Winchester

We take a closer look at the Winchester 94 lever-action, the most iconic American hunting rifle ever made.

In some hunting circles, it was once considered a rite of passage to be able to silently cock back the hammer of a lever-action rifle. More often than not, it was the hammer of a Winchester Model 1894, more commonly known as the Winchester 94.

With over 7.5 million made since the model’s introduction in 1894 the Winchester 94 is easily the most popular deer rifle ever produced, and there was a time when almost every American hunter had one in his gun rack, safe or hanging from the window of his truck. Compared to shotguns and bolt-actions, lever-action rifles aren’t as popular with hunters as they once were, but the Winchester Model 94 remains in production to this day and still holds the title of the single most iconic American hunting rifle of all time.