The question is, from the manufacturer's point of view, would a "working man's gun" sell if they made the Model 94 the way it was made whenever you thought it was perfect? In other words, what do "working men" buy now? Not sportsmen, who would probably buy a Weatherby but people like you and maybe me. I get things with the weekend paper that offer guns that are fairly low priced that probably more would buy instead of a lever action.
Keep in mind here that companies cannot control costs the way you think they can. That's true everywhere, not just in the United States. There have been firearms that went out of production because costs kept rising and the selling prices could not be raised high enough, apparently, so they could be sold. That's not the only reason certain models go out of production but that's one important factor for some of them, like the Savage 99 and the older Mannlicher–Schönauer sporting rifles.
Did the old Model 94s actually shoot any better than more recent production guns, allowing for their age?
Keep in mind here that companies cannot control costs the way you think they can. That's true everywhere, not just in the United States. There have been firearms that went out of production because costs kept rising and the selling prices could not be raised high enough, apparently, so they could be sold. That's not the only reason certain models go out of production but that's one important factor for some of them, like the Savage 99 and the older Mannlicher–Schönauer sporting rifles.
Did the old Model 94s actually shoot any better than more recent production guns, allowing for their age?
