Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Winchester m.94 metal

I was thinking this would be the best section to ask this question.I recently bought a Winchester 94 30/30 (first I ever owned) made in the late 1970's.The Model 94 is quite accurate and functians perfect.The metal in the action has a reddish purple tint to it. Is this some sort of special metal? The reading I have done is that right after 1964 Winchester used some type of pot metal but in the early 1970's they changed it to a better metal. Any info would be appreciated. Thank you.

I believe the plum color you are seeing is the result of the temperature during the blueing process.

Not pot metal please! Win did have a run of 94 receivers that would not take conventional hot salt blueing. The receivers would "speckle" as they aged.

I had one of those "speckled" 94's and fixed it by having it bead blasted and given a satin electroless nickel finish. Nice contrast against all the other parts left blued.

The original post '64 receivers were ductile iron. They could not be blued in the conventional hot salts bath. Win. experimented with black chrome but eventually settled on the electoplating the receivers with iron. This allowed them to be hot blued along with everything else. Refinishers often polish off the iron plating exposing the original ductile iron. The only practical fixes are replate with iron and blue, paint or plate with nickle.

RAN

Or use as is. Many older rifles go "plum" with age. Older savages and stevens rimfires are known for it as well. It's all in the metal.

I really like it just as it is.I just remembering hearing a lot of talk about post 1964 Winchester 94's. Stamped parts and sub standard metal. As for me I could not be happier and like the plum color look.My Win.94 is accurate and functions perfect. Thanks to everybody.

Never tried to but, can they be slow rust or Express rust blued ?? Always wondered on that one. Some of the old 22 recievers would "rose" when hot blued but I express blued a bunch of them but never could get a smooth shiney finish on one. Were always a satin finish....kind of...

They are not hard to engine turn with the eraser ends of cheap pencils and grinding compound. I like mine bright but you can dull them with a little Oxypho.