This page serves as the engineering appendix for the Winchester 1894 Master Compendium. Each Technical Note (TN) listed below will become its own source-based, non-gated reference page, used by chapters, citations, and schema to support mechanical, historical, and configuration-specific claims.
I. Receiver, Action & Mechanical Architecture
TN-01 — Receiver & Action Geometry (1894–1963)
Architecture of the 1894 action: receiver blocks, locking lug geometry, machining evolution, and action-stress patterns.
TN-02 — Carrier, Lever & Timing Behavior
Timing logic of the lever, carrier arm, cam surfaces, and cycle deviations across eras.
TN-03 — Bolt, Firing Pin & Extractor Evolution
Changes to bolt design, extractor shape, firing pin construction, and metallurgy across five production eras.
II. Barrels, Markings & Chamber Behavior
TN-04 — Barrel Steel Types & Marking Transitions
Publicly documented transitions between “For Black Powder,” “Nickel Steel,” “Proof Steel,” and post-war stampings.
TN-05 — Bore, Twist & Caliber-Specific Behavior
Known twist rates per caliber, rifling characteristics, and how they match the ballistic expectations of each era.
TN-06 — Chamber Dimensions & Pressure Windows
Public-domain chamber drawings, SAAMI-equivalent references, and how these relate to cartridge evolution.
III. Wood, Furniture & Stock Architecture
TN-07 — Stock Profiles, Inletting & Grip Shapes
Rifle vs. carbine stock contours, straight vs. pistol grip variations, and changes to duplication machinery post-WWI.
TN-08 — Buttplates, Curvature & Materials
Crescent plates, carbine plates, shotgun butts, hard rubber variants, and late pre-64 geometry.
IV. Sights, Small Parts & External Features
TN-09 — Winchester Sight Families (1894–1963)
Ladder sights, semi-buckhorns, tang sights, stamped post-war rears, and bead front evolutions.
TN-10 — Screw Types, Thread Profiles & Era Markers
Screw head geometry, thread pitch, dome shape, and how these identify rework vs. original configuration.
V. Special Configurations
TN-11 — Takedown Mechanism Engineering (1905–1935)
Threads, shoulders, magazine construction, and known mechanical deviations.
TN-12 — Short Rifles, Trappers & Uncommon Lengths
Documented lengths, public catalogs, surviving rifle patterns, and features confirming authenticity.
VI. Proofmarks, Stamps & Factory Documentation
TN-13 — Proofmarks, Inspector Marks & Tang Stamps
Publicly visible proofmark evolution; matching tang stamps to eras; stamp placement and depth analysis.
TN-14 — Public Ledger Patterns & Shipment Dependencies
Publicly summarized ledger trends: serial blocks, shipment delays, and special-order outliers.
Specifications — Page Scope
- Series: Winchester Model 1894 – Gold Country Master Reference
- Page Type: Technical Notes Index (engineering appendix)
- Coverage: Mechanical architecture, materials, markings, configurations, and ledger patterns for pre–1964 Model 1894 production
- Timeframe Covered: 1894–1963 (receiver manufacture and documented production eras)
- Primary Function: Master index for all Winchester 1894 Technical Notes (TN-01 through TN-14 and future additions)
- Structure: Grouped sections for action geometry, barrel and chamber behavior, wood and furniture, sights and small parts, special configurations, and proofmarks/ledger patterns
- Relationship to Compendium: Provides mechanical and configuration-level support for narrative chapters, especially dating, authentication, provenance, configuration verification, and feature-era analysis
- Intended Audience: Collectors, appraisers, gunsmiths, historians, and serious shooters who require source-based, non-gated technical references for the Model 1894
- Technical Notes Indexed: TN-01 (Action Geometry), TN-02 (Carrier & Timing), TN-03 (Bolt & Extractor), TN-04 (Barrel Steel & Markings), TN-05 (Twist & Caliber Behavior), TN-06 (Chamber Specs), TN-07 (Stock Architecture), TN-08 (Buttplates), TN-09 (Sight Systems), TN-10 (Screws & Pins), TN-11 (Takedown Mechanics), TN-12 (Short Rifles & Trappers), TN-13 (Proofmarks & Tang Stamps), TN-14 (Ledger Patterns)
- Methodology: Source-based synthesis using publicly accessible Winchester catalogs, museum-visible rifles, patent filings, and cross-verified printed references; no proprietary or gated databases
Primary Public Sources:
Winchester catalogs (1894–1963) available through public archives; Cody Firearms Museum public
educational materials; NRA and Cody museum-displayed Model 1894 examples; USPTO filings related to
Browning lever-action mechanisms; publicly accessible SAAMI-equivalent chamber and pressure references.
TN-01 (Action Geometry)
TN-02 (Carrier Timing)
TN-03 (Bolt & Extractor Evolution)
TN-04 (Barrel Steel)
TN-05 (Twist & Caliber Behavior)
TN-06 (Chamber Specs)
TN-07 (Stock Architecture)
TN-08 (Buttplates)
TN-09 (Sight Systems)
TN-10 (Screw & Pin Patterns)
TN-11 (Takedown Mechanics)
TN-12 (Short Rifles & Trappers)
TN-13 (Proofmarks & Tang Stamps)
TN-14 (Public Ledger Patterns)
Chapter 1–31 of the Winchester 1894 Master Reference
Special interest: Chapter 10 (Dating & Evaluating)
Chapter 18 (Authenticating Configuration)
Chapter 19 (Provenance)
Chapter 21 (Action Architecture)
Chapter 23 (Carbine vs. Rifle)
Chapter 26–31 (Markings, Wood, Finishes, Metal Treatments)
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