In the Gunwriter's forum, there is a thread about Savage Model 99s - would they make reproductions, how many would buy them, etc. That piqued my curiosity and I checked the Cabelas Canada availability for Model 94s. For $1670 + tax, you can own a new production 30-30. My questions:

First, would you hunt using the 30-30 cartridge, regardless of rifle platform?
Second, would you pay $1670 + tax for a reproduction Model 94?

I wouldn't, but I am curious what your feelings are.

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/36812/winchester-model-94-sporter-lever-action-rifle

I've been hunting with the .30-30 since '84. The first is a Model 94 Trapper and #2 is a Contender. Nothing broken with that cartridge that needs to be fixed though it has limitations like any of the rest. The former is a very functional brush gun that I have full confidence in out to 150 yards or so. I find the Contender sufficiently precise that I'd use it on deer out to 250 yards or a bit more if I found the opportunity here in the swamps.

Wouldn't pay that much for a '94 though....don't need 2.

I know what you mean. The 30-30 continues to be popular, not because of glitz, but simply because it gets the job done.

I have a Mossberg 464 and a 30-30 Contender. If I wanted another 30-30 lever though, it wouldn't be a Model 94. New, these are almost $1900 Cdn! There are enough used 94s around at $700 (crazy, I know) that would scratch that itch. And frankly, I'd like an original anyway.

First, Steve, of course I would hunt with a .30-30. (Although I prefer the.303 Savage).

Second, your post piqued my interest. Doing a little research, I see that the 94 of interest has an msrp of abute $1400 in US dollars. Would I pay that for one? Some days I might for one in .38-55, but not if they’re made in Japan.

I have two Winchester 94's already and yes I've hunted with them since I bought the first in 1982. Both say "Made in New Haven Conn. USA". Wouldn't buy one that was made anywhere else.

the ad says only sold in Canada.. its made in Japan,

Love my Model 94 30-30 Trapper with the 16” bbl. Handy little pig killing carbine.

That's because it is illegal to export firearms from Canada without a permit. It's the same if I contacted a US gun shop and asked them ship it directly to me in Canada.

with the exception of a few nostalgia seekers, the days of the lever action is behind us. Once folks learned that making the first shot count is far better than having up to seven quick follow up shots, the bolt action became king of the deer hunting woods......and I suspect will continue to be just that.

My Browning M-65 in .218 bee is my nostalgia gun.....other than that, I can find no practical reason to own a lever gun....even though the old Winchester M-88 has peaked my interest, it's not getting good reviews on another forum.

I grew up with a Marlin M-39-A and a Savage M-99......I later owned a M-94 in .30-30 and a M-92 in .25-20. Then I discovered the M-70 and have never looked back

I respectfully disagree. I hunt often with a bolt gun or Ruger No. 1, but they can’t match my Marlins or my 99’s for ease of carrying and handling when long days on foot in the woods is the plan.

My FIL fed 7 kids with a m94 30-30.......to bad they didn't expand on the chambering, as my m94 is a 307win, and my go to whitetail rifle.

Absolutely. No bolt action carries as well as a M94 or 336. None. Bolt guns are just too fat at the balance point and that applies even to very light weight bolt guns. Bolt actions offer no real advantage to a whtetail hunter who is strictly a woods hunter. They gained popularity for such because most hunters today sit on their ass in a stand and still hunting and tracking are becoming lost arts. The supposed accuracy advantage of a bolt gun is also of no advantage whatsoever to a woods hunter. Both of my M94's will group inside 2" at 100 yards and my 336 is a solid sub MOA performer. Either will dependably take any whtetail in the woods with a single shot. A fact I have demonstrated roughly 80 times over the years.

Uberti also makes replica 94s now. Only one I've seen (online) is a carbine, in .30/30 and IIRC .38/55. Worth a look if you can't find an original to your liking, but they cost a bunch too.


An LGS had a really nice M64 for sale, but alas my funds were otherwise engaged. $899!

First..yeah I'd hunt with a .30-30 ( I have...many times...and successfully...)
And Second: NO I wouldnt pay that for a repro with an Angle-eject receiver, redundant tang safety etc.

Theres still plenty of vintage M94s out there, even pre-64s for less than the price of that comical POS

Another good purchase I made and being at the right place at the right time...

right before Winchester was going to quit making the Model 94, I picked up one at a local retailer LGS... that had ordered a couple of them in, at a good price since they were being discontinued...

Got a full length magazine in their Legacy model, with a 26 inch barrel.

Paid $300 for it, new in the box....

then they weren't in production for a year or two, and then brought the same ones back out...

with a $1300 price tag...

it'll probably be for sale right after I drop dead....

ingwe;
Good afternoon sir, I trust all is well in your part of the world this mild July afternoon.

