I have an old Model 94 in .30 WCF that has to be charitable a very bad bore. I am in process of cleaning it. Currently, I can hit a 10" gong with it offhand everytime at 50 yards (haven't tried any further),using factory ammo.

In fact, it it sitting on the kitchen table as I type, with the 5th or 6th load of foaming cleaner soaking.

After I finish cleaning the barrel, I will shoot it again to see if it's accurate enough to hunt with at the intended .30 WCF distances.

If I cannot get it to shoot acceptably, is it possible to reline to barrel to .30 WCF ?

This is a weapon that will never be sold, as it is a family heirloom.

While relining is feasible it may be more cost effective to locate a used barrel for your rifle. Try an ad in the classified section here, be sure to mention the serial # of your rifle in your ad.

Or, one could see about having it bored out to a different caliber. I would think opening it up to 32 Special or 38/55 should be possible.

Rebore to 38-55. I had JES do A old 94 for me, could not be more happy with the rifle. Turn around time was fast and work was under 300.00 dollars.

I had a 1906 Marlin 94 relined that was in 38-40 chambering. Total cost was about $400 + shipping. I'd clean it up and if it doesn't shoot,find one for about that price and keep the old one for a wall hanger since it is an heirloom

I too would re-barrel it, and keep the original barrel with the gun for posterity.

I'm in the same boat. I have my Dad's Model 92 in 44-40.

Barrel is smoothbore but the rifle is priceless to the family.

Recommend a good 'smith for a re-barrel?

Thanks.

Given the heirloom factor - I would look at a re-line - mostly to keep the original markings.

Several good options given above... my thoughts are colored by the fact I have had more than a few similar firearms; family guns, but "accuracy issues" and expensive fixes beyond the value of the gun. Rebores are cheaper than rebarrels, but more iffy... rebores require marring original stamping.

I have several different guns I had a twist applied to with mostly very good results...

Rebore and get a chamber adapter... or skip the rebore all together

http://www.mcace.com/adapters.htm

Not the ideal, but dirt cheap and it keeps the lead flying...

Redmans in Omak, WA used to install liners in low pressure applications like 30-30, 25-35, 32-40 and such. Drilled out the rifling, soldered in the liner. Leaves the barrel markings intact as the caliber doesn't change.

I used John Walsh in WA. Last time I contacted him though,he was booked for a year

Buy a box of the 160 gr hornady leverevolution ammo and shoot it off a bench and bags at 50yds for groups comparing it to other loads, see if ya can get it "zeroed" about an inch high at 50 and then shoot it off hand.
I shot 4 different types of factory loads in my marlin 36g .30-30, the hornady is tack driving stuff.
I would spend 50-75 bucks on different ammo and do some shooting on a bench at 50 yds with it, before spending alot more. Jmo.....
Might surprise ya and save alot of money.

Thanks, this rifle is pre-1900, apparently. My research indicates that used barrels are a bit pricey, but I have not really looked very hard yet. I suppose a later model (but still pre-64) barrel might still work, need to do more research.

Thanks, I will keep that open as an option. It looked to me like relining is cheaper, in general, than re-boring. But I need to do more research.

I don't want to get into the details of the situation, but the preference is to keep it as a shooter of useable accuracy. I'll take it to the range this weekend and see what it can do.

It still works, amazingly enough, but obviously has been well used, as in carried in a saddle scabbard.

Yeah, I looked at his website. I did not see anything about relining a .30 WCF barrel back to .30 WCF. In fact, of the several gunmsiths I could find who do tha sort of work, none mentined .30 WCF to .30 WCF.

Hence my question if it's even possible.

Thanks, I'm going to do just that. Like I said, Remington green and yellow 150 grain, and one old box of WW 170 Powerpoints all smacked the gong everytime at 50, so I'm hopeful it will shoot well enough to be usable.

I loaded up 50 rounds of a mid-range load using Speer 150 gr. flatpoints this weekend, b ut didn't make it to the range.

