Winchester 94 refinish?

J

Jwilso3030

Inactive
Hi, I recently got an unfired Winchester 94 from 1970 and put 20 rounds through it. The finish is already chipping off around the loading gate and is showing bare metal. Could I Duracoat or ceracoat the reciever or should I leave it as is. Thanks
 
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There is generally no collector interest in guns from that era so I don't think you'd hurt anything. It'd probably not hurt a thing to just leave it alone and spend the money on more ammo either. No matter what finish it has, it will eventually wear off there.
 
Post-64 Model 94s ("Third Models") up until around 1983 were cursed with a cast receiver having a finish that defied re-bluing and resisted polishing. Reportedly, "...This alloy proved to be so inhospitable to finishing that it finally had to be plated with iron just to provide a constant medium upon which the bluing solution could react."
As others have advised, I would leave your Model 94 just as is.
 
Those actions are made by powdered metal casting. The final product is somewhat of a stainless steel. If you sand the finish off, you wind up with a silvery, matt finish that is very resistant to corrosion. I engine tuŕned mine and some others. The finish has held up for years. I think that it is the iron plating that flakes and rusts. Stainless steels are notorious for shedding plating. I have modified a few 94's from the 70's and look at them as they pinnacle of the breed. They have a coil main spring, no safety and eject out the top. I was always of the opinon that putting a scope on a lever action was somewhat like putting a saddle on a hog.
 
I was always of the opinon that putting a scope on a lever action was somewhat like putting a saddle on a hog.
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Yeah, but if that's what you have to ride, you ride it! ;)

Lots of Marlin and Savage owners like scopes on their lever guns. Some of us aren't crazy about the way the "guts" drop out of a Winchester when you work the lever. Its all a matter of personal preference.

leave your 94 the way it is, or paint it, all that matters is you are happy with it.

Remember, if you do plan to sell it sometime, worn finish is one thing, a crappy refinish job is something else.
 
Leave it as is. If you cerecote it most likely you will be fixing it again in a short time.

As for scopes on lever guns why not. The winchester 94 is a real pain to scope in the pre angle eject models but I have a early 70's model with an ironsider mount on it. It is blocky but kills deer dead as long as you zero it for long range or zero it for 1/2 inch to the right because of the offset scope. Otherwise it creates an X pattern at different ranges.

Marlins and Henry's look really good with a scope and function a lot better.
 
Your very lucky to have found a non-button Winchester these days in good shoot able shape. Frankly: Patina I like. Rust I don't. Most Winy collectors will tell you the same. Loosing its bluing. No big deal. Its just showing a bit of old age is all.
Load er up_sight er in. Get to shoot'in some paper maybe a few deer even. That's what Winchesters 94s were made for. :)
 
If it were mine, I'd have it rust-blued. A classic finish for a classic firearm.

With a gun to my head, I would still refuse to have a 'coating' put on it. Might as well buy a bottle of single-malt scotch - and cut it with grape Kool-Aid.
 
Mine was made in 79 and it's rough but not rusty. It operates and shoots with the best of them and I wouldn't think of trading it for a brand new one. I like the old top ejects and putting a scope on a lever is akin to blasphemy.


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Leave yours the way it is. Mine was made in 1914 - it saw a lot of rough treatment in the Mexican Revolution, so there is NO finish left. But I wouldn't even think of having it refinished. It still has a good bore & tight action and shoots great:

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The finish is already chipping off around the loading gate and is showing bare metal.
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Howdy

Learn something new every day. I never knew anything about this issue with frames from that era.

Mine was made somewhere between 1943 and 1948. It has plenty of wear all over it.

model189402_zpse6e86d5a.jpg


If I had the OP's '94, I think I would just let it wear naturally. Shoot it enough and it is going to wear there anyway.
 
You? YOU?
YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THAT IMMEDIATE POST-64 FRAME ISSUE?????

I am astonished & astounded! :)
Denis
 
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