Still Going Strong -  the Winchester Model 1894 rifle from Uberti of Italy

John Browning’s patent (#524702) was granted on the 21st of August 1894, and so enthusiastic was Winchester about this new model, that the gun was on the market in November of the same year. The speed with which the company was able to get the rifle onto the market was due to many components from the model 1892 being used in its assembly. The buttstock, forend, magazine tube and spring, along with a myriad of pins and screws, were all borrowed from the earlier model.

Chamberings
The new gun was initially chambered for a couple of older cartridges, the .32-40 and .38-55 (on test), but in 1895 the guns were fitted with new nickel steel barrels enabling the use of more powerful cartridges loaded with smokeless powder. Two new calibres were introduced loaded with smokeless powder, the .25-35 W.C.F. (Winchester Centre Fire) and the one which has been manufactured by Winchester in far greater numbers than any of the other offerings, the .30 W.C.F., known throughout the world as the thirty-thirty. In 1902, the .32 Winchester Special completed the line-up of cartridges for which the Model 1894 has been chambered throughout its long history. Of those five cartridges, only the .30-30 and the .38-55 are offered in the Uberti reproduction. 

Changes
Although the receiver of the 1894 is only marginally longer than the Model 1892, a new linkage system was employed, increasing the rearward travel of the breech bolt, thus enabling the use of longer cartridges. The new mechanism results in a slightly longer forward travel of the lever. A single locking block, sliding vertically in grooves cut into either side of the receiver, covers the whole of the rear face of the breech block, replacing the twin locking bolts from the 1892. As a result, an extra pin is fitted into this block to transfer the blow from the hammer to the firing pin.
The standard barrel length for rifles was 26”, although Winchester continued their practice of offering customers bespoke lengths up to 30”. The Uberti website (www.ubertireplicas.com) currently only lists a 20” round barrelled carbine and the 24” model that we have here.   

Production
When the Model 1894 was offered to the public, Winchester announced: “We believe that no repeating rifle system ever made will appeal to the eye and understanding of the rifleman as this will, and that use will continue to warrant first impressions”. Buyers seemed to agree and by 1927 the one-millionth example came off the production line and was presented to US President Calvin

Coolidge. 
This rifle has continued to be a big seller for the company, with many millions now in the hands of satisfied shooters worldwide. There have been some minor variations in construction over the years, the major one being the introduction of the unpopular external safety catch fitted on the top tang. There is no longer the luxury of the 19th century options list and current examples of the rifle bearing the Winchester name are manufactured in Japan by the Miroku Corporation.

Better late than never
Given the length of time that Uberti has been producing replicas of Winchester lever-action rifles (it is almost 60 years since they introduced their Model 1866), it seems surprising that it has taken so long for them to bring out a copy of the most popular Winchester ever made. Perhaps it has something to do with Winchester themselves continuously producing the rifle or maybe the choice of calibres was a factor in the delay. Without doubt, the success of lever-action clones has come from their use in Cowboy Action Shooting events and by re-enactment groups where the ‘pistol calibre’ cartridges rule the roost, and the idea of the .30-30 being ‘America’s favourite deer cartridge’ does not seem to have found favour elsewhere. Notwithstanding the delay, Uberti has done their usual excellent job of recreating another piece of history. The rifle is offered in only two calibres, the one we have here and the venerable .30-30.
The stock and forend are plain walnut, with Uberti’s standard red/brown high gloss finish, and both parts fit well to their metal counterparts, with only tiny overlaps or gaps. The 24.25” octagonal barrel has a nice black finish, and the edges are sharp. The magazine tube, forend cap, and crescent butt plate have the same black finish, along with small parts such as screws, sights, and the loading gate. Case colours are applied to the trigger, hammer, lever/trigger guard, and frame, with those on the latter part being rather muted on this example.
The sights are shared with other models in the line-up, the rear being a semi-buckhorn with a sliding elevator and the provision for windage by tapping the base left or right in its dovetail. At the front end is a blade with its base again dovetailed into the barrel, thus allowing lateral adjustment. A small screw locks this sight in place. The top tang is drilled and tapped to give you the choice of fitting one of the optional rear sights, and coupling this with a tunnel foresight that uses interchangeable inserts would greatly enhance the sight picture for longer ranges.
The lever works easily but because there is a bit more going on inside of this mechanism, it does not feel quite as slick as its predecessors, the Model 1873 and the 1892. There is a trigger safety block which means that the lever must be pressed firmly up to the bottom tang before the trigger can be actuated. There is no lever lock on this model. For the purists, Uberti has decided not to fit the sliding safety catch on the top tang.
Unlike the earlier models, the cap for the end of the magazine tube is not screwed into the tube itself, but instead, a screw runs vertically through the tube and the cap itself and locates into the barrel. Should you need to remove the cap, be sure to keep it pressed into the tube until the screw is fully removed, and then keep a tight hold on the cap as you remove it, otherwise, it can be launched for quite a distance by the magazine spring. Trust me, I know this for a fact!

Ammunition & conclusion
I’m not sure if factory ammunition for this calibre is readily available in the UK, but even if it is, then the cost of shipping would be a prohibitive factor, so reloading is the way to go in this case. The last time I tried a rifle in this calibre, I cast my own bullets, but I don’t have any left. So, I need a new source. While they are available commercially, the shipping cost is a stumbling block. Fortunately, another shooter who is currently shooting this calibre came to the rescue. After a little bartering, I had 60 RNFP lead bullets from a Lee mould (#370-250-RF), weighing in at 250-grains, lubed, and sized to .379”. (Thanks, Hugh).
Using brass from Starline, I loaded 30 with a known charge of 6.9-grains of Trail Boss and the rest with 10-grains of Unique powder. Ignition was with Fiocchi large rifle primers. Neither of these loads produces any untoward recoil and both are sufficient for the 100-yard range I use. Harder hitting combinations for longer distances are available from the various loading manuals.
The rifle is nicely balanced, with a length of pull of around 13” and an unloaded weight of 7.5 lbs, and can comfortably be shot offhand, although a rest obviously improves accuracy. The lighter Trail Boss loads produced average 5-shot groups of a shade over 5” from the rest, with the Unique improving the size by only about 0.5”. I was reasonably happy with this, but a little more experimentation with the loads, and a different shooter, would more than likely improve things a little. Feed, extraction, and ejection worked faultlessly throughout the relatively short test and the gun was a joy to use.
Starline brass cases and the Lee bullet mould for this calibre are available from Henry Krank, and suitable lead bullets can be obtained from www.shellhousecastings.com. With the current prices for reloading components being at an all-time high and in some cases difficult to source, I had a wry smile as I looked at the prices paid by shooters in early 20th century America for this calibre. The prices are from the Winchester 1899 catalogue. Ammunition was $40 per 1,000, primed cases $18 per 1,000, primers $2 per 1,000, and lead bullets $10.50 per 1,000.