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LOT 59
Desirable, Well-Documented, Antique Special Order Winchester Deluxe Model 1894 Lever Action Rifle
with Scarce Matted Barrel, Casehardened Frame, and Factory Letter - Serial no. 22905, 30 WCF cal., 26 inch
round bbl., blue/casehardened finish, walnut stock. Manufactured in 1897, this is a very fine example of a deluxe
Model 1894 rifle from Winchester that is in an extremely scarce special ordered configuration, which includes
both a highly desirable matted barrel and rarely seen casehardened frame. Casehardening was only offered on
the Model 1894 from the year the model was introduced until 1901, and even during that time frame was never
highly encouraged by Winchester due to the difficulties of accomplishing such a finish on the ‘94 receivers, which
had high levels of nickel and chromium in the steel alloy utilized. This particular rifle is featured on the cover of
“Winchester Model 94: A Century of Craftsmanship 2nd Edition” by Robert C. Renneberg, and is also on the cover
of and the subject of an article in the Spring 2008 issue of “The Winchester Collector”, where Rob Kassab discusses
the rarity of this rifle’s configuration, as well as the casehardening process used by Winchester. Kassab notes,
corroborated in “Armax Vol. V” from 1995 (research by Oswalt and Hawk), that only 157 total Model 1894s were
special ordered with casehardened frames, 155 of these being rifles, and Kassab further notes that only 16 of the
casehardened rifles were in deluxe configuration, making this particular rifle incredibly scarce. “Armax Vol. V” also
notes that only 200 Model 1894 rifles were ordered with matted barrels, another extremely rare special ordered
feature. The included factory letter with this rifle lists it in .30 caliber with a matted round barrel, plain trigger, four
cartridge magazine (half magazine), casehardened finish, and an oil finished, checkered, pistol grip stock with a
hard rubber shotgun buttplate when it was received at the warehouse on 5 June 1897, and shipped the same day
in order number 9285. Additionally, the letter lists repair and return dates of 16 August 1897, with the additional
notation “New York”, and 31 January with no year listed. It is likely that the “New York” notation in the letter refers
to one of the major trade fairs in the city, indicating that this rifle was likely originally an exhibition piece. Also
included are scans of the original ledgers showing the listing of this rifle.
The barrel on this rifle is marked with the standard two-line Winchester address and the caliber marking, both
correctly offset on the left due to the factory matting. The upper tang is marked with the standard three-line
model, trademark, and patent information, while the serial number is marked on the bottom of the receiver. The
left side of the lower tang is marked with the assembly number “3992 XXX SOFRB”, while “3992 94” is stamped in
the stock inlet. The additional letters in the assembly number further confirm the shotgun butt (“S”), oil finished
wood (“OF”), and rubber buttplate (“RB”). The top of the barrel is rolled with factory wavy-line matting along the
entire length. It is fitted with a Lyman beaded blade front “Jack Sight” and a No. 34 three-leaf “Express” rear sight
with platinum inlaid sight lines. It is also fitted with the previously mentioned four-cartridge magazine, often
referred to as a half-magazine. It is mounted with a very finely figured, H-pattern checkered forearm and pistol
grip stock with a hard rubber grip cap and checkered hard rubber shotgun buttplate. Often with these special
order and deluxe Winchesters, one sees guns which are beautiful to look at but were clearly intended to be used
very little if at all. This particular rifle however, was clearly created with an eye for both fit and function, having
many features which make it a very functionally effective rifle intended to be used, but also one that has clearly
been built with the intent of being incredibly aesthetically pleasing to look at. The result is a special ordered
Winchester Model 1894 that truly may be a one-of-a-kind collectors piece.
CONDITION: Very fine, the barrel retains 85% plus of the original blue finish with some areas of touch up near
the muzzle and front sight, 80% plus of the vibrant original case colors, and 60% of the original nitre blue on the
loading gate with some light muzzle wear, scattered light scratches, and some scattered brown and grey freckling
on the receiver. The wood is also very fine with scattered light scratches and dings, typical of some careful, limited
use, and a few minor blemishes in the mostly crisp checkering. Mechanically excellent. One would search a very
long time to find another casehardened deluxe Winchester Model 1894 in this extremely scarce special ordered
configuration with both a casehardened receiver and matted barrel, as it very well may be one-of-a-kind!
Estimate: 60,000 - 90,000
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