A friend of a friend has a Winchester Model 94 32 Special he wants to sell. The serial number starts with 13 so I think this puts it about 1945. The condition is good not great (sorry no pictures). Some blueing wear but not much with a small scratch on the left side of the receiver. Very good bright bore with sharp rifling. Wood in good shape also. Someone far back in the past put a stock compass on the comb near the butt plate. He wants $600.00. I think he is too high. Would I be rude to offer $450.00? Thanks gents.

Got it for $425.00. Once I had it home it appears in better shape than I originally thought. These levers are addictive.

Good for you on the Winchester. Many years ago I can remember bear hunters here in WV saying that if a fellow had a 94 in Win.32 he was good to go. Felt the 30/30 a bit light???

I recall the old timers in Texas saying the 32 special barrels didn't last as long as a 30-30, in both cases both in WV and Texas, they were ill advised..There simply is no difference in the two, never was, neve r will be!

The story I heard about the addition of the 32 Winchester special to the line of guns Winchester was producing was so people who were in remote areas could reload their own ammunition using cast bullets hence the different rate of twist in the barrel compared to the 30-30,ballisticly they are almost identical. That's the story I heard !

In all reality it boils down to the slightly larger area of the projectile bottom leading to a 7-8% higher energy without higher pressure. Then again the larger bullet has a lower BC but in hunting distances it's of no concern.

Yes, true; I grew up in WV in the 50s and 60s, and the 32 was viewed as far superior to the 30-30. Of course, in reality, there is no difference.
The 35 Remington was also viewed as superior, which it is.
The 32 was developed so people could reload with black powder; this is documented in Winchester's literature of the period.
BTW, you stole the rifle.

I suspect dpcd is correct, however I grew up out in West Texas in high rimrock country where shots tended to be long, and the 25-35 and 30-30 were and still are the mainstay of ranchers and locals as far as lever guns go...Probably because they were perceive to have better trajectory and SD, They were to be seen in about ever deer and elk camp from Texas, New Mexico, to Colorado. that was way back yonder..But they worked as well then as big magnums do today, They killed elk and deer with deadly effectiveness, whatever that tells us!

I also saw the gradual change to Savage 99s in 250 and 300 to 308s and 284s and the rush for a Springfield 30-06 sold to the public by the US Government for goodness sakes, and for $7.50 then $14. per gun on a later run, and hencefourth the American caliber of choice was solidified for years to come, and still is the king of calibers..

OK reviving an old thread. I found out that the 32 Win Special Model 94 I bought had belonged to my friends father. My friend has a 22 year old son that I introduced to shooting and hunting a few years ago. His father has no interest in either. I feel that the rifle belongs with the son, not me, so I gave it to him on his 22nd birthday with the story of its lineage. To hell with the money. I am happy with my purchase. The rifle is where it belongs. Why the hell would his father have sold it in the first place?

You are a fine gentleman. Nice thing to do.

quote:

Originally posted by buckeyeshooter:
You are a fine gentleman. Nice thing to do.

+1.

You did what his father should have done. Now that rifle is where it belongs.

quote:

Originally posted by wwgreener:
You did what his father should have done. Now that rifle is where it belongs.

Classy move on your part Homebrew, well done.

Good show, Homebrew.
Maybe you and the son can hunt together in the future.

My granddad, a Texas Ranger, shot and killed a notorious bank robber between Marfa, Texas and presidio, Texas with his Win. 92 rifle in 38-40..He gave that gun to Mr. Ridout of Marfa, Texas who many years later drove up to our house in Marfa and gave me the gun for the same reason your friend did..ONe of the most treasured gift in my lifetime, and it will at some point end up with the rest of pops guns in the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame in Waco, Texas.

All the kids and grandkids allowed that's where the guns should be in that over time handed down they would go to a relative that had no idea who John Hess was and the guns would end up in a pawn shop or who knows where..Good kids.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
I recall the old timers in Texas saying the 32 special barrels didn't last as long as a 30-30, in both cases both in WV and Texas, they were ill advised..There simply is no difference in the two, never was, neve r will be!