In my view you're right on regarding why folks aren't lining up for new '94's - there's still a good supply on the used market - many of which are in fine shape.

Up here they're going for roughly $350-$450 for a very nice post '64 and pre '64 versions go for $500 on up depending upon condition.

I want to say John Barsness has mentioned something similar about Savage 99's too in that there's enough on the market to keep anyone interested in getting one happy.

Lastly, I have to agree with your thoughts on the safety. I actually picked up an Italian - Chiappa - '92 copy instead of a Winchester or even Rossi because I just could not get past the silly safety on them.

All the best to you folks ingwe and good luck on your upcoming fishing trip too.

Dwayne

When I wanted a 30/30 like load I just produced one for my 06 using the 170 gr. bullet and a low charge of I4895 powder. Took a deer just fine. No need to spend hundreds of dollars on something overpriced.

Jim

I hunt with my 3030 more and more. it is a leaver action but it is a mod. 99 savage. fits in the hands equal or better than a mod. 94. haven said that I do have 2 94s a 3855 made in 1897 and a trapper in 45 colt. made before the safety thingy.

Thanks Dwayne! You're spot on concerning the Winchesters!

Looking forward to getting up amongst your people again!

A good example of what Dwayne is talking about (and the point I made about the possibility of Savage making new 99's in the gun writer forum) is this Model 64 Winchester .30-30, which I purchased from Whittaker Guns, the great store outside of Owensboro, Kentucky. That was in 2016, several months before the election, when firearrms prices were still high, thanks to the Obama administration. If my memory is correct the price was $750--well under the price of a new 94 rifle. And yes, it came with the steel Lyman receiver sight.

Interesting as I bought a mint 1957 M94 30-30 when I lived in Alberta off of Canadian Gunnutz. This was 2008 and I gave $500 CDN for it.

I paid 60.00 for my first M94 in 1977. It was a used post 64 in 95% condition. Bought from a high school buddy of mine. Sold that one a few years later and bought a 1949 long forearm model in very good condition for 95.00 at a pawn shop. Still have the '49 and have killed a bunch with it.

I have hunted whitetail for several years with a mid 50's 94 in .32WS. Love how it carries. I have several 94's, including a 1918 rifle in .32, a real nice .32 carbine from the 50's, plus two or three 30-30's. I also hunted a fair bit with a Canadian centennial 30-30 carbine. I had a set, and my buddy would hunt with the rifle. The rifle was stolen.

I have a nice 99 30-30 takedown carbine. Sweet little rifle.

Ed;
Top of the morning to you sir, I hope all is well in your part of the world - though I confess I'm not sure if you're north or south at the moment.

As mentioned in my post, they've gone up a wee bit since then, by perhaps as much as $150 - $200 for the "right rifle" and the "right buyer".

Somewhere around 2000 I sold a 1903 vintage 94 rifle with a 26" octagon barrel and picked up a 1958 carbine that likely hadn't seen two boxes of ammo through it for somewhere either side of $500. Since it was an "extra" 94 in the safe, I just didn't do anything with it for years somehow.

Then on a whim, I installed a sight similar to John's Lyman if memory serves, shot it about 3 times to sight it in at 25 yards and then shot it 3 times at 100 yards to see how it grouped. I still can't believe how close the 3 shots were and it had to be some cosmic alignment of the planets Ed, because I don't shoot that well typically.

Anyway back into the safe it went until one day someone had a Ruger No 1 for sale and it went down the road to help finance the No 1.

Over the years I've had a recurring urge to pick up a 64 like John did or perhaps it's smaller stable mate 65 in something like a .25-20. Thus far, other more pressing projects have kept me from doing that, but I've got to say that to me the 64 handles "just right" somehow.

All the best to you folks as we head into the fall Ed.

Dwayne

I don't know about the States, but these Japanese Winchesters haven't been flying off the shelves up here. I thought the reason was because they wanted $1900 for a reproduction. It makes sense that people would want an original.

I hunt with a .30-30 at least once almost every year.

Wouldn't pay that for that rifle though.

-Jake

They don't fly down here either, BUT, they do move.

IMHO, we still have enough of a lever gun market to drive a demand. Henry's product line has certainly expanded over the last few years, and they don't seem to be slowing down.

Inflated "Winchester" prices for old and new, limited Browning lever gun offerings, and the aging hunter market helped this niche grow.

Businesses like Turnbull's usually have a pretty large pile of overseas Winchesters in the store room waiting to be made into final products - for their product line, or customer requests.

Originals are becoming scarcer, and while we are seeing a lull in the market, haven't really lost value - as much as they aren't as in demand at the moment.

Winchester, more than a gun, an American legend......Made in New Haven Conn..... Not in Japan.

Not sure if you're being sarcastic or derisive, but:



Winchester's Webpage

Those are just Jap made replicas as far as I'm concerned.

