Winchester Model 94 John Wayne Commemorative .32-40 Win Saddle Ring Carbine with Box
Description:
The Model 1894, later shortened to Model 94, is one of the most widely used rifles in history. The Winchester 94 can be considered “The Deer Hunting rifle”, as it, along with the .30-30 cartridge, has arguably been used to take more deer than any other rifle/cartridge combination in history. This 94, however, is not a hunting rifle. It is a post-64 commemorative model intended to honor one of the most prolific American actors who ever lived: John Wayne aka “The Duke”. Starting out as a prop boy and extra, one of his first important jobs was serving as the “gopher” or assistant to the real-life lawman Wyatt Earp while he was serving as a film consultant. Wayne later credited his walk, talk, and persona to his acquaintance with Earp. Eventually, Wayne moved onto bit parts, being credited on screen as “Duke Morrison” only once, in the film Words of Music (1929). Interestingly, a year later, while working as prop boy on the set of a film, director Raoul Walsh noticed him and decided to cast him in his first starring role for the film The Big Trail (1930). Sadly, that film was a flop at the time due to the use of a new widescreen filming process, for which few theaters in the U.S. were equipped to show it (especially at the beginning of the Depression). Wayne was then relegated to small rolls in A-grade films. At the time, he also played the lead roles in many low-budget Westerns, then known in the industry as Poverty Row Westerns. During these productions, Wayne worked with famed stuntman Yakima Canutt to develop and perfect stunts and on-screen fisticuffs techniques that are still in use in film today. Wayne’s second breakthrough role came with famous director John Ford’s Stagecoach in 1939. The film was a huge critical and financial success and Wayne finally became a mainstream, A-list star. Wayne eventually starred in over 142 motion pictures. He is best known for his roles in Western films and secondly for his starring roles in several World War 2-themed films as well. Of course, there were a miscellanea of other high-profile films he starred in which generally fit the drama or adventure categories. He was not a one-note actor as he is sometimes referred to as. Overall, unlike the “clean fight” western heroes of the silent era of films, John Wayne, and the Western characters he played, became iconic examples of the Old Western badass heroes who were willing to get their hands a little dirty to defeat the bad guys. Sadly, John Wayne passed away from stomach cancer in 1979. In 1981, Winchester introduced the John Wayne Commemorative rifle. Tragically, despite Mr. Wayne being closely associated with his favorite Winchester Model 92 Saddle Ring Carbine with the wide-loop lever and chambered for the classic .44-40 Winchester round, the model 92 was not at that time in production by Winchester. So, Winchester chose to base the commemorative rifle around the post-64 Winchester Model 94, with a wide-loop lever, and chambered for the old .32-40 Winchester cartridge. Although not widely known today, the .32-40 Ballard (as it was known originally) was created for the Ballard single-shot Union Hill Nos. 8 & 9 target rifles. A black powder round, the cartridge’s popularity ensured it was chambered in Winchester lever action rifles beginning in 1886. It became, along with the .38-55 Winchester cartridge, one of first two cartridge options for the new Model 1894 lever action rifle. Two years later (1896), the .30-30 Cartridge in smokeless powder was introduced, and the .32-40 effectively became obsolete. The choice of chambering the John Wayne Commemorative carbine in the .32-40 was most likely done due to having the “-40” in the name, similar to the .44-40, as well as the fact that the 94 had already been chambered for it in the past and was known to work in that action. Keep in mind though, the .32-40 stopped being a regular Winchester factory chambering in around 1940, and the ammo, while not impossible to find, was not widely available by 1981. Like most of Winchester’s commemorative rifles and carbines, the John Wayne Commemorative was never really meant to be fired. As an irritating side note, with the later rise in popularity of Cowboy Action Shooting, Winchester, again refusing to manufacturer new-production Model 92 rifles/carbines, instead produced a version of the Model 94 reworked to operate with the .44 Magnum cartridge. A .44-40 chambered example would not have been that difficult to produce. Needless to say, the Commemorative carbine shown here, has not been fired (outside of federally mandated factory testing) and the lever has not been operated much if at all. It sports the aforementioned wide lever loop, an 18.5-inch round barrel, superb wood furniture, and an engraved receiver. The righthand side of the receiver features a scene with two men on horseback (one close and one distant) herding cattle. Around the scene are the engraved titles of western films in which John Wayne starred (moving clockwise): The Cowboys (1972), The Undefeated (1969), Red River (1948), Rio Lobo (1970), True Grit (1969, for which Wayne won the Academy Award for Best Actor), Chisum (1970), Rio Bravo (1959), How the West Was Won (1962), McLintock! (1963), The Sons of Katie Elder (1965, engraved as “Sons of Katie Elder” for reasons of spacing), The War Wagon (1967, engraved as “War Wagon”, again for spacing), and El Dorado (1966). The lefthand side of the receiver is engraved with the scene of a stagecoach and horses be pursued out west, with the drive concentrating on his task while two other men engage their pursuers with long guns. Like the other scene, more of the titles of Wayne’s western films are engraved (again moving clockwise): Rio Grande (1950), Hondo (1953), Stagecoach (1939), The Searchers (1956), Fort Apache (1948), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), The Comancheros (1961), and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949). John Wayne’s signature is engraved on the receiver’s upper tang. The name “John Wayne Commemorative” is engraved on the righthand side of the barrel. Finally, a John Wayne medallion is inletted into the stock on the righthand side. This rifle is obviously pre-owned but is in excellent condition. There are a couple of tiny spots of wear on the bottom of the link. There is a small nick or factory blemish on the righthand side where the tang meets the wider part of the receiver. I have attempted to show this in one of the pictures. The bluing is in superb shape. The box’s paper sheath is not in the best shape, which is not surprising. The leather thong which attaches to the sling saddle ring is present. This carbine would make a fantastic addition to any Winchester collection.
Price:
$1,949.00
Rifle Caliber: .32-40 Winchester
Manufacturer:
Winchester Repeating Arms
Model:
94 John Wayne Commemorative
Barrel Length:
18.5 inches (470 mm)
Bore Info:
Conventional lands and grooves, 6 grooves, 1:16 inches (406 mm) RH twist
Ejectors:
Ejection via lever operation
Condition:
Used - Excellent
Barrels:
Carbon Steel
Barrel Type:
Round
Action:
Lever Action, top-ejection
Triggers:
0.3125-inch (7.94 mm) curved trigger, smooth face, blued
Stock:
Deluxe Checkered Walnut with John Wayne medallion
Fore End:
Deluxe Checkered Walnut
Butt Pad:
Metal plate
LOP:
13.25 inches (336.55 mm)
Finish:
Blue (barrel, mag tube, butt plate), “silver” (receiver)
Weight:
6 lbs. 6.3 oz.
Sights:
Elevation adjustable notch rear, post front sight, sight radius 15.0 inches (381 mm)
Manufacture Date:
1981
Engraving:
John Wayne theme, see description
Case:
Winchester factory box