Call it a failed experiment... Model 94 no good for deer(for me)

[Hokkmike]

Bought a very nice looking Winchester Model 94 (1953) in .32 WS a while back. Love the cowboy look and nostalgic Americana-feel of it. But, as it turns out for me - it was an impractical idea to use for deer hunting. My 70 year old eyes were not able to adjust to and use the original iron sights. I then added Williams Fire Sights, better - but not close enough. I could have added a peep sight or scope but, A.- I don't want to ruin the gun with drilling, and B.- Such an add-on ruins the appeal of the gun to me. This, and recently I had my rigger pull weighed and it came it a scary one pound - too light, too light.

It is back to a scoped bolt action rifle for me. A while back, my wife with some good advice, from I am not sure who, bought me a Leupold Vari-X III 3.5x10 40mm. It is going back in the field with me next year.

Never too old to screw up - never too old to learn.

 

[HPJeep]

Look at the positive side. You now have a cool old 1894 to do some informal plinking at threatening Coke cans!

 

[Legionnaire]

Never too old to screw up - never too old to learn.

That's a good outlook. You have a couple years on me, but I gave up on lever guns some years back, for much the same reason. I had Marlin 1894s and putting scopes on them just didn't look right. If one is going to scope a hunting rifle, it might as well be a nice bolt action for the range it offers.

 

[792mauser]

Couldn't keep the Cabelas 3x9x40 on my Marlin 1895cb, it looked so wrong.
So whatdda I do but put a tang sight on her. And then promptly scratched the daylights outta my glasses with em, using my full powered loads.

They're still on her but she's now a cast bullet and trailboss shooter.

 

[CraigC]

It should already be drilled and tapped for a receiver sight. Never thought they "ruined the appeal", only added to it.

 

[cdb1]

Well I don’t want to be shunned but I’m not taking the scope off of my Marlin 336.

 

[Hookeye]

Leupold 3.5-10X...........whats on my Steyr .30-06.

Nice gift ya got............time to put it to good use

 

[Hookeye]

If you want a lever and need a scope, Marlin or a Sav 99.
Winchesters get a peep.

 

[natman]

I have the same problem. My eyes aren't flexible enough anymore to switch back and forth from the target to the sights like they used to. So I stopped hunting with open sights (except on my turkey gun. I can still put the red blur between the two green blurs well enough to hit a turkey at 40 yards with a shotgun). A peep sight helps some, but realistically it's a scope for hunting. For woods work I have a Marlin 336 with a 2.5x scout scope.

 

[Hookeye]

You had to mention turkey gun didn't ya.
Went last day of season, saw some, moved in, called and MISSED.
Double bead gun, overcast, just after sunup, in shade.........

yeah, my turkey gun is getting an optic.

 

[Dr T]

Great scope...My 270 has been wearing one for decades. I got one back in the 80's. As I recall it was under $200 in an overstock ad in Shotgun News.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

My old 94 carbine in 32WS is a post war flat band and isn't drilled for the peep sight.
Wish it was as my old eyes,(even with glasses), have trouble with the original sights too.

 

[natman]

You had to mention turkey gun didn't ya.
Went last day of season, saw some, moved in, called and MISSED.
Double bead gun, overcast, just after sunup, in shade.........

yeah, my turkey gun is getting an optic.

I missed the first turkey I ever shot at. It was the absolutely classic mistake of lifting my head to see the turkey better and I shot right over it. I can still see the rib pointing up to the sight, it'll be burned into my memory forever.

So I got a set of fiber optic open sights which provide enough of a sight picture that I know at least the front of the barrel and the rear of the barrel are pointed at the same thing. Haven't missed one since.

 

[d2wing]

I loaned my 94 to my son in law for a hunt. Without so much as telling me he took off my side mount scope and misplaced it. I gave him a vintage Mossberg 22 rifle that I restored and he lost the bolt. Oh sorry getting off topic. Hit a nerve.

