As a side activity, we took the 1886 Winchester 40-82 and the 1894 Winchester 30-30 rifle that our Dad had out for some exercise. It seemed fitting because it was the day after Dad would have turned 100!
After shooting the 86, my brother commented that he never thought that he would ever see that gun actually shoot. He said, Dad would be happy to know that we were shooting it, to which I replied that every time I shoot that gun , I think of him.
I also had a box of 30-30 ammo to feed dad's 1894 Winchester. Neither of us have ever shot the gun..... ever, because dad sold it to a cousin when we were really young for $5 and a box of apples so the cousin could go hunting. Before dad passed away, the cousin sold it back to my dad for $5, but by then I was out of the house and gone.
The rifle was modified before dad bought it. It was made in 1899 and has a 26" octagon barrel. It has the serrated sporting rear sight and a gold bead front sight. The magazine was cut off and protrudes about an inch out of the fore stock. Dad always said that rifle was a tack driver, and bagged quite few deer, some elk, and a bunch of sage rats.
When my brother brought out the 94, I gave it a quick once over. I noticed that the lever safety button was not protruding out of the lower tang, making the lever safety inoperative. The stock had been varnished somewhere along the way and there was deep rust on the trigger and a spot or two on the receiver.
When he got the gun in 1995, I told him to pull it out a couple times a year and put some oil on it, which he apparently didn't do. 
Since my brother has had the gun since dad passed, I told him to take the first shot. He lined up on the target and pulled the trigger. We were greeted with deafening silence. I looked at the primer and there was no dimple. The firing pin is broken.
Well, now that I have given you some of the background, I have a question. I can get a replacement firing pin online, but what about the lever safety spring? It seems to me that there were two designs. The newer one like in my 1951 94 is a wire spring, but the older ones were some sort of flat spring.
If there is a difference, do any of you have a picture of what the older style spring looks like? If it is the same as the newer ones, let me know that too. I know that I have seen them for sale somewhere, but I don't remember where it was. Any ideas?
