I ran across a used 94 in 30-30 (don't know the age) for $200 at a local shop. I am used to 336 Marlins and have never shot a 94. I worked the lever and it seemed very loose and it felt like you needed to get a little rough with it to get it to cycle. I think a person could get it a little cheaper than that if it were worth it. I am not familiar with the Model 94 and didn't know if what I described was normal and easily fixed or of no concern, or if it was a sign of bad things to come and I should run. I was also curious if one could have a scope mounted since they eject out of the top. Thanks for the help.

I would grab it. I just picked up one of the new Mossberg Leveractions great gun, but I would still pick the 94 up. As for the scope mount you can use a side mount if it is a top flinger, but if it is the AE that ejects out the side just use a regular mount. You can also use a scout mount.

I have a top eject Win'94,and like it a lot.
I have a Leupold Vari X 2 scope;1x-4x power on it.with a Williams offset mount.
The scope is offset to the left.
Frank

Thanks for the help. My brother and I are going to a gun show tomorrow and have a look around. If we don't do any good, I may go back to town after work later this week and see how well cash in hand talks. Maybe $150???? :D

They're just made to be smacked around a bit. That rough lever is normal. For $200, you oughta buy it. OR just give me their number.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c146/rushmoreman/Kforkybuck-1.jpg

This my daughter's first buck. This muley was approx 300 lbs but toppled over from one 170 grain soft tip through the chest. Distance was approx 120 yards or so. No exit wound. The big buck absorbed the full energy of this bullet.

The photo doesn't show it well, but carbine is the 94 Legacy from mid 1990's. Easily one of the best deer hunting rifles of all time. AE feature allows easy scope mounting.

TR

The Model 94 is DESIGNED to be loose. Ever hunted thru an ice storm? Just shake it a bit and the ice falls free. Ever been thru a sandstorm? Blow it out of the action. Marlins are fine guns but you can't take one thru the "stuff" I've taken a 94 thru. The 94 will work all the time, every time, no matter the weather or terrain or conditions. That's the beauty of it. Six and a half million made and used. That's the reason. I put a scope on one of mine ... a Williams sidemount. Took it off after one season. Kept trying to sight thru the scope, then the irons, and back and forth. If I found one for $200 I'd buy it, no questions asked. In the 50 years I've hunted with one I've never been disappointed. Three elk, one moose and a wholelottagobbabunch of deer, both Muleys and Whitetail. Yeah, BUY IT.

Yes, the feel of the 94 and the 336 are distinctly different. The 94 feels a bit loose and all the guts fall out of the bottom every time the action is worked, but that's perfectly normal. If I saw a decent one for $200 or less I'd certainly snap it up. It can be scoped with a side mount, but I don't care for them. To me, it ruins the fine balance of the gun, and it adds an additional challenge to long range shooting. Since the scope is slightly off to the side, you are truly zeroed only at one range for both elevation AND windage. Short of that range, you're a bit off to the left. Beyond that range you're increasingly off to the right. It's of small consequence at typical hunting ranges, but it is real. The top-eject 94s I've owned have worn iron sights.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again; Optics on a levergun are an abomination!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again; Optics on a levergun are an abomination!


I certainly agree with you in spirit, but I'll concede that some folks don't have the eyesight to use any sort of iron sights. In that case, my recommendation would be to get a later 94 with Angle Eject, or a Marlin 336, and keep the scope as compact as possible.

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My eyes are about as bad as anyone's so I use aperture sights and they work very well for old eyes.

And I agree, an angle eject or Marlin 336 with a 2.5 or 3x scope works well, but don't mount a scope on the older Winchesters that require drilling holes. It's un-American.

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My eyes are about as bad as anyone's so I use aperture sights and they work very well for old eyes. It's pretty tough if you wear bifocals. But I still haven't put a scope on the 94. My other levers all have them for hunting though .

It's pretty tough if you wear bifocals. But I still haven't put a scope on the 94. My other levers all have them for hunting though .

I DO wear bifocals. That's the reason the Aperture sights work better. It's the same as a camera lens, depth of field increases with smaller apertures. Smaller apretures being the aperture sight on a rifle, it causes the sights to come into clear focus. That is the front sight is in focus, the back sight(aperture) dosen't matter. So, instead of try to get three planes into focus (back sight, front sight, and target) , you only have two with the aperture sight (front sight and target).


.:)