What are the best date ranges of Winchester 94s to buy? Why’s?
S.

Anything pre war. They had the best bluing and the longer forearm. They also had the most handwork.

Definitely pre 64. My post 64 is not really anything to write home about. The bluing isn’t good at all.

What’s your interest? The 1970’s model has the sintered receiver that rusts easily, but the guns are just as accurate and easy to handle as any other 94. And usually sold for small money compared to others

What dates did they make the sintered receivers?

you will know one when you see one. they look like they have leprosy.

1964 to sometime in the 70's.

Best are pre-War, then pre-64 and finally the post 64’s until they went back to machined steel receivers. But I have owned many and like them all.

None were sintered. Below is from the company that blued them...


"During the early 1960's, the Winchester Model 94 was redesigned to accommodate a more economical method of production. The re-engineered receivers were machined from a graphitic steel casting. This new material would not accept the normal Du-Lite Oxiblak bluing process, used by Winchester since 1940, without discoloration. The color could vary from copper to plum red, depending upon the individual piece. The chart below shows dates and serial numbers for the three different blackening processes used by Winchester on these receivers between 1964 and 1981.
Mfg. Date Serial Numbers Blackening Process
1964-1968 2,700,000 - 3,185,691 Du-Lite 3-0 Process
1968-1972 3,185,692 - 3,806,499 Black Chrome Plate
1972-1981 3,806,500 - 5,024,957 Win Blue/Oxiblak
(Win Blued receivers were iron plated and blackened with Du-Lite's Oxiblak.)"

I believe the term “sintered” means cast from a powdered substance using pressure and heat so the graphitic steel casting could be considered sintered.
https://www.powderedmetalparts.com/sintered-metal-parts/

The black chromed receivers looked the worst. It's very obviously not bluing, flakes off and looks like hell.