I have my Dad's old 94 with a bit of surface rust. The gun was made in the 50's. My temptation is to have it refinished to look brand spankin' new, but the hard core guys tell me to leave it as is? Is this gun going to be collectible in my lifetime, or should I just make it pretty and enjoy it while I have it? I know this is a controversial and ultimately personal choice, but I'd like to have some opinions, as the gun is currently up in Missouri being evaluated by Nu-Line for and estimate to "restore" it.

Your trying to answer question number 2, but have alluded to question number 1 in your post. The real question is: Do you want the gun as a collectible or as a functional tool?

If the answer to 1 is "collectible," then proceed to question 2. If you just want a shooter/hunter, do whatever your heart desires.

For me, rifles are for shooting. So, if it performs that task safely and to my expectations, I'd leave it as is, regardless of appearance. That's just me, though.

RSY

DT:

The choice is, as you said, up to you. It’s YOUR gun. If you want to have it chrome plated and inlays on the stock go at it. That’s your choice.

That said, if the rifle were my dad’s and it only had some light surface rust on it, I would clean the surface rust as much as possible. Clean up the stock and put a little linseed oil on it and go shoot it/use it/have fun with it. The 50 odd years of honest scars do nothing but add a little character to the rifle. I’m sure if it could talk, it would tell you some stories about your dad.

Does the rifle have collector value? I’m sure you already know that Pre-64’s all have SOME collector value.

I’m kinda middle of the road when it comes to those refurbishments. To illustrate, some years ago I ran across a 1940 ’94 in 30-30 with the Eastern Carbine buttstock, at a gun show. The rifle had light to medium surface pitting all over the barrel and receiver. It had sat for years in the rafters of a north woods hunting camp and used as a ‘loaner’ or a backup…… “Rode hard and put away wet”, (which explained the pitting). The wood was passable. The bore looked ok……later turned out to be pristine(don’t ask me how)! The dealer wanted $175. It was worth that much in parts. Went back the following day and it was still there! Wound up trading even up plus $10, a post 64 Winnie in 30-30, that I had refinished the stock on(lots of flash and trash). While I’m standing there completing the trade, somebody comes along and buys the gun I traded in! This pre-64 sets on a table for two days going begging and in ten minutes the ‘flash and trash’ is gone……go figure!

What to do with the new rifle? Unlike your dad’s, which has some sentimental value, mine had already been drilled and tapped for a long gone Williams side scope mount and Williams receiver sight, which had destroyed most of its collector value. The pitting didn’t help either. So I drawfiled most of the pits out of the barrel and receiver, sent it out and had it bead blasted and blued. The bead blasting did a lot to hide what was left of the pitting. I refinished the stock and now have a nice ‘shooter’ that I’m not afraid to use.

Anyhow as Grandpap used to say……”Ya pays yer muney and ya takes yer choice”

I have a 52 eastern carbine that had been in a pickup rack it's whole life by the looks of it. I cleaned the stock up and applied a good coat of linseed oil followed with a local wood product. I treated the scratches with cold blue, not as effective as hot. Didn't do any sanding or such, there was no pitting, just the magazine tube in particular was scratched and I wanted to tone down the obvious bright metal, as well as prevent future rust.

So I ruined the collector's value. I like the rifle very much, it is accurate, and I've two loads for it, a large game and a small game with pistol powder. It looks nice in an honest way, not factory new, and the oil finish is easy to maintain. Being pre 64, it is well built and does not have any dangerous safety devices that would encourage improper handling.

I have a 52 eastern carbine that had been in a pickup rack it's whole life by the looks of it. I cleaned the stock up and applied a good coat of linseed oil followed with a local wood product. I treated the scratches with cold blue, not as effective as hot. Didn't do any sanding or such, there was no pitting, just the magazine tube in particular was scratched and I wanted to tone down the obvious bright metal, as well as prevent future rust.

