Discussing a winchester rifle that never ended up being produced but could very well have been. The Big Horn Armory in 454 Casull also gets featured in this video.
If you notice on the Winchester 94 model,that rear bolt has two bolts, plus the flat bolt all in one bolt. That is why they were able to make that gun in heavier loads, even up to the 375 winchester. With pressures up to 50,000 on up, Vs 30-30 which is 42, 000 max.
I'm sure you've seen it already, but Ian from ForgottenWeapons has made a brilliant series of videos on the full history of Winchester's lever actions, starting at the 1860 Henry and ending at the 1895!
It is so fantastic that you share these guns that I may never have the opportunity to see first hand. Very much appreciated. Your videos are akin to sitting down with a friend over a hot cup, looking over and talking about really cool guns, thank you!
I thoroughly enjoy your presentations Sir. I've had the same though about why the 1894 was brought about. When you look at the virtual perfection of the 1892 and 1886, at first the question of why the 94 was needed comes up in my mind. On a closer look at the 92 doing what it does and the 86 doing the same, I can only think that there was a desire to produce something that could fire reasonably powerful rifle rounds in a lighter and easier to carry package than the 1886. The 94 is much closer in weight to a 92 than it is to the 86. You could and still can get a 94 in 38-55 which I see was also offered in 1886 years ago. So with the 94 the top end of what it could run was in the entry level of what the 1886 was offered in. Nowadays you can even get a new Miroku Winchester 94 chambered in 450 Marlin. So all of that said to say this, on the surface one might think that the 94 was an answer to a question never asked. But looking at the characteristics of it and it's older sister models it becomes apparent that while maybe not the strongest lever action design Browning came up with, the whole package that is the model 94 may very well have been one of Mr. Browning's top stand-out ideas. I don't think anyone has or likely ever will leave a footprint in the world of small arms as large as that of Mr. Browning's. Thank you for the video Sir, I'm always happy for more, especially with our beloved lever actions. 🙂
Nice video..i enjoyed watching it,, i have a model 94 , and a couple of 92's,, i would never sell them,, they are great rifles,, i love my Winchester rifles...
My dad worked at for Winchester ..tje house was always full of dad neighborhood friends that wanted some sort of custom work or repair done or the men from work , talking about an order of French walnut stock blanks that came in, the next trade show .. It was awesome to go down to the Winchester factory and be around the people that built the legends..the sounds, the smell of metal and oil..the history... Even in my young mind.. John Browning was as much a part of the Winchester factory as Oliver Winchester himself ..if not more so. He was called a genius... and he certainly was , but it was more than that ..genius isn't good enough..but we dont know how else to describe his abilities...how I loved to be so close to his work and the people that brought it to life every day.
A scarce and so meaningful time for a young man and a wonderful memory to share. How many people had Dad's that worked for Winchester! I can only imagine. Thank you so much and have a safe weekend.
@@UnitedStatesOfGuns It really was special.. one of my favorite things was seeing and shooting pre production styling models .. I still have tje very first model 101 in 20 Ga. Not the first off the production line ..the first one made for my dad and a few others to approve of ... fit , finish ..then if they were happy it would go into production. Def something I look back on and appreciate every second of those days were everyone around me liked to hunt and fish. If we wernt hunting or fishing we were at the shooting range.. it was a lifestyle more than anything.
We have several Winchester levers, but i don’t have and always wanted to find an 1876 50-95. I’m not sure, but I think John made that 92 in about three weeks or so. He was true genius.
Hi LeftThumb - I hope you get a 94 soon. Try to find a place where the woods are deep and the snow is crisp - like walking on cookies. Take a stand by a trail and in the cold - I'm telling you - one can eat the air. And when the dusk or dawn is just right the deer come and there's that sound of their hoofs on snow and the 94 speaks; that's a moment! One could be back in 1894. Pure and simple, straight and true - as the saying goes - nothing else like it. Well, maybe a Marlin. ; )
I was raised on Winchester and Savage lever actions. However when I was a kid I really liked the Marlin lever action 30-30 with that pistol grip and the hammer extension for a scope. Even though I was very familiar with a model 70, I just thought those Marlins were neat.
After having gone through over 40 model 98 Mauser's I have sold them all and only buying up the Model 94. I have 2 pre 64's and 2 post 64's so far. I make my own 30-30 using cast bullets and shotgun powder. Nice light plinking loads.
Can't go wrong with the Model 94. I used to load cast myself - had a round nose 180 by Lyman I think; with gas checks was soft and so accurate. Good shooting.
That was so much fun to watch! I’d never heard of the Big Horn lever action before. 500 S&W isn’t a cartridge I want to own but would be fun for “kicks” (pun intended).
To me there is no other gun as beautiful or feels as good in my hands as the Winchester lever guns . I have shot a lot of deer in my time . All with a model 94 in 30 30 . I really enjoy your videos , subscribed .
I agree - a finer rifle in the hand just doesn't exist. Hunters such as yourself are rare - I know what the 94 and the 30-30 can do and also what they cannot do; the excellence of the hunter is the thing. I salute you.
