Here is a brief rundown of the differences between pre and post 64 model 94 Winchesters. While the guns did get cheapened up in 1964 by the 70′s Winchester had fixed many of the issues leading to a decent value if you find one used.
Not all post 64 Winchesters are terrible. After the switch to shitty stamped parts for the lifter and loading gate the backlash was pretty bad. Winchester then switched back to better quality parts than what many people assume all post 64 Winchesters have. I’ve got a model 94 my dad bought new at Kmart that was MFD in 1976 that is actually a very nice rifle. The only real drawback is the receivers post 64 were made of sintered metal until 1977 so they don’t take a blue very well and look a bit off. The tang on my 94 had the bluing wear off and has a bit of pitting. From 1977-1982 they went back to forged receivers with decent parts and the traditional action with top eject. So I would say level of quality
Pre 64
77-82 Forged receiver, decent parts, Top eject
82-92 Side eject but no lawyer safety
?-77 decent parts but sintered receiver
64-?? Shitty stamped parts, crappy roll pins, Sintered receivers
But even the shittiest win 94 can have the parts replaced and should shoot fine if you want one and it’s under $250 it’s still a deal.
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