Pennsylvania Game News - September 2017 - 63

Even though this worked reasonably
well, it was costly - and somewhat
unappealing because it ruined the riﬂe's
originality.
This is where Marlin took the lead
with its side-ejector, which could
accommodate a scope right over the
bore.
From the 1960s to 1980s, Winchester
came out with many Model 94 commemorative series, mainly chambered
in .30-30 Winchester, but also in .32-40
WCF, .38-55 WCF and .32 Winchester
Special.
In 1978, Winchester also tried to
increase Model 94 interest by introducing the "Big Bore" version, chambered
in the new .375 Winchester cartridge.
The rear of the receiver was thickened
to reinforce the action and handle the
increased pressure of the .375, 200-grain
bullet,which ﬂew more than 2,200 fps;
as well as a 250-grain slug that traveled
1,950 fps.
Then in 1982, Winchester took that
same receiver and redesigned it for
"angle ejection," which threw an empty
case off to the right, and the company
drilled and tapped the top of the receiver
to allow a scope to be mounted over the
bore without drilling and tapping.
Winchester also added two new highvelocity rimmed cartridges - the .307
Winchester and the .356 Winchester.
These were designed, respectively,
to duplicate the ballistics of the rimless
.308 Winchester and the .358 Winchester
cartridges.

Newer Models
In 1984, Winchester chambered the
Model 94 in the 7-30 Waters, which
threw a 7mm, 120-grain bullet at 2,700
fps; and a 139-grain bullet at 2,550 fps.
This was presented as the best allSEPTEMBER
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around lever-action cartridge, but it
lasted fewer than 13 years.
Since the late 1980s, the Model 94
has remained an angle-ejector to allow
scope mounting and chambered in only
the .30-30 Winchester cartridge.
When Cowboy Action Shooting
became popular, Winchester chambered
the Model 94 in pistol cartridges, such
as the .357 magnum, .44 magnum, .45
Long Colt, 38-40 WCF and .44-40
WCF. It also was chambered in the .410
shotshell.
Sometime in the 1990s, Winchester
tried to make the Model 94 safer
by replacing the hammer half-cock
safety with an inertia-driven, rebounding hammer. The new design had an
extension on the trigger that blocks the
hammer from going forward at full rest.
A little later, the company added a
cross-bolt safety through the receiver.
Then, the cross-bolt design was replaced
by a sliding tang safety that returned the
receiver to its original lines.
By 2006, Winchester closed its doors
in New Haven, Conn.
Browning in 2010 resumed production of the Model 94 with Miroku in
Japan.
The Miroku-built Model 94 comes in
four different versions - carbine, short
riﬂe, takedown and sporter - chambered
in .30-30 Winchester and .38-55 Winchester. There's also talk of bringing
back the "Big Bore" model chambered
in the .450 Marlin.
Through shooting and handling
today's Model 94, I have found they are
well-made, accurate, and still have those
attributes that made them so popular
more than a century ago.
And they sport a couple improvements, as well. Pick one up and I think
you'd agree.
633
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