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Winchester 1894 Legendary Frontiersman 38.55 Commemorative - NIB Guns International #: 103157665 Seller's Inventory #: 311 Category: Winchester Commemorative Rifles - Winchester Collectible Firearms Seller's Information When emailing or calling sellers direct, please mention that you saw their listing on GunsInternational.com Seller: randywine Company: Randolf W Fowler Ltd Member Since: 1/26/21 First Name: Randy Last Name: Fowler State: Virginia Zip: 20147 Country: United States Phone: (703) 858-2881 Premium Seller Number of Active Listings: 237 Total Number of Listings: 581 Seller: FFL Dealer Return Policy: 3 day inspection and return policy on used guns. Returns ON approval within 3 DAYS OF DELIVERY MINUS A 20% RESTOCKING FEE Payment Types Accepted: Money Orders, Certified Checks, Personal Checks, Zelle, Layaway Description: The 1894 Legendary Frontiersman is a beautiful rifle with an antique silver-plated receiver and forend cap that nicely complement the highly polished and hot blued steel barrel, magazine tube, bolt, lever, loading gate, hammer, trigger, butt plate and external screws. Chuck Hawks Review: Following the surprising sales of their 100th Anniversary Centennial '66 Model 94 in 1966, which far exceeded expectations, Winchester brass came to see the issuing of commemorative rifles as a way to boost profits. There seemed to be a collectors' market eager to snap up limited edition Winchesters, and Winchester sought to exploit it. As so often happens when marketing types latch onto a new idea, they ran it into the ground, issuing commemorative after commemorative until these fancy Model 94s became commonplace. In 2011, Winchester brought back the Model 94 as a regular production item in .38-55, and we reviewed a new Winchester Model 94 Sporter .38-55 Rifle in 2012. Previously, the easiest way to get a modern .38-55 rifle suitable for use with heavy (+P) loads was to purchase a Model 94 Legendary Frontiersmen (1979), Oliver Winchester (1980), or Chief Crazy Horse (1983) commemorative in the caliber. The total production of these three models, each made for a single year, was 41,997 rifles. These Winchester commemoratives are seldom actually used, but they are excellent and very accurate hunting rifles, as I discovered 50 years ago with my Centennial '66 rifle. In 1979, Winchester produced 19,999 Model 94 Legendary Frontiersmen rifles in their New Haven, Connecticut, USA factory. The serial numbers ran consecutively from LF1 to LF19999. These post-1964 Model 94 actions were the later type with good steel receivers and improved shell elevators and loading gates. They predate the introduction of the Model 94 AE (angle eject for scope mounting, which became standard in 1984), but the top eject receiver is drilled and tapped for mounting receiver (peep) sights. The Legendary Frontiersmen, fortunately, also predates the introduction of the ugly, receiver-mounted, cross-bolt safety mandated by lawyers that appeared in 1992 and was finally replaced by the current top tang safety in 2003. Like all Model 1894 and Model 94 rifles made before 1992, a quarter-cock hammer notch serves as the "safety" for the Legendary Frontiersmen. The bottom line is that the Legendary Frontiersmen of 1979 is based on the best of the post-'64 Model 94 actions. It is a good rifle built on a good action. The Legendary Frontiersmen rifle that is the subject of this review is exceptionally attractive. The antique silver plated receiver and fore-end cap nicely complement the highly polished and hot blued steel barrel, magazine tube, bolt, lever, loading gate, hammer, trigger, butt plate and all external screws. In addition, there is a silver medallion about the size of a 50 cent piece inletted into the right side of the butt stock. This depicts a fight between a buckskin-clad frontiersman and an Indian with a tomahawk. Engraved receiver and Fleur-de-lis checkering. Both sides of the receiver are nearly 100% covered with engraving. The right side of the receiver pictures a standing grizzly bear, a frontiersman in buckskin greeting two Indians on horseback, a rattlesnake, and a beaver. The left side of the receiver features a fierce bald eagle about to grab a jack rabbit with its extended talons and a mounted frontiersman leading his pack mule through high country with a second mounted frontiersman following. Both sides of the receiver are complemented by American-style scroll and borders. This roll engraving is unusually well executed and, when examined under a loupe, appears to have been touched up by hand. The receiver top tang is stamped "Model 1894 