McPhereson's theory was that the early factory .32 Winchester Special ammunition was loaded with .318 bullets (He had some in his possession). So the rifles shot fine when brand new, but accuracy suffered quickly with any wear whatsoever. With .321 bullets, they shot fine.

The 32 Special was believed to wear out barrels much sooner than the 30-30 back then in some areas, Im sure it was geographical as most old wives tales are...My guess is the 32 Special did have poor barrels back then as it was suggested to use black powder by the factory and gunscribes of the day and still is!! But by then only a few folks realized you had to clean a black powder gun..Just my guess and Ive seen a lot of 32 specials with poor barrels, more so than 30-30s..

quote:

Originally posted by Homebrew:
OK reviving an old thread. I found out that the 32 Win Special Model 94 I bought had belonged to my friends father. My friend has a 22 year old son that I introduced to shooting and hunting a few years ago. His father has no interest in either. I feel that the rifle belongs with the son, not me, so I gave it to him on his 22nd birthday with the story of its lineage. To hell with the money. I am happy with my purchase. The rifle is where it belongs. Why the hell would his father have sold it in the first place?

Well done sir!

Also if you need to make your own brass,the 375 Win. in one stroke of the sizing die.That old myth about wearing out bbls comes up frequently.Primarily concerning the 220 swift + the 264 W.M. I doubt most folks shoot their rifles enough to wash a bore.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
The 32 Special was believed to wear out barrels much sooner than the 30-30 back then in some areas, Im sure it was geographical as most old wives tales are...My guess is the 32 Special did have poor barrels back then as it was suggested to use black powder by the factory and gunscribes of the day and still is!! But by then only a few folks realized you had to clean a black powder gun..Just my guess and Ive seen a lot of 32 specials with poor barrels, more so than 30-30s..

I heard a long time ago that the reason was because the .32 Special had shallower grooves than a 30-30. But I have never tried to verify if it's the truth or just one of those gun myths that float around.

I go with the myth theory based on what I have stated above.

Not sure if it was "the myth" or an actually worn bore in my 94 in .32 Special, but something caused a previous owner to send it to Parker Ackley to have it made into a .35-30.

Actually, Winchester's history shows that the 32WS was built to offer a rifle between the power of the 30wcf (30-30) and the 30 Government (30-40 Krag). It does just about split the two in original loadings; in fact, there's a bigger difference between the 32 and the 30 than between the 7mm magnum and the 280 Remington, percentage-wise. Anybody who shoots the two with comparable factory loads can feel the difference in recoil--and the factory loads don't utilize all the pressure advantage of the 32. Another historical note: Winchester's specifications were for a .322 bore, and their original factory reloading bullets were .322, just the same as the 8mm bullets they were selling. Marlins have typically had tighter bores; some as small as .319. A worn bore in a 32 can be helped along by reloading with .323's. Of course, no worn bore will shoot cast bullets well, even if oversized. Biggest problem with the 32WS is the lack of appropriate-shaped bullets for reloading, although the older reloading guides show that there were more offerings for the 32 historically, including a 110gr jacketed bullet that must have really made coyotes nervous. Make mine the 32WS--it's really Special!
windy

I would go with the 30-30 on the basis that ammo is available anywhere and much less expensive. Also, I can cast lead bullets for it with my 30-06 or 308 bullet mold.

I use the same mold as I use in my 8 mauser.
same 324 sizer and all.
it makes life simple.

I owned one 32 special in my life, it didn't shoot well. Most 30-30 shot a bit better and my 25-35s and 38-55s out shot all the rest, one 32-40 shot real well, but didn't kill as well was my observation, right or wrong!!

My all time favorite caliber in 94s and 93 Marlins has been the 25-35, 25-36,respectively. Used within its peremeters of 200 yards max, its a good killer on deer, elk and bear, and most are very accurate. It was popular in the Texas ranches for Mule deer, Coues Deer, Del Carmin deer and Texas Whitetail, most ranchers liked it for the kids and wives, and for the most part those kids and wives still using the same old gun as are their kids and grandkids, typical of ranching familes..and with good reason..

Bill,just reentering this forum. If Parker had installed a bbl. I would keep it just because,regardless of cal.