Make: Winchester
Model: 64 "Deer Rifle", “Deluxe Carbine”
Serial Number: 1136881
Year of Manufacture: ca. 1937-1940
Caliber: .30-30 Winchester Center Fire (WCF)
Action Type: Lever Action Carbine fed by a Three Quarters Length Tubular Magazine
Barrel Length: 20” Round
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a brass beaded blade dovetailed to a textured, ramped base forged to the front of the barrel. The rear sight is a "U"notch elevator sight dovetailed to the rear of the barrel. The notch is fine adjustable for elevation. The left of the receiver is drilled, tapped, and filled for a receiver sight (none present).
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece checkered walnut with a beavertail forend, capped pistol grip, straight comb, sling-plate mounted in the belly (the other is dovetailed to the nosecap), and checkered steel shotgun-style buttplate. There is some wear on the right side of the wrist on the edge along the top tang. There are some scattered compressions, nicks in the wood, and a few scratches. Most marks have aged and discolored. There are some areas of discoloration and finish wear. The checkering is mostly intact with some rub wear and a couple flat areas. The LOP measures 13" from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The buttplate has scattered areas of finish wear, light scabbing, and a few areas of faint erosion. The wood is slightly shy to the buttplate. Overall, the stocks are in about Very Good condition.
Type of Finish: Blued
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is bright and the rifling is sharp. There are few small spots of minor pitting. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates an 8 out of 10.
Overall Condition: This carbine retains about 85% of its metal finish. There is finish wear on some of the edges. There are some scattered spots of minor surface oxidation. There are a few little patches of minor pitting, most notable on the right side of the receiver toward the top edge. There are some scattered nicks, scuffs, and hairline scratches. There are some areas of finish loss, most notable on the lever. There is operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to lightly tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this carbine is in Very Good condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this carbine. As with all previously owned firearms, thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None
Our Assessment: At a time when more people were traveling by motorcar and railroad than by horse and stagecoach, Winchester thought a lever action rifle based on the Model 94 (it would fill the gap between the 26” barrel sporting rifle and the 20” barrel carbine) would sell like hotcakes. The Model 55 was introduced in 1924, but never sold particularly well, and was discontinued in 1932 when it was superseded by the Model 64. The Model 64 was a redesign of the Model 55 with a longer magazine tube, and made with a solid frame only. The Model 64 stayed in production until 1957, with a total of only 66,783 manufactured, making it one of the rarer Winchester lever action models.
This Rare, Pre-War Winchester Model 64 “Deer Rifle” Lever Action “Deluxe Carbine” is in Very Good condition, chambered in .30-30 WCF, and features a 20” barrel, three quarters length magazine tube, and the “deluxe” checkered stocks, capped pistol grip, and sling mounts at the front and rear. It retains 85% of its original blued finish, strong mechanics, and a bright bore with sharp rifling. Beginning in August 1933, a 20” barrel of both the Model 64 “Standard Rifle” and “Deer Rifle” (checkered stocks, steel grip cap, sling mounts) began to be offered by Winchester, and the most expensive then, and today the rarest and most sought after, remains the 20” barrel “Deer Rifle”, which has come to be known as the “Deluxe Carbine”. The .30-30 WCF chambering and pre-war manufacturing date truly makes this “Deluxe Carbine” the “ne plus ultra” of Winchester Model 64s.
RIFLE