The Winchester Model 1894 was the first commercial American repeating rifle built to be used with
smokeless powder. The 1894 was originally chambered to fire 2 metallic black powder cartridges, the
.32-40 Winchester and
.38-55 Winchester. In 1895 Winchester went to a different steel composition for rifle manufacturing that could handle higher pressure rounds and offered the rifle in
.25-35 Winchester and
.30-30 Winchester. The .30-30 Winchester, or .30 WCF (Winchester Centerfire), is the cartridge that has become synonymous with the Model 1894. Starting in 1899, the Model 1894 was also chambered in
.32 Winchester Special. The Model 94's combination of potent firepower in a compact, lightweight, comfortable-to-carry, and quick-shooting package has made it an extremely popular hunting rifle, particularly for
white-tailed deer in the dense forests of the
Eastern United States, where most game is killed at relatively short distances. As a result, it was the first sporting rifle to sell over 7,000,000 units. The millionth Model 1894 was given to President
Calvin Coolidge in 1927, the 1½ millionth rifle to President
Harry S. Truman on May 8, 1948 and the two millionth unit was given to President
Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. The United States government purchased 1,800 commercial Model 1894s with 50,000 .30-30 Winchester cartridges during
World War I. These rifles in the 835800 to 852500 serial number range were marked atop the receiver ring with a flaming bomb and "U.S." The rifles were intended for
United States Army Signal Corps personnel stationed in the
Pacific Northwest to prevent labor
strike actions from interrupting manufacture of
Sitka spruce lumber for framing the
fuselage and wings of military aircraft. The rifles were sold as military surplus after the war. To release
Lee–Enfield rifles for infantry use, the
Royal Navy purchased approximately 5,000 .30-30 caliber Model 94 rifles in 1914 for shipboard guard duty and
mine-clearing. France purchased 15,100 Model 1894 carbines equipped with sling swivels on the left side of the buttstock and barrel band, and with metric gradations on the No. 44A rear sight. These French carbines were issued to
motorcycle couriers, artillery troops,
trench railway personnel, and some balloon units. Some of these rifles acquired Belgian
proofmarks when sold as surplus through Belgium. Examples captured from the United Kingdom by the
Wehrmacht were designated the
Gewehr 248(e). The Winchester 1894 was used again in World War II in the hands of the
Canadian Pacific Coast Militia Rangers who were issued them to defend the west coast of Canada from Japanese invaders. Winchester '94s were also provided to the British
Home Guard in the early years of WWII. The Model 94 over its long history included the Winchester Model 55, produced from 1924 through 1932 in a barrel, and the Winchester Model 64, produced from 1933 through 1957 in 20, 24, and barrel lengths. From 1964 through 1980, a version of the Model 94 carbine was also sold by
Sears as the
Ted Williams Model 100, as part of Sears' marketing arrangement with both Winchester and the retired baseball star. Ted Williams signature was roll marked on the barrel of the Model 100. In mid-1964, the manufacturing of the 94 was changed in order to make the firearm less expensive to produce. Those made prior to 1964 are referred to as the "pre-64" models, and these earlier versions command a premium price over post-change rifles. The limited number of early-1964 production models produced prior to the changeover are considered quite desirable, as they are considered by many to represent the ending of an era. Decades after the Winchester 1892 was phased out of production, the Winchester 1894 Models were manufactured in typical revolver calibers such as
.38 Special/
.357 Magnum,
.44 Special/
.44 Magnum,
.45 Colt,
.38-40 Winchester, and
.44-40 Winchester. Typically, the tubular magazine is able to hold 9 to 13 rounds of these handgun calibers. The magazine capacity depends on the length of the barrel, as the under barrel tubular magazine typically covers the entire length of the barrel. Handgun calibers are preferred by modern-day Cowboy Action Shooters as it allows one type of ammunition for both rifle and handgun. A typical combination would be an 1873 Colt (
Colt Peacemaker or clone) and a Winchester 1894 capable of shooting the same type of ammunition. The 1894 action, designed for smokeless rifle rounds, is much stronger than the action of the Winchesters (Models 1866, 1873, 1876) that were based on
Benjamin Henry's toggle-link system, and can easily handle modern high-pressure revolver cartridges such as the .44 Magnum. From 1984 to 1997, the Model 94 angle eject 20" barreled carbine and 24" barreled XTR rifle were offered in
7-30 Waters (an improved .30-30 case necked down to a 7mm bullet). In 2003, the rifle was offered in
.410 shotgun and named the Model 9410. As of 1983, the Winchester 1894 holds the record for best-selling high-powered rifle in U.S. history. In 2003, the
Utah Department of Corrections purchased multiple .30-caliber Model 94s for usage in
firing squad executions. They were planned to be used in two
upcoming executions that June, although they were later delayed. They were first used in the Utah execution of
Ronnie Lee Gardner in 2010, who remains the most recent inmate to be executed by firing squad in the state of Utah, and was the most recent in the United States until
Brad Sigmon in 2025. U.S. production ceased in 2006. At the time there were 14 versions of the Model 94 in the Winchester catalog. In 2010 Winchester Repeating Arms reintroduced the model 94 in two Limited Edition models to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Oliver F. Winchester's birth in New England in 1810. ==Design changes==