Make: Winchester

Model: 1892

Serial Number: 185573

Year of Manufacture: 1901

Caliber: .25-20 Winchester Center Fire (WCF)

Action Type: Lever Action Rifle, Full-Length Tubular Magazine Fed

Barrel Length: 24" Octagonal

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a silver tipped blade dovetailed to the front of the barrel. The rear sight is a "V"-notch elevator sight dovetailed to the rear of the barrel. The notch is fine-adjustable for elevation. The top tang is drilled, tapped, and filled for a peep sight (none included).

Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece smooth walnut with a capped forend, straight grip, and steel crescent buttplate. There are areas of pooling, indicating the wood has been refinished at some point. However, there is scattered finish loss throughout. The stocks have scattered impacts, compressions, nicks, and small scratches. There is discoloration at some edges, most notable at the buttplate. There are no chips or cracks. The wood is a bit shy of the plate at the toe. The LOP measures 12 7/8" from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The buttplate has scattered light pitting and discoloration throughout. Overall, the stocks are in Very Good condition as refinished.

Type of Finish: Blue

Finish Originality: Original

Bore Condition: The bore is gray with well defined rifling. There is erosion and pitting scattered through the bore with a few spots of more moderate pitting. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 5 out of 10.

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 50% of its metal finish. The finish has mostly been lost on the prominent areas of the receiver, the lever, and the nosecap, each of which also show scattered erosion and oxidation. There are scattered nicks, dings, and scratches throughout. The barrel has an uneven patina appearance. The action shows moderate operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle is in Good to Very Good condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The hammer has a half-cock safety position. The trigger is crisp. We did not fire this rifle. As with all used firearms, thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This rifle comes with a Cody Firearms Museum letter from their archived Winchester factory records.

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 pistol caliber 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 Winchester Model 1892 Rifle was made in 1901 and is in Good to Very Good condition. The rifle is chambered in .25-20 WCF with a 24" octagonal barrel, and shows the honest wear that the passage of nearly 125 years imparts. This elegant old Model 1892 rifle would make a fine addition to a Winchester collection, and may still prove to be a fun shooter.