Cleaning up a 70s model 94

[Rayzor]

I picked up a 1974 win 94 the other day for a song. Its complete and shoots but is roughed up. Most of the blue is worn off the sides of the reciever and tang. So the question is what year exactly did Win make the recievers that would not take a blue job? Also, the rifle has a old lyman peep in place of the factory iron sight. It can stay as I like it but I want to but a dove tail filler in place of the original sight. I would like to find one that follows the factory contour of the barrel. Anyone know where I can find one?

[Rangr44]

AFAIK, nobody makes a commercially-available dovetail slot filler blank that is round on top, to fit a barrel contour, most likely because there are too many different contours on various rifles.

You would have to fit a flat-topped one, then file it to shape, and cold blue it to match your rifle.

Alternatively, I've seen some slots that owners had pounded in a .45 cal lead bullet, then shaved the lead down to barrel contour, then just let it oxidize naturally.

Although I've bought commercial, flat-topped slot filler blanks from Lyman, Marble's & Williams - I've had better satisfaction from filing my own out of the dovetail portion of an old longleaf rear sight.



Here's a tutorial, for making your own slot filler, as above:  http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,176177.msg1098837317.html#msg1098837317

The receivers were molded/cast of powdered/sintered metals, then iron plated to take either a coating that appears to be bluing, or a chrome plate of some kind (black chrome, gold, pewter, silver, etc).  Some (the Model 94 Antique) were even coated to look like color case hardening.

Also AFAIK, most home refinishers apply one of the spray & bake finishes from Brownell's, like Dura-Kote - which leaves the receiver a subdued black semi-gloss.

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[Rayzor]

I like the idea of using a old iron sight as a filler thats a slick idea!

[Rayzor]

I did some shaping up to a old sight for a dove filler and it worked out fine. Looks etter then a mismatch hunk of iron sitting there.