Any Winchester 1894 30-30 rifle owners?

Colossus · April 9, 2021

Howdy folks-

I have recently purchased a early 1900s vintage Winchester model 1894 .30-30 rifle. I'm new to rifles so trying to learn what I can. My dad was handed down his fathers (my grandpa) 1930s vintage 1894, which he used to hunt deer back in the day. It has sat since the 1950s with a crack in the receiver/hammer area. I've handled this gun over the years, starting as a kid, but obviously never shot it. I liked the way it felt when I handled it and aimed it, and the lever and trigger action was surprisingly smoother than I expected. Which is why I decided to go ahead and get one of my own that is in operating condition, so that I can shoot with it and get more into rifle shooting.

That being said- the next step is to acquire the ammo. Not an easy feat in this day and age with ammo shortages all over the place. But there are some available. However- I am a bit confused and need some clarification on exactly what cartridge I can shoot in this thing, aside from a .30-30 cartridge. In looking up the 1894 on wikipedia, I am finding that it says it can shoot the following- is this correct!? It can truly shoot any of the cartridges below? If so, what are your suggestions? Any other advice? I'm looking at ammoseek.com to try to find in-stock cartridges, for the best prices.

Also, I am going to have a trusted gun smith look the thing over and tighten and fix a few things on the rifle first.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester_Model_1894

Cartridges that the above site says the 1894 can shoot??

.30-30 Winchester, .32-40 Winchester, .38-55 Winchester, .25-35 Winchester, .32 Winchester Special, 7-30 Waters, .307 Winchester, .356 Winchester, .375 Winchester, .357 Magnum, .44 Remington Magnum, .444 Marlin, .45 Colt, .450 Marlin, .410 bore

Thanks

Ryan

Edited April 9, 2021 by Colossus

Thejet07 · April 10, 2021

My understanding is those are the calibers the gun can come in and not that it could shoot each one. I can’t see it cycling all those different calibers. Anyway, usually if you look on the side of the gun it states which caliber it shoots. Btw, I love lever actions as well. Something about them.

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ftwhite · April 10, 2021

^^^^^ What TheJet07 said. It will only shoot what is stamped on the side of the barrel. No single gun can shoot all those calibers. Most rifle models come in multiple different calibers. Some shoot multiple (some .357 can shoot .38 Special), but .30-.30 doesn't interchange with anything.

Colossus · April 10, 2021

Thanks for the info. I'm pretty sure then that it will be the .30 caliber. I'll double check when I pick the gun up tomorrow. the serial number indicates it is a 1st year production model (ser 7079) and they made 14,500 of them in 1894.

Breeks · August 26, 2022

Yeah those are calibers rifle model came in, from serial number database it looks like you'll need just normal .30s .

On the offnote, have you lads ever used tripods while hunting? One of my folks wants to get one by Vortex but not sure if it's worth dropping 200$ on it. Model is called High Country II hunting tripod ( https://gritroutdoors.com/optics/optic-accessories/tripods/ ) can see it here. Any advice is welcome(I didn't want to create separate thread for this).

Edited September 9, 2022 by Breeks
Didn't want to create new thread

garagerog · August 26, 2022

For those interested, Guns and Ammo is pretty much the ultimate guide to anything related to shooting. For example their search engine lists over 20,000 results for 1894 Winchester .30-30. I wouldn't trust Wikipedia for accurate information regarding something that could be potentially dangerous to you or others such as a firearm.

orborneee · October 5, 2023

I’d had my heart set on a shiny new semi-automatic .30-06, a sleek and sexy grown-up gun, to tote in the woods, one with a high-class scope. I thought that was the kind of firearm that would turn heads at the gun range and the checking station, the kind of hunting rifle that said, “Now, that’s a serious deer hunter.”

Super Mario

Edited October 5, 2023 by orborneee