World's ugliest Winchester? Lever action Guru's please chime in

[D V US]

Ok, I acquired this 94 Winchester in .30 WCF and it just looks rode hard and definitely put away wet. The outside surfaces are deeply pitted from water damage yet inside the action is smooth as can be. The bore is a little cloudy but the rifling is crisp and well defined. I wouldn't have thought twice about it except the sights are different than what I would normally think to find on a 20" carbine. As close as I can figure it was made in the first half of 1929. Since I am by no means any expert on Winchesters, if anyone has any insight on this rifle please feel free to sound off.

 

[dennishoddy]

I have nothing to offer, than I agree its rough as heck on the outside, but I'd sure use it to kill a deer if its safe to shoot just to say I did.

 

[Seadog]

Looks like it slept outside for a spell

 

[ByrdC130]

Is this the rifle that they found out in the desert propped up under a tree????

 

[Cedar Creek]

Looks like it could have been left in a wet saddle scabbard on a regular basis. The front sight blade was replaced with a piece of a brass shim or something; my hunting partner has one that has a piece from a silver dollar in the front sight. Some of those old rifles were used as tools and treated accordingly.

Cedar Creek

 

[mr ed]

I used to get a lot of guns like that for rebluing. usually they were wrapped in an old blanket and left behind the truck seat or in the trunk and sweated.

 

[easy]

Certainly ugly. How's it shoot? Function over form for me.

 

[D V US]

Haven't shot it yet, should shoot just fine. A little bit of background story, I can't testify to it's authenticity, but the story goes that the rifle was found in a rotted out old barn in the remains of a leather saddle scabbard. The property's new owner was rummaging through the old barn before demolishing it. Story also goes that a Winchester 1911 "Widowmaker" 12 ga. Shotgun was found in the farmhouse. This was supposed to have happened somewhere in Oklahoma back in the early 70s. The rifle was recently purchased at an estate auction and the story comes from a "friend" of the owner. There was also a Winchester "Widowmaker" in the auction.
Anyway back to known "facts." The rifle appears to be a special order of some kind as 20" carbines didn't normally come with elevator rear sights. Also it appears that "knife blade" front sights were still available as an option in 1929. So the front sight could be original. I wonder if there is any factory documentation that has survived.

 

[wolfkpr]

I used to have a GP100 that had supposedly been through a hurricane that looked almost as bad, still worked good..

 

[dennishoddy]

I have a S&W .38 special that looks as bad. I'll put some pics up tomorrow if I think of it. Still a shooter though.