1892 Parts and refurbishment.

[Watermelon Wine]

G'day all,

I havn't been here for a while having kids and all, but recently got back in the game and bought a Winchester 1892......Built in 1893!!!!

So it's a 32-20 and at some time in it's life it has had some hacker try to unscrew the barrel without opening the slide, and hence the extractor has torn a nasty chunk out of both the barrel and the bolt/slide (whatever it's called in a levergun...)
Oh yes, and then the barrel has been cross-threaded and screwed all the way in!:veryconfu

So I have two questions:

Is there a way to hold an 1892 frame in a lathe without building a specific fixture?:?: (I've already figured out how to hold a 9422 frame in a four-jaw chuck...)
My wish here is to re-thread the action with a tiny bit overside 'bastard' thread and restore order to the universe..

..and... can you buy replacement parts for 1892's? :?: (Slide/bolt)

Hang on... let's make it three questions... The cartridges head out of the lifter a bit high and sometimes jam on the top edge of the chamber... should I build a bit of filler onto the bottom of the RHS slide to stop it lifting so high or is there a trick to it that the old hands know?:?

This is my first 1892 (I sold an 1894 to finance it), and I can see why everyone loves them! They are so strong and logical! So 'real' and 'steel'!

I don't think I'll ever go 'back'!

Any advice will be much appreciated!

WMW.

[Bret4207]

Wow! Sounds like a project. I think I'd consider using a tap to chase the threads out and then a Loc-tite type material to secure things rather than rethreading and what not. The bolt I imagine you can buy if you watch the auctions long enough. But can it be welded and machined back to shape? Might be worth considering. I don't know how much temper the bolt had, but my bet is it wasn't much. The lifter I can't help on. There are people specializing in the 92's for cowboy action shooting that might be able to help.

[John Taylor]

This guy can answer most of your questions on a 92. http://www.stevesgunz.com/
The barrel can be repaired with a tig torch and the bolt can be built up and machined also, have done the same repair to a 94. The thread size is 13/16X20, I have the tap. If the gun was made in 1893 the barrel will not be nickel steel unless it was replaced with a later one.
Just got done relining a 32-20 barrel for a 92.
The carrier has a spring loaded plunger that holds it up. Sometimes the screw holes get worn enough to allow the carrier to cock to one side and make feeding a problem. Got one in now with that problem.

[Watermelon Wine]

Thanks guys, for the links and help!

Only trouble is I forgot to mention I'm in Australia, so I think the paperwork to import bits and pieces would be more hassle than the 'hoff himself... I'll phone around the big importers.

I think I'll go with the 13/16ths tap option. Bit easier than what I had in mind...

The barrel may have been replaced because it's twice as hard as the action and is just in too good a condition to be a genuine black powder era piece... Accurate too! If it wasn't for that last part I'd look into an octagonal barrel for it, just for fun!

As for the carrier,It seems to lift too high and the cartridge gets swept forward aiming at the top lip of the chamber. Then on ejection the case gets a 'flat-spot' on the rim on the way out...

I'll have to pull it down again and check but most of the downstairs parts looked to be very tight.

The bolt however was a different story... you could probably slip a layer of grease-proof paper on both sides and it would be about halfway fixed....
Unless that's normal?
(Probably for an 1893 model 1892 it is!...)

[Junior1942]

In case you aren't aware of it, a lot of these guys, including this guy, wish they had that rifle and you had a feather . . . you know.....

[Bret4207]

Assuming it's the bolt and not the receiver thats worm, it should be possible to to either weld the bolt and machine it back to specs or even to silver solder shim stock to the bolt to take up the "slack". I've watched my dad do similar work back in the days before MIG and when money much tighter for people.

[Watermelon Wine]

I have actually noticed that 1892's seem to be much more highly regarded in the beautiful US of A than they seem to be in AUS.

I've decided to do something about this, and buy a whole heap of 1892's.

Firstly because I now have an undeniable love for them, and secondly, because they may appreciate in value.

I was telling some dudes from this forum by PM the other day, that the .32-20 has become
my new 'go-to' gun for plinking fun.
2.1 grains of trailboss behind a 120grn cast pb is shooting boolits on boolits at 25 yards which is good enough for me...

Cheers to Junior for saying it outright though!

I won a 13/16ths by 20 TPI tap on ebay the other day. But now i think about it, it's only the first three threads that are damaged anway so it would make a better repair to lock the threading tool onto the last few threads and smash through the front couple to make maximum strength...

We live and learn. Who has a .32-20 that they love!?!

WMW.