1892 Winchester Help

[Pirate69]

I have an opportunity to buy a 1892 Winchester 32WCF for $1000. SN 82,XXX. Manf. 1895. It is a good 50% grade. Stock is in good shape with only one ding. Bore is dark but has decent rifling. Any input on issues with cast reloading for it? Is the price in the correct range? Am I letting my excitement in finding it override good sense? :veryconfu Any thoughts or advice will be greatly appreciated.

[L Ross]

Rifle or carbine? Can you test fire it before purchase? If it is all original, in the rifle configuration, not reblued, screws aren't buggered up, and it shoots okay as in 2" at 50 yards, I'd say a grand would be okay. Reloading considerations, well they case mouths are thin and a bit delicate but it is a great little cartridge that I enjoy. So there you have one opinion and you know what they say about opinions.

Duke

[Four Fingers of Death]

WOW! Thats a lot of moola! Obviously these old guns bring better prices than they do in Australia.

I was toying with the idea of getting rid of mine and then I came across 450 new and 200 odd used cases for the cost of 100 new, so I'm committed to keeping it now. They will also help feed my 25/20.

Here is my 32/20,made in 1927:

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k228/4fingermick/Leverguns/d1a1d367-1.jpg

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k228/4fingermick/Leverguns/d1a1d367.jpg

I won't spoil your day by telling you how much I paid for it.

[John Taylor]

I just took in a 92 in 32-20. It had been a 25-20 and had the barrel bored out. The only reason I wanted it was it had a weird front sight that I had never seen before. Someone tried to carve their initials on the stock but the rest of the gun is in good shape. Got about $800 into it in part trade.

[Marvin S]

Maybe not excessive on the price but not cheap. The antique SN adds some value. Is it a sporting rifle or SRC. Bore condition means a lot to me so you will have to decide if that one will suit you. A reline will cost about 300 bucks.

[bob208]

four fingers you have a rare one there a button mag carbine is very hard to find. i have one in .44-40. saw one in .38-40 but missed it. now yours. i do have a 94 in .38-55 with the button mag also.

a little hint about the bore. i once bought a 32-20 with a bad bore. or so it looked was talking to the seller found out he shot a box of factory lead bullets through it. got it home cleaned out the lead the bore looked like new.

price if as stated it is not reblued, stock sanded or screws buggered up. repos are selling for $600 or more. a $1000 for a real winchester is not bad.

[Pirate69]

Thanks for the advice guys. It does not exactly feel right at $1,000. I think I will pass unless he decides to lower the price a little bit.

[Four Fingers of Death]

four fingers you have a rare one there a button mag carbine is very hard to find. i have one in .44-40. saw one in .38-40 but missed it. now yours. i do have a 94 in .38-55 with the button mag also.

a little hint about the bore. i once bought a 32-20 with a bad bore. or so it looked was talking to the seller found out he shot a box of factory lead bullets through it. got it home cleaned out the lead the bore looked like new.

price if as stated it is not reblued, stock sanded or screws buggered up. repos are selling for $600 or more. a $1000 for a real winchester is not bad.

In Australia, the half magazine variant is the most common 92. I have three, 32/20 and 44/40, both with half magazines and a 25/20 which has been rebarreled and has a full length magazine.

[Jack Stanley]

If you two can get to the range and shoot it , see if you like the way it shoots . Maybe offering nine hundred bucks would get a counter offer you'd both like .

Four Fingers , that is a neat ol' rifle for sure .

Jack

[GOPHER SLAYER]

I sold my brother an 1892 Winchester rifle about twenty five years ago. It was in good shootable condition and it was also in 32-20. I let him have it for eighty dollars. I shot it three years ago and it shot quite well. I will let him know what the asking price is for one these days. I also sold him a beautiful little 25-20 carbine in excellent condition for one hundred. I haven't seen it since.

[Beekeeper]

Gopher Slayer,
The next ttime you decide to sell them $80 dollar rifles let me know first.
I'll bet I can break the bonnieville speed record getting to Cherry Valley

[sharps4590]

I've had a '92 in 32-20 since....the early 80's. I don't regret buying it at all. From what I see around here the $1000.00 isn't bad. Most I see go for more than that by a couple to a few hundred, depending on the rifle and condition.

Lots of those old bores are fairly badly pitted. What I've seen is that some shoot just fine and others you can't keep in a #3 washtub.....and I don't know any way to tell other than actually shooting one. Now, here's a trick I learned quite by accident. If the bore looks bad but you can't tell if it's pitted or just filthy, shot 10 or so jacketed bullets through it. that usually cleans out the crud so you can see what's really in there. I did that on an 1886 in 40-82. It was mostly dirt and crud I was seeing, the rifling wasn't bad at all.....the ol' rifle shoots just fine with cast now!!

[pietro]

I sold a pristine button-mag .32-20 Model 92 rifle made in 1907 for a little over $2500, about 3 years ago - but if I were selling it today, I have no doubt that I could get another $K for it. . :drinks:

Coulda/shoulda/woulda.................. :roll:

.

[Four Fingers of Death]

I've seen a lot of good ones over the years here, but have only seen them reach around $600-650 recently.

[mzlldr]

I bought one of these button mag casrbines about 5 years ago at a country gun show --- cost me A$ 180 . I think it spent its' whole life in the back of a 'roo shooters utility truck , going by its' general appearance . I have only shot BP in it , and the best results were with 100 grn bullets cast with an original 32 WCF tong mould , bought at a city gun show for A $ 12 ( found it on a table when I was searching for something else )_ , took it home , cleaned it up , and then used it . The rifle shoots a hell of a lot better than it looks , it needs a lot of hours spent on it . Yours looks very nice . Remember that old saying --" What looks expensive today , may well turn out to have been a good deal tomorrow "