Back in the late 70s while going to college at UN at omaha i worked for a guy who had several business, selling kodak film developing solutions but also had a smal gun store front and he would take in trade old lever actions as a discount for a new bolt sction or whatever. Je had pallets of leveractions stacked criss cross 8 to 10 layers high all sprayed down w something and shrink wrapped. What a treasure trove he had and if i only knew then what i know now i would have worked for free for some of them.
Hi Skip - Great reminiscence! That would be a gold mine now - maybe still some left somewhere. I've walked by incredible opportunities - looking in the distance when what I was looking for was right in front of me. Oh well - life overflows : ) Good health and good shooting Skip.
I liked my Marlins, but I will never trust my life to one if I have a choice. I have carried Winchester 1873’s, 1892’s, and 1894’s on my adventures in the forest for all of my adult life. I also carried a couple of Marlins. NEVER had any kind of failure with any of the Winchesters. Twice my Marlins failed me. Brand new 1895CB, when I ended up in an area that was literally crawling with bears, suffered the infamous “Marlin jam”. Left me effectively unarmed. Second time was with an older Model 36, same problem. Soured me on the Marlin action as a woods rifle.
I know that the Winchesters are of a beautiful design, but I still prefer the look and feel of the Marlin. My second choice is my Savage 99. Every time I hold a Winchester with intent to buy, something about it's feel just puts me off.
I have the pleasure of owning a few 94s but my favorite is a 94 bastard child. Although stamped a Ranger model the serial number is 3 years before the ranger was released for sale. it also has a 1.75” shortened mag tube originally fit to the barrel. Big mystery??? The stock set is lightly figured walnut another unusual thing for rangers. After several years of searching records I found a man at the Cody museum who knew the story. My carbine is one of a few surviving preproduction test or prototype rifles made to verify design and manufacturing. I thought I hit lotto!! He calmed me by saying these protos weren’t documented as such and often the parts were put back into the bin for production. Therefore they have normal values. The short mag tube and barrel drilling for it got it set aside along with 4-5 others like it. He said although it’s rare to still find one intact it is not a gold nugget. Rare doesn’t always mean treasure. It is to me though. It’s the 125th anniversary for the ol’ 94 and mine will go with me to the deer woods next month.
Hopefully Ruger can improve the Marlin line of Leveraction rifles. The FN made Winchester model 1894 is definitely a well made rifle. In 1992 FN took over Winchester. The Miroku made 1894 is a really sweet rifle.
You may call the Marlin design primitive but it is much stronger and simpler than the Winchester so less wear and breakage problems. Also it is simple to remove the lever and bolt to clean the barrel from the breach instead of the muzzle like the Winchester. Anyone who knows anything about a rifle knows that cleaning one from the muzzle will over time affect the accuracy of the rifle where cleaning from the breach will not.
@Jeff Scuderi Well since I am 77 and started shooting before I can remember, and started studying guns as soon as I learned to read, I think I know a little about firearms. Unless one uses a muzzle guide to clean from the muzzle there is always a chance to destroy the muzzle and the accuracy of the rifle. That is why all the old military rifles that came with a cleaning kit always included a muzzle guide in the kit.
Oh and I wanted to say that whole I've never handled a BHA rifle, I've never seen a negative report on their quality. BHA states that their action is sort of a "hybrid" of the 1892 and 1886. To my eye the action looks to be all 1886, but I wonder if it is a scaled down '86 action? I'd be interested to see a side x side comparison of a BHA 89 or 90 next to an 1886.
There's nothing like hunting whitetail with a lever action. Though not as fine as your Winchester's and Marlins, I recently took a Whitetail with a Mossberg 472.
Hi Aaron - I have one! A rifle to buy and keep - every bit a hunting rifle. I just look at the one I own and see the woods and that hunting feeling - you know what I mean - returns. Glad you have venison!
The Marlin is a legend - as you already know - I happened to lean towards the Winchester 94 - but truly - the Marlin is magnificent and I hope they return to making them with the care and attention that they used to have for this remarkable design. BTW - I owned and hunted with several Marlins - not one of them - not one - ever jammed or failed in any way. They are meaningful to hunt with and will never let you down.
I have a very nice all original Marlin Model 1936 made in 36. I've been looking into dissembling and deep cleaning at the very least. I've toyed with the idea of refinishing the metal but am thinking I'm just going to replace any seriously worn parts, clean and oil it. The tube, barrel and furniture look great but the receiver and lever have lost their luster. It's still very nice just the way in is. It shoots great. I don't want to mess it up. After all, it's the first year Model 1936, confirmed by Marlin... I wanted a pre 64, 94 but found this and fell hard for it...
That is a very fine version of the Marlin - I handled a couple and saw one fellow shooting one at the range - slick rifle. Hope you build your collection soon. Keep in touch please.
If u think u know better then John Browning on how to make a gun be guest,he knew what to do and what to make and how to make it.... Give me one just 1 gun he made that could not handle magnum or smokeless (in the black powder time made guns) either his 1800the winchester 85-86-87-1890-1892-1893-1894-1895 all handle smokesless magnum loads all of them including the 87 and 93 as the 87s is the same as the 1901 same strength steel same size action lever just few design designs and the 93 pump is identical in strengt with the action locked just the 93 is a unsafe gun with modern ammo save u that story for another day..............But none of john browning his lever guns blow up....cause they made by the greatest gun inventer ever