We will see what happens this weekend, for sure.
With my eyes (trifocals), "zeroed" with open sights is debatable, LOL. I'll have my 12 year old help, he sees like a hawk.

Thanks everybody who responded.

I have a 1902 win 94 in 32 win special same problem. Barrel shot out. In the day to make a shooter out of them they rebored and chambered them to 35-30. I haven't found anybody who will do a reline to 32 special. for one thing no liners. The 32 win special is a .321 bore. In your case a reline would keep the rifle correct to markings and petina.

And yet another question:
The rear sight had half of one side broken off, and it looks like somebody (not me, Lol) filed down the high side to match.

I can't find a source for an original type sight (if the one on it is even original). It's not a semi-buckhorn, and the font sight is a blade pinned into a block that appears to be soldered (I'm assuming) to the barrel. So the rear sight is a straight up vertical notch in the rear blade.

I can tell that at least one screw (in the front barrel band) has been replaced with one that is too long, and there are a couple of wood putty filled spots on the stock next to the receiver near the tang, and on the forearm.

All that to show this isn't a pristine collectors item.

yeah, that's why I'd rather go with a reline than a re-bore in case it won't shoot acceptably (and that won't have to be that good, 4-6" at 100 yards will do).

What's headspace like in it? Being that old and in that condition, its hard life may have loosened it up a bit. That would be the determining factor for whether to alter/re-barrel/use as-is were it mine.

Well...the first step is to actually get the bore clean to see what you have there.

30-30s seem especially prone to layers upon layers of buildup over the years...hell centuries, and Foaming Bore Cleaner may not be enough to make a dent in the debris in that bore. An Outers Foul Out is sometimes necessary, or a trip to a gunsmith that can do it at a professional level.

Once you get down to bare metal and know where you stand, you can make your choice of the other options.

I have some guns that aren't ready for prime time, but I wouldn't go to heroic efforts to make them so...they aren't damaging my wallet by sitting there in the safe.

I've owned and worked on rifles with real ugly bores...bores that had been shot with corrosive ammo and left out in the rain or snow or under hay in the barn for decades or buried in mud and left on the battlefield, or whatever, but when they were thoroughly cleaned...no they actually looked worse...but...they shot fine.

The fact that your rifle sends bullets downrange right now without tumbling is a good sign and mostly all a 30-30 really needs to do.

The action is well-broken in, but not loose. It's been well-used, for sure.

The cases come out looking good, no smudging, splits, bulges, etc. Was shooting mild to mid-range handloads.

I noticed on Saturday, though, we went shooting, that the primers were protruding a bit. No cratered, no apparent gas leakage when shooting or smudging, though in that area. Rifle shot fine, although at first some cases were sticking in the chamber, as it had a bit too much oil in it. My younger some was worried about it, but after a few rounds it stopped once the chamber dried up. The chamber itself is in good condition. I've read that lower-powered loads can actually case the primer to protrude.

I've looked around, and it looks like protruding primers is a fairly common happening on Model 1894s and Model 94s (the rifle in question being the former), even in rifles with correct-enough headspace, so will leave it for now.

The rifle shot well enough with 130 and 150 grain Speer FP bullets, certainly well enough to kill at deer out to acceptable .30 WCF ranges with open sights. He was hitting deer-vital-sized areas on stumps out to about 150 yards off his knees, and smaller targets offhand out to about 100 yards regularly.

So it looks like so far no need for a reline. I'll take another pass at cleaning again.

I did contact the guy in Omak, WA (Redmond), and he does not do .30 WCF relines on original .30 WCF, says barrel is not thick enough.

My other son has a newer Model 94 (about 1957 or 58), in close to new condition, we shot it yesterday, and it is quite accurate, smacking targets of opportunity out to 200 yards with a mid-range 130 gr FP load with ease, offhand at that. He is looking forward to hunting with it next fall, and will warm up on ground squirrels in April.

All's well that ends well as they say. Glad to hear of fun with an iron sighted .30-30 in this day and age when seemingly the minimum gun/sight combo required for having fun is a 6.5 Creed w/ 6-20x 50mm scope or somesuch.