chambered in either the .32-40 Winchester or the .38-55 Winchester. It was later the first rifle to chamber the smokeless powder round, the .30 WCF  in 1895. In 1901, Winchester created the new .32 Winchester Special caliber with production of rifles starting in 1902.

The Model 1894 was produced by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company from 1894 to 1980 and then by U.S. Repeating Arms under the Winchester brand, until they ceased manufacturing rifles in 2006. Reproductions are being made by the Miroku company of Japan and imported into the United States by the Browning Arms company of Morgan, Utah. The Model 1894 has been referred to as the "ultimate lever-action design" by firearms historians. 

The Model 1894 is the rifle credited with the name "Winchester" being used to refer to all rifles of this type and was the first commercial sporting rifle to sell over 7,000,000 units.

The Winchester Model 1894 was the first commercial American repeating rifle built to be used with smokeless powder. The 1894 was originally chambered to fire 2 cartridges, the .32-40 Winchester and .38-55 Winchester. In 1895 Winchester went to a different steel composition for rifle manufacturing that could handle higher pressure rounds and offered the rifle in .25-35 Winchester and .30-30 Winchester. The .30-30 Winchester, or .30 WCF is the cartridge that has become synonymous with the Model 1894. Starting in 1899, the Model 1894 was also chambered in .32 Winchester Special.

The Model 94's combination of potent firepower in a compact, lightweight, comfortable-to-carry, and quick-shooting package has made it an extremely popular hunting rifle, particularly for white-tailed deer.

In mid-1964, the manufacturing of the 94 was changed in order to make the firearm less expensive to produce. Those made prior to 1964 are referred to as the "pre-64" models, and these earlier versions command a premium price over post-change rifles. The limited number of early-1964 production models produced prior to the changeover are considered quite desirable, as they are considered by many to represent the ending of an era.

The Winchester 1894's design allowed the cycling of longer cartridges than the Winchester 1892 rifles and carbines could permit. When the lever is pulled down, it brings the bottom of the receiver with it, opening up more space and allowing a longer cartridge to feed without making the receiver longer. The mechanism is complex but very reliable. Complete stripping of the action is a multistage task that must be accomplished in precise sequence. The largest cartridge that the 1894 action can accommodate is the .450 Marlin.

As of 1983, the Winchester 1894 holds the record for best-selling high-powered rifle in U.S. history.

U.S. production ceased in 2006. At the time there were 14 versions of the Model 94 in the Winchester catalog. In 2010 Winchester Repeating Arms reintroduced the model 94 in two Limited Edition models to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Oliver F. Winchester's birth in New England in 1810.

We have a handful of 1894 rifles in our museum and we often have some for sale in our secondhand room. There have been many variants of 1894 rifles over the century and this article would be too long to cover them all however we would love to show you some on a visit to our museum.