Matched Pair Winchester Model 94 John Wayne .32-40 1 of 300 Lever Action Rifles, Box, Scabbard & Case

Sold For: $6,275.00

LSB#: 170415MH10 & 170415MH11

Make: Winchester

Model: 94 John Wayne Commemorative Carbine

Serial Number: JWM167; JWDM167

Year of Manufacture: 1981, These rifles are on the C&R Roster.

Caliber: .32-40 Winchester

Action Type: Lever Action with Full Length Tubular Magazine and Large Loop Lever

Markings: The left side of the barrel is marked “WINCHESTER MODEL 94 32-40 WIN. / MADE IN NEW HAVEN, CONN. U.S.A. WINCHESTER PROOF STEEL”. The top of the barrel is marked with a “WP” proof. The right side of the barrel is marked “One of Three Hundred” with “In The White” lettering on MH10 and gold lettering on MH11. The sides of the receiver are scroll engraved and with scenes from his movies. The titles of many of his western movies are engraved around the border and John Wayne’s signature is engraved on the upper tang. The underside of the receiver is marked “JWM167” on MH10 and “JWDM167” on MH11.

Barrel Length: 18 ½”

Sights / Optics: The carbines are mounted with a full buckhorn rear elevator sight mounted in a dovetail. The sights have an insert that is reversible to use either a “U” notch or a “V” notch, and there is a white diamond in the center of the insert to provide a quick aiming point. On MH10, the front sight is a blade dovetailed into the top of the barrel. On MH11, the front sight is a brass bead mounted in a dovetail in the top of the barrel.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are checkered walnut with a blued carbine style buttplate, straight grip and a forend held with a single barrel band. The LOP measures 13 1/2? from the front of the trigger to the back of the butt plate. MH10: The stocks have an oiled finish with a burl pattern to the dark walnut. There is a French gray (pewter colored) medallion with a picture of John Wayne and marked with his name on the right side of the buttstock. There are tiny light colored dots in two different spots on the left side of the buttstock, with a few more tiny dots scattered over the belly. The dots are actually slightly raised and we have no idea what could have caused this. There are no handling marks in the stock that we could find. The checkering in the forend is sharp and in the wrist is shows very light wear, with no mars in either areas. The buttplate shows only very light swirl marks from polishing. The buttplate is in Excellent condition. The stocks rate in about Fine Plus condition. MH11: The stocks have a lacquered finish over a fancy walnut with a fiddleback pattern in the buttstock. The checkering has smooth Fleur-di-lis patterns at the front and rear of the checkering. There is an Antique Gold medallion with a picture of John Wayne and marked with his name on the right side of the buttstock. There is a shallow ding on the left side of the buttstock near the comb, a few light handling marks on the left side near the belly, and a few tiny dings in the belly. The checkering is sharp and without mars. The buttplate shows two very light marks near the toe, and is in about Excellent condition. The stocks rate in about Fine Plus condition.

Type of Finish: The barrel, magazine tube, loading gate, trigger, buttplate, saddle ring and hammer are blued. MH10: the receiver, barrel bands and lever have a French gray finish. MH11: the receiver, barrel bands and lever have an Antique Gold finish.

Finish Originality: All Original

Bore Condition: The bores are bright and the rifling is sharp and deep. There is no erosion.

Overall Condition: MH10: This rifle retains about 99% of its metal finish. There is a light mark on the left side of the magazine tube, a tiny nick on the bottom right shoulder of the receiver, and a light mark at the left front shoulder of the receiver. There is a very light drag line and swirl marks from polishing in the trigger guard. The screw heads are sharp and the markings are clear. Overall, this rifle rates in about Excellent condition. MH11: This rifle retains about 99+% of its metal finish. There are no marks in the finish that we could find. The screw heads are sharp and the markings are clear. Overall, this rifle rates in about Excellent condition.

