Waht to look for in a pre64 94?
- Thread starter baddarryl
- Start date
RodTheWrench
New member
Go down the barrel with a BRIGHT light and check for rust spots toward the muzzle. A borescope is even better. These guns are famous for being stored in the back of Grampa's closet, muzzle up, for decades and you get the last inch or two of the bore pitted up, ruins what accuracy the gun had.
Find the SN and look up when it was made here.
http://oldguns.net/sn_php/windateslookup.php?file=win1894.dat
Not all pre-64's are equal. Many overpay because they think any pre-64 has a lot of collectors value. And many sellers think so too. The pre-64's are better built guns, but most only bring a small premium over post 64's. Rare chamberings or configurations being the exception.
If it was made in the 1940's or older then I'd pay a premium. Much newer, and you should be able to buy a good working rifle for less than a new Marlin sells for.
If you find it is an older gun, get as much info as possible and get back with another post. Small details and condition can mean a big difference in value on the really old rifles.
http://oldguns.net/sn_php/windateslookup.php?file=win1894.dat
Not all pre-64's are equal. Many overpay because they think any pre-64 has a lot of collectors value. And many sellers think so too. The pre-64's are better built guns, but most only bring a small premium over post 64's. Rare chamberings or configurations being the exception.
If it was made in the 1940's or older then I'd pay a premium. Much newer, and you should be able to buy a good working rifle for less than a new Marlin sells for.
If you find it is an older gun, get as much info as possible and get back with another post. Small details and condition can mean a big difference in value on the really old rifles.
Look carefully at the bolt face from the side and see if looks like it is pooched out like lips prior to a kiss. If so it has been dry fired a lot and this can't be fixed.
If you want to dry fire a 94 always hold the hammer when trigger is pulled and stop the hammer from falling.
If you want to dry fire a 94 always hold the hammer when trigger is pulled and stop the hammer from falling.
A pre-64 Mode 94 should still have most of its bluing and wood finish if it is going to command $400, but a lot of sellers cash in on buyers' lack of knowledge and highball the prices ("I saw one just like that priced higher on the internet", etc. Yeah, but did it sell?). The older generation, the ones who grew up when the 94 was "The Deer Gun" want a nostalgic reminder of their childhood, but that generation is dying off fast (I am a member of that generation), and just like my parents' generation who revered the Model 12 or the A-5 as "The Duck Gun", as they die off their guns go down in value (that pesky old "supply and demand" thing, ya know). People want to hunt with bolt rifles and semis now, fewer want lever guns as hunting rifles. There are many, many very nice post-war pre-64 shooters available in gun stores across the country for $350-ish, with honest wear and use marks, not pristine, so there is no reason to pay $500 or more for one just because you want one real bad. Remember, if you want it real bad, you may get it real bad. Do your homework, then go shopping.
Several 94 threads going on the first page of this forum...and not one picture yet.
Well here's mine - a .30-30 made in 1914. A solid, tight carbine with a good bore but no finish and lightly sanded stocks. Not really collectable, but a good shooter.
My Dad bought it 50 years ago for $16 from an old gentleman in Monterrey, Mexico who said he carried it in the Mexican Revolution of 1914:
Well here's mine - a .30-30 made in 1914. A solid, tight carbine with a good bore but no finish and lightly sanded stocks. Not really collectable, but a good shooter.
My Dad bought it 50 years ago for $16 from an old gentleman in Monterrey, Mexico who said he carried it in the Mexican Revolution of 1914: