Make: Winchester

Model: 1892

Serial Number: 29053

Year of Manufacture: 1893 (Winchester Serial Lookup pg. 8)

Caliber: .44-40 Winchester Center Fire (WCF)

Action Type: Lever Action Rifle with Side Loading Gate fed by Full-Length Tubular Magazine

Barrel Length: 24” Octagonal

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a blade dovetailed to the barrel above the muzzle. The rear sight is a V-notch buckhorn elevator sight dovetailed to the top rear of the barrel.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece smooth walnut featuring a capped forend, a straight grip, a straight comb, and a crescent steel buttplate. The stocks show light to moderate nicks, scratches, compressions, and draglines, as well as minor handling marks. There are some marks which have removed small portions of wood. There is a thin crack at the left front of the wrist, and a small chip at the top right of the wrist. The LOP measures 12 3/4" from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The buttplate has some speckled discoloration and is slightly proud to the wood at the toe. Overall, the stocks are in Very Good condition as Antique.

Type of Finish: Blue

Finish Originality: Original

Bore Condition: The bore is light gray and the rifling is well-defined. There is fouling and erosion in the bore. In this writer’s opinion and for the age, this bore rates a 5 or 6 out of 10 as Antique.

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 80% of its metal finish. The balance of the finish shows thinning and contact wear with some corresponding surface oxidation and patina forming. There are light nicks, scratches, and handling marks throughout. The screw heads are well-defined. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle is in Very Good condition as Antique.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The hammer has a half-cock safety position.We have not fired this rifle. As with all previously owned firearms, thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This rifle comes with a letter from the Cody Firearms Museum confirming this rifle’s configuration and original shipment date from the warehouse in June 1894.

Our Assessment: The Winchester Model 1892 was introduced as the successor to the iconic “Winchester ‘73”, and replaced the toggle link action of the Model 1873 with a breechblock locked with two rectangular locking bolts that made the action much stronger. It was designed by gunmaking genius John Moses Browning, and was essentially a scaled-down version of his Model 1886 rifle, the first he designed for Winchester. The Model 1892 was small and light, and ideal for the classic .44-40 WCF round and similar cartridges. The Model 1892 rifle was popular with ranchers, and later was the lever action of choice for many Western movies and TV shows. John Wayne famously used both M1892 rifles and carbines in many of his iconic Western roles. The M1892 rifles again became popular in the 1980s with the advent of Cowboy Action shooting, as they were smooth and dependable.

This Antique Winchester Model 1892 Lever Action Rifle was made in 1893, and features a 24” octagonal barrel chambered in .44-40 Winchester. The rifle is in Very Good condition as Antique with honest wear and strong mechanics. All Winchester Model 1892 rifles of this vintage are collectible, and it takes quite a bit of effort to collect one in every caliber and sub-model.