WINCHESTER MODEL 1894 SIGHTS

A Reference for the Model 1894

Rifle and Carbine

Years 1900-1907

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 and serrations that changed though the years covered. The information
gathered here will hopefully narrow down a time for when those details first
appear, disappear and maybe reappear. This is all new to the WACA forum and
this subject in general. I’m confident that some questions collectors have about
sights will be answered and we will all be more knowledgeable collectors
WINCHESTER Model 1894 Sights, 1900-1907 is one part in a series studying because of it.
the sights on rifles and carbines with images and data taken from actual guns of
the time period. Those images and information will be presented here with
regular updates. In time I would like this project to be a library of accurate
sight information. I will strive for it to have correct identification of sights with
terminology of the period.

I want to identify period correct sights using the information provided by

collectors about their guns and the information found in the manufacturer
catalogs and other written information. The information from the actual guns
will add detail to the areas that are somewhat vague or general in current
written reference.

It is not the goal of this project to decide which gun has factory original sights
and which one doesn’t. I recommend starting with period correct first, and then
determine the likelihood of the sights being factory original second.

I remind everyone that I’m compiling this online and updating it as information
comes in. Updates and editing details will occur regularly. New guns will get
pictured over time. First reactions to some things you see may be to question
them immediately. I have told myself to be prepared to re-think a few things Above: Three sights for the Model 1894, clockwise from the top: Winchester
and have an open mind. Do not look at this only as me posting pictures of what Three Leaf Express, Lyman Combination Rear Sight No.1 and a Winchester
I think is absolutely correct. We will see some things change with the Sporting Rear Sight with elevator 1A.
information gathered. There are details with set screws, markings, elevators
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These are the sights from a Model 1894 Special Order Short “Baby” Eastern
Carbine with an 18” barrel and caliber .30 WCF, shipped, 8/2/1901. Front sight
is a Carbine Front Blade Sight, .330” Height, later No. 59B, German silver
mounted in a brazed stud.

Rear sight is a Winchester Express Rear Sight, three platinum lined leaves, “V”
notched and marked 50, 1 and 2. For the sake of clarity it will usually be
referred to here as a Winchester Three Leaf Express Rear Sight. The sight was
designated No. 34C in later catalogs. Below: Illustration from the Winchester
Repeating Arms catalog of 1903.

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Here are the sights from a standard octagon barreled Sporting Rifle from 1906,
caliber .32-40. Up front is the Winchester Sporting Front Sight, .320” height
(possibly a filed down No. 21A), German silver blade with set screw.

Rear barrel sight is a Winchester Sporting Rear Sight, later designated a 22B,
with the set screw fine adjustment and serrations on the semi-buckhorns. It has
a correct Sporting Rear Sight Elevator, 1A, for caliber .32-40. The elevator has
the serrated “thumb”, six elevation notches and is marked with the
PAT.FEB.5.1901 date.

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Here are the sight details on a Model 1894 Take Down Rifle, .32 WS caliber,
serial number applied 8-15-1903. Front sight is the Lyman Ivory Semi-Jack
Front Sight, No. 28. Semi-Jack designation was for the 3/32” ivory bead.

This rifle has the .32 Winchester Special Smokeless Rear Sight or the Smokeless
.32 W.S. M’94 Sight as labeled. The Winchester Repeating Arms catalog of
March 1903 goes into more detail on the unique rear sight design:

Rifles for the .32 Winchester Special Cartridge are fitted with a new and
specially designed rear sight…which is graduated for either Smokeless or Black
powder cartridges.
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Here is a very nice special order Take Down Rifle, .32 WS with ½ octagon
barrel and ½ magazine from 1905.

Rear sight is another .32 Winchester Special Smokeless Rear Sight. This was
not the only rear sight used for the .32 WS Model 1894 however.

On the front is the Sporting Front Sight with set screw. This one appears to be
a slightly taller sight because of the barrel and caliber, possibly the No. 21F.
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Here are the sights from another .32 WS Take Down Sporting Rifle; an early
one from 1902. Some special options on this gem are checkered wood with
pistol grip, ½ octagon barrel and smooth steel shotgun butt.

Up on the front is a Lyman’s Patent Ivory Bead Front Sight, No.3, the smallest
ivory bead available. The base is marked “LYMAN’S PAT.OCT.6.85”

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 …which is missing on this gun. A hint of evidence on the upper tang suggests
it was once equipped with a tang sight, likely a Lyman Combination Rear Sight,
No. 1, Second Variation.

Rear barrel sight on this rifle is Lyman’s Patent Leaf Sight, No.6 with the fine
print reading “LYMAN’S PAT.JULY.14.91.” The white triangle on the rear leaf
(currently folded down) offered the shooter a low-light sighting option if
visibility through the aperture sight became poor. This type of rear barrel sight
is most often associated with a rear tang or receiver sight…

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These are the sights from a standard Model 1894 Sporting Rifle from 1904,
caliber .38-55. Up front is a standard Winchester Sporting Front Sight, German
silver blade and set screw, likely the 21A as titled in Winchester catalogs by
1925.

