Make: Winchester Repeating Arms

Model: 1892

Serial Number: 29769

Year of Manufacture: 1893

Caliber: .38-40 Winchester Center Fire (WCF)

Action Type: Lever Action Rifle with a Full Length Tubular Magazine

Markings: The top of the barrel is marked “MANUFACTURED BY THE / -WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO. NEW HAVEN. CONN. U.S.A.-” in front of the rear sight, and at the receiver with “38 W.C.F.”, along with the retailer stamp of “V. KINDLER / Saginaw”. The underside of the receiver is marked with the serial number “29769” at the front. The upper tang markings are covered by the tang sight base.

Barrel Length: 24″ Nominal, 24 1/4″ Measured, Round

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a Lyman beaded blade dovetailed to the barrel. The bead has been damaged.The rear sight dovetail has been filled. The top tang is drilled and tapped with a folding Lyman No. 1 tang sight installed.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece smooth walnut with a capped forend, straight grip and comb, and crescent steel buttplate. The stocks have scattered nicks, dings, scuffs, and scratches. There is a small crack in the grain on the right side of the forend that does not travel into the edges and may have been touched up. There is a scratch and a very small hairline crack extending from the back edge of the top tang. There is some extra residue along the edges of the bottom tang. The LOP measures 12 7/8” from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The buttplate has mostly worn to white with some scattered oxidation and surface erosion. Overall, the stocks are in Very Good Condition as Refinished.

Type of Finish: Blued, with a Case-hardened hammer and lever

Finish Originality: Original

Bore Condition: The bore is bright and the rifling is well defined where not interrupted by erosion. There is general erosion and pitting throughout. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates at 6/10.

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 10% of its metal finish. There are some trace amounts of finish under the general oxidation and light patina throughout the barrel and receiver. The rest of the areas have worn to white. The case color has gone mostly mute. There is a solid amount of blue on the bolt. There are scattered nicks, scuffs, and scratches, and some patches of surface erosion, most notable on the bottom of the receiver. There are tool marks on the sights and their dovetails. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to heavily tool marked with usable slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle is in 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 previously owned firearms, thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None

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, making 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 M-1892 rifles and carbines in many of his iconic cowboy roles.

This Antique Winchester Model 1892 Lever Action Rifle was made in 1893 and is in Very Good Condition. It features a 24” round barrel, only 10% of its original blued finish (most areas have worn to white), refinished two-piece smooth walnut stocks, strong mechanics, and a bright bore with well defined rifling, general erosion, and general pitting throughout. The bead in the Lyman blade front sight has been damaged, the rear sight dovetail has been filled, and the top tang is drilled and tapped with a folding Lyman No. 1 tang sight installed. There is a small crack in the grain on the right side of the forend that does not travel into the edges and may have been touched up. There is a scratch and a very small hairline crack extending from the back edge of the top tang. There is some extra residue along the edges of the bottom tang. Most interestingly, this rifle is marked to the famous Michigan retailer “V. KINDLER / Saginaw” at the top of the barrel near the receiver, a prominent firearms dealer in Michigan during the late 19th century. This is an honest antique Winchester Model 1892 with scarce retailer markings, and would be a great addition to a collection.