Getting ready to go shooting with a buddy this week so I’m cleaning some guns and prepping and such and I take my 1954 model 94 in 30-30 and notice while working the action that the lever doesn’t want to stay all the way up anymore. It falls out of battery I guess your could say, with relative ease even just touching the lever. Like a detent is not working. Used to have to pull down with a bit of force to cock it and now I can’t get it to stay in the closed position easily. Been shooting it off and on for s few years and never had an issue.

There's usually a safety pin on the underside of the gun that the lever pushes in so that you actually have to squeeze the lever a bit to get it to fire. This makes the lever "wiggle" and fall a bit when you're not holding it. but how far is it actually falling down to say "out of battery"? enough to open the action?

It’s falling down about 1/3 the way you would move it to cock it. I know it’s supoosed to hang down ever so slightly as the safety lever is engaged with a proper squeeze. This is the actual lever just falling down and not staying closed

There should be a small spring loaded stud at the rear end of the plate that comes down with the lever when the lever is operated. It's called the "friction stud". I'd check to see if it's missing or maybe if the spring has gotten weak and isn't able to push the stud out. If the stud is there, try oiling it and see if you can free it up. Here's a link to a schematic:

https://www.google.com/search?...mgrc=LZ91-GeRVhNo5M:

You want to check parts numbers 33, 36 and 37.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: arfmel,

^^^^^^thanks for that info. It seems like perhaps the spring may be weak. I can push the pin easily though it does have some tension. Don’t really know how much is normal. Is it easy to change out or should I seek a smith? Is it still safe to fire? I assume it is, but not 100%.

The first thing I'd try is to put some good penetrating oil on the stud and let it have time to work. Then push the stud in repeatedly and see if it frees up and begins to do its job better. If not, there's a transverse pin in the link plate that holds it in. You'll need a little hammer and properly sized punch to tap it out, left to right. Leave the punch in the hole and watch for the stud and spring when you pull the punch out as they may pop out. Clean the hole out-it may be full of dried grease and crud that is impairing the function of the stud spring. I'd consider taking the gun to a smith to do the work if you know a good one, he could check the whole gun over. A bad one will botch up every screw in the receiver. The gun may be full of dried lubricant and crud. The 94 isn't particularly easy to fully disassemble and reassemble. There are lots of parts.

I think the gun is probably safe to fire-it won't go off if you don't have the lever held fully shut. But I'd get it fixed anyway.

Arfmel is on spot on about disassembly on the 1894 (and 1892 as well)...it can be somewhat of a challenge until you have done it a few times...

Even if you don't want to take it down...these YouTube videos may give you some insight on how the parts work in the action...

JUST AS INFO...I just checked the safety/lever/trigger block on my 94 .45 Colt and it can be pushed in with the tip of my little finger with very little effort...it's not a very strong spring.




Link to original video: https://youtu.be/B5V7lW3VyJw




Link to original video: https://youtu.be/-3SDXNLhso4




Link to original video: https://youtu.be/iJ4S5t2fH_E

Thanks a lot guys for the info. I’ll try some oil and see what that does. Perhaps I’ll try some disassembly though I’d feel better with giving it to a competent smith, though not sure who is good in my area. Will have to research.

LincolnSixEcho,do not know where you are but check with the local cowboy action shooters for a lever action specialist. They will know who is good.
If you are in the southeast, Roland Kraps on this forum should be able to point you in the right direction.

I'd shoot some penetrating oil and/or brake cleaner into the stud's recess. It may well have 50 years of accumulated crud in there.

quote:

Originally posted by sig operator:
LincolnSixEcho,do not know where you are but check with the local cowboy action shooters for a lever action specialist. They will know who is good.
If you are in the southeast, Roland Kraps on this forum should be able to point you in the right direction.

This is a good idea. I called Winchester and they said they don’t service pre 64s and I called Midwest gun works who Winchester recommended and they said the same thing so I need to find a gunsmith that will service this weapon because I cannot get it fixed. It shoots perfect but the lever just falls out of action for lack of a better way to describe it. I oiled it and it’s moving OK that’s the problem I think it’s moving too much so something needs to be tightened perhaps.