I noted a Winchester Legendary Frontiersman on gun broker last week and also noted that it was way over priced for it's advertised gun safe worn less than pristine condition.    However, it was located in a local gun shop that I don't frequent much so I thought I'd go give it a look.

It came with the box and all the tags, but the box wasn't pristine and the rifle had a couple minor dings in the stock, a very minor scratch on the edge of the receiver and a very minor scratch on the magazine tube.  Minor enough you really had to look for them, but enough to keep it from being in pristine collector quality condition.  And I noted powder residue on the bore so it had also been fired post factory (possibly by the shop to confirm it was safe to fire for insurance purposes, but still "fired').

$1,159 had been the GB price and while the price in the shop was $1,000 that was still too much for it's not quite collectible condition. However, before I could say anything on price, the owner offered to sell it for $850.

The thing about nearly all the Winchester commemoratives made since 1966, when they started doing it in a big way is that the vast majority of them were either made in comparatively large numbers for a commemorative, or were made in small numbers, but to commemorate events of little interest, like the "Illinois Sesquicentennial" or the even smaller market rifles made to order for local community centennial or Sesquicentennial events.  A few, like the John Wayne commemoratives carry decent collector value but most don't even do well keeping pace with inflation and sell for less than a comparable brand new non commemorative rifle.  There value however lies in their worth as shooters.

For example the average small town in the middle of Iowa community centennial Winchester will be a Model 94 XTR Carbine in .30-30 with a medallion in the stock, a gold plated loading gate, some minor engraving on the receiver and the name and dates of the community engraved and filled with gold paint on the right side of the barrel.   Install a new, less obnoxious loading gate, replace the medallion stock (if it bothers you) and you have a very nice XTR grade Model 94 in near mint condition for about $500 less than the same rifle would cost you new.    As an added bonus if it's pre-1981 you'll also have the original quarter cock notched hammer and none of the annoying cross bolt or tang safeties.

Back to the Legednary Frontiersman, there were basically three Winchester Commemorative rifles chambered for .38-55 - the Legendary Frontiersman, (with an antiqued silver plated engraved receiver and fore end cap, some very engraving on the receiver, and a medallion in the stock), the Oliver F. Winchester Commemorative (essentially the same as the LF, but with an octagon barrel, different engraving and medallion, and a gold plated receiver) and the Chief Crazy Horse Commemorative (blued receiver with gold filled engraving, a stock medallion and brass studs on the stock and fore end in the Native American tradition). All three will sell for around $1,300 in unfired NIB condition with a pristine to excellent condition box and all the hang tags.  In any thing less than that condition, they sell for around $850.  That's largely because they made each of them in successive years and made 19,999 of each model.   To put that in perspective, the Model 52 "re-issue" Sporters were made in both Browning and Winchester variants and they made 5000 of each.  At those numbers they are uncommon, not rare, and are valued as very high grade production sporter .22 rifles, but not as serious collectible rifles unless again they come with the box and hang tags and are in NIB condition.  Produced at 4 times those numbers, the LF, OFW, and CCH commemoratives really struggle to be considered collectible.  Maybe in another 100 years....

Which brings me back to being in a shop looking at an LF because it is in less than mint condition, when the owner throws out a very fair price for a "shooter" grade LF.  If you like Winchester Model 94 rifle pattern .38-55s and you are looking for a shooter in excellent condition, the LF is about as good as it gets.

I can buy a new Winchester branded Miroku made 24" rifle pattern Model 94 for about $1150, but it will come with the current tang safety and the almost black "bluing" they currently use along with checkering that is not all that inspiring or well done.  Or I can buy a not quite collectible grade LF for $850.  The silver plated receivers were a bit garish when new, but they tarnish to a very nice finish not far off from color case hardening. The wood and checkering is superb, and these rifles were made with much greater care than the average Model 94 with excellent fit and finish and they shoot as well as any of my Pre-64 Model 94s (1.5 to 2.0 MOA).  Consequently, I went home double checked what I knew and the numbers involved, and went back the next day and bought it.

