Winchester 94 30-30
 

Just picked this up from a friend, and going to shoot it today for the first time. Really excited. This is the weapon I have wanted since I was a little boy, 756 years ago.

Any tips?

756 Years ago!! Just how old are you?:D The 30-30 lever action has probably killed more deer than any other caliber, they did in PA, everyone used to have a thurty thurty. They are an ok rifle but there are much better calibers that will do more. If your rifle can take them I recommend you use the Leverevolution shells in it as they have more power than the standard non pointed 30-30 shells. If you bought it for nostalgia you will be ok but I wouldn't recommend it for anything larger than deer.

Tips? Of course. If you're shooting at shorter ranges (say 100 yards or less), this is a perfect gun for deer and black bear. You can obviously shoot it further but you start running into holdover with iron sights. Not impossible but takes a smidge more aiming time and thought. But for a walkaround rifle, it's just plain fun. It's also serious medicine if you run cross a coyote at those ranges. Enjoy the rifle and have fun. By the way, what vintage is yours? The older ones seem to have that extra something just knowing how many people must have owned it before.

I still play with one occasionally. My grandfather gave me one when I was 13 so that would have been in 1976. I sold that one off but I still have the one my father got on his 12th birthday in 1952. They are neat little rifles and will cleanly take deer sized game out to about 125 yards. Using one make you learn to hunt and not just shoot. You have to be able to close the distance. I knew several old timers in my native CO that used them successfully on elk but realistically there are better rounds for game that big. It has been a number of years since I have used one to put meat on the table. Perhaps I should use one this fall to get back in touch with my misbegotten cowboy youth.

Well, you are living in Texas, home to the Dallas Cowboys. :patriot:

I never owned a 94 but always wanted one. I like a lever action and use my Marlin Guide Gun for most of my hunting unless I'm toting a muzzleloader. But now I own two 94s. One in 30-30 and another in 32 SPL. Both are pre '64 vintage. Nice slick handling rifles that I wouldn't hesitate taking to the deer or black bear woods.
As I recall one of the previous PA record black bears (600+ lbs - not sure of the weight.) was taken up in the Pocono mtns. with a single shot from a 30-30.
But the heaviest PA bear ever shot, an 875 lb bruiser was taken with a crossbow in 2010.

It has a serial number from the 1943 - 1948 range, where Winchester lost the paperwork.

It fired like a dream, but I had two issues. The first was that the gate for loading it would hit the rim of the round loaded in there already. I had to REALLY push to get them loaded at first. I also couldn't really find the aim. After trying a bunch of stuff, and shooting all my ammo at the range, a guy next to me offered some advice. It turns out that he is a gunsmith. He pointed out the back sight has a secondary adjustment. I tried to loosen it, but it needs some lubricant or heat put on it to get it to budge. I will get to this soon.

That's awesome. I looked mine up and it was made in 1974. Not quite as historical but I still enjoy mine immensely.

I shoot my lever guns quite often. A little trick in loading - don't push the round all the way in if you're going to put another in the tube. Leave the cartridge stick out a bit. You can hold it with the finger tips of your left hand to keep it from popping back out(or your thumb depending on how you're holding the rifle). Then run the next cartridge right behind it and push them both in. Continue this until you load the last one and push that one all the way in. It makes life a lot easier.

I had two. Took my first whitetail in Missouri with one. Sold one. Kept the other which has a factory inlaid brass medallion in the stock. Medallion has my father's name. Was a promotion offered to True Value Hardware members by Winchester. Didn't shoot it for a long time. Then decided the "collector's" value is likely 99% family related. I can't imagine many people who didn't know my father would want said rifle unless priced same as any plain jane version.