Desirable Special Order 1894 rifle with rare 26” half octagon barrel and half length magazine (often called a “button magazine”),in popular .30 WCF caliber (also known as the .30-30 Winchester Center Fire). This rifle with serial number 535781 left the Winchester factory the year the Titanic sank in 1912. It is important to note that the revolutionary .30WCF round, introduced for the Model 1894 Winchester in the year 1895, was the first sporting cartridge made expressly for smokeless powder and became instantly popular. According to the standard reference The Winchester Handbook by George Madis, only 3,633 rifles were made with half octagon barrels and only 2,671 rifles and carbines combined were made with special shorter magazines. This Pre-World War I production 1894 shows good lightly thinning blue on the 26” half octagon barrel. The receiver shows some aged blue with the balance gray/brown with good blue on the bolt. The butt stock and forend are in generally excellent condition showing only normal light handling. The barrel is fitted with a King marked flat top buckhorn rear sight with notched elevator intact as well as a matching King stamped small blade front sight. Additionally, this early 1894 has sharp and clear correct Winchester markings on the barrel and light 1894 markings on the upper tang. The 1894 was one of the most popular of Winchester’s models and thousands are still used regularly today. The 1894 was also known as the “Klondike Model” as many found their way to the Yukon Gold Rush of the last years of the 1890s and into the 20th century. It was equally popular east and west of the Mississippi and big game hunter/conservationist Theodore Roosevelt was known to have used a Winchester 1894 in .30 WCF caliber very similar to this 1912 manufactured rifle. Roosevelt ordeered a number of Winchester lever action rifles with half-octagon barrels and half-magazines like this one. This example boasts a tight action, strong and secure safety half-cock on the hammer and a bore with fine deep rifling all the way through. Considering its unusual and rare special order configuration, this is a truly scarce 1894. It would be a prize for any Winchester or old West collector. The rifle weighs 7lbs 4oz. Serial Number: 535781. This firearm qualifies as a Curio & Relic firearm, and requires FFL Transfer or NICS Background Check.