Gotcha.
Figured you meant something along those lines.

I second

Paid about $165 for mine. It works. Made here, kills stuff everywhere.




Fiddlin' around with cast bullets on the 50 yard butt. I will admit that to date it shoots J-bullets a bit better.




End of the day if you put your shot where it counts...

A 30/30? Yes.
A Model 94? Yes
That Model 94, with it's stupid safety, angle eject, and built by robots? Hell, no! GD

model 94 307 win..... love this rifle.

I think you're all fibbing.

It's a proven fact that the 30-30 is an ineffectual, antiquated, underpowered cartridge, best left in a museum. The Internets is full of stories that speak of its impotence. I am genuinely surprised that anyone would even admit to owning a 30-30, or any lever! I am shocked!

Anyway, I have to fire up my melter and make some cast bullets. Let's chat later.

i try to rotate which gun i use year by year so haven't used a 30-30 for a couple of seasons. but i would feel naked without one or three in my cabinet.
99 savage takedown 30-30
94 win 1951 30-30
marlin 336 30-30
savage 340 30-30
all have put meat in the freezer including deer, elk, and moose.
being as i can throw a rock into BC i felt i could post here

Do I like to hunt with a 30/30 lever gun, heck yes.
I have a nice 1980"s M94 that is a fun gun to shoot and easy to carry.
Would I pay $1900 for the new M94? Not a chance.
Jeff

One of my many regrets is not buying a pristine 7-30 carbine that I found in the Gander Mountain store my son worked at. I actually put it on layaway, but after searching all over the web, there was almost no ammo, no brass, and none of the flat-nosed 7mm bullets to be had, so I let it go, not wanting a project to deal with at that time. Big mistake. Can't recall if it was an AE model, but there was no safety and to all appearances it was a plain 94. This was after they went back to quality manufacture and before all the annoying safeties.

This^^^^, and it's the second best design made for tracking or sneak hunting game in thick timber or brush.

The best legal design, of course, for such work is the semi-auto. Not even real hunters are always able to connect on every shot on running game in such conditions and follow up shots may be needed for misses, marginal hits and wounded wood.

Years ago a preferred challenge was taking a track in desert type country and evaluating the animal and taking what was often a shot at a running buck. Its popularity has fallen due to the lack of good shots but is still practiced by some in the west and southwest.

Simply wonderful.

Not much more handier when stalking through the woods than a 94 Trapper IMO

That's in another class. A model 94 or a model 336 and a model 92 are all in a different class of firearms than a Model 70. A model 70 is a bolt gun that comes in higher pressure cartridges such as .243,.30-06 and magnum caliber cartridges. They are used for different purposes in different situations. I have both bolt actions and saddle guns. I use saddle gun for short range brush shooting. or in a blind. I use my .270, .30-06, ,243, 7 Mag, and .300 Mag. for longer range such as shooting down a sendero and for bigger game. In my honest opinion you cannot compare a .30-30 with an 06, .270, .243 or a magnum. They are in separate classes.

Filaman is "right on".
I hunt two different kinds of geography when I'm hunting in Eastern Washington.
- One large area is pine both small and large, with many areas to stalk, but the average shot is between 50 and 90 yards. The answer here is my model 94 30-30 with a Williams peep sight.
- One other area is large hillsides and draws, with little timber and the shots are between 100 and 300 yards. The answer here is my scoped 30-06.

Each gun has a distinct reason-for-being, and I want to take advantage of it.

If they are equivalent quality to the Brownings manufactured in Miroku, I could be interested.
I would be more inclined to go m94 in the .450 Marlin .
I have a BLR in the .450 and it makes a good saddle rifle, the m95 would work as well....I like leverguns that takedown.

The 30-30 is mostly what I hunt with. I think I killed the majority of my big game with one. I am indeed contemplating the purchase of a Miroku model 94 albeit in...…………….25-35 Winchester! So I guess I wouldn't pay that much for a 30-30.

Why would I pay that kind of money when I already have my father's, manufactured in 1927. It is my common carry rifle for walkabout. Carried it today in fact. I have an aperture sight on it.

I am considering taking it caribou hunting next fall, just for the heck of it. With a bit of sight in practice, it should be good to 200 yards, and I can get that, I think. We took two bulls this year at 100 and about 140, respectively, with a scoped .260.

I do want a 336, too.

Yes I hunt with the 30-30.
No, I won't buy a new one at that price or even close to that.
No the lever gun is not dead. I agree with the statement about the bolt gun not being as nice to carry as a lever gun (or a pump.) Lots of lever users know the value of a one shot kill along with every other experienced hunter. Doesn't everyone carry a few extra rounds? It's pretty convenient to have them in the gun instead of your pocket.