Winchester 94 Build 38-55


.22LR
Posts: 23
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:01 am
PostPosted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 9:29 am
Well, its been a long time coming. I have been roughly working on this rifle for almost a year now. Someone locally was selling a Winchester 94 20" carbine 30-30 which was made in 1979. Since it was born the same year I was....I figured it would make a nice project. I had been wanting a 38-55 so that is the route I decided to take.

The original rifle had no finish on it and was missing the front band. The metal was rough in some places so I had plenty metal prep to do.

I went ahead and ordered a 26" octagon barrel in 38-55 along with the magazine tube.

I ordered a stock set off of eBay (Mistake). It was very rough fitting and my lack of woodworking skill really did a number on the stock. I sent it to a friend here and he said it could be saved but would be ugly.....Then we found out the forearm was not the right one. So......a complete waste of money on the wood.

For the receiver I was going to send it off for Color Case Hardening but then decided I would go with a worn look for this build instead.

The rifle sat dormant for months as I did other things but recently I decided to start working on it some more in my free time....what little I have. I was ordering me some parts from Numrich and seen they had a buttstock like I wanted. I jumped on it because I was having a hard time finding curved buttplate stocks for a post 64 94.

This thread will hopefully show the progression of this build. Its still a ways from being finished. Need the barrel installed and headspaced and then I will order the forearm when I measure and see just what length I need.

Anyways....here are a few pics. Still have some metal work left to do to get the gun to have the look I want but maybe you can get the idea. Also, I will be working with the stock once I get the forearm to get it to look like the gun has been used.

Here is when I first got the gun;

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The first stock set I purchased and could not make work. The buttstock was so far out of spec in different places that I (being limited in stock making skills) could not make it work.

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After a little work;

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Finally decided to do some real work on it at the push of a friend who wanted to see this rifle make some progress.

Got the metal ready to finish then I ordered some Van's Instant Gun Blue and when it arrived I blued the rifle parts that needed to be blued. Then I rubbed some of it off and added some Plum Brown to give it a more of a worn appearance. The barrel and magazine was already blued when I got it so I sanded down some spots and added some of the plum brown. You really have to keep it oiled at first or the Plum brown will take over and create the "rust" or "powder" feel.

Receiver was put back together and then photographed.

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Barrel is on and headspaced. The vise rubbed off some of the finish which I think I like. (Remember I will be going for a worn look)
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Now that the barrel is on and headspaced I can measure for the forend to hopefully get the right length this time.

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Note that the magazine tube is still not cut.

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Now the Magazine tube has been cut to size and fitted to the rifle.

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Hope you guys dont mind the progress pics. I had this on another forum before I knew this one existed. Figured I would post it here also.

I have the rest of the parts ordered. Some I have had to re-order because they did not fit or were otherwise wrong. Its been a learning experience but a fun one.

Forend should be here soon and I sure hope it fits. Eventually I will put a Tang sight it as well as a Lyman 17 Globe sight up front.

I will also be Doctoring up the wood once I get the rest done. I will give it an older look also but I want to get the forend in and do it all at the same time.

.270 WIN
Posts: 134
Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2011 10:26 pm
Location: North Central Montana
PostPosted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 10:46 am
Really nice work and it is fun to tackle these types of projects; congratulations!!
I have a thread here on a M94 38-55 Angle eject that I did about 10 years ago. One of these days I'll figure out how to get some pictures up.
Once again, thanks for the pics and story.
Welcome to the board.
One question just came to me. Do you cast bullets and handload for 38-55???

.22LR
Posts: 23
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:01 am
PostPosted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 1:01 pm
MMCSRET wrote:Really nice work and it is fun to tackle these types of projects; congratulations!!
I have a thread here on a M94 38-55 Angle eject that I did about 10 years ago. One of these days I'll figure out how to get some pictures up.
Once again, thanks for the pics and story.
Welcome to the board.
One question just came to me. Do you cast bullets and handload for 38-55???



Right now I do not. I am planning on doing so. I have a friend up north who does and will be sending me some bullets that he casts. He has been doing it a while.

I am set up to reload but right now the only calibers I do is 45 Colt, .357 and .38spl since those are the ones I shoot the most of.

I'll be buying me some 38-55 dies real soon. I have a few boxes of ammo that I will shoot but I first wanted to get the rifle done and then I will reload for it.

.270 WIN
Posts: 134
Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2011 10:26 pm
Location: North Central Montana
PostPosted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 2:02 pm
Just a suggestion. Lyman dies with the "M" die make loading for the old cartridge much easier. I tried several different brands and found that for cast the Lyman works best. I have never fired a factory round or a jacketed bullet thru my gun. It will do the 265 gr. Lyman 375449 gas checked and chronoed at 1800 FPS 12' from the muzzle. Accuracy was truly impressive right from the first round fired.
PostPosted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 5:36 pm
Awesome refinishing job Rube...well done.

I really think you did an excellent job...+1 reputation point for the fine work !!

.22LR
Posts: 23
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:01 am
PostPosted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 8:34 pm
MMCSRET wrote:Just a suggestion. Lyman dies with the "M" die make loading for the old cartridge much easier. I tried several different brands and found that for cast the Lyman works best. I have never fired a factory round or a jacketed bullet thru my gun. It will do the 265 gr. Lyman 375449 gas checked and chronoed at 1800 FPS 12' from the muzzle. Accuracy was truly impressive right from the first round fired.



Thanks for the info. I will look into those.

.22LR
Posts: 23
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:01 am
PostPosted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 8:35 pm
SHOOTER13 wrote:Awesome refinishing job Rube...well done.

I really think you did an excellent job...+1 reputation point for the fine work !!



Thanks Shooter13. Im sure you know but the metal used in those receivers is not the best metal and its hard to get a finish on them.

.22LR
Posts: 23
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:01 am
PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 8:09 pm
Well its starting to come along now.

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Eventually I will be refinishing the wood of course.

The forend cap, tenon and tenon screws dont fit right. They are from VTI. I am now looking for original Winchester parts. If you have any of those three parts please let me know.
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Posts: 836
Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2011 5:23 pm
Location: New York
PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 8:34 pm
that is a really beautiful gun, thanks for sharing :D

.270 WIN
Posts: 449
Joined: Sun Sep 11, 2011 1:09 pm
PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 8:26 am
Nice thanks for sharing, I'm doing the same for a 1975 Marlin 444S
"Im just a Peckerwood who lives in the hills with too many guns"

.22LR
Posts: 23
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2012 10:01 am
PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 9:31 am
Thanks Stags30 and Gunner_D.

Its been a fun project and great learning experience. I have spent a little more than I expected due to some parts not working as I thought they would but hey.....maybe they will work somewhere on a later build.

.22LR
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Dec 14, 2011 6:29 pm
PostPosted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 8:07 pm
.

Hey Rube,

You will save yourself a lot of grief if you go with the RCBS Cowboy dies. They are about $60 but well worth it. Standard seating dies from all the die makers will resize your cast bullet to about .377. If you want to shoot larger diameter such as .379 or .380 bullets the seating die will not permit it.

I ordered my fore end cap and screws from Brownell's or Gun Parts and they fit.

.

.270 WIN
Posts: 134
Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2011 10:26 pm
Location: North Central Montana
PostPosted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 9:34 pm
Not true, my Lyman dies work very well with my .379 bullets using Winchester virgin cases. I have seated bullets as large as .382 for use in a first year production, 3 digit SN, Model 1894 in 38-55. The Lyman dies are and have always been designed to handle the cast bullets. That is what Lyman/Ideal was doing long before RCBS was a gleam in someone's eye.

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