Great Grandpa's 30-30

[DaveM001]

Hey Guys,

New guy here and first post, pleased to meet you all. I've been poking around the forum and have been liking the pictures and stories. So about 10 years ago, I inherited my Great Grandfather's 30-30 1894. I was looking around the web for information and that landed me here at Leverguns.com. Seems to be a place that's in the know with these. Anyway, I looked up the serial #506XXX and it returned a manufacture date of 1911, putting this gun at 107 years old. Here are some pictures, I was hoping to just get an rough idea of what this would be worth, or any interesting things about it that might escape someone who doesn't know to much about these things (has it been modified, what's the overall condition like?) Oh and I did take it out shooting a few years ago and ran 20 rounds through it, everything worked nice and smooth. Since then it's been in storage, locked in a case...

Looking forward to any feedback or info, thanks in advance!

[Old Savage]

A real prize. Sixgun can probably tell you a lot more.

[AmBraCol]

Hey, Dave! Welcome to the forum! I've got my grandpa's 94 Winchester, but it's not a "pre-war" like yours, albeit it is a pre-'64 version. Can't fill you in on everything you're asking, but folks more in the know on that will come along shortly.

What I WOULD like to tell you is, beware about storing your rifle in a locked case. If any moisture gets in there it'll eat up your rifle. That's what happened to the old family model 64. A cousin "stored" it in a gun case where it could get damp and now it's got pitting all over the outside and zero finish left. It's still a great shooting rifle, but hundreds of dollars of damage were done by improper storage.

The best preservative I've found for firearms is good old ATF thickened up with anhydrous lanolin. Just the plain old ATF (automatic transmission fluid) does a great job of preserving, but the lanolin thickens it up and gives it more sticking power. Of course there's a lot of more modern ways of doing it, too - but they tend to cost a lot more. I tried a lot of them but even in tropical climates I've not found anything as good as ATF/Lanolin.

Congratulations on owning a piece of family history. I'd LOVE to have access to one of my great-grandpa's old rifles, but the husband of one of my great-aunts got his paws on them all and sold them off. Even his son, who became a gunsmith later in life, had no idea where they got off to. Family heirlooms are priceless, in my opinion. Their value exceeds that which an insurance company would recognize.

[DaveM001]

A real prize. Sixgun can probably tell you a lot more.

Thanks. Interesting side story about this gun, is that I just got it back into the family after it being gone for about 5 years. I was a bit strapped for cash after we had out 3rd kid, and my minivan was in serious need of an AC repair. So I traded it to one of the guys at the local garage for the work. I told him if he ever was to sell, put me first in line. He called me about 2 months ago and I bought it back immediately. I had always regretted letting it go...

Dave

[DaveM001]

Hey, Dave! Welcome to the forum! I've got my grandpa's 94 Winchester, but it's not a "pre-war" like yours, albeit it is a pre-'64 version. Can't fill you in on everything you're asking, but folks more in the know on that will come along shortly.

What I WOULD like to tell you is, beware about storing your rifle in a locked case. If any moisture gets in there it'll eat up your rifle. That's what happened to the old family model 64. A cousin "stored" it in a gun case where it could get damp and now it's got pitting all over the outside and zero finish left. It's still a great shooting rifle, but hundreds of dollars of damage were done by improper storage.

The best preservative I've found for firearms is good old ATF thickened up with anhydrous lanolin. Just the plain old ATF (automatic transmission fluid) does a great job of preserving, but the lanolin thickens it up and gives it more sticking power. Of course there's a lot of more modern ways of doing it, too - but they tend to cost a lot more. I tried a lot of them but even in tropical climates I've not found anything as good as ATF/Lanolin.

Congratulations on owning a piece of family history. I'd LOVE to have access to one of my great-grandpa's old rifles, but the husband of one of my great-aunts got his paws on them all and sold them off. Even his son, who became a gunsmith later in life, had no idea where they got off to. Family heirlooms are priceless, in my opinion. Their value exceeds that which an insurance company would recognize.

Thanks for the advice on storage. Pretty dry where I am up in Canada, long winters and all that. I'll take it under advisement, haven't heard about the transmission fluid trick. I've just been taking it out once or twice a year and wiping it down with gun oil. Cheers!

Dave

[GunnyMack]

Welcome Dave!
I'd say that your heirloom is about as perfect as it can be, if we looked that good at 107! Anyhow the stock finish looks good and the patina is great.
I'm sure as said before, Sixgun will expound his vast Winchester knowledge.

[DaveM001]

Welcome Dave!
if we looked that good at 107!

Haha. I'm wishing I looked that good at 45!

[GunnyMack]

I've got a couple years on you BUT I feel 107 some days !

