Winchester 94 problems

[Chris Pinkleton]

My wife's Model 94AE in .357 has a bad habit of allowing live rounds to fall between the lever and the action during cycling, where they are very difficult to remove safely. Also, the safety seems not to work at all. My wife inherited the gun from my father-in-law who had an unfortunate tendency to take things apart for no apparent reason(His Single-Six was totally disassembled, aside from the trigger group, and none of his other handguns were wearing their grips when we cleaned up his house after his death). I am wondering if he took this rifle apart, and forgot to put in some vital parts, or reassembled it in some other defective manner.

The carbine will cycle OK, from time to time, but only if the action is worked at very high speed(say about .15 of a second), and even this doesn't ensure reliable functioning. Any ideas on what is wrong here? The Winchester is quite new, and has almost zero signs of wear, so I don't think this is the result of damage during firing. Do I need to by a shop manual for the 94 series and take it apart myself? Or is there a simple fix? (I'd like to avoid a trip to the gunsmith -- I'm too cheap, and it's a good excuse to develop my skills, anyway.)

Thanks for your time folks!
Chris

 

[1911Tuner]

M-94 Problems

Howdy Chris,

The cartridge stop is either worn or broken. When the lever is worked
the next round in the magazine rides over the stop and gets under the
cartridge carrier. Locks it all up pretty solidly. It's been so long since I worked on a '94, I don't know if I can walk you through the disassembly,
and I don't have one here to tear down and refresh my memory. I'll move this one over to Rifle Country later today so that some of those guys can see the thread. Meanwhile, Jim Keenan or Old Fuff may see it and jump in.
It's not an expensive repair, in case you have to let a smith look at it.

Luck!

Tuner

 

[Chris Pinkleton]

Thank you sir!

Maybe someone else can give me a detailed breakdown. If not, it's a good excuse to buy a shop manual. At least Katherine will understand any cash spent -- after all, it's her gun...

 

[1911Tuner]

Moved

Mighty welcome Chris.

I've moved this one over to Rifle Country for a better shot at one of these
guys gettin' you on the right track. Fairly easy fix, and not too hard on the wallet either.

By the way, I'm not far from you there...about 15 miles north of W-S.

Luck!

Tuner

 

[Poodleshooter]

http://members.fortunecity.com/oldvalkyry/winch.html

The best disassembly guide I've found online. If you find a better one,let me know. Be aware that the 94 has changed a bit over the years. Some parts may appear differently.

 

[SASS#23149]

The safety on these is a sliding hammer block.If the hammer doesnt get to and depress the firing pin,then it's working.It does not hold the hammer back or anything like that.
The cartridge stop is 'famous' for acting up on these.I believe the part needed is the 'link'.Winchester had a run of bad luck on links a year or two ago but the problem seems to be fixed now as I've not heard it mentioned on the cas BB's.

 

[Werewolf]

Recovering from the jam is not too difficult...

1) look at the bottom of the rifle. Remove the screw from the forward part of the bottom plate.
2) with a small punch from left to right remove the retaining hinge pin for the plate
3) let the plate drop down and remove the round

You'll know what to do and how to do it from the above when you've got the rifle in hand.

The type of jam you mention is not an uncommon occurence with the Win M94 lever guns chambered for a pistol round.

As to the cause of the jam you mention: In general it happens because the action is not worked enthusiasticly so to speak. When the lever is operated you must push it down smartly and pull it back up smartly. Half-assing it will cause that round to fall down into the area below the lifting tray as you've described. Try to work the action all in one motion. Don't hesitate, don't stop - continuous movement from start to finish.

I had your problem when I first acquired my M94. A 78 year old guy at the range I used explained to me what was happening and why after he showed me just how easy it was to recover from the jam. Since then I've not had a single jam with the weapon.

 

[Chris Pinkleton]

Thanks y'all, now I just need the time to fix the sucker!

Werewolf, my problem is similar to what you describe, but even BRUTAL (let alone "enthusiastic") and smooth operation of the lever doesn't ensure relaible operation -- sometimes a good fast "up-down" just results in a mangled round. Thanks for the tips on getting the stuck rounds out easly, though.

1911Tuner -- y'know, I'm overdue to meet some of my fellow THRers and TFLers here in NC -- I'm thinking about getting into gunsmithing in a more serious way soon. (Maybe school? My wife is supportive...)

 

[Chris Pinkleton]

SASS, thanks to you also for the safety info -- however, I believe the '94 will actually fire a round in either position. I'll have to check that when I go to the range next. Hopefully, I'm wrong.

 

[1911Tuner]

NC Smiths

Chris said:

1911Tuner -- y'know, I'm overdue to meet some of my fellow THRers and TFLers here in NC -- I'm thinking about getting into gunsmithing in a more serious way soon. (Maybe school? My wife is supportive...)

They used to have a pretty good course in Troy, NC...Not sure exactly where, though...Some community college I think. If you're interested in the 1911 pattern pistols, I can be of some help...though I don't do much custom work. More of a troubleshooter/repairman. 1911 won't run? I'm your boy.

I'm retired, so I'm flexible through the week. Come on up. I'll put on the coffee. Hope ya like Collies.

Later on!

Tuner

 

[DillHarris]

Sorry, don't know how to make this a link, but cut and paste will work. Found this site a couple days ago and remembered this thread. I thought it was pretty good. Just throwin it out there. It's a Model 94 takedown tutorial. The pictures are pretty good.

http://www.castbullet.com/misc/tdown.htm