Rear sight is the standard Winchester Sporting Rear Sight, serrated semi-buck
horns and set screw for the fine adjustment. The elevator is the six notched 1A.

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These are the sights on a nice .32 WS caliber Fancy Take Down Rifle from
1907. Front sight is a Sheard’s Front Sight, as titled by the Marble Safety Axe
Co. in their 1907 catalog. The sight of this design was also sold directly from
W.F. Sheard as Sheard’s “Gold” Hunting or Target Sight.

Rear barrel has a “blank in rear” as noted in the Winchester factory records and
seen with receiver or tang sights.

Tang sight also is noted in the Winchester factory records as a “Lyman

improved rear 1A”. Lyman catalogs of the period refer to it as a Lyman
Improved Combination Rear Sight, 1A. “A” designates the addition of a
position locking lever, shown above, patented July 25, 1905.

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 The rear sight is a Winchester Three Leaf Express, “V” notched and platinum
lined.

Here is a nice Take Down Rifle, caliber .25-35 WCF from 1907. The front
sight is a Lyman’s Patent Ivory Hunting Front Sight, No. 4. These sights were
designed to be an accurate sight for hunting and durable for bucking the brush
with a more protected bead and sleeker profile than the standard sight.

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Here are the sights from a .38-55 caliber special order “Short” Sporting Rifle
with 24” barrel and 2/3 magazine from 1905. This rifle is an example of likely
owner sight modification. Front sight is an early ivory bead Marble’s Standard
Front Sight, No. 3. Look closely and notice a carefully filed notch in the front
of the sight.

Rear sight is a standard Winchester Sporting Rear Sight with set screw and a
six-notch 1A elevator. The buck horns and fine adjustment insert have also
been shaped at a forward angle. Likely a very unique gun (and owner at one
time).

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This is a Take Down Rifle from 1906: .32-40 caliber, ½ octagon barrel, ½
magazine and pretty wood.

On the front is a Lyman Patent Combination Ivory Front Sight, No. 5. This is a
Globe and Ivory Post sight, later Lyman catalogs would offer the Globe and
Ivory Bead 5B and for a shorter time the Globe and Barleycorn 5A.
On the barrel is a Sporting Rear Sight flat-top without set screw and an apparent
later 3C elevator. On the receiver is a Lyman Patent Receiver Sight, No. 21.
The factory records for this gun list “Lyman Receiver and Combination Front”.

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Here is another factory installed Lyman Patent Receiver Sight No. 21 on this
great special order Take Down Short Rifle from 1900. Letter reads: “Lyman
Front and Receiver”.

Rear barrel sight is a Winchester Three Leaf Express 34C with leaves marked
50, 1 and 2. Front sight is the Lyman Patent Ivory Hunting Front Sight No. 4.

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Here are the sights from a 1907 gun; a standard octagon barreled, crescent butt
Sporting Rifle with a full magazine and caliber .30 WCF. Up front is standard
Sporting Front Sight, German silver blade, set screw and a .381” height.

Rear sight is a regular Winchester Sporting Rear Sight with fine insert filed
lower and also the top of the elevator filed flat, possibly modified for later .30
WCF ammunition of higher velocities.

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Here’s a nice special order Sporting Rifle from 1906, caliber .32 WS.

On front is the standard Winchester Sporting Front Sight; the blade shaped
slightly by a previous owner along the way.

The rear sight is a standard Winchester Sporting Rear Sight with set screw fine
elevation adjustment and serrated edges on the semi-buckhorns. However this
particular gun also has an early style elevator and no obvious wear from the
later style, longer elevator, with the serrated “thumb”.

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Here are the sights from another one from 1906, a Take Down Sporting Rifle
again in .32 WS. Front sight is Lyman’s Patent Ivory Bead Front Sight, No.3.

The rear barrel sight pictured at right is another nice example of the somewhat
short lived .32 Winchester Special Smokeless Rear Sight.

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 Up front is a Lyman Ivory Bead Front Sight, No. 26 carbine sight blade. The
No. 26 designation for the smallest diameter ivory bead available, 1/16”.

Here’s a high condition Saddle Ring Carbine from 1903, caliber .30 WCF.
Rear sight is the Winchester Three Leaf Express Rear Sight, No. 34C with
platinum lined leaves marked 50, 1 and 2.

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These are the sights on an early .32WS Take Down Sporting Rifle from 1902.
The front sight is a German silver blade Sporting Front Sight.

This rifle has the .32 Winchester Special Smokeless Rear Sight with the “50 &
100 YDS” mark as shown. Oddly the Winchester catalogs omit the “100” in
their illustrations. Perhaps a sight matching those illustrations’ specifics will be
photographed yet…

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 Rear sight is a standard Winchester Sporting Rear Sight with set screw and
serrations. Elevator is the 1A.