[Bill in Oregon]

Dave, it looks like the attachment point for the saddle ring at the right rear of the left side of the receiver has been filed down. I wouldn't blame your great-grandfather as I find a saddle ring an annoyance -- but must confess I don't hunt horseback. That's a marvelous heirloom you have there. I'll bet there is family DNA rubbed into that stock. I think you ought to harvest a deer with it and raise a glass to your ancestor.

[Pete44ru]

.

Welcome to the addiction, Dave !

Your Model 1894 SRC (Saddle Ring Carbine) was actually made in 1910, according to the Winchester Polishing Room records - so it's even a little older than you thought.

Since the stock has apparently might have had some varnish applied to it since it's left the factory, and the metal finish is just about disappeared, as long as the bore's OK, I would enjoy it for what it is - a reliable family relic - and take it out dancing every now & then.

It's what we refer to as an "honest" rifle, so please don't let it slip through your paws again.


.

[DaveM001]

It's what we refer to as an "honest" rifle, so please don't let it slip through your paws again.

Thanks for the info, and yes for sure - it isn't going anywhere. Except out shooting

Dave

[daisygordoninc]

Dave,

Welcome, glad for your special treasure. I sold my 94 that was given to me by my great aunt who was
a hunter/trapper in the Yukon. I wished for an opportunity to get it back but it didn't come. Your situation
is special, glad you got it back. They all are special yours a little more so.

Gordon

[Pitchy]

She`s a beauty, welcome aboard.

[earlmck]

Yes, that is one very fine "honest rifle". It might reduce the dollar value but adds to the "honesty" that ggpa tired of the saddle ring and filed it off. I have an old Savage 99 that had the same thing done.

And taking the old babe out and giving it some attention and a wipe-down is a good thing to do: I do that too. Hornady makes a spray-on cleaner/degreaser called "Hornady One-Shot" that leaves behind a very considerable rust-resistance when wiped off, so I have been using that lately. The spray action is also handy for getting gunk out of hard-to-reach places in the old John Browning designed rifles.

[DaveM001]

Thanks all, I really appreciate all the info and advice. It certainly has renewed my appreciation for it!

Dave

[OldWin]

Welcome aboard! If you hang out with us, that old 94 will soon have a lot of company.
Nice old carbine! I've always liked the ones that have been there and "seen the elephant" best.
As others have mentioned, the saddle ring has been removed. That exact method has been seen frequently in my neck of the woods, also. It is, however, fixable if you ever wish to replace it with another ring and stud.
Your stock may have been replaced also. You have a crescent butt that was normally used on rifles of the day. Most carbines came with a stock that had a slightly less curved and flatter plate. The comb had a flat top surface, also. This isn't to say your carbine wasn't fitted with a rifle butt as original. It was done on occasion, and some ordered that way.
The best feature of your carbine is its family history. That can't be bought at any price. It will still perform for a lifetime with a good bore and action. The pre war 94's are the best.

[Sixgun]

Funny thing about old guns with little to no finish........they were carried a lot and shot little.....it was a tool and that's how the old timers saw it.......they did not have money to go blasting away at rocks and other stupid stuff like we do today.

Like that guy from Maine said, (Old Win) I too, suspect the buttstock has been changed and not because most SRC' s had standard carbine buttstocks.......I have a 25-35 SRC with a rifle buttstock that I know is correct......but because your buttstock looks like Walnut and the forend looks like gumwood.....I could be wrong......but one thing for sure, the factory always used the same kind of wood throughout the gun.

The saddle ring abutment screw is filed down...no biggie...just screw it out and replace it with a repo.......soak the new one in vinegar overnight to strip off the finish and bang it up a bit and she will look like it's 100 years old. It don't matter either way, it's kind of neat to keep the gun as your ggrandpappy had it.

Shoot the heck out of it....enjoy it....those guns can be shot thousands of times with no damage or little wear. Dirt is what causes wear so keep the action and barrel clean and go-to-town!

What ever you do, don't let that guy (Old Win.) over there to see it. Last time he was here he had on this big Buffalo coat and half my single action Colts are missing.------6

[OldWin]

Good spot, Six. I didn't notice the difference in type of wood.
Now Dave, don't let ole Six sell you those stories about me. I'm a really, really nice guy.
And don't even have a buffalo coat!
Too bad about those missing Colts.......I will put up some flyers so folks can keep an eye out for em. Yup........too bad......

[AJMD429]

I always figured those 'saddle rings' were just the original "tactical single-point sling"....

I actually use the one on my 20" 357 Mag '92 with a MagPul single point sling. very practical.

[Pete44ru]

.

Do you remember Junior Dougherty ?

He illustrated the use a saddle ring could be out pretty clearly:




.

[Sixgun]

Dang Pete....I like that and I'm gonna use it myself.......a single point sling for a hundred year old gun.----6

[OldWin]

Yup. I've said it for years. Nothing is new.
I've used it as such on one of my half mag 38-55 carbines.