New to lever guns and have some questions

[jnwaco]

Hi, I finally bought my first lever action - a Winchester 94 in 30-30. I have a couple of questions, as I'd like to start a little lever action collection, and I'd like to get this one sighted in.

First, at the range, the elevation seemed to be fair, but I was hitting about a foot and a half to the right at 100 yards. So, either the front sight needs to be moved to the right, or the back sight to the left. Dumb question - which one do I move?

Second question - the front sight has the hood covering the sight. What is the best way to remove this if the front sight needs to be moved one way or the other?

Third question - I take it that the back and the front sight have to be moved by drifting the sights - is this something that I can do myself? I've seen the brass drifting tools and special hammers and thought about picking up a set, but thought I'd ask before spending the money.



Last question - I'm partial to octagonal barrels. I think they look neat. Did Winchester make many octagonal barrels in 30-30? I'd like to hunt with one. I see that Henry currently has one, but I'm not too big on the brass. I see a lot of makers are making other calibers with octagonal barrels, but not in 30-30. Alternatively, for shots inside 120 yards or so, is there another caliber that will be suitable for deer, since there are more options with octagonal barrels. I know, it seems like a silly thing, but I really like them.

Thanks!
Justin

[jnyork]

You can move either the front or the rear, most folks move the front, it has the same effect. You dont need "special drifting tools" all you need is a brass punch and a small ball peen hammer, works just fine. You will look a long time trying to find a better 100 yard deer rifle than whan you have now, go no further, learn to shoot what you have and you will do very well indeed. There are octagonal barrel winchester 30-30's to be had, some of them are older and bring big bucks, others are so-called commemoratives, if you find one that has been shot a little or has no box to go with it , it has lost all its collector value and you should be able to buy it for no more than a common variety of the same approximate age. Keep your eyes open , you'll find what you want. k

[jnwaco]

Thanks for clearing that up for me! I will definitely get a good bit of practice in with this one. I normally bowhunt, and I know it takes some time to become proficient, but on the other hand, I have a collective personality disorder, and I know more lever actions will probably end up in the case!

[J Miller]

Justin,
Welcome to the forum.

I'll answer your question inside your quote.

Hi, I finally bought my first lever action - a Winchester 94 in 30-30. I have a couple of questions, as I'd like to start a little lever action collection, and I'd like to get this one sighted in.

First, at the range, the elevation seemed to be fair, but I was hitting about a foot and a half to the right at 100 yards. So, either the front sight needs to be moved to the right, or the back sight to the left. Dumb question - which one do I move?
Check the front sight to make sure it's straight and at Top Dead Center. If it has a ramp front sight, depending on the vintage the ramp may be attached either by brazing or later being held on with one screw. If it's held on with a screw (you can't see the screw, it's under the sight), you'll need to be very careful when attempting to move the sight. It's easy to damage the little screw and the threads in the barrel.
Basically make sure the front sight is centered and adjust the windage with the rear sight.

Second question - the front sight has the hood covering the sight. What is the best way to remove this if the front sight needs to be moved one way or the other?
The front sight hood simply pushes off to the front.

Third question - I take it that the back and the front sight have to be moved by drifting the sights - is this something that I can do myself? I've seen the brass drifting tools and special hammers and thought about picking up a set, but thought I'd ask before spending the money.
No special tools are needed for sights dovetailed into the barrel. Just a plastic or rawhide mallet and a non marring punch. The sights just need some tapping to be moved. Here's a tip: remove the elevator and put a piece of cardboard under the sight to prevent marring the barrel.



Last question - I'm partial to octagonal barrels. I think they look neat. Did Winchester make many octagonal barrels in 30-30? I'd like to hunt with one. I see that Henry currently has one, but I'm not too big on the brass. I see a lot of makers are making other calibers with octagonal barrels, but not in 30-30. Alternatively, for shots inside 120 yards or so, is there another caliber that will be suitable for deer, since there are more options with octagonal barrels. I know, it seems like a silly thing, but I really like them.
Winchester has made gobs of octagon barreled 94s. Most of the pre-WWII. Those made after 1964 were mostly commemoritives. They did make a few AE models with octagon barrels towards the end of production.
Inside 150 yards the 30-30 will get the job done if you can put the bullet where it belongs. No worry about that.

Thanks!
Justin

Hope this helped some.

Joe

[Pisgah]

Further word regarding drifting fron/rear sights. Normally, drifting the rear will be enough; however, sometimes, if the windage arror is severe, you may find it more efficient to drift both a small amount rather than drifting one a great amount -- looks better, to my eye, and avoids any problem you may encounter with getting your eye behind the sights. And as you note -- front sight should go opposite the way you want the shots to go, rear sight in the same direction you want shots to go.

[stickfred]

Alternatively, for shots inside 120 yards or so, is there another caliber that will be suitable for deer, since there are more options with octagonal barrels.

Marlin, Rossi and Uberti make rifles with octagonal barrels in other calibers. From my limited knowledge, others here have had success using the 357 for short range hunting...shot placement is the key. You could probably do a Search here on the other calibers and find similar successes with them. And from one new guy to another, Welcome aboard and pull up a seat. The folks here will feed your "collective personality disorder" and help you on your way toward filling that case.

[ollogger]

hi & welcome

from what i see this place will have no cure for your disorder , youve got good advice on your sight ? theres only one thing thatll keep you from to many octagon guns $$$$$$$$


ollogger

[kimwcook]

First, welcome to the forum.

I have a couple of questions, as I'd like to start a little lever action collection, and I'd like to get this one sighted in.