These are sights from a .38-55 Sporting Rifle with a “button” magazine from
1905. The front is the standard Winchester Sporting Front Sight with set screw
and German silver blade.

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Here’s an interesting one. This fine 1902 DOM Sporting Rifle with ½ octagon
barrel is caliber .25-35 WCF.

Up on the front is a Winchester Sporting Front Sight with a German silver

blade and set screw. Its overall height is .486” and matches up with the sight
designation 21F.

This particular rifle has a Carbine Rear Sight, 0-20 marked and the correct “V”
notched leaf for the period. There is no visible wear from the standard Sporting
Rear Sight and elevator on the barrel.

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 Rear sight is the standard Winchester Carbine Rear Sight, with the “V” notch
and 0-20 marked, No. 44A.

Here are the sights from a nice .38-55 caliber Carbine, DOM 1907. Front sight
is a Carbine Front Blade Sight, German silver and a height of .273”, No. 59A.

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Here’s another nice Saddle Ring Carbine from 1900, caliber .32-40. The front
sight is the Carbine Front Blade Sight, .330” height No. 59B. At right is an
older style Winchester Carbine Rear Sight marked 2-9 with a “V” notched leaf.

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These are the sights from a special order “Short” Take Down Sporting Rifle, The rear sight is a Winchester Three Leaf Express Rear Sight, No. 34C with
also from 1900, but in caliber .30 WCF. platinum lines and marked 50, 1 and 2.

On the front is a Lyman’s Patent Ivory Hunting Front Sight, No.4. At lower
right is information from the Lyman Gun Sight Corporation catalog of 1902.

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Here are the sights from a .38-55 caliber Carbine from 1905. On the rear is
another of the older style Winchester Carbine Rear Sights marked 2-9 with the
“V” notched leaf.

The front sight is a Winchester Carbine Front Blade Sight, .330” high German
silver blade, No. 59B.

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Here’s a Take Down Sporting Rifle from 1901. This gun is caliber .30 WCF
and has the nicely figured wood often found on these Take Down Rifles. Up
front is a Sporting Front Sight, No. 21F with a German silver blade, set screw
and a height of .486”. This taller sight height is consistent with a 1/2 octagon
barreled rifle and a smokeless caliber.

Rear barrel sight is another Winchester Three Leaf Express Rear Sight, No. 34C
with platinum lined leaves marked 50, 1 and 2.

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This is a Fancy Extra Light Weight Take Down Sporting Rifle chambered in
.30 WCF from 1900. Right: The front on the rapid taper barrel has the ramp
and a Lyman Ivory Bead Front Sight, its bead long gone.

Right: The rear barrel sight is a Winchester Three Leaf Express Rear Sight, No.
34C with platinum lined leaves marked 50, 1 and 2.
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On the back is a Lyman Combination Rear Sight, No. 1, Second Variation
patent marked with the early Jan. 28, ’79 date for the original Lyman design
and also marked May 6, ’84 for this second variation. The rest of the sight,
that is visible, is unmarked.

_________________________________________________

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Here’s another special order beauty, an Extra Light Weight Take Down
Sporting Rifle from 1904, lettering with a bunch of options and a good example
Sights: Lyman Front(,) Leaf & Rear, as described by the letter; below and on
to show with the factory letter mentioning three Lyman sights.
the following page. Note the tang sight is again unmarked on the top of the
base, consistent with the “older” sights so far.

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Here we have the sights from another great condition Take Down Sporting
Rifle with checkered stocks; this one is from 1900 and in caliber .38-55. The
front sight is the Winchester Sporting Front Sight with screw, likely No. 21A

The rear barrel sight is the standard Sporting Rear Sight with serrations, set
screw adjustment and equipped with the old style six notch elevator.

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 Rear sight is a Three Leaf Express Sight, No. 34C. This particular sight is
missing leaf 1. It was a good opportunity to flip up leaf 2 and reveal the “C”
stamp on the upper right of the leaf for the sight designation.

These are the sights off of an octagon barreled Sporting Rifle in caliber .30
WCF. The front sight is the standard Sporting Front Sight with screw and
German silver blade.

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Here are the sights of a nice Take Down Sporting Rifle in .25-35 WCF from
1904. The rifle appears to have Sporting Rear Sight 24A. Sometimes we see
regular buck horn rear sights filed down flat but not as often do we see them in
this style from the factory on the earlier 1894 rifles.

The front sight is a the standard Winchester Sporting Front Sight with screw,
likely No. 21C.

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This rifle from 1903 features a button magazine on a full length octagon barrel
and is chambered in 30WCF.

Front sight on this rifle is a Lyman No. 20. This is the large bead sight that
Lyman referred to as a Lyman Ivory Jack Front Sight in their catalogs of the
period.

Rear sight is the common option 34C Three Leaf Express rear sight with leaves
marked 50, 1 and 2.

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