Cleaning a pre-64 Winchester 94

[edogg]

One of my best friends recently passed away. He left me his pre-64 Winchester 94 30-30 which I just took to the range tonight and shot it in his honor.

Now that I've shot it, I need to clean it up. What's the cleaning procedure for these rifles? Disassembly seems to be really complicated - much more so than my old Marlin 336. Do I just clean it from the muzzle? Is a bore snake the way to go?

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[mattg521]

I use a bore snake on mine, but I'm new school owner of old school iron. I'd love to get some input on how it was done back in the day by those who knew what was up.

 

[shooter]

Sorry for your recent loss.
I run a boresnake or use a cleaning rod with a patch and clean from the muzzle towards the action. If it's been a while, or if it's a newly acquired gun that hasn't been properly cared for, then I will soak the bore with Kroil. It really penetrates the old residue/fowling and it can soak for days without causing any damage. Many Winchester collectors use and trust it.
Go ahead and use hoppes #9 or something similar to clean the action. I would not recommend disassembly unless you have a good manual, some good gunsmithing screwdrivers, patience, and a clean working area...no carpet! There are several small screws that are rather easy to lose, but almost impossible to replace with period originals.
Once you have given the gun a good cleaning the best way to protect it is with Old West Snake Oil.(IMO) It's completely natural and can be applied to both the wood and metal surfaces.

If you find you are uncomfortable with trying to do a disassembly to make sure the guts are good, then I would recommend just taking it to a local gunsmith and a paying a couple bucks to have it checked over and cleaned. Shouldn't cost more than $30-$40. Just make sure your gunsmith has experince with vintage rifles... overcleaning can detract from the value. There is a lot of great information at winchestercollector.org that you may find useful.
Enjoy your new Winnie!

 

[Dallas Ken]

You can get some really good disassembly instructions and a breakdown off the net. It is really quite easy and will give you a chance to inspect the wear parts and clean up any rough areas with a rubber diamond impregnated hone. (works good for me anyway) Really makes a difference in the feel of the action and you will know it is clean. There is a lot of grit and dirt that finds it's way into these 94 actions.....worth looking at.
94's will always have a place in our safes.

 

[edogg]

Thanks guys. This rifle has definitely been well cared for. My friend was meticulous in all things and this rifle is in great original shape - I'm honored to have it in my collection. I just need to clean it now that I shot it a few times last night.

I normally use M-Pro 7 cleaner and lube on all of my guns. Should I avoid using it on my vintage rifles? Should I use the Old West Snake Oil instead? I also have a can of Ballistol that I wasn't too thrilled with (it cleaned well but I didn't like the oil being everywhere). Would that do the trick like the Snake Oil?

I was hoping there would be an easy disassembly like my Marlin 336 (remove 1 screw, remove the lever, pull out the bolt), but I guess not.