Winchester 94 30-30 or Rossi 92

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Bazoo

Bazoo

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I have a Winchester 94 30-30 made in 1970. It’s got some finish wear on the receiver. Nothing fancy. Just a working rifle that I trust. I shot my first deer with it. One reservation is all the load development.

My buddy has a stainless Rossi 92 in 357. We’ll I’m considering selling the Winchester to get one myself. Considering stainless but maybe 44 mag or 45 colt. His rifle runs good, needs some tuning, and feeds specials and mags with my semi wad cutters no issue.

Should I even entertain the idea? I got that old itch again, the itch to trade.

Ammo availability isn’t a concern for me as I reload and cast. I hunt deer here with a rifle. Both would suffice. Any of the calibers are suitable for deer, and no small game here with centerfire so reduced loads aren’t a benefit for hunting purposes.
 
Model 94s made during a time period from 1965 to 1983 or so were afflicted with sketchy finishes, workmanship and material deficiencies. Function was fine but quality suffered during this time period. When deciding between these two rifles, my biggest decision would be whether I wanted the .30-30 cartridge or a typical handgun cartridge.
 
Bazoo said:
I have a Winchester 94 30-30 made in 1970. It’s got some finish wear on the receiver. Nothing fancy. Just a working rifle that I trust. I shot my first deer with it. One reservation is all the load development.

My buddy has a stainless Rossi 92 in 357. We’ll I’m considering selling the Winchester to get one myself. Considering stainless but maybe 44 mag or 45 colt. His rifle runs good, needs some tuning, and feeds specials and mags with my semi wad cutters no issue.

Should I even entertain the idea? I got that old itch again, the itch to trade.

Ammo availability isn’t a concern for me as I reload and cast. I hunt deer here with a rifle. Both would suffice. Any of the calibers are suitable for deer, and no small game here with centerfire so reduced loads aren’t a benefit for hunting purposes.
Click to expand...
How much you want for that '94?
 
Hugger-4641 said:
How much you want for that '94?
Click to expand...
You ain’t helping the itch to go away. I guess I better not price it or I’d sell, then I’d regret it I think.

My other buddy has a 94, pre64, in 32ws he’s wanting to sell though. Ironically, to get a Rossi like our other buddy. But he has an aversion to recoil and the 32 is just a bit much for him.
 
I like my older 1990s Interarms era production Rossi 92 in 357 Mag... A LOT! I wouldn't trade it for a Model 94 in 30-30. That being said, if I already had a 1970 Model 94 and it's held up this long I might say I lucked out and got a good one.

Maybe best to keep it and save your nickles and dimes for a Rossi 92 to add to your collection rather than replace the 94.

On the other hand, depending on your hunting distances, having the Model 94 and Rossi 92 might seem redundant. Now might be a good time to trade for a Rossi. If your typical hunting distances are within 100 yards a Rossi 92 in 357 Mag or 44 Mag will do the trick.

When I was looking at buying a 92 in the early 1990s I narrowed it down to Rossi pretty quickly. My biggest quandary was deciding between 357 Mag and 44. I went with 357 Mag for a number of reasons. No regrets.

Rossi 92s need a little slicking up... it's hit or miss how much slicking up they need. I was lucky, as mine was most of the way there right out of the box. A lot of it is giving it time to break in from use. Some folks aren't that patient and give up too soon. YMMV
 
I’ve had the 94 for 6 years. So there is that. I got 4K lrp primers set aside for it. And 14 pounds of powder for full power 30-30. So, from that perspective it’s a fool thought.
 
Ditto what Coal Cracker Al said. I have a 94 in 30-30 and a Rossi in 45 Colt. Can't use the 94 in lower Michigan, so I use the Rossi. Use the 94 when I go north as a walk around rifle, 6.5 Swede when I'm sitting in a blind.
 
I’m not a major deer hunter. The hunting is just a minor part of its use. Mostly I shoot cans and the like. Target shoot and plink. Just the nature of it, I’d shoot a pistol caliber more. I’ve shot the 94 bout 800 rounds in 6 years. I guess so that’s about 780 rounds more than most folks would have shot it I reckon.
 
