Home Forums Lever Action Central Lever Actions - General Winchester M94

I have my grandfathers old model 94 30-30 that he gave me as my first rifle in the mid 80's and it is in need of some attention. It looks almost like it did when he gave it to me.... like you drug it down a gravel road for a few miles behind a truck. And he wasnt one to miss many ruff spots in the road! Lol. It was simply a tool; nothing more and nothing less. It is functional but is ratty. The bluing is gone, the finish is almost totally peeled off stocks, and it will rust if you look at it. It shoots well enough for its intended purpose... still hunting the pine thickets of the Deep South and/or tracking. It's a post '64 without much real value other than its special to me. My question is this:

Has anyone cerakoted a lever gun? How did it turn out? Would you do it again?

I have a friend that has cerakoted (may not be exactly cerakoted but something very similar) a couple of shotguns for me that turned out great and have held up really well. I was thinking of sending it to the gunsmith and having the action stripped and cleaned and replace anything worn. Also have him add a 1/2" decelerator pad without changing length of pull. It already wears a Williams peep so that is covered. Then have the barreled action coated od green and stocks coated black. What's this sound like? Good idea or bad? I'll never sale it; just trying to make it a little more functional and weather resistant. Or should I just hunt the rust bucket? Any and all thoughts welcome.

My taste runs towards old guns and not tactical type stuff, so I'd leave it as-is. It doesn't sound like what you're adding will help functionality of it.

I would find out if it is a rare variant. If not, you won't hurt the value and should do as you please.

Understand and totally not into the tactical thing either. Coating would be for rust prevention and to make it look a little better too. Recoil pad is to soften the blow from the steel butt plate. It is not a rare variety; made in early 70s just a plain Jane run of the mill model 94 in boring but dependable 30-30. It looks pretty bad with the receiver rusted; it is scarred a little worse than a freckling of rust. May be something to the finish of this era gun. May be less tactical looking in a matte black coating instead.

May just have pad installed and action defunkified. Might be easiest thing and call it good. Can't really decide if I would like it coated or not anyways.

I figured it was older than that. If it was made in the 70's you can do what you want with it and it won't hurt anything.

It is a 1970's Winchester, as such it is a good rifle but not a collectible rifle. I would do to it what pleases you, you won't hurt the value and you probably won't get your money back if you sell it. However I doubt you would sell it so that doesn't matter.

It ain't a '70's rifle if it has a steel butt plate. Does it have a screw in the underside of the action just behind the serial # ?

Post '64 Model 94 serial #'s began at 2,700,000....

It certainly appears to me to be. It's a 3,785,xxx serial number and most definitely has a steel butt plate.

Yes sir it's a 3,785,xxx number which I would guess would be mid 70s by the chart I was looking at.

This is what I was going by on serial numbers.

http://guncollectionsonline.com/winchestermodel94.htm

It does not have a screw in underside

OK if its serial # is in the 3 million range then it's definitely post 64. I'm thinking somebody replaced the original buttplate at some time because a 70's 94 should have a black, hard rubber butt plate.

Very well might have happened even though I don't know why. As bad as hard rubber pads are, steel is worse.

I've got a pre 64 with checkered steel butt plate and one from the 70's with the hard rubber butt plate and I can't tell a bit of difference in how they feel when you shoot them. Recoil is very mild with either.

I have a '70 model with a steel buttplate, also.

Are you sure it's original and steel Vic ? The early hard rubber ones were thin and checkered and looked remarkably like the steel ones. Later they went to the the thicker hard rubber ones that had the Winchester horse and rider logo with "Winchester repeating arms" molded into the back.

No, it's steel, and I carried it out of the store in 1970. I had to carry it for my mom, it was her gun, she signed for it....(grin)

It is thin, has something like a diamond-plate pattern on it, a magnet sticks to it, and the bluing has worn off the edges.

I never paid much attention until just a little bit later I started seeing them with the plastic buttplates. I'm thinking they just used up old stock before they started installing the newer ones.

I've had some guns cerocoated. I had this Savage 99 358 which was very rusted and pitted on the outside so I had a hammered texture powdercoating applied, which hid all that. The ceracoat one's I've had done scratch easily, YMMV. The powdercoat is tough as hell and comes in many colors and textures or smooth.

I've seen a couple from the mid to late 60's with the steel buttplates and have thought the same, that they were using up old stock. Never saw one from the 70's with steel. Thought they were all switched over to rubber by then. I've had 94's from '75, '77 and '79 and they all had the hard rubber plates.

This rifle is '70 manufacture. As a matter of fact, I bought,errrrr, Mom bought two at the same time.

I was 13, wanted to go deer hunting and asked my Dad to take me. He said he would but we didn't have rifles.

I asked him that if he had one, what would it be. He replied "M94 Winchester, in .30-30". There were some options in caliber at that time. I believe you could get .32 Special, also.

I had been cutting grass and delivering papers for two years, and had saved about all the money I had made. So, I rode my bike down to the store, asked the man what a M94 costs and he told me "65 dollars". I said "Two of them will go about 135 with tax, then" He laughed until I pulled out the money and started counting, got real serious and said "Son, I can't sell you those guns!"

I said "Mom will be here shortly, let me pick two out and I'll go get her".

I still have both of them.

Showing a picture possible?

Interestingly I looked at a '68 in near new condition today. Complete with the crappy stamped, sheet steel lifter and walnut stained birch woodwork the early post 64's were noted for, and you guessed it, a thin, checkered, hard black rubber butt plate. Kinda puts a real question mark on the "using up old stock" theory on the post 64's with steel butt plates.

I leave them as-is.



WD40 Specialist Long Term Corrosion Inhibitor takes the worry out of leaving high-character old guns in their natural state.

http://www.wd40specialist.com/products/corrosion-inhibitor/

I don't know what's up with my photobucket account but I can't even reset it and it work. I may just try a new account and start over. Sorry for the rant; I can't get pics to upload right now.

My '70 M94 in .30-30 Win.

Fine looking rifle Sarge, plainly that one was made for traveling rough places and killing stuff.

When I have a rifle with little to no bluing left, I put on a coat or two of Johnson's Paste wax. It protects both wood and metal. I don't have any rust issues that way.

WHy not have it blued?

A few years ago,I came across and old Marlin 94, 38-40 made in about 1906. It looked about the same. I used a cold blue on it from Brownell's ( Oxpho Blue)with particular attention to detail as to the process.

Heat the metal and degrease.
Apply solution generously and let set overnight.

Buff with a cotton rag for a more blue color or steel wool for a deeper black.

Repeat process if it is streaked and not deep enough.

It isn't a very robust blueing,but will give the metal some color and you can retouch anytime.

That oxy-blue is the best cold blue, that I've used.

some years ago, i ran across a post 64 m94 still in the box, never been fired. The problem being it lived it's life in that box in a swamp coolered house here in phx, it was a nice shade of brown all over the exterior. Inside and bore were new. I got rid of the brown as much as i could, and turned it over to a gunsmith to refinish.
he got the majority of the pitting/rust off the exterior, and gave it a nice blue finish. Problem was with reciever, bluing wouldn't stick to it being some kind of alloy. So the receiver was cerrakoted and baked to a slightly different color. It is now a two tone 94, but quite distinctive. I paid 100bucks for the gun, and another 150for the refinish, thought i got a pretty good deal.

You did well.

I had my 94 Duracoated at the factory 7-8 years ago...finish was coming off...which was common for that rifle.

Brand new gun. It's a post-64 top eject. I have a scope mounted with S&K mounts. Had rings and mount Duracoated too.