Extremely rare Winchester 1894 deluxe, pistol grip, takedown rifle with scarce caliber and desirable special order features. This most unusual rifle, with serial number 216354, was made in 1904. It is chambered for the seldom seen .25-35 cartridge, which was originally introduced for this model in 1895. It was one of the least produced calibers in the Model 1894 and most in this chambering were 20” carbines, not rifles. Full length rifles with 26” barrels in .25-35 are seldom encountered. The .25-35 caliber was considered a fine light recoiling rifle suitable for game from small to large. This rifle was special ordered with the deluxe pistol grip stock with correct Winchester embossed grip cap and a shotgun butt plate instead of the standard curved or crescent butt plate. Further, the pistol grip was special ordered checkered with matching checkering on the fore-end. Standard barrels for the 1894 rifle were round in shape and fitted with a full magazine. This example has the rare half-octagon/half-round barrel with a short, half-magazine. It was also configured by the original purchaser 117 years ago as a Takedown Rifle. During this time, it was common for hunters to travel by train from urban areas to the country. A takedown rifle made for a small case that was easy to store in the compartments of trains at this time. It is probable that the original purchaser of this fine rifle was a person of means, as such a special order Winchester cost considerably more than a standard model. To put the rarity of this fine rifle into context, according to the standard reference work, “The Winchester Handbook” by George Madis, a count was made in 1941 when all the Winchester records were still extant. At this time, only 16,581 rifles and carbines combined were made in .25-35. For comparison, 857,613 were made in .30 WCF (.30-30 Winchester) and 101,423 were made in .32 Winchester Special caliber. Only 2671 rifles and carbines combined had shorter magazines; 3633 rifles were made with half-octagon barrels; 2179 rifles and carbines combined had special butt plates; 1879 rifles and carbines together were checkered; 2758 rifles were takedown, and a total of only 2983 rifles/carbines had pistol grips. Any one of these features would be considered rare on a Model 1894, but combining the caliber, pistol grip, takedown, checkering, shotgun butt plate, and half octagon/half magazine features in a rifle chambered in .25-35 is extremely unusual and desirable. By 1930, well over a million 1894s had been manufactured and only a very small percentage of these were special ordered with one or more non-standard features. This rifle shows normal use, but was well taken care of. The wood to metal fit around the receiver is very tight and the pistol grip cap is intact. The checkering, while worn from honest use, is still apparent. Similarly, the forearm shows checkering and is without chips or cracks. The takedown is tight and the correct Winchester markings on the barrel and upper tang are correct and sharp. The receiver has aged to an attractive uncleaned patina, while the barrel shows fine aged blue. The action is tight with strong springs and the bore retains strong rifling and, aside from being a bit dark, which is typical, it is in fine condition. The barrel is fitted with a buckhorn rear sight with elevation bar intact mated with a Rocky Mountain blade front sight. The Model 1894 was a popular rifle with lawmen, sportsmen, and especially with the Klondike Gold Seekers in Alaska beginning in 1898. Many consider this Jonathan Browning designed rifle to be the finest and most modern tubular magazine lever action rifle Winchester ever produced. A rare opportunity to acquire a classic, very early production and historically significant Winchester with exceptionally rare, unusual and desirable special order features in very fine condition. The caliber .25-35 by itself makes this a seldom encountered Model 1894. Most advanced Winchester collections do not have a Model 1894 in this caliber with these features. Serial Number: 216354. This firearm qualifies as an Antique and does not require FFL Transfer or NICS Background Check.