Found a 1929 Winchester 55 takedown in 30 WCF

[Loosenock]

A little researching showed the 55 was made from 1926 to 1934 with 20580 being made. This one is very tight, 99 % bluing on the nickel steel barrel and 0% bluing on the receiver. I do not know why but looking at pictures of old Winchesters show this condition is pretty common. The bore and muzzle are pristine. The stock shows wear but over all this .30-30 was loved and taken care of for the last 90 years. All original as far as I can detect.

Here are a couple of pictures.









Looking forward to getting it out and see how it shoots.

loose

 

[Jim Watson]

Lots of speculation as to the alloy, the bluing process, the combination. The Winchester board says most guns that flake badly were made in the 1920s.

 

[redneck2]

That’s pretty awesome. Rare to find something that age in such good condition

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

That is a beauty.

 

[Roverguy]

Very cool. Looks amazing even if the receiver has shed its blue, almost as if it were intended.

 

[SwampWolf]

Nice looking rifle. I've always found it interesting that, to the best of my knowledge, the Models 55 are the only two entirely different firearms that Winchester assigned the same number to. I'd be interested to know if there were others.

 

[Loosenock]

Nice looking rifle. I've always found it interesting that, to the best of my knowledge, the Models 55 are the only two entirely different firearms that Winchester assigned the same number to. I'd be interested to know if there were others.

The best I can make out it. The number 55 lever action was given the number after the model 54. The 54 being a bolt action parent of the model 70 was introduced in 1925 one year before the 55.

The single shot .22lr 55 could have been on the drawing board or expected to be released in the year 1955. But introduced around 57 or 58.

I'm curious to why they named the 30 WCF 55? When it is a different version of the 94? What I read the 55 had its own range of serial numbers but later production it joined the sequence of numbering with the 94. Mine has a 7 digit serial number along with the 94's era.

loose

 

[HPJeep]

Nice! My dad is a huge Winchester lever collector and I remember he had a 55 in pistol.grip configuration but I don't think his was a takedown. Never did understand why they called what is essentially a 94 a 55 and an 86 a 71. And they did the same on the 92 by calling it a 65 but I'm hazy on that one.

 

[Jim Watson]

Not to mention Model 64. Or 53.

 

[rust collector]

Reminds me of my grandfather's old six-shot model 12 nickel steel, that was in great shape but bore no vestige of bluing that I remember.

 

[Jim Watson]

no vestige of bluing

My FLG once set up to rust blue his Model 12. It looks great and has been hunted with a good deal.
But he said that he lost his bottle of old armory formula rust blue solution and was glad of it, he did not want to be tempted to do it again.

 

[Loosenock]

I'm not a gunsmith. I work on my own firearms but it does not pay the bills. I assumed that the barrel and action was always blued together. Thinking about it, take down firearms could have different bluing processes for the barrels and actions. Thats why the bluing on the actions are gone. I've heard that case hardening has a tendency to evaporate or disappear after aging.

loose

 

[Jim Watson]

I have read that Winchester lever action receivers were Carbona blued, barrels and magazine tubes rust blued.

 

[Loosenock]

I have read that Winchester lever action receivers were Carbona blued, barrels and magazine tubes rust blued.

That could be it Jim. If I'm not mistaken Carbona bluing was placing parts in something like charcoal heated to fume in a caustic atmosphere. That does not even sound like it would work.

Thanks
'loose