Winchester 94 forearm removal

G

Gottleib

Inactive
Newbie here. I received my dad's old 1894 Winchester. Looking up the serial number, this great rifle was built in 1897. It's a wonder.

Yesterday, I cleaned it (which is probably the first time in 50 years.) I found the safety not working, so I took off the stock, disassembled the safety mechanism, cleaned and lubed all parts, and put it back together. It was relatively easy, even without any past experience.

Today, I want to remove the forearm. Can anyone give me a little advice? There is not enough clearance to slide it forward enough to get it off.

Thanks,
Gott
 
rubber mallet

Most of the time the barrel rings will be tight. I usually have to drive them off using my small rubber mallet. I use the ones with the hard plastic and hard rubber on the other side. You can buy them at Sears like I do for around $10.00. You will have several uses for the hammer so it isn't a one time expense.

Now, I would remove the screw at the top of the magazine tube first. Put you hand over the top in case the spring shoots out. If it doesn't, use a long thin punch to push out the cap. I then remove the screws from both of the rings. Then see if this helps to loosen up the magazine tube. If it has, just simply pull the mag tube all the out. If not, the rings are still tight and will have to be driven off very easily using the hammer's rubber side, red side. Go very slow and tap it softly and you shouldn't scratch the barrel. I have had a few that had a slight amount of rust underneath on the barrel and mag tube that caused the bind. I simply spray some PB Blaster under the ring and they slid off after a few taps of the hammer. Good luck with it, ask any questions you need to.
 
rubber mallet

If you meant that the wood wouldn't slide of, try this. I hold the gun upside down and slap the forearm downward and grab it at the same time. This usually pulls the wood off without any trouble. If it doesn't, lift up on the end while pulling, it should pull free.
 
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The statement about the safety on a Winchester model 94 manufactured before 1900 interested me. As far as I know, Winchester didn't produce any "safety" on their model 94 until late in the 20th century as a response to the litigation minded.

My 94 is a Buffalo Bill Commemorative I bought in 1968 and I believe it was manufactured that year. It doesn't have (or need) a "safety" as such but we used the half cock position as a safety. Usually, we didn't need that even since the chamber was not automatically loaded after being discharged. The only reason we would cycle the action and reload the chamber was if we needed a second shot and, of course, we Winchester 94 shooters never needed that second shot. :)

:rolleyes: :D
 
Assuming that you've double-checked that the gun is unloaded, lay the gun upside down on some padding both to protect the sights and to let it slip a little on the bench underneath. Holding it lightly with one hand, use the other to start tapping the muzzle with that plastic hammer Country Boy had you buy. Inertia tends to keep the forearm stock in place while the gun inches out from underneath it. The shock of the blow, like an impact wrench, will flex everything just a little, which tends to get it loose.

Autozone sells PB Blaster in gallon cans with a sprayer for the real enthusiast (about $20). I prefer this liquid form because I can leave things immersed in it. If it doesn't help right away, let it sit a day. Dealer service people told me the rear adjusters on my car's wheels were frozen and impossible to loosen or align without replacement (which they said wasn't worthwile because my misalignment was only half a degree). Next service I shot the adjusters with PB BLaster the day before and told them to try the frozen adjusters again. "What frozern adjusters", they asked afterward? "Nothing wrong with your adjusters."

Nick
 
To OJ...

As for the date of manufacture of this Model 94, 26" octogon barrel, Winchester, I found information on http://www.oldguns.net/, scroll down on the left to Dates of Manufactur, find Winchester, click on the Model 1894 (Mod94), and put serial number 93724, and the year 1897 pops up.
The serial numbers ran from 1-5103249, when this model ended. I've found various dates of the end of manufacture, but 1936 comes up a lot.

When the rifle was first manufactured in 1894, it could have been a different caliber, as the 30-30 cartridge didn't come out until 1895. I don't know.

My father never knew about the grip safety. It may not have worked over the years he had it. Just before WWII, he bought it used to use at turkey shoot competitions near Wausau, WI.

Besides being frozen, the two safety springs seemed fatigued. In the newer 94's these two springs were replaced with a single spring, called the Sear and Safety Catch Spring.

Even now that I have it working, and it works consistently, it is too touchy. I'll trust the first notch safety until I can get a new safety catch spring. I'd like to replace the sear spring too, but I don't know if I can find the two separated springs, or if the current single spring would fit.

The forearm doesn't have the band and there is no band on the barrel/magazine. It's the same as the Trails End Hunter Octogon, and the Trails End Octogon.

I'm just a learnin' this gun stuff. I was an old hippie, and have been and electronics tech for years, building, modding, and repairing guitars and amplifiers. Strangely, working on this rifle doesn't feel much different than repairing amps and guitars. Just playin' with metal and wood. My girlfriend is the gun nut and has quite an arsenal. I'll catch up. Actually, the last 3 guns she bought, I paid for, so it all comes out in the wash.

Peace,
Gottleib Otto
 
I'm just a learnin' this gun stuff. I was an old hippie, and have been and electronics tech for years, building, modding, and repairing guitars and amplifiers. Strangely, working on this rifle doesn't feel much different than repairing amps and guitars. Just playin' with metal and wood. My girlfriend is the gun nut and has quite an arsenal. I'll catch up. Actually, the last 3 guns she bought, I paid for, so it all comes out in the wash.
Click to expand...