So I ruined the collector's value. I like the rifle very much, it is accurate, and I've two loads for it, a large game and a small game with pistol powder. It looks nice in an honest way, not factory new, and the oil finish is easy to maintain. Being pre 64, it is well built and does not have any dangerous safety devices that would encourage improper handling.
Well other than maybe a little oil on the stock, my vote would be to leave it as your Dad had it. That way you will be remember you father when you pick it up and he will always be with you.

No gun will ever be worth a million bucks, and you'll never sell one to retire. It's your/dads gun, if you want it nice go for it!

One other thing, if you do refinish it, it will no longer be your dad's gun.



No gun will ever be worth a million bucks

Sorry, but there are a number of them.

To be sure I did not intend to advocate either way, just tell what i had done as the guy above did, and of course mine was not a family piece.

Someday I will find a butt for my father's old 410, and will replace the broken butt and bent stock bolt. It will still be my father's gun to me.

You'd be amazed what urban dwellers are paying these days for old and battered 30-30 Winchesters. Before spending anything on finish you should look into the idea of selling your oldy and buying a new Legacy with change left over.

Strikes me as amazing that the number one production rifle in Winchester's history is considered a collectors item. They're as common as mice in a barn and can found at nearly any shop in North America.
TR

You'd be amazed what urban dwellers are paying these days for old and battered 30-30 Winchesters.
TR

one man's junk is another man's treasure...

I found these old boots in a draw near Bosler, bet their Tom Horn's, I'll be putting them on ebay soon. Cow dung and all.

lol

Make the gun yours. Have it finished/refinished, looking bright and pretty - what good is an old gun if nobody appreciates it for it's purpose?

Shoot it often and think of "dad".

Strikes me as amazing that the number one production rifle in Winchester's history is considered a collectors item.

The difference is in pre & post 1964 models.
Out of nearly 8 million Winchester model '94s made, only 2,600,011 of them are pre-64.
Those are the ones considered collectors items.

lago,

Does your Winchester have the post & blade front sight, carbine flip up reat sight and carbine buttstock (has to have these to be termed an Eastern carbine)? By 1952 it should have the ramped & hooded front sight and the shotgun style buttstock. Eastern carbines are rare after the late 1930's.

Top one is a 1927 SRC, bottom a true 1931 Eastern Carbine

http://www.gunpix.com/gallery/Rifles/Lever_Actions/27_31.jpg

Haven't found any amount of good "honest" wear to bothe me at all....can be shinny as it wants to be without a though to refinishing so long as it is'nt abuse type wear (barrels are not made to hold down barbed wirre, pull wire stables, or club things). All I ask is good internal components, without wear or abuse, and I'll just keep her oiled and protected as best I can.

If I wanted a new looking rifle, I'd have bought one. The two pictured by DLS wouldn't bother me in the least...that's honest wear, and they wear it with some pride of use.

DLS,

My apologies, mine is as you describe(ramped and hooded, shotgun butt). Somewhere I heard them referred to as 'Eastern carbines' and not worth as much lacking a saddle ring,etc. However your picture clarifies things considerably as to the origin of the term. Which I will desist from using now in reference to my 52.

Obviously I'm not a collector. Thank you though for the history, it is appreciated. Nice rifles you have.

lago

lago,

No apologies necessary sir, the wife says I can be rather anal retentive. ;)

Thanks for the kind words.

The answer to the question is yes! I think it is a sin. I now posess my grandfather's 1943 Winnie that went through my father first and has now found me. My grandfather won it in a $1 raffle when he came back from The War. Of all the guns I own, some well over the $1,000 mark, it is the one that I would most hate to see stolen or damaged. All the others are just guns that can be replaced. My grandfather's rifle cannot.

There are two types of gun owners..

Those that do it for the heritage and don't care what their old 30-30 looks like, and those that own prestine guns with all the new bells and whistles.

I guess I'm just the prior.

Bill C.