Well if the finish is trashed then scratch the itch by having the gun refinished. It's not like it's a safe queen so make your rifle look good and fall in love again.
 
The finish is okay, it has some wear but it’s not to the point I’d refinish it. I’ve always thought to have the receiver hard chromed. I was thinking on it the other day actually.
 
Bazoo said:
The finish is okay, it has some wear but it’s not to the point I’d refinish it. I’ve always thought to have the receiver hard chromed. I was thinking on it the other day actually.
Click to expand...
I really love the look of color case hardening but have no idea if it can be done post production without concerns of warpage. I was thinking your rifle was a truck gun so refinishing would rekindle your offections
 
Ah. No, it’s not a truck gun, but I use it. The bluing on the other parts is pretty decent. I’d say bluing is 85%. Just a few thin spots. But the receiver has wear from being carried afield before me. Bare spot on the bottom around the link.
 
I'd stick with the 30-30, unless I was somewhere weird where a lever gun in a handgun caliber is the best I could do for HD (VS something like a AR or Ruger PCC).
 
I would suggest that the question is less about the rifle than the cartridge. If you don’t intend to use it on deer, then go whichever way whim takes you. But the 30-30 is the superior cartridge for deer, unless your shots are always at 75 yards or less. I have a Rossi 92 in 45 Colt. Love it. I prefer Marlins to Winchesters in 30-30, but for hunting, I’d prefer a 30-30 lever gun to one in 357 every time.
 
I have a Rossi 92 in .357. It is probably my favorite centerfire long gun for plinking and banging steel at the range.
 
As was posted above, I’d keep the 1894 and save up for a Rossi ‘92.

Especially since they don’t make the Connecticut 1894 Winchesters anymore… and they probably never will again. Once it’s gone, and if you start missing it, you’ll find they aren’t inexpensive to replace.

Rossi 92’s are still being made and you can find them in a bunch of different configurations. As was said about them needing work; one of mine needed work on the extractor (a. .357) while the other was fine (a .45 Colt). Both of them received a safety delete and a metal magazine follower from Steves Gunz.

I have two plain-Jane 1894 .30-30’s and a dumb 1894 commemorative that is well worn. (I’m itching to refinish that one and cut to 16”.) I also have an 1894 AE Trapper .44 magnum. The Trapper wears a Williams peep.

The Rossi rifles are fun to shoot, but personally I’d never ditch a Winchester for one.

Just an opinion, no better or worse than any other you’ll get :).

Stay safe.
 
I've got a Rossi 92, a blued 20" 357mag. I had a 16" SS 44mag.

I also had a Marlin 336 in 35Rem.

They're all great guns in one way or another.

The 92's carry real well in the hand, especially when you're navigating through thick brush and vines on a deer drive.

But, the 30-30 is a much better cartridge once you get past ~75yrds. If most my shots were under 75yrds with a MAX of 100, the 92 will be your huckleberry.

If most your shots are past 50yrds, and under 250yrds, the dirty 30 should get the nod.

If you don't care at all about hunting, the 92's are fantastic plinkers. The action is real quick, the guns are very handy and they've got some capacity. The larger 44/45's will put a pretty good thump on your shoulder though. Probably worse than you'd expect. They can always be downloaded, or a squishy recoil pad can replace the metal one.
 
Bazoo said:
Just a working rifle that I trust. I shot my first deer with it.
Should I even entertain the idea? I got that old itch again, the itch to trade.
Click to expand...

No. I could never part with the gun I shot my first deer with. Especially something as iconic and useful as a 94. Rossi 92s aren't that expensive. Save your pennies and own both.
 
I have both. The 94 is a very old saddle ring carbine. The 94 is bigger, heavier, and recoils more than the Rossi. The Rossi is a fun plinker and small game getter and I wouldn't take a shot at a deer at much over 50 yards with it. The 94 is much better for deer IMO but how often do you get to hunt deer compared to plinking and playing around. In my case I would keep the 94 and save for the Rossi. Here is a tip about the Rossi if you do get one. Install the spring kit in it. It makes a huge difference.
 
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