Antique Winchester Model 1894 .38-55 26″ Octagon Lever Action Rifle
SOLD FOR: $2,800.77
LSB#: LSB260823XX001
Make: Winchester
Model: 1894
Serial Number: 5113
Year of Manufacture: 1895 / Antique
Caliber: .38-55 Winchester
Action Type: Lever Action Rifle with Full-Length Tubular Magazine
Markings: The serial number “5113” is marked on the bottom of the receiver. The top of the barrel is marked “Manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Co New Haven Conn. U.S.A.” . The top tang is marked ” Model 1894 Winchester”
Barrel Length: 26″ Octagonal
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a beaded blade dovetailed to the barrel. The rear sight is a folding V-notch leaf dovetailed to the barrel. The top tang is mounted with a folding aperture sight.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece smooth wood with a straight wrist, straight comb, and steel crescent buttplate. The stocks show scattered compression marks along with handling and operational wear. There are no chips or cracks. The LOP measures 13″ from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The stocks rate in about Very Good condition as Antique.
Type of Finish: Blued
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is semi-bright and the rifling is sharp. There is erosion in the bore. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates 7/10.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 30% of its original metal finish. The balance has gone to patina with scattered freckling and light corrosion. There is additional handling and operational wear consistent with the rifle’s age and use. The markings remain legible. Overall, this rifle rates in about Very Good condition as Antique.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This rifle includes a Show Search Form from the Cody Firearms Museum Records Office.
Our Assessment: The Winchester Model 1894 is one of John Browning’s most enduring lever-action designs, and this example comes from the model’s exceptionally early production period. The .38-55 was one of the Model 1894’s original chamberings, introduced with the rifle in 1894 before the later arrival of the .25-35 and .30 W.C.F. smokeless cartridges. Serial number 5113 places this rifle in 1895 production according to surviving Winchester factory serialization records, making it a very early example of what would become one of Winchester’s most successful designs. Its classic 26″ octagonal barrel, straight-grip stocks, crescent buttplate, and .38-55 chambering give it the quintessential configuration of an early Model 1894 sporting rifle.
This rifle remains in Very Good condition as an Antique, retaining approximately 30% of its original finish with the balance displaying an attractive age-earned patina, freckling, and light corrosion. The stocks remain notably solid with no chips or cracks, and the semi-bright bore retains sharp rifling, rating 7/10 in this writer’s opinion. The folding tang aperture sight adds to its traditional period sporting configuration, while the included Cody Firearms Museum Records Office Show Search Form provides desirable supporting documentation for this exceptionally early Winchester. Please see our photos for a better understanding of the condition and good luck with your bids!-C.M.