I found a Win. 1894 with a mfg date of 1955. It's in "fair" shape, most of the blue gone, but decent wood.

The hammer/lever interlock doesn't function. The pin doesn't extend beyond the receiver, and the interlock to the hammer doesn't engage.

Also, there's a lot of loose slack in the trigger, cocked or uncocked. The trigger wiggles loose about 1/4" without any engagement to a connector bar or whatever it engages.

It shoots fine, although technically it's not as safe as it might be. There is no cross-bar safety on this rifle.

I'm not completely clueless when it comes to repairing mechanisms.

But I'm wondering --

Should I just leave it? I didn't buy the gun as a "shooter."

Have a smith look at it? Can I get parts?

Remove the buttstock and have a look myself? I can't find a good exploded diagram of this receiver.

I have a winchester 94 across my lap as I type.

Mine is a post-64, a 1973 to be specific.

the trigger flops as you describe, it is supposed to.

There is no active safety (crossbolt or otherwise) on any pre-angle eject Win94

I would say that the spring that pushes the "lever/trigger interlock" is broken, missing or improperly installed.

there is no interlock of any kind between the lever and the HAMMER, that little pin that the lever pushes against is a trigger block.

I've gotta ask one serious question
Why buy a "fair" condition rifle if not to shoot it?

did you get taken up in "winchester insanity" like many other people did?

I really hope you didn't pay a penny more than $300 for it.

AD

It feels like the spring is disconnected for whatever reason. The pin moves, but doesn't fully extend out the receiver like it should.

It's possible on a 53 yr old gun that the mechanism inside is dirty.

I checked trigger travel on other pre-64 guns. This travel is excessive, like the "trigger block" lever is not engaged with the trigger.

It is a "trigger block." I spaced out.

"Not to shoot" -- When Mattel came out with a knock off of the Win. 1894 carbine, back about 1959, I got one for Christmas. An all time favorite. I've always wanted a "real one."

"Fair" shape -- technically it's in "good" condition. All original parts, functional, honest wear, but no dents, dings, scratches. Blue is mostly gone and light grey.

I own guns I rarely shoot, and knives that I never use -- They're all worth way more than I paid for them. I bought a Marlin 1894 in 44 mag. that I shoot the piss out of.

"I really hope you didn't pay a penny more than $300 for it."

-- You haven't checked the market in pre-64 Winchesters lately. And no, I didn't.

There's a post-64 in the shop in nice shape that I'm looking at . . . inasmuch as they're not making them any more.

I have checked the market on used 94 Winchesters and I see a lot of people paying "Kugerand prices" for rifles that look like they spent the last 15years bouncing around in the cargo area of a manure truck.

I paid a whopping $179 for my post 64 30-30 a year AFTER winchester closed new haven, because this rifle looked on cursory examination like a "turd"...

I'm sorry, there are WAY too many of them made to make any of them "rare". the reason that so few are in the market place is not because of the speculators looking to make a buck, but because even with the higher prices that some people (with more available credit than brains)
are willing to pay.

Your trigger is "floppier" because the trigger block isn't in the way.

My trigger move a bit more than 1/4" with the trigger block engaged, if I press the lever up releasing the trigger block
the trigger is immediatly free to more an additional 1/4" to the rear where it will actually engage the sear.

Your problems begin and end with the trigger block mechanism.

Incidentially it reminds me quite a bit of the passive grip safety on a 1911 pistol, probably for good reason, because the 1894 and the 1911 were designed by the same man.

AD

Got the stock removed. Fix was a simple matter of cleaning up some fouling and re-engaging the the trigger block spring which had been pushed aside.

Now the gun is 100% on mechancial.

That's far easier than detail stripping it...

I kinda "grew up" on Marlin lever rifles and got completely spoiled with how easy it was to pull the bolt.

On my first winchester? Hahahahaha... I have fond memories of other disassembly chores compared to a garden variety Winchester 94.

AD

I have a Marlin 94 in 44 mag. It's 1978, "Microgroove" -- and no checkering, but a nice piece of walnut.

Yeah, remove the bolt, pull the ejector and run the rod/patch from the rear. Nice design feature.

Winchester is a hawg to get cleaned up.