Thats quite a reversal, :D

I do agree with your statement. I find that my expierence with cars and electronic repair, made it seem easy to dive in and disassemble my M15 entirely, to see how it worked. Putting it together took some time, but I did get it done without hurting the gun!
 
new one for me

I am not familiar with the guns you mentioned. I have never seen one not have atleast one barrel ring. If you could take a pic, I would sure like to see the rifle you have. I am curious myself as to how they held the magazine and forearm to the gun without them. Good luck with the gun. You could most likely call winchester to see if they have the springs you mentioned. They may have it somewhere in their shop. I couldn't find them listed as two anywhere from the sources I use. I would think the forearm is held on like the single and double barrel shotguns are. You might want to try to pull straight down on the very tip with your hand only. If it is like I suspect, it will pull off without too much pulling. Don't pry on it using a screwdriver or punch though just in case I am wrong. That is the only way I can think of that it might be held on if you cannot see a screw on it somewhere. Good luck.
 
I don't have a picture but this current Winchester has the same forearm (mine isn't checkered) and the magazine has a simliar loop attached to the barrel instead of a band that wraps around both magazine and barrel.

http://www.winchesterguns.com/prodinfo/catalog/detail.asp?cat_id=534&type_id=116&cat=003C

Although I called myself an old hippie, I do come from northern Wisconsin, where every house I had ever been in had at least a couple rifles. My best friend growing up had older brothers who all hunted, did their own reloads, trapped, etc. Every time we played in his basement we were always surrounded by stretched pelts, or hanging deer. When bored, we were allowed to handle any of the dozens of guns in that house, as long as we treated them respectfully, never pulled a trigger, and never pointed them at another human being.

I've never opposed the owning of weapens and have always known that the 2nd ammendment had nothing to do with hunting, and was meant to protect the citizen against a tyrannical govenrnment. In that light, whatever is available to the gub't, should ideally be available to the citizen.

And as an old hippie, my first election, I walked proudly into that booth, fully intending to pull the lever for George McGovern...but at the last second, voted for Richard Nixon. I've never regretted that change and haven't strayed to the left since.
 
LOL, that's good

Glad to have you on our side. From the pic, is the end of the forearm in a band or is that a fore end tip? If it is a band, look to see if the band will slide forward. Once it is clear of the forearm, the stock should pull free. Use a rubber mallet and see if you can tap the band forward. Just tap it so as not to bend it or scratch the barrel. Good luck.
 
'94

The older rifles and short rifles did not have a barrel band, just a cap on the forearm with a cross bolt retainer.
OJ, look at a picture of an older '94, the lever does not touch the grip, at rest, a very small pin sticks down from the grip at the front of the loop, this pin must be depressed by squeezing the lever before the gun can fire, actually very similar to the grip safety on the 1911, even though Browning did not design the '94.
 
Right - I have and regularly shoot an older 94 and know about the pin and it won't shoot if the lever isn't fully closed. I just never regarded that as a safety. In the past decade or so, Winchester caved in to the litigation society we live in and put in a "cross bolt" safety that is double ugly, in my opinion and totally without any real functional value. The finger grip on the 95 closes and locks and doesn't require such close attention to that little factor.

In fact, that feature was common in lever rifles. I have a Browining BL22 that won't fire if the lever isn't fully closed.

Love those levers, though. I'll shoot my Winchester 95 tomorrow as well as my BL22. Life is good in this retirement.

:) :D
 
The end is a cap, but when the 2 screws are removed, there is a sort of wedge on each side, connected between the barrel magazine. If I could get that puppy to slide forward, I MIGHT be in business. The forarm even looks like it was a solid piece, with a hole drilled to put the magazine through. I would probably have to pull the magazine out. Screw it...I'll fix it up without taking it off. The finish seems to be an old shellac or laquer as it can be removed with denatured alcohol.

As for the old hippie comment...I did it up right. Wouldn't cut my hair, learned Transcendental Meditation, and actually studied to become an instructor, turned vegetarian for 13 years, etc.

Here I sit, with a beard and hair that ain't been cut since August 2002. As bald as I am, I don't seem to fit in most places. My last job of 26 years ended in Nov 2003. I was Safety Director and a supervisor in a whey processing plant. I had to wear a hair net AND a beard net and the longer my hair and beard, the better it fit into the nets.

But over the years my Republican upbringing must have taken root. Actually the amount we turn over to the gub't in taxes, fines, licenses, inspections, etc. easily tops 60% for even lil' ol' white trash me.

I did think handgun control was not a bad idea, but I never thought it through...I didn't think about it much.

Thanks to Rush Limbaugh, who I started listening to in '89 turned me around within the first week I heard him. It was a slap my forhead and say "Doh!"

Although Rush is a little too left compared to my thinking.

As for gun ownership...I told our violin player at church, who just happened to be the sister of the former mayor of Milwaukee WI, about one of our maintenance men who brought photos of all his family's guns. There had to be almost 200. He dug a small room through the wall of his basement out of rebar reinforced concrete, put a big steel door on and a few of the best locks available. And every week he put $30 aside for ammunition. He did that for 30 years. He'd got his dealer's license.

She was shocked. Our church's token Liberal said that was too much. No one should have that many guns!

I answered...not one of those weapons will ever be used in a crime in his family's lifetime. Their just sitting there, locked in a bunker/gun safe.
 
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