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Make: Winchester Repeating Arms for Arizona State Liquor & Narcotics Enforcement Division
Model: 1894 Trapper
Serial Number: 1052851
Year of Manufacture: 1928 / C&R
Caliber: .30-30 Winchester
Action Type: Lever Action Rifle with Full-Length Tubular Magazine
Barrel Length: 15", Round
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a blade pinned in a slotted raised block behind the front barrel band. The rear sight is a ladder sight which presents a fixed u-notch when down and a sliding u-notch leaf when up. The top tang is drilled, tapped, and filled for a tang sight (none present).
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece smooth walnut with banded forend, straight grip, straight comb and steel carbine style buttplate. The stocks have some scattered light nicks and scratches and scuffs. There are no chips or cracks. The LOP measures about 13" from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. Overall, the stocks are in about Very Good condition.
Type of Finish: Blue
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is bright and the rifling is sharp. There is no erosion in the bore. There is some stubborn fouling. In this writer’s opinion the bore rates 9/10.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 75% of its finish. Most of the finish on the barrel and magtube is strong with only minor thinning on the muzzle and parts of the barrel. Most of the finish on the receiver has worn and taken to a mottled patina. The action shows operational wear. There are scattered handling marks. There are a couple nicks on the outer circumference of the muzzle. The screw heads are sharp to lightly tool marked with serviceable slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle is in about Very Good condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The hammer has a half-cock safety. The lever safety is present and fully functional. The trigger is crisp. We did not fire this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This rifle comes with a letter of provenance excerpt from Rick Hacker's article updated from Guns & Ammo Book of the 94 "A Trapper for Law & Order." The letter records this serial number as purchased through Southern Hardware in Phoenix, Arizona by the Arizona State Liquor & Narcotics Enforcement Division. The serial number is BATF-registered and was manufactured in 1928 during the prohibition era. This rifle was used in numerous bootlegging raids, which had supplanted cattle rustling in the Valley of the Sun. and was used by the Arizona Liquor Enforcement until 1955 which was then privately purchased by Phoenix police Sergeant (later Lieutenant) Phil Morgan for his own use in line of duty who later headed up the Arizona Liquor Enforcement department. Along with this letter is a copy of A Phil Morgan Story by W Coppock which records his life and service, and a copy of Philip Morgan's obituary.
Our Assessment: Coming directly from the Rick Hacker Collection, this Winchester Model 1894 Trapper, manufactured in 1928, is a scarce and highly evocative pre-war example of Winchester’s shortest production carbine, built during the height of the Prohibition era. Chambered in .30-30 W.C.F. with a factory 15 inch barrel, the Trapper configuration was purpose built for fast handling in confined spaces, making it especially attractive to law enforcement agencies operating in vehicles and urban environments. Production numbers for true factory Trappers were always limited, and examples from the late 1920s occupy a particularly desirable niche among advanced Winchester collectors.
This rifle is further distinguished by exceptional documented provenance. Accompanied by period research and correspondence drawn from Rick Hacker’s Guns & Ammo Book of the 94, this specific serial number is recorded as having been purchased through Southern Hardware in Phoenix, Arizona by the Arizona State Liquor & Narcotics Enforcement Division. Manufactured during Prohibition, it reportedly saw service in bootlegging raids throughout the Valley of the Sun before later being privately acquired by Phoenix Police Sergeant, and later Lieutenant, Phil Morgan for continued duty use. Retaining strong original finish, a bright bore, and solid mechanical integrity, this Trapper stands as a rare convergence of factory configuration, early law enforcement history, and frontier era Winchester utility carried into the modern age.