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LOT 1048
Outstanding Special Order Winchester Deluxe Model 1894 “Lightweight” Lever Action
Takedown Rifle in Desirable .38-55 W.C.F. - Serial no. 444433, 38-55 WCF cal., 26 inch lightweight
round bbl., blue finish, walnut stock. Manufactured in 1909, this is a outstanding example of a special
ordered Winchester deluxe Model 1894 takedown rifle in the desirable .38-55 W.C.F. caliber. Over seven
and a half million of the Model 1894 were produced, with the vast majority being standard grade
working guns, making high condition, special ordered deluxe examples extremely desirable on the
collectors market. Even though this rifle’s serial number falls outside the range of surviving Model 1894
records, the research compiled by Oswalt and Hawk based on the 353,999 remaining ledger records
can give an approximation of how scarce this configuration is. They note that only 515 guns were
special ordered with a 2/3 length magazine. They state that one in 10 were takedowns and that one
in 20 had a pistol grip stock. Additionally, they note that 10,512 guns were ordered with checkered
stocks and 17,768 with shotgun butts, with all of these features together, along with the lightweight
profile barrel, making for a rare rifle indeed. There are Winchester factory oval proofs marked on top of
the barrel and receiver at the breech. The upper left of the lightweight profile barrel is marked with the
two-line address and patent marking, nickel steel marking, and the caliber marking at the breech. The
upper tang is marked with the three-line model and trademark information, and the serial number is
marked on the bottom of the receiver. The left side of the lower tang is marked “7517 RX”, with “7517”
repeated in the stock inlet along with “94”. It is fitted with a low profile variation of Winchester’s No. 21
sporting front sight, an elevation adjustable notch rear sight, and a Lyman combination peep sight on
the upper tang. It is mounted with an attractively figured, deluxe, H-pattern checkered forearm and
pistol grip stock with a hard rubber grip cap and checkered, hard rubber shotgun buttplate with the
Winchester logo in the center.
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