Win 94 in 45 colt price check

[Antihero]

What would you expect to pay for a used 94 in 45 colt?

Also what would be the used value of a Marlin 336CS in 30-30 in very good condition?

 

[Father Knows Best]

For the Winny 94, about $20. But that's just because I think the Winchester 94 is a horrible rifle when chambered for pistol length cartridges. It's a great rifle in 30-30 (which it was designed for) but is clunky and jam-prone with the shorter rounds. If you want a pistol caliber lever action, get a Marlin 1894 or one of the excellent Winchester 1892 replicas. That said(tm), good used Winchester 94's in 45 Colt sell for around $200 to $250 around here.

The Marlin 336CS is worth a little more, say $300-350 depending on condition. It's an excellent rifle.

 

[Antihero]

Ive always thought the 1894 Marlin was fugly, and i have read that they dont stabilize heavier bullets in 44 mag. I dont know if its the same in 45 colt though.

I didnt know that 1892 were safe with heavier loads, so ill start looking at them, though i feel kinda stupid that i didnt know that.

 

[Father Knows Best]

The 1892 Winchester is a rock solid design that will handle the heaviest loads imaginable. It's a John Browning design, and uses dual locking lugs. You probably were thinking of the 1873 Winchester, which used a toggle link action based on the old Smith & Wesson "Volcanic" patents. It is indeed a very weak action, and can't handle heavy loads. Its replacement was the Browning-designed 1892 Winchester, which was also a lot lighter.

The 1892 Winchester was designed specifically for pistol length cartridges (in fact, it's really just a scaled down 1886 Winchester). Two years later, Winchester introduced the model 1894. The 1894 is similar to the 1892, but it has a longer action designed for the 30-30 and similar length cartridges. The 1892 and 1894 were sold side by side for many decades, with the 1892 chambered for cartridges like the .44-40 and later the .44 Magnum, while the 1894 handled the .30-30 and other "rifle" cartridges. The 1873 was gradually phased out, as it offered no real advantage over the much stronger and lighter 1892.

Eventually, Winchester stopped offering the 1892 also, and the 1894 was adapted for the shorter and fatter .44 Magnum and .45 Colt cartridges. It was not a good adaptation, and has never worked well.

The 1894 Marlin, on the other hand, is like the 1892 Winchester in that it was designed specifically for pistol cartridges, and as a result handles them very well. It is every bit as strong as the Winchester 1892, and much smoother and more reliable than the Winchester 94. It's also still made today, and plenty of Marlin 1894's are available at reasonable prices.

The 1892 Winchester has been out of production by Winchester for a long time. There are lots of good repros out there, though. Probably the best were made by Miroku (Japan), and have been sold as the Browning B-92 and as special "limited edition" Winchesters in recent years. The Rossi company (Brazil) makes some pretty good and inexpensive Winchester 1892 clones, too, and more recently an Italian company (Armi Sport, I think) has been making them.