Win Model 94 Action stiff

[hot chili powder]

Just got a Win Model 94 from my father-in-law.....rifle made btwn 1943 & 1948....in very usable condition but action is very stiff & hard to work the lever to cock it.....any ideas what could cause this or should I just take it a local gunsmith??

 

[rbernie]

Every old action that I have ever found hard to work turned out to be stiff because of congealed oils and WD-40 residue gumming up the works. My first recommendation is always to have it disassembled and cleaned thoroughly.

Should we assume that it is stiff through the whole cycle, with no obvious bind/grind points?

 

[Rottweiler]

I agree with bernie

 

[entropy]

I concur.

 

[milemaker13]

I too have a lost years m94 with a bit of a stiff action. I will take the advice given here and do a complete strip n' clean and report back. Just need to find a little time...

 

[doubleh]

It's just amazing what cleaning the crud out of an old firearm and applying some lubrication will do for it's operation. This works with a lot of other old stuff too. I wish it worked on humans.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

It's just amazing what cleaning the crud out of an old firearm and applying some lubrication will do for it's operation. This works with a lot of other old stuff too. I wish it worked on humans.

Amen my bag of bones are killing me more days than not!

 

[loose noose]

You might try shooting a little "Power Blast" gun cleaner in the those parts that appear to be sticking, be careful as not to get it on the wood though, if that doesn't work then like what was mentioned prior, get it to a gunsmith and have it disassembled and cleaned. I don't recommend that you attempt to do this on your own, unless your an accomplished armor.

 

[Riomouse911]

I once held and tried to pull the trigger (unloaded, of course) on a k-frame S&W revolver that had ancient WD-40 gumming up the action.

Man that stuff really does gunk it up, I had no idea how badly until handling this gun.

Those of us who used WD-40 for firearms lubrication years ago just didn't know how badly that stuff ages.

Stay safe!

 

[4v50 Gary]

Clean it. It requires total disassembly.

 

[dagger dog]

Take the stock off, that will give access to most of the innards, then use your favorite cleaner with the little wand to blast out the gunk, compressed air is a big help with the barrel pointed muzzle up let it dry, next use a aerosol lube and spray the innards again let it drip dry. That should let you know if it needs a gun smith.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Brownell's Encyclopedia of Firearms Disassembly Vol. 1 reproduces the Win 94 take down/armorer manual. I didn't use the manual when I took it down and it's pretty straightforward. Then again, I had a bunch of armorers' classes beneath my belt when I did it. The book is pricey and the good (or not good depending on your perspective) is that there was never a Vol II.

Suggestion: Take pictures as you remove each part. It makes it easier to reassemble later.