TFB Armorer's Bench: Diagnosing and Assessing a Winchester 94
Welcome everyone to the TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb below, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. In this article, I am rolling into another diagnostic-style article and one that is close to my heart. Today we are taking a deeper look at my Grandfather’s 1902 Winchester 94 in 32-40. The last time he used it was years ago when I was going through school for gunsmithing and had yet to acquire the knowledge and skills that I have now. Let’s figure out what is wrong as we go through Diagnosing and Assessing a Winchester 94!
Gun Diagnostic TFB Armorer’s Bench Reading @ TFB:
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- TFB Armorer's Bench: Diagnosing and Assessing a Savage Model 101
- TFB Armorer's Bench: Diagnosing and Assessing an S&W 642 Airweight
- TFB Armorer’s Bench: Diagnosing and Assessing a Remington 1858
TFB Armorer’s Bench: Diagnosing and Assessing a Winchester 94
Here, we at TFB hope to inform, entertain, and even inspire any would-be gunsmith or armorer out there. Ideally, with the information I provide and with the help of our sponsors, you can have some useful knowledge pertaining to the conservation and improvement of firearms technology while at the same time sharing experiences and teaching each other new tips and tricks along the way in the comments. Digging deep into what it is to be an armorer or gunsmith has significance but what is important is what those people do to show they’ve earned that title. I am happy to share my experiences and knowledge and hope it is informative!
Make your personal safety a priority:
- Practice proper gun safety. Always make sure before the firearm hits your bench that it is unloaded and safe to be handled.
- Wear the proper safety equipment. The main one would be safety glasses (decent ones) since parts are often under spring tension and you may work with high RPM tools. Other honorable mentions would be latex gloves or a respirator when working with potentially harmful solvents and oils. Also hearing protection when working with loud machinery or test-firing firearms.
- Modifications, alterations, and customizations will void your firearm’s warranty 9.5 times out of 10. Please take that into consideration before attempting any at-home gunsmithing.
- If you are unsure about proper safety practices, disassembly procedures, or warranty standards, stop, put down the tools, and consult a competent gunsmith.
Quick Background & The Issue – 1902 Winchester 1894
This Winchester Model 1894 was manufactured in 1902. My grandfather picked it up pre-owned (likely in the 1950s) and used it for the majority of his hunting career. It is by no means a showpiece. It's a rifle full of stories and it has been well-hunted. My grandfather took great pride in owning and hunting with this rifle. All of us grandkids knew about his old 32-40 growing up.
Grandpa’s Buttstock Whitetail Talley:
- 1959: 1x Doe
- 1961: 1x Buck
- 1965: 1x Buck
- 1967: 1x Buck
- 1970: 2x Doe, 1x Buck
- 1973: 1x Buck
- 1979: 1x Buck
These are by no means every deer he ever took. Eventually, his eyes worsened (likely in the late 1990s) and he began using a scoped left-handed Winchester Model 70 (I think). I know that he once considered scoping his old 94 because I found the mount he bought to do so but never had it drilled and tapped.
He recently passed away and one of my cousins, who was especially close to Grandpa, inherited this rifle. Before sending it his way I offered to give it a much-needed deep clean and inspect an issue that popped up the last time my grandfather used it years ago.
The issue was that the loading gate would not fully give way for a cartridge to be loaded and if you were lucky (or unlucky) enough to get one in there it would shoot back under the carrier and jam up the rifle pretty good. All while potentially damaging the hen's teeth, which is the tapered 32-40 Winchester cartridge. So what’s up with this thing?
Closer Inspection – Pre 64 Winchester 94
I had some suspicions going into this project given what I have witnessed in other Winchester 94 rifles at much younger ages. Something typically goes wrong with their carriers (the part that lifts a new cartridge up to be rammed forward) or their carrier spring which persuades the carrier all the way up and then all the way down.
Taking this old Winchester 94 apart was pure pleasure cause I could feel the history and sentimentality radiating off of it. Under the hood, she was quite dirty. Judging by the fudged-up screws I am sure someone went about deep cleaning this for my Grandfather once or twice. Nonetheless, it had been a long while since it had seen a nylon brush and some solvent.
I went through everything and even ultrasonic cleaned a majority of the parts in order to persuade some of the light rust off easier. At the end of the day, my fears and suspicions are all but confirmed. The carrier and carrier spring both have wear from use. The carrier itself is the likely culprit since the spring tooth only has a slightly flat spot to it.
As you can see here there is a shiny spot on the carrier. This spot is where the carrier spring rides and persuades one way or the other. It is supposed to be a rather sharp angle.
In this even better view, we can see it's almost totally rounded off. Hard to blame a part that is over 120 years old. It was well used, hunted, and repeatedly levered by everyone who had the chance to hold this old gal.
Conclusion – Grandpa’s 32-40
The prognosis is quite simple. Replace the carrier spring or the carrier. I am hedging my bets and ordering both (they are actually on their way as I type this). Numrich stock reproduction Pre 64 Winchester 94 carrier springs but the carrier itself was a lucky eBay find on my part. I am confident one or both will alleviate the issue and keep this gun going for another long hunting stint in the hands of our family. Unless I update this post with a note down the line this is the issue. Thanks for tuning in and giving this old gun some love and attention. Rest in peace, Grandpa John.
As always, thank you for reading TFB! Be safe out there, have fun while shooting, and we will see you next time for the TFB Armorer’s Bench! Also, let us know what you think in the comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.
Writer | TheFirearmBlogWriter | AllOutdoor.comInstagram | sfsgunsmithOld soul, certified gunsmith, published author, avid firearm history learner, and appreciator of old and unique guns.
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I hope your cousin respects and enjoys this beautiful rifle. So often these inherited rifles are stuffed in a closet and left to rust or sold/pawned off.
Nice to read this, I have a model 94 Winchester in .32 Special, inherited from my Dad. He took his first deer with it and I took my first deer with it.