Unusual Winchester 1894

[Shasta]

A friend recently acquired an old 1894 Winchester rifle and asked me to disassemble it for a thorough cleaning. I was astounded to find that it was a well optioned special order takedown rifle with a 26" half-round barrel, half magazine, and checkered pistol grip stock with a shotgun butt. The rifle shows extensive wear, was very dirty, and the firing pin was obviously broken. Cody records date it to 1904, the options are correct, and it was returned to the factory for repair in 1913, but did not say what the repair was.

I think that it was factory re-barreled because it has something I have never before seen. The barrel has a notch cut on the underside near the muzzle which is normal for the takedown lever lock on a rifle with a full length magazine tube, but what was really unusual was that the dovetail for the full length magazine tube hanger had been carefully and expertly filled:




It looks to me like the factory used a barrel made for a full length magazine and modified it for use with the half magazine. I don't recall ever having noticed a filled dovetail on a half magazine rifle, but then again I haven't seen many half magazine 1894 take-downs. Have any of you seen anything like it?

The rifle resisted dis-assembly as the takedown was difficult to get apart, but with the aid of some Kroil oil it was accomplished and the rifle cleaned up very nicely. Nothing aggressive was done, just removal of all the old dirt and dried oily crud inside, replaced the broken firing pin, and glued a tiny chip that fell out of the stock's upper tang edge. The bore came out shiny with no apparent pitting. Since it is not my rifle I am not going to post pictures of it, but I did want you guys to see the unusual barrel and perhaps offer an opinion.


Shasta

[Pisgah]

I have seen identical-looking fill-ins on barrels, but not factory-installed. Looks like an old tried-and-true expedient method of pounding lead bullets in to the dovetail, smoothing it to match the barrel contour, then touching it up with cold blue. Done well it looks good, lasts until you no longer want it there.

May not be this, but the resemblance is perfect.

[Shasta]

The fill is all steel, but appears that the bluing on it is much thinner. Perhaps it was cold blued, which would explain the more worn appearance. The fit is so good I could not feel the fill when running my fingers along the barrel.

Shasta

[Merle]

Interesting! What caliber is it?

[Griff]

I can't imagine the factory makin' a repair like that. Would love to see pics of the whole thing... Hint, hint!

[Shasta]

Interesting! What caliber is it?

Caliber is 30 WCF

[Sixgun]

Like Griff says, I cannot see that barrel filled in slot coming from the factory especially at a time (1913) when good barrels were available. The only thing that makes sense to me is that some owner of the gun in the last hundred years changed it into a full mag gun and then someone else changed it back to its original form. But right now I'm in bed and my total brain is not on.

Filling in those slots to perfection is not hard to do.....I've done several just by cutting a piece of an old barrel with a band saw and filing a dovetail on the plug.....you cut the plug high.....then after its in you just sand it until it matches the barrel dimensions.....and reblue.....presto!------6

[Merle]

Interesting! What caliber is it?

Caliber is 30 WCF

Thank you!