winchester model 94 30-30 1980?

Question
i saw that you responded about this type of gun before, so i thought i would ask you. i just purchased a model 94 from a pawn shop for $170. I have done a little research and have come to the conclusion that it was built in 1980 due to the serial number, starting with 3,792,... and the top ejection. this gun is in almost mint condition. it almost looks like it has never been fired. there is no brass coloring on the bolt. there is no wear marks on the slot to load the bullets(please forgive me, I'm not too familiar with the part names for lever action rifles). there is no wear on the edge of the barrel where the bullet would slide in.
i guess you could say its a plain jane model. everything is blued, walnut stock. there is a little surface rust that i think a little polishing could fix. what I'm wondering is, showing no wear marks, is that a good indication that it hasn't ever been fired, or is the gun that durable that it wont show anything? also, if fired, would this decrease the value at all? and how much do you think it would be worth? also, the plastic butt plate doesn't seem to line up perfectly with the stock. it almost looks too small, showing about 1mm of stock all the way around the plate. is this common? or is something wrong?

Answer
Hello Brian. You ask if it has never been fired. The bluing process used by Winchester has always been a selling point for them. It seems to be so resilient that it will last decades before turning. If everything external say "never fired", you can always resort to the old stand-by, cleaning the bore. Don't just look down it with a bore light. Run a few patches with solvent through the barrel. If you come out with a little lead or powder,this will answer that question. As far as a value, you seem to have gotten a fair deal. In the condition you describe, I have found them between $250-350. Firing it will not decrease the value. Just keep it clean and don't put any deep gashes or scratches on it. The price of these Winchesters are continuing to rise along with the rest of American Made firearms. The butt plate may have been changed, since cosmetics are also a selling point on any firearm. I say if you bought it to shoot, shoot it! I hope this answers your questions and thank you for asking for me. Charles Gage