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*EXTRAORDINARILY RARE WINCHESTER MODEL 1894 LEVER ACTION MUSKET.

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:15,000.00 USD Estimated At:30,000.00 - 50,000.00 USD
*EXTRAORDINARILY RARE WINCHESTER MODEL 1894 LEVER ACTION MUSKET.
SN 503008. Cal. 30 WCF (30-30). One of a kind Model 1894 Musket and the only one known to have been produced for socket bayonet. It has 30" rnd bbl, a nearly full magazine, square base front sight/bayonet lug and 2,000 yard carbine ladder rear sight. Mounted with uncheckered, straight grain American walnut with full length forearm, three bbl bands & straight stock with carbine/musket buttplate without trap. Middle band & buttstock have factory sling loops. According to information found on p. 53 of the book Winchester Model 94 2nd Edition, Renneberg, there were only "five true musket examples: all were produced experimentally and all were originally in the Winchester Museum Reference Collection." He states that not all five are thought to have survived. He also states that there were two bayonet designs used, the saber type and the socket type as found on this musket. This musket & bayonet are pictured on p. 53 with the caption which states "This is the only model 1894 musket known to be in a private collection". with credit to The Rob Kassab Collection. This musket, along with three other muskets are listed, by SN, in the Inventory of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company Firearms Reference Collection, E. Pugsley, et al. This musket was item #289 in the collection and was produced in 1909. Two of the other muskets are listed with 26" bbls and the third musket bbl length is not listed and all three are indicated as being fitted for saber bayonets. This musket is the only one shown with "angular" (socket) bayonet. This musket was featured in the Winter 2007 magazine, The Winchester Collector, and was featured on the cover and in multiple color shots on p. 23 in an article by Rob Kassab. Accompanied by an orig socket bayonet of the Winchester Model 1873 style with 18-1/2" triangular bayonet and standard socket with locking ring. This musket was part of the renowned Eldon Owens Collection sold by the Julia auction company in October 2004. PROVENANCE: Winchester Museum Reference Collection; Eldon Owens Collection; Rob Kassab Collection. CONDITION: Extremely fine. Bbl retains 95-97% strong, bright orig factory blue with only wear around the muzzle from the bayonet; receiver retains about 95-96% strong orig blue with the losses from light flaking, not wear; lever, hammer & buttplate retain about all of their strong, bright orig case colors, lightly faded on outer faces of the lever and moderately faded on the buttplate. Wood is sound with very minor handling & storage nicks and retains virtually all of its orig factory oil finish. Mechanics are crisp, brilliant shiny bore, probably unfired. Bayonet is equally new with only a few, minor, scattered spots of pinprick pitting. 4-47587 JR199