The Firearms Forum banner

Winchester Rifles Questions

5K views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  Bindernut 
#1 ·
This post will show me to be a rank novice but my curiosity has the better of me right now. What is the significance of "Pre 64" as applied to Winchester Rifles and what does "XTR" mean in the model designation?
Thanks,
Don
 
#2 · (Edited)
In 1964 Winchester changed the way they made many of their guns, to improve efficiency and to keep costs down. Things like, some small parts were now stampings instead of machined forgings. It is generally taken on faith that the Winchesters made in '64 and later are not as good as the ones made before '64. Whether this is true or not, I can't say. But if you had a Model 94 made in 1962, and one made in 1966, and they were both in the identical condition, the one made in '62 would sell for more because it is "pre 64".

XTR is, I'm pretty sure, a "finish upgrade". Prettier wood. Maybe the XTR gun has checkering while the regular model doesn't. Higher polish before bluing. It's not a better gun, it just looks nicer.
 
#3 ·
In guns made before mid century the biggest costs were the materials. Labor was cheap so if a part took five machinist to make on five different machine setups that was no big deal. As labor cost went up they became a bigger and bigger part of the cost of a gun.

Winchester redesigned most of thier guns for re-release in 1964 with the concept of reduced labor costs. That meant less hand fitting, maybe some stamped parts or in the case of the model 70 a complete redesign (push feed instead of controlled round feeding). I think the differences in the model 94 were more a loosening of tolerances to require less hand fitting (???). The materials to make the receiver were also changed and would not accept bluing very well so for some years the receivers were painted rather than blued.

When CAM/CAD, machine centers, and other automated processes got a firm hold on the gun industry in the latter part of the 20th century, Winchester in particular and some other gun makers redesigned guns to take advantage of more intricate machining operation with less labor cost. Winchester revived the Model 70's controlled round feeding.

Through all of this the model 94 looked pretty much the same but added features like angle ejection and increased strength to allow hotter cartridges to be fired in lever guns (Winchester 307 for example). But the collectors still want and seek out the guns made prior to 1964 and the prices on the used market reflect that.

LDBennett
 
#4 ·
Capsule comment; a pre 64 lever gun has a forged, not extruded and machined, hammer, and a steel, checkered, not plastic, buttplate.
In a bolt gun, a pre 64 was a 'controled feed' mauser action, as LD said, later guns are 'push feed' ; not an issue, except if it bites!.
 
#5 · (Edited)
A little more stuff to further confuse the post-64 '94 lever actions...
My folks had a 1965-built 94 and it had a buttplate with stamped checkering (looks like reversed checkering...the diamonds are indented instead of raised), It also had a stamped steel cartridge follower. Also had a really nice (but definitely 60s looking!) blonde maple stock. If I remember right, this one's receiver was finished with a "black chrome" finish instead of being blued...I might be wrong.
Still was a fine little rifle til we lost it in a fire...but nothing as smooth as an earlier pre-64 94.

Apparently Winchester switched back to the machined follower sometime between '65 and 1976. A friend just got a 1976-built 94 carbine from his dad and it has the machined follower. Also it's in non-checkered walnut and has the plastic buttplate. His dad kept the other 94...a mid-'20s (kinda unsure on the date) .25-35 full length rifle with half-round/half-octagon barrel and half-magazine. Now that is a sweet little rifle!!!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top