Good luck with the "little lever action collection". We're all enablers here and will not help your addiction one little bit other than to support your addiction. Good luck with that.

You got good answers on your sighting question. I also prefer to move both the front and rear if I have a lot of movement.

[Ysabel Kid]

Welcome aboard! You've come to the right place if you want moral support in building a lever-action collection!!!

[jnwaco]

Thanks a bunch for the answers. The answers were very helpful! I pulled it out again and looked at it, and the rear sight does look a bit uncentered looking down from the top of the barrel.

Again, thanks for the help everyone.

[JerryB]

Welcome to the best bunch of levergunners around. If you are shooting from a bench with sand bags don't hold your rifle down tight like a bolt gun.

[Hobie]

Welcome. I see your questions have been answered so I just want to say that I'm glad you've got a sense of humor...

...a little lever action collection...

[Griff]

Welcome. I see your questions have been answered so I just want to say that I'm glad you've got a sense of humor...

...a little lever action collection...

+1!

And I'll add my and Welcome to the Forum.

[Streetstar]

Regarding octagon barreled hunting rifles

http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/ ... Cowboy.asp

your welcome ----- I want one of these myself. It would look perfect with a tang mounted peep sight.

But if Marlins are not your thing, like others have said, there's a Winchester out there somewhere in the appropriate caliber with your name on it. FWIW, i personally would rather take my chances with a .44 Mag than a .357 if i was purchasing one with the thoughts of hunting with it someday and was buying one in a pistol caliber -- but many many people use their .357's with success, as it really does pick up quite a bit of steam out of a longer barrel.

I also started with a "little" levergun collection . Just a Henry .22 and my father's Winchester model 94 i inherited when he passed away. Those 2 have multiplied almost 5 fold and now there are 9 of the darn things in my safe just since i joined this forum in January '09

Excellent bunch of internet cowboys here and i'd love to have a beer or a cup of coffee with any of 'em

[piller]

Howdy Justin. By now you have already seen that there are a bunch of helpful people here. For deer in the 100 yard range, you can't get much better than the .30-30. Your rifle might like certain bullets more than others, but you might want to start with Remington Core-Lokt. It seems that more people on this forum have had good success with them than any other bullet. That may not be what your rifle likes, but it is a good starting point.

[jnwaco]

Regarding octagon barreled hunting rifles

http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firearms/ ... Cowboy.asp

your welcome ----- I want one of these myself. It would look perfect with a tang mounted peep sight.

Yes, thank you very much! I ran across this last night at Marlin's web site. They seem to be out of stock on lots of web sites, so I'm going to check to see if my local dealer can get one in. I've been thinking about the 45-70 a bit, too. I'm not familiar with all the models yet, 1860, 1866, 1973, 1876, 1892, 1894, etc., and what all cartriges they were manufactured to take. I'm learning quickly!

But if Marlins are not your thing, like others have said, there's a Winchester out there somewhere in the appropriate caliber with your name on it. FWIW, i personally would rather take my chances with a .44 Mag than a .357 if i was purchasing one with the thoughts of hunting with it someday and was buying one in a pistol caliber -- but many many people use their .357's with success, as it really does pick up quite a bit of steam out of a longer barrel.

I'm looking for a 100-120 yard rifle, tops. I like the straight stock, a longer octagonal barrel, full-length magezine, and a curved buttplate. The 1895 Cowboy comes really close! I noticed that none of the Uberti's or Rossi's meeting these criteria are chambered in 30-30 or 45-70, but they're really sharp looking guns. Once I find one to be my main shooter, I think I'll expand my horizons a bit to include more of the pistol caliber models. I've also thought about seeing if I can re-barrel my current 94 model with an octagon barrel. Haven't researched that yet.

I also started with a "little" levergun collection . Just a Henry .22 and my father's Winchester model 94 i inherited when he passed away. Those 2 have multiplied almost 5 fold and now there are 9 of the darn things in my safe just since i joined this forum in January '09

Excellent bunch of internet cowboys here and i'd love to have a beer or a cup of coffee with any of 'em

I bought a 1972 model 94 30-30 a few months back to toy around with. I really enjoy shooting it, and for the price, it was a very inexpensive way to find out whether I liked shooting a lever action. And I do! Thanks for the info and the kind welcome!

[jnwaco]

Howdy Justin. By now you have already seen that there are a bunch of helpful people here. For deer in the 100 yard range, you can't get much better than the .30-30. Your rifle might like certain bullets more than others, but you might want to start with Remington Core-Lokt. It seems that more people on this forum have had good success with them than any other bullet. That may not be what your rifle likes, but it is a good starting point.

Thanks for the ammo suggestion, I will definitely try those!

[kimwcook]

Justin, I believe Numrich's had some octagon bbl.'s. Just google'em and go searching.

[fordwannabe]

Justin Welcome, Numrich arms sells a 30-30 26 inch octagon barrel for something on the order of $140, but you will need a few other parts to make it work. Use the search feature and I am sure Rube Burrows and Griff had discussions about what is needed to do the conversion. If you do this, don't forget to include $ in the budget for a gunsmith to headspace the rifle after installing the new barrel. Depending on what you want several of the Winchester commeratives over the years have had oct barrels and can be had for little to no more than what converting yours would cost. Welcome and good luck with that "Little collection" these guys are enablers of the first order, don't ever start a post with "Should I buy...." cause the answer will always be ' YES" Tom
KIM beat me to it by seconds!

[jnwaco]

Thanks kim & tom!

I would think a lot of the parts would need to change. I saw the Canadian Centinnial model, for example, was an option as well... I'm pretty sure I could get accustomed to shooting Texas deer with a Canadian gun... eventually!