Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors Model 94 Carbine 30 WCF (1929)

Because of my interest in guns a friend brought this one to me to evaluate. I know NOTHING about these older Winchesters.

The gun is in pretty good shape for one that old, except about 90% of the screws have been buggered with a Sears screwdriver. The barrel has light pitting all the way but the rifling looks sharp. Bluing looks original and is shiny at some edges and sharp corners but otherwise pretty good. I can't judge %. No cracks in the stock but lots of nicks and scratches. Has a 20" barrel if that matters, Marble front sight. Don't know if that's orgiginal. The bluing on the rear sight also is different from the rest of the gun.

Can anybody guess the value? He intends to sell it.

800?

go onGB and see what the ones that has a bid on is.

I was thinking closer to half that. Of pre-64 Winchesters this is the most common one out there. It is a shooter vs. a collector and as a shooter, the pitting in the bore might scare a lot of shooters away.

I've done that. Prices all over the place plus those are 'asking' prices in all instances, some at +$2K.

He tells me a gun shop offered $500. Personally I thought that was pretty good until a stop @ GB.

I thought you guys into these old guns might have better info.

Thanks to those who've 'offered'. Keep 'em coming!

look at the completed auctions on gb, 500 is a fair price.

One item that will alter the value is the replacement rear sight. An original sight sell for @$125. Anyhow I buy quite a few of these and $500 to $600 would be a fair price for both parties.

Is that rear sight a replacement? It's stamped "D. W. King".

Most likey......the rifle has a carbine style butt stock, which means it was probably shipped from the factory with the ladder type sight that was typical on carbines of that era. I can't see the left side of the receiver, but does the rifle have a saddle ring on it??

If it is a saddle ring carbine of pre war vintage complete with original sights and finish, it appears to be in good enough condition that I wouldn't be surprised to see it fetch upwards of $800 from the right buyer. Otherwise, I agree, the $500 range is about right.

No, no saddle ring. Thanks.

I would think it would have been too late in production to have been equipped with a folding ladder carbine sight.

I've owned a M94SRC in 32 Spl. since the 60s. Sheard No.6 front sight and a Marbles rear sight, not much different than the one pictured, but with reversable insert. Serial #920xxx.

I've looked at a few M94s from that era and noticed there are a fair number of different front and rear sights on them, all of which looked pretty "normal" to the rifle they were on.

Given that much newer M94s now fetch upwards of $500 in the used gun racks of shops I've been in, doubt that thing isn't worth far more?

But nothing much changes: No rifle is really "worth" any more, than someone else is willing to spend for it?

I'm still a bit hung up on the bore. I think the various values and prices quoted assume a no-problem bore. "Light pitting all the way" might well qualify it as a, "problem bore" How many buyers would take the perspective, "I don't care if the bore is bad or not"?

Excellent bore condition might "seal the deal", but most collectors look for variation/rarity, original condition, as per the percentage of external finish left intact and so on.

Doubt a mildly pitted bore on an otherwise very nice rifle, would detract much from its desireability, especially on something that's somewhat rare and in terrific shape otherwise?

I agree completely regarding your statement. I have many rare and collectable Winchesters that likely have worse bores than the one under discussion. It doesn't bother me and I don't think it will have a significant impact on value. However, for a fairly common rifle that is likely more of a shooter than a collector item, I think it can be more important. If it were my rifle I would see if it shot ok and then pass that information along to potential buyers. Often, a visual inspection will not determine how a rifle will shoot. I've seen plenty of bores that display problems yet shoot fine.

Yup. Have a few milsurp bolt rifles with their original barrels, some of which have some dark areas and pits in the bores. They all shoot very well with my handloads.

The bore in my M94SRC isn't perfect either, but it also shoots accurately enough to have taken a fair pile of deer in the 45+ years that I've owned it. Shoots 170gr Hornady FP loads very well, even better than it did factory loads years ago.

Your experience is similar to mine. I'm just saying that if a rifle that is more of a shooter is advertised and one mentions, "light pitting all the way," and provides no other information (i.e. how is actually shoots), potential buyers are likely to look toward other rifles.

Appreciate your discussion and I agree with the above. One of the best shooters I've owned was a Remington in 308 that had the ugliest bore you ever wanted to see. Shot lights out and after a good bit of shooting the pitting got progressively better. This looks about the same as that one. At the muzzle the pitting was almost gone and that's usually where the accuracy is. There's a bit of copper at near the muzzle and just forward of the throat on this one so there may be pitting under that as well, but for the present it looks "paved".

FWIW, "King's" sights (A California 40's Customizer) are collector's items in their own right, and would likely start a feeding frenzy if removed & put up on fleabay with pics.

IMHO, it would take me all of 15 mins to sell that Model 94 for at least $600, by walking it around a gunshow with a F/S flag flying from the muzzle.

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what's walking around a gun show stopping for every tire kicker worth to ya? I've done that, it's BS.