winchester 94 pricing

[93-2.3]

Asking this to help a guy at work he has what he thinks is a mid 70's winchester 94 I don't know the sn but it has a plastic butt pad so its definitely a post 64 if I have read right. Anyway rifle is in if say about 90% shape no scrapes dings or finish wear but has like 5 small surface rust specs that hopps should take off no problem. He thinks round count is like 80 any rough idea for value

[red dog]

do not know the book price. i normally do not pay more than 200-250 for used lever actions. does not matter if it is a winchester or marlin ect.

[Noah_Zark]

The LEAST desirable Model 94s are those made from 64 to about 1972. They represent the timeframe of 94 when the most content was taken out, and before some content was put back in for improved functionality.

For example, during this time the cartridge follower/lifter was made of stamped steel. They are known for distorting and then not feeding cartridges properly. Many owners have taken to replacing them with wrought lifters or sintered powdered metal lifters, both of which are equally dimensionally stable compared to the stamped lifter.

The sintered powdered metal receivers were introduced in 1964, and they were inexperienced with the process at the time w.r.t. finishing the metal. P/M is porous, and it soaked up blueing solution like a sponge. Then the blueing chemical would seep back out of the porous P/M receiver and literally "eat" away the blued finish. The fix, years later, was to vacuum impregnate the receiver porosity with first silicate and later methacrylate resin to reduce the porosity and the "take up" of blueing chemical. The brownish or outright "rusty" receivers on POST-64 Model 94s owe their "patina" to P/M porosity.

Finally, there's a growing interest among some Winchester collectors to have Post-64 specimens represented in their collections. This isn't widespread, and most dyed-in-the-wool rabid Winchester collectors refuse to recognize anything since 1964, but some collectors are interested in picking up excellent condition representative Post-64 specimens to "complete" their collections.

That said, retail value on a VG-Ex late 1960s Model 94 is $200-$250, maybe $275 but they don't sell fast at that point. The specimen must not have a "brown" receiver to get these prices. Dealers give from $100 to $125 for such guns, unless they know someone they can flip it to quickly, and they might go $150.

Best of luck,

Noah