Then I took it out and shot it to confirm it shot as nicely as it should. The Semi-buckhorn rear sights gave me 3 MOA accuracy, which is a result of 53 year old progressive reader eyes sight base and barrel mounted sights, not a short coming of the rifle.  I'd also brought an unused just sitting on the shelf Lyman No 2 tang sight and a longer stock screw to secure it.  I removed the sight elevator installed the tang sight with a single screw (the sight base matches the curve across the top of the tang so it stays in place well enough for assessment purposes) and shrank the group sizes to just under 2 MOA.

Since it shot well I decided to commit and took it home, drilled and tapped the front hole for the sight and properly installed the tang sight.   So much more collector value, but it's going to get shot a lot anyway.  Besides, a tang D&T'd for a tang sight was the norm for rifle patterned Model 92s and 94s, so Winchester should have D&T'd the tang anyway.

I went back to the range the next day and thoroughly enjoyed shooting plates at 100 yards from sitting and offhand positions with the rifle. It is superbly balanced and a joy to shoot.

It's also cheap to shoot.  My preferred plinking load is 9 grains if unique under a commercial cast (Meister cast) 245 grain bevel base round nose flat point bullet with 2 lube grooves and a crimping groove.  It has a muzzle velocity of 1,250 fps in my 24" rifle and 1,210 fps in my 20" carbine.   The nice part about this load is that it is inexpensive ($0.24 per round /$4.80 per box of 20).

The other nice part about the load is that it works well with the Lyman No 2 tang sight.  The Lyman sight's elevation  barrel gives 7.6 MOA per turn (with a 30" sight radius) which normally isn't real convenient.  This however is one of the exceptions because when you zero it at 100 yards, referencing one of the marks on the back of the riser (the 5th mark from the top in my case), if you give one full turn to the next mark on the riser it's now zeroed for 150 yards, one more turn equals 200 yards, one more turn equals 250 yards and one more turn equals 300 yards.  One turn below the 100 yard zero gives you a 25 yard zero.  The combination of load and sight radius makes the marks on the No 2 riser actually useful for something.  Add a divot on the barrel to align with the back of the sight and the whole thing is repeatable.

Also, since it is a model Model 94 built with modern materials you can also load your ".38-55" to .30-30 Win pressures of 42,000 psi, rather than the 30,000 CUP limit for .38-55.  That will let you launch a 220 gr bullet up around 1900 fps, or a 255 grain bullet at 1700 fps, giving it about a 50 yard increase in range over the 30-30 based on similar impact energy (and not counting the larger hole, increased momentum and better penetration of the .38-55 load).  With that approach it only gives up about 300 fps and 50 yards compared to the .375 Winchester.

My "new" .38-55 probably won't replace my Big Bore 94 .375 Win in the field, but it will see a lot more use on the target range.

I would say a nice grab there..Congrats

Nicely done, and it looks like a good score. I too like lever guns with tang sights. I have a 1954 vintage 94 in legitimate 90% condition with a Marbles W&E adjustable sight. Super fun rifle to stomp around the woods with. Killer on deer with cast lead gas checks, or the Leverevolution ammo that fortunately shoot well in my rifle.
Always wanted a 94 in either 38-55 or 375 but just never came across one that was priced properly for it's condition. Oh well, I'll keep looking.

I have a 1951 vintage 94 with a W-1 marked Marbles sight. It's also high on my list of rifles I like to shoot.  Despite the lack of windage adjustment, I like the old Marbles sights better than the current marbles sights, especially on vintage rifles.



Big Bore 94s In .375 were the most common, and with actual .375 Win ammo and brass being almost unobtainable prices on them are actually falling somewhat.   It's just hard to find one in nice yet not collectible condition.  Mine has some very light freckling on the receiver which brought the price down to the reasonable range. It wears one of the newer Marbles sights, partly to match the newer bluing.

I have a small supply of factory .375 Win ammo and brass as well as some 220 gr handloads, but it gets shot most of the time with .38-55 'esque loads in the  30,000 to 42,000 psi range.