1913 Winchester 1894 32-40 lever action

[Nicknack]

Well I finally got an original old Winchester 94 in the classic caliber of 32-40 I looked up the serial dates for the 1894 and she was made in 1913 the same year as my Winchester 1892 25-20
The rifle is mechanically sound, the bore is shiny with a few scattered light pits which are not very deep in the rifling and bore so it should be an excellent shooter.Still have to clean the excess grease and gunk off her.
She has a 26 '' octagon barrel and short magazine and I hope to get her stoked up for the Christmas lever action silhouette shoot .The original bore size is .321 and I bought some Hawkesbury 170 grain flatpoints specifically for the 32-40 and some 2400 powder.
Regards Dallas, Brisbane Australia

32-40 1913 001a.JPG

32-40 1913 002a.JPG

32-40 1913 003a.JPG

32-40 1913 004a.JPG

[Borregos]

Nice one, look forward to a range report

[QCI Winchesters]

The .32-40 must be one of the rarest calibres in the 1894, I have only ever held one. The carbine in that calibre is nearly impossible to find in Canada.

[1894c]

very cooool...nice old WICHESTER, interesting caliber too... :)

[QCI Winchesters]

I wonder why it ended up down there.... Shooting kangaroos?

[Pete44ru]

.

I really like that half-magazine (aka: button mag) Special Order / option !

The .32-40 was one of the two original Model 1894 chamberings (along with the .38-55), for the 1st two years (1894-1896), until the .25-35 & .30-30 were added (in 1896) - but if your bbl is marked "Nickel Steel", it too (besides the half mag) would have been a Special Order.


.

[ollogger]

Very nice & the rare 32-40 to boot!!!

ollogger

[Sixgun]

It most likely has the nickel steel barrel although it probably will not say it on the outside as this was common practice with 32-40 and 38-55 calibers. Pop off the forend and look underneath, near the receiver. If MNS is stamped, it's nickel steel and will handle any load the 32 Spl will.----6

[Conductor]

I find it interesting that so many half-magazine rifles ended up in Oz. Several years ago I had the opportunity to look over an on-line catalog from a dealer "down under", and over half of the Winchesters he had were rifles with half-magazines. Was there some sort of restriction on magazine capacity back in the old days, or was it just a matter of what the buyers wanted?

[AJMD429]

Now you have a really, really NICE pair of Winchesters..!

[Griff]

[Pop Watts]

Hey Nicnac, nice looking 32-40.
Have you previously posted pics of your 25-35?
I have a 1940 25-35 carbine but have not been able to pick up a rifle yet.

As Conductor says, lots of the Winchesters down here have button mags.
Maybe because the button mag rifles swing smoothly.
Possibly Australians are just better shots and do not need to carry so much ammo in the mag!

That should get a comment or two.

Pop (Sydney)

[Griff]

Maybe because the button mag rifles swing smoothly.
Possibly Australians are just better shots and do not need to carry so much ammo in the mag!
That should get a comment or two.
Pop (Sydney)

Without all the stuff hangin' all the way out at the end of the barrel, they can be quite accurate.

Nope, it's that the "powers-that-were" knew y'all were convicts, and didn't want ya carrying so much loaded in yer rifles... figured that havin' to reload more when the gub'mint was chasin' ya evened out their conscript forces!

Other'n croc's, natives with sharp sticks, there wasn't much in the way of dangerous game that needs LOTS of killin'

That's a comment or two...

[Nicknack]

Thanks everyone for your kind words,the first thing I do when I buy a rifle is remove the wood work and remove any gunk and rust and give it a light oil and inspect and see the proof marks.and yes my 32-40 has the C.N.S stamp so a nickle steel barrel she is.
I have no idea why Australian Winchesters were predominantly short magazine rifles but around 80% are, maybe us cheap convict Aussies wanted the cheaper version.
Pops I don't have a 25-35 but I have a short magazine octagon 24'' 25-20 circa 1913 the same year as my 32-40 I also have a 1926 32-20 with a 24'' octagon short magazine but I carefully unscrewed the barrel and have it oiled and stored away and fitted a spare 24'' original 32-20 stainless steel octagon barrel full magazine and it shoots almost one hole groups at 50 meters
So I now have
1892 25-20
1892 32-20
1894 32-40
1885 32-20 Low Wall
1885 45-70 (Miroku) High Wall 125th anniversary x2
Remington #2 38-40
Remington #4 .22 take down
Marlin Cowboy in 45-70
Marlin Cowboy in 44 Mag
And they all have octagon barrels

[Conductor]

So I now have
1892 25-20
1892 32-20
1894 32-40
1885 32-20 Low Wall
1885 45-70 (Miroku) High Wall 125th anniversary x2
Remington #2 38-40
Remington #4 .22 take down
Marlin Cowboy in 45-70
Marlin Cowboy in 44 Mag
And they all have octagon barrels

I have a Remington #2 in 32-20. It is a tack driver.
I also have a Remington #4 in .22. It was my first gun. I've had it since I was 11 years old (that was 1954, for you young whippersnappers).