WINCHESTER." The serial number is stamped on the bottom front of the receiver. The right side of the barrel bears a silver-filled "Legendary Frontiersmen" script. The well-matched stock and fore-end of the test rifle are carved from very nice, semi-fancy walnut with attractive grain and figure that is close to being full fancy grade. (It is much better wood than shown in the photo at the top of this page.) The extensive, hand-cut checkering wraps around both the straight hand stock and fore-end in a fancy, Fleur-de-lis pattern. The wood-to-metal fit is very good. Winchester put a lot of time and attention into the manufacture of these rifles, which I consider to be among the most attractive of the Model 94 commemoratives. Specifications Caliber: .38-55 Win. Barrel: Round, 24 inches Twist: 1 in 15 inches Barrel finish: high polish bluing Magazine: Full-length under-barrel Magazine capacity: 7 rounds Sights: Semi-buckhorn rear, blade front Receiver: Roll engraved with w/antique silver plated finish; drilled and tapped for aperture sights Stock: Semi-fancy black walnut w/silver medallion, satin finish; blued rifle butt plate Checkering: Hand cut, wrap around, Fleur-de-lis style Fore-end cap: Antique silver finish Weight: 6-3/4 pounds Overall length: 42-1/2 inches Length of pull: 13-1/2 inches Country of Origin: USA The operation and feel of the action is like any standard Model 94. I measured the trigger pull at 4 1/2 pounds per my RCBS pull scale. The single-stage trigger pull is smooth with very little creep. Since this rifle was to be a shooter and I abhor semi-buckhorn sights, I removed the rear sight and replaced it with a Williams receiver-mounted aperture sight. (The open rear sight must be removed to clear the sightline of the aperture sight.) The stock front sight incorporates a fine brass bead that allows precise aiming. The result is a faster and more accurate aiming system that is also far easier and more precise to adjust. Having installed a receiver sight, it was time to take the Legendary Frontiersmen to the rifle range to see how it shoots. As usual, I did the test shooting at the Izaak Walton outdoor gun range south of Eugene, Oregon. G&S Online staff members Rocky Hays, Jim Fleck, and Robert Fleck were there to assist, although I did all of the shooting for the record myself. I had two brands of factory-loaded ammo available. These were Winchester Super-X factory loads with a 255-grain Power Point (JSP) bullet at a MV of 1320 fps and Buffalo Bore Heavy loads using a 255-grain bonded core JSP bullet at a MV of 1950 fps. The latter are for use ONLY in modern rifles in good condition, such as the Winchester Model 94 post '64 commemoratives and Model 94 Angle Eject rifles. After first adjusting the sights at 25 yards, I moved back to 50 yards to shoot some three-shot groups from a solid shooting bench using a Lead Sled DFT rest. 50 yards is my usual shooting distance with iron sights, due to the inadequacies of my Mark 1 eyeballs. Multiply the 50-yard group size by two to get the equivalent 100-yard group size. The resulting groups with the Legendary Frontiersmen averaged a surprising one inch (2 MOA), or slightly smaller, with both loads. As expected, this is an accurate rifle! The low-pressure Super-X loads generate very mild recoil, noticeably less than a .243, and are great fun to shoot. The Buffalo Bore Heavy loads are serious Class 3 game loads and kick harder, but less than most powerful medium bore cartridges. I would, subjectively, rate their recoil as comparable to a Marlin 336 in .35 Remington, or a normal .270 bolt-action rifle. The Legendary Frontiersmen, a beautiful rifle in any company. Model 94s are sleek rifles, partly due to their slender fore-ends and thin, relatively low receivers. (The latter is achieved by an internally pivoted lever and open top receiver.) The Legendary Frontiersmen's 24-inch round barrel, straight hand stock, and excellent finish serve to emphasize the design's inherently fine lines. Layaway 1/3 down 90 days Shipping:  $60, insurance extra upon request of the Buyer New shipping hard case $20 Payment: Personal Check, Money Order, Cert. Check, or Zelle Price: $1,299.00 Rifle Caliber: .38-55 Winchester Manufacturer: Winchester Model: 1894 Legendary Frontiersman Serial Number: LF 06358 Barrel Length: 24 Bore: Twist: 1 in 15 inches Chambers: 7 Ejectors: Auto Condition: NIB Metal Condition: NIB Wood Condition: NIB Bore Condition: NIB Action: Lever Triggers: Single Stock: American Walnut Butt Pad: Factory Plate LOP: 13.5 Finish: Satin Oil Weight: 6.75lbs Sights: Semi-buckhorn rear, blade front Manufacture Date: 1979 Engraving: Factory