Owners of Winchester Model 94 30 WCF?

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dibbons

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When I placed the hammer in the one-half position I thought it was a kind of "safety", but when loaded it fired from that position. When unloaded the hammer does not move when I put it in the same place. I am telling this story from memory (circa 1998) so I may have gotten the details wrong. I was wondering what the purpose putting the hammer back half-way (letting it down to half-cocked) serves? Thank you.

model 94.jpeg
 
Less tension on the spring so in the case of an accidental drop it shouldn't set the primer off. With a cartridge in and the gun half cocked even if it falls the gun shouldn't go off
 
I have a 30-30, all I remember is about 30 years ago reading about an accidental injury. I tried mine with 2-3 primed cases. With the hammer down, a sharp blow on the butt, like, say, dropping it on the butt accidently from a foot or two, the thing would sometimes fire the primer. I don't recall about 1/2 ****
 
Yup for safety, many people carry a loaded, in the chamber 1911 and other “safetyless” style pistols half cocked
 
No good weapon in proper working condition should ever go off “half cocked”.
 
Model 94 in 32 Special scared the crap out of me and my buddies back in the mid 70's. Borrowed it for dear hunting and wasn't as familiar with it as I should have been. Loaded and in "half-****" and went off as we headed into the woods. I am still not sure what happened, but promptly returned it to the owner, and vowed to never hunt with a borrowed gun again, and I never did. Glad I was following the first rule of gun safety, ALWAYS keep the gun pointed in a safe direction. Took me a while to get over that one. Never hunted with another model 94 either. As I remember, it had pretty much a hair trigger.
 
I got a model 94 for my 13th birthday. Yup, halfway is safety.

Sure wish I still had it. I sold it when I was transferred to England in 1988.
 
How do we explain two case of firing half-cocked? Broken safety?
We don’t. Incomplete information and only a 22 year old partial memory as data...nothing else.

No conclusions or reasonable speculation can be made.
 
Sure great being on a website where we are allowed to talk about - - - -. On my other Mopar website if we say the word - - - we get banned. Thanks guys because I love guns.
 
Sure great being on a website where we are allowed to talk about - - - -. On my other Mopar website if we say the word - - - we get banned. Thanks guys because I love guns.

Yep, used to hunt with the Marlin up at our place in Eau Claire (Butler). Guns were a part of life.
 
How do we explain two case of firing half-cocked? Broken safety?
If you don't want the gun to go off, keep your finger off the trigger. Better yet, leave the chamber empty. Anything is possible. yanking on the trigger of a cocked rifle is asking for trouble. Parts break or may not be set correctly to begin with.

I had the hammer break on a Browning A5 Light 20. Thankfully it was pointed safely because when the bolt was released, the hammer broke an followed the bolt, firing the shell. Seems that some of the guns in the 60's had the hammers lightened by drilling holes, which when hardened and not dressed correctly, caused stress risers. 55 years later, it came back to try and bite me.
 
Just don't pull the hammer back until ready to fire. Pretty easy stuff here, boys.
 
If you are worried about the mechanics of the weapon & your are not a gunsmith, take it to one to be checked out. Better safe than sorry!
 
Half **** was supposed to be safe, but it is just a notch on the hammer. Like an old Colt SAA, the safe way of handling early guns is with an empty chamber. You have to know what you are doing with old guns meant for serious business. My dad always had all his guns worked for a hair trigger. Nothing to play with. I love old Winchesters and Colts by the way, you just have to respect them.
 
If you are worried about the mechanics of the weapon & your are not a gunsmith, take it to one to be checked out. Better safe than sorry!


That’s either a worn sear or a bad trigger job. Most trigger jobs are horrible, and you are correct, it needs to be fixed.
 
78DC39A2-96EB-4D52-AAD5-213DCCDB4FF7.jpeg
Yup not saying right or wrong, it has been talked about longer than I’ve been alive, but half cocked on certain guns with one in the chamber can be “safer.” If hammer is released it is riding on the firing pin and it is believed if there is an impact on the hammer energy could be transferred to pin, primer and boom. This pic shows two types of older designs without a conventional push button safety. Both loaded and half cocked. Firing pin is not being touched as you can see and hammer must go full cocked to be released. Neither gun allows for trigger to be pulled unless in full **** position. But these both are in properly working condition too.
Guns are all different, know how they work before use.
 
I have a two 94 winchesters, 30-30 and 32 special.
Never had an issue with accidental firing, both guns are in excellent condition.

My wife has a purse pistol Rugar 380 LCP, that modern pistol is unsafe, no safety what so ever, if a round is in the chamber, it will fire by pulling the trigger.
Ruger says its safety is not chambering a round until ready to fire, kinda makes it a useless purse pistol.
I am looking at Taurus 856 Ultralite 38 special revolver for her to carry.
 
I have a two 94 winchesters, 30-30 and 32 special.
Never had an issue with accidental firing, both guns are in excellent condition.

My wife has a purse pistol Rugar 380 LCP, that modern pistol is unsafe, no safety what so ever, if a round is in the chamber, it will fire by pulling the trigger.
Ruger says its safety is not chambering a round until ready to fire, kinda makes it a useless purse pistol.
I am looking at Taurus 856 Ultralite 38 special revolver for her to carry.
Relying solely on a mechanical safety is just as unsafe as a faulty mechanism. Revolvers don't have safeties and are considered OK. Glocks and other modern pistols don't have FP blocking safeties but are considered OK because like a revolver they require a long dedicated trigger pull. The main safety is in the head of the user.
 
Relying solely on a mechanical safety is just as unsafe as a faulty mechanism. Revolvers don't have safeties and are considered OK. Glocks and other modern pistols don't have FP blocking safeties but are considered OK because like a revolver they require a long dedicated trigger pull. The main safety is in the head of the user.

So true, but I have also had more than one 700 Remington fire by just chambering a round.
When that happens it will scare the crap out of you.
 
This is what I went deer hunting with my first year. A 30-30 Golden Spike my father bought new for around 125.00 or so. He sold it, a World War II Mauser, his uniform, and silver proof sets when he came down with Alzheimer’s. Luckily I had the Winchester model 70 (30-06) at my house because my mother has no idea of what he sold them for.


https://www.gunbroker.com/All/search?Keywords=winchester golden spike
 
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When I placed the hammer in the one-half position I thought it was a kind of "safety", but when loaded it fired from that position. When unloaded the hammer does not move when I put it in the same place. I am telling this story from memory (circa 1998) so I may have gotten the details wrong. I was wondering what the purpose putting the hammer back half-way (letting it down to half-cocked) serves? Thank you.

View attachment 1715526217
that looks way t dangerous
i wouldnt want that in my house if i were you

just send it to me and ill take care of it
 
I have a model 1894 38-55 cal. was my great grandfathers.
It was made before WW1. Its in great condition.
The hammer does drop at half cocked position loaded or unloaded.
The the only safety is when the lever doesn't depress the little pin behind the trigger circled in the picture. It may depend on the year it was made.
IMG_1123s.JPG

IMG_1125.JPG

This would be safety position. It will not fire.
If I press the pin with something in this position the hammer will drop cocked or half cocked.
I read some 1894s the lever hangs down a little so it doesn't make contact with the pin so you have to squeeze the lever to depresses the pin for it to fire.
 
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