Mechanics: The actions function correctly. These rifles have a large lever loop with a lever safety. The trigger pull is crisp. We did not fire these rifles. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: These rifles come with their original factory boxes, paperwork, a wooden display case and a leather scabbard. The boxes are Styrofoam inside cardboard sleeves, which are enclosed in a brown cardboard shipping box. The Styrofoam boxes are fitted for the rifles and each has an end panel which correctly describes the make, model, caliber and serial number of the rifle. The boxes show slight wear where the hammer rubs, and both are in about Excellent condition. The sides of the sleeves are marked “Winchester Model 94 Commemorative”, with a signature of John Wayne in the center. The sleeves show colored pictures of John Wayne and scenes from his movies. MH10: The sleeve shows slight fraying around the left edges. The sleeve rates in about Excellent condition. MH11: The sleeve shows no wear worth mentioning, and is in Excellent condition. The shipping boxes each have a label on one of their end panels correctly describing the make, model, caliber and serial number of the rifle. The boxes show slight fraying on their edges and remnants of both clear shipping tape and paper tape on the opened end. The shipping boxes are in Fine Plus condition. The paperwork consists of two Owner’s Manuals, each with photograph of John Wayne on the cover, two lists of authorized service centers, two small information sheets on the rifle, a Winchester Hunter’s Pocket Guide and two Winchester Warranty sheets. All of the paperwork is in Excellent condition except for one of the manuals that has been rolled-up, which is in Very Good condition. Two small leather thongs in unused condition for use with the saddle rings are also included. The display case is a large heavy dark walnut case, approximately 41 ½” X 15”. The top half of the case is hinged to the bottom with a full length hinge and there are three brass clasps on the other side to secure the lid. There is a small brass plate in the center of the lid with a replica of John Wayne’s signature on it. The inside of the case is fitted for two rifles and is lined with blue velvet. The inside of the lid is cut-out in a diamond pattern, displaying the Winchester logo, “Winchester”, John Wayne’s signature, “MATCHED SET” and “One of / Three Hundred”. The inside of the case shows no damage. The outside of the lid shows a drag line, a few light marks, several dings along the back edge and a few spots of thinning on its edges. There are also a few light marks on the sides of the case. The bottom is covered with brown felt. The case is in about Fine Plus condition. The scabbard is marked with the Winchester Logo, and “Winchester / MODEL 94 / JOHN WAYNE COMMEMORATIVE”. There is a John Bianchi makers mark on the inside surface near the toe. The leather of the scabbard is folded over at the front and stitched around its back edge with straw colored stitching that complements the reddish brown finish of the leather. There are two leather straps attached with chrome plated buckles for securing the scabbard to a saddle. The scabbard shows a few light scuff marks on each side and is in about Fine Plus condition.

Our Assessment: John Wayne stood larger than life on the silver screen as just as tall in real life. During his long career, he appears in more than 150 films and audiences around the world recognized him as the one man who best represented the patriotic spirit of America. More than 25 years after his death, John Wayne still ranks among the top 10 most popular movie stars in the annual Harris Poll and his movies continue to be viewed by millions of Americans, ensuring his status as a legendary American icon. John Wayne’s commemorative rifles and pistols have become almost as iconic as the man himself and themselves among the most collected of the Commemoratives, and maybe THE most collected. This is a matched pair of Winchester 94’s in .32-40 Win., both having the large lever loop that was synonymous with John Wayne. One is finished in French Gray and blue, and the other in Antique Gold and blue, and both feature scenes from his movies engraved on the receiver. This is a matched pair, 1 of 300 sets, that includes their original boxes, preserved in their original shipping boxes, a beautiful walnut case to keep the rifles in and a leather scabbard made by the renowned leather maker John Bianchi. The rifles are in Excellent condition, with only a few light handling marks, and the wood is beautiful, especially on the deluxe rifle (MH11), so please see our pictures! You might never find another complete set, as there were only 300 made and people aren’t going to want to part with them, and you will surely not find one as nicely preserved.