 

[Oldschool shooter]

Take a look at the Marbles Bullseye sight. It's sort of a peep sight, mounted in the rear sight dovetail. My eyes aren't that good anymore, but I've found these to work well for me. And they won't break the bank.

 

[jmr40]

I have several lever actions and enjoy shooting them. I've hunted with levers in 30-30, 44 mag and 45-70 over the years when I was feeling nostalgic, but my bolt actions with optics do everything better. If I'm serous about killing something the lever guns stay home.

And there is nothing that says we have to always use the most efficient tool for the job. If someone enjoys hunting with a particular tool there is nothing wrong with that. If I'm seriously hunting with a rifle it is going to be a bolt gun with a synthetic stock and good optics. But during archery season I'll be carrying a 50-60 year old recurve and almost always leave the compound bow at home. I've never even considered a cross bow.

The way the seasons work here there isn't any good reason to hunt with a muzzle loader, but if I did choose to get into it, I'd go with a traditional style rifle with irons. Not interested in a modern inline muzzle loader.

 

[ontarget]

I loaned my 94 to my son in law for a hunt. Without so much as telling me he took off my side mount scope and misplaced it. I gave him a vintage Mossberg 22 rifle that I restored and he lost the bolt. Oh sorry getting off topic. Hit a nerve.

Are you sure he isn't a closet ANTI gunner.
Oops I lost the parts for your guns so now they are useless....
2 guns out of circulation.
Hey... It's a possibility.

 

[Oldschool shooter]

Are you sure he isn't a closet ANTI gunner.
Oops I lost the parts for your guns so now they are useless....
2 guns out of circulation.
Hey... It's a possibility.

And it would be a cold day in Hell before I gave him anything like that ever again.

 

[earlthegoat2]

A failed experiment....that is what I call the 357 Marlin 1894 I once had.....

 

[CraigC]

My old 94 carbine in 32WS is a post war flat band and isn't drilled for the peep sight.
Wish it was as my old eyes,(even with glasses), have trouble with the original sights too.

Not sure when the cutoff date was but I just put a Williams Foolproof on my 1953 model 94.

 

[ECVMatt]

I have found that these work wonders for the older eyes, don't need holes drilled and are easy to remove and bring the gun back to its original configuration...

https://www.turnbullrestoration.com/gun/fastfire-barrel-mount-model-1892-1894/

and this one is nice for rifles that have the receiver tapped:

https://www.turnbullrestoration.com/gun/fastfire-receiver-mount-model-1894/

 

[Random 8]

You need a Savage 99. Healthy dose of Americana and nostalgia, ( although think more roaring 20s, logging camps and the golden age of the American sportsmen than cowboy)and ones already drilled and tapped are actually less expensive. The 300 sav and. 308 are both moderate recoiling deer hammers with 150 gr soft points.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

Not sure when the cutoff date was but I just put a Williams Foolproof on my 1953 model 94.

I believe mine is a 47 and that was before they started doing the factory drilled and tapped.

 

[Grizzly2]

I've moaned and groaned for years that Illinois never at least allowed lever guns. No rifles for deer here. Sad, cause I'd always hoped I'd get to hunt an old Canadian Centennial 26" octagonal commemorative in 30-30 that I really enjoy shooting. One day at a gun show I spotted a used receiver sight for next to nothing and have thought it a great addition. Came with a couple of different appature sizes. I always loved to shoot the steel chicken at 200 yards standing with that rifle. It was always my "make my day" shot.

I've done the TC Hawken and Renegade thing but for a meat gun to fill the freezer I turned to a scoped Knight Disc Elite in line. I discoverd it was way more effective for me than either of my 870s. One was for turkeys with a short barrel and fire sights and another was scoped with a really nice trap stock and forearm I picked up at the Ilion factory used on a trip back east. I also loved hunting with recurves and handguns but no centerfire rifles allowed for deer.

 

[d2wing]

Are you sure he isn't a closet ANTI gunner.
Oops I lost the parts for your guns so now they are useless....
2 guns out of circulation.
Hey... It's a possibility.

I think he voted for Biden.