Grandfathers Winchester Model 1894 pt. 2
hello, recently my family "discovered" my grandfathers model 1894 hiding in a closet. after the initial shock of finding treasure wore off, i hit the bricks and started finding out as much information as possible. Shortly thereafter i discovered conflicting and misleading information. I am not concerned "how much it is worth" as it is an excellent heirloom from my late grandfather. My Grandfathers 1894 features a 30-30 caliber, 26" barrel, very short ammo tube, flat grip, flat stock, serial number 85242. I am looking for any further information about the rifle. Is the blued metal desirable or is the discoloration frowned upon? i think it looks classy, but then again there is so much i don't know about this rifle.
i called winchester today to have them verify the year manufactured. they confirmed it was from 1897 but were unable to provide any further information. I told them the serial number, there was a short pause, then the gentleman told me to continue. haha he then said "it's only 5 digits? thats a right old boy you got yourself there." i thought it was pretty funny.
I contacted a local gun shop to help point me in the right direction. they seemed genuinely interested in helping and told me to get in touch with the Cody Museum, which to my understanding is part of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center (weird since my family are distant relatives of the man.) The museum can provide a factory letter detailing serial number records, warehouse date, shipping dates, factory options etc. i need to investigate this angle of approach further, but it seems to be a sound plan. anyone have any experience with the Cody Museum? I hear Bert H. is the man/guru to talk to, i look forward hearing from him.
I took quite a few photos of the rifle and posted them onto a Flickr page here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/48214000@N05/sets/72157623589880758/
i called winchester today to have them verify the year manufactured. they confirmed it was from 1897 but were unable to provide any further information. I told them the serial number, there was a short pause, then the gentleman told me to continue. haha he then said "it's only 5 digits? thats a right old boy you got yourself there." i thought it was pretty funny.
I contacted a local gun shop to help point me in the right direction. they seemed genuinely interested in helping and told me to get in touch with the Cody Museum, which to my understanding is part of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center (weird since my family are distant relatives of the man.) The museum can provide a factory letter detailing serial number records, warehouse date, shipping dates, factory options etc. i need to investigate this angle of approach further, but it seems to be a sound plan. anyone have any experience with the Cody Museum? I hear Bert H. is the man/guru to talk to, i look forward hearing from him.
I took quite a few photos of the rifle and posted them onto a Flickr page here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/48214000@N05/sets/72157623589880758/
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Judging from your first thread (pt 1) the gun was sent back to winchester at some point because it is proofmarked. That early of gun should have left the factory without proofmarks. A letter from cody may tell what was done to the gun. 0 -
hmm the plot thickens... was the proofmark from this image? 0 -
Yeah, I think winchester didnt start proofmarking until serial # 350,000 around 1905 or 07. Bert H will probably come around soon. Im positive that early serial # should not have proofs unless it was sent back to winchester for R&R or re-barrel etc. A letter from Cody should answer these questions. 0 -
Neat family heirloom. I suggest you get the letter from Cody. 0 -
will definitely get the letter ASAP. the anticipation is intense, i'm really excited to discover a piece of my family history. 0 -
Call and join Cody its only about $100 and you will get your letter for about $25. Looks like it has factory added sights and its in very good condition. Nice family heirloom. 0 -
The serial number tells me that it was manufactured in the year 1900 versus 1897. The information from the CFM (Cody Firearms Museum) will confirm that fact.
The superposed "WP" proof mark was introduced in July of 1907 for the Model 1894. The fact that your rifle has the "WP" proof mark is indicative of it being returned and rebarreled sometime after that date.
I would very much like to know who at "Winchester" you spoke to... they obviously do not know what they are talking about.
The advice to contact the CFM was/is best piece of advice you have received to this point.0
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