You missed one thing Old heirloom guns collect character and patina along their years of journey. You just took that all away. But it’s your gun your video and I have no problem with that. I personally would have never done that. Just a good cleaning up functions test that would’ve been it.
It’s great you restored the rifle bud looks great ,but that was original factory Winchester blue that was on the rifle , you could’ve just used the Balistol you had and did a whole wipe down and deep clean
in other words in the bluing process you realized some parts had a high Nickle content and you could not blue it many old winchesters have that issue unless you truly know what you are doing dont mess with the finish you should have rust blued it and taken your time the stock should have used boiled linseed oil with many light coats over a long period of time bottom line dont rush your job take your time do it like they did a 100 years ago
My Dad bought his Winchester Model 73 in 38-40 in 1935....It had been shot and worn pretty badly during that 24 years since 1911....Since My Dad bought it it has been shot only about 15 times and we will keep it as it is....
Too many comments here are about money. This is the horror of today's world. None of you heard him. It's a family heirloom to use. These grifters today make me angry. Nice work sir. May your family enjoy this beauty for what it is. Part of you and yours
Beautiful restore to useful Bill. As you spoke about it's history it brought a tear to my eye as I thought about Pop's .22 he owned and won target competitions with as a young bloke. While he wasn't required to, he surrendered it during Australia's gun amnesty after the Port Arthur massacre. They were only calling for automatic weapons, but he got rid of it and I know he regretted it later. It would have been a similar vintage as he was born in 1914.
“Value” is a strange thing, to me a thing doesn’t have value if it was made to be used and sits idle. There’s always gonna be someone who cries foul, but it’s not their rifle, it’s yours. I’m only disappointed I didn’t get to see any actual pyew-pyewing at the range. 🤣😏 Lovely refurb all the same. Enjoy that beauty for yourself, and for gods sake SHOOT IT!
very good, I'm Caetano from Brazil - I a lover of Winchesters, we have many here, I've even repaired several of them - the big difficulty is parts - but I'm an engineer so I end up making the parts...
i was recently got the family 1894 saddle carbine 30-30 from 1907 (it's been in the family from original purchase date) still shoots true and is beautiful
I have had my Winchester 94 in 30-30 for 63 years and it is in near perfect condition....I used to get it out in the off season and just smell the wood because it smelled like the Florida everglades....Have a blessed day....
Just finished watching, Dang Bill! That thing looks AMAZING! WOW! Is that spring the rifling? I thought rifling was machined, wow! Great job Mr. Lutes!
the long spring is housed under the barrel (and yes, the barrel does have machined rifling) in what is called the magazine tube. The Magazine Tube is where you load the bullets and every time you engage the "Lever" it pulls a bullet out of the tube.
Everyone calm down. It's not an original Henry. You can buy early 1900s era Winchester '94s on Gunbroker for $900 to $1500 all day long. They're awesome rifles but it's not like he's finger painting over the Mona Lisa here😆
Awesome! I have a gun smithing table in the corner of my shop, and I do some reloading. I love working on guns, well pretty much love working on anything lol!
Wonderful Job Bill, I have a pump .22 Winchester that was my Great grandfathers, I want to say the 1908 is one of the years on it. I should take it out and do alittle rehab on it, it's obviously a family heirloom that isn't being sold. Thanks for the video!
05-26-2024 Memorial Day weekend here in Savannah GA. I have a 1953 year model 94 that I have been working on for a few months. Was in really poor condition but I have been able to re-do the ood and it has come out beautiful. Had to order replacement parts and had two made from scratch but she is working well now. Waiting on the last coat of Tung Oil to cure so I can re-assemble and check it out. These things are really cool and well worth the effort to bring back to life. They don't make them like this anymore. Thanks for the video.
Looks good Bill. I have my great uncles 30-30. It is basically a marlin but was branded Montgomery wards. It will definitely be a gun i will never sell
Thanks for posting Sir! I have the same model but produced in 1914 and would love to do the same as you did on yours. I will have to be careful taking it apart and careful when I re-assemble for sure!!
Clean & restore to working condition removing rust in a way that preserves the original finish, absolutely. But by striping the original finish away you have really destroyed the character & history of the rifle. Although you may be happy with the outcome your surviving family will most likely be saddened that you touched it.
Eugene, thats really a silly thing to say when you know nothing about my family. I get that some folks view this rifle differently than I do. However, there is no known history to it. And because I will never sell it, the value comes from what ever history I create with it.
Great job and thank you for sharing this video! In my humble opinion, I think unfired firearms that are safe queens are just as worthless as an abused firearm. A Firearm that is well kept and often fired is priceless in my opinion.
Cleaning and touching up hardware and areas where they are prone to scuffing and abrasion with chemical ”cold” bluing and the use of CLP was routine maintenance, over the years after the first 1894 was issued, then sold at auction after the wars to be made available to the US sporting market, the original finish was most likely touched up everywhere on the metal surfaces, a few times by 1994, and it’s 130th birthday sometime after New Year’s Eve 01/01/2024, since excessive heating of the firearm wasn’t necessary to achieve a uniform finish, neither was it necessary to re-blue the entire rifle, because the touch-up matched so well and the gun finish wasn’t stripped, but rather had another layer of protective surface treatment done to it, it still has its original layer of bluing beneath. Technically speaking, (No 1,000°f + Heated Salt Bath to strip and draw out the etch bound chemically transitioned substrate, which would be a bad bad bad no no!
Great passion and work! Congratulations. The result is phenomenal. My own inherited 94 was cleaned up by a gunsmith. I have no mechanical skills and a poor garage set up. Perry P., Southern California
Your yellow yellow butane torch is actually the best to use because usually you only want the metal to go to a yellow color before it goes to purple or black that way you don't lose your temper in the metal and oil quenching is a great idea but I still think the oil should have been warmed up the oil first to actually slow down that process it makes everything better I basically got the same 30/30 and I have to restoration on it too thank you very much for your input I've been soaking mine for about 2 years now to get rid of the rust it is shotable but I'm like you I want to look like a pretty gun again just like my Browning s yes Johnny Browning design them 😊😊
Bill, Two things: Watch some of the Comp shooters clean their rifles with chemicals and a Dewey rod with Parker Hale style jag. Go from the breech ( you had everything apart) to the muzzle, unscrew the jag, take off and gently pull the rod back out. Never Never! Run the rod back and forth across the muzzle. Use Wilson combat rifle lube on ALL internal parts, moving or not. Wipe off excess. I would have cleaned and reblued everything. I’m a car guy, would your Lady rather ride in a beautifully restored and painted car or one where her dress rubs on rusty metal and gets spots? Most Men are body/paint guys or Mechanics, rarely both. My 2 Pennies.
I like the old look myself,but that’s here nor there.. you seem like you enjoyed what you were doing and that’s all that counts..I like the personality as well..good luck
Great video ! I just picked up a 1950 Model 94 and need to restore the butt and forearm . What is the name of your steamer and where did you buy it . Thats so COOL !! Thanks
I have basically the same '94 with the saddle ring from my dad , whilst you technically may have done a good job seems to me you lost all the originality and now it just a sum of parts that hold no nostalgia
Contrary to some people's comments, I think you did a nice job on it. I understand the originality of an antique. I have one that is 85 yrs old, and it shows wear, but that is history. It has taken down a lot of deer. Nice video and great job. 👍
