Winchester 1892 44WCF

[BigEyeBob]

In a post in the Special Projects forum titled Guncase I made mention that my friend for whom I was fitting out a guncase was giving me a Winchester 1892 rifle in appreciation for my work .
I picked it up on Friday and have attached images as promised .
It's in original condition and was manufactured in 1910 according to the Winchester database.
Over all appearance is very good with most of its blueing still intact .
The bore is bright and shiny with no pitting or darkness at all. The wood has a few marks , but no splits or cracks
The rifle was passed on to my friend from a friend ( by way of a bequeath) of ours over 20 years ago , and has not been fired in that time.
The original owner would not have used it much either. I'm looking forward to casting some boolits and shooting it .
I have 100 Starline brass cases, Lee six cavity 200 gn RNF mould and die set on the way from Titan Reloading .
Pictures attached for your enjoyment
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[krems]

What a beautiful rifle. Nice score. It looks like a good shooter. Classic rifle in a great caliber. I really love those older winchesters especially the 1892's and 1886's. Give us a report after shooting it.

[BigEyeBob]

I'm over the moon with it , its gorgeous , and I'm really hanging out to put some lead down range .
I did buy a box of 50 Winchester factory cowboy ammunition so I don't have to wait for the reloading kit to arrive. did get a surprise to see they are loaded with Jwords though.
I'm hoping to get its "sister" from the same collection , an 1873 in nicer condition ( owners description) than the 92 , it is also in 44WCF.
Now that I have the real McCoy , might be time to get rid of the Rossi. :O

[Ragnarok]

I own it's slightly older sister rifle. A 1892 .44WCF octagon sporting rifle from 1909. Mine has a nice clean bore but is pretty much brown/patina for exterior finish. Shoots great.

I slugged my sporting rifle's bore and came up with .430 for bore size. I own a Rossi M92 carbine too...an older version and it's bore is .427" and shoots just fantastic with the various lead bullets I've been buying(got no .44 molds). You can buy some PCI .44-40 ammo which shoots great in both rifles and is in Star-line brass. Winchester and Remington both offer 200gr jacketed loads...I cannot imagine the Winchester 'cowboy' ammo loaded with jacketed bullets!!...Cowboy ammo is always lead-bulleted...

[BigEyeBob]

I own it's slightly older sister rifle. A 1892 .44WCF octagon sporting rifle from 1909. Mine has a nice clean bore but is pretty much brown/patina for exterior finish. Shoots great.

I slugged my sporting rifle's bore and came up with .430 for bore size. I own a Rossi M92 carbine too...an older version and it's bore is .427" and shoots just fantastic with the various lead bullets I've been buying(got no .44 molds). You can buy some PCI .44-40 ammo which shoots great in both rifles and is in Star-line brass. Winchester and Remington both offer 200gr jacketed loads...I cannot imagine the Winchester 'cowboy' ammo loaded with jacketed bullets!!...Cowboy ammo is always lead-bulleted...





That's what I thought lead bullets for cowboy loads , gunshop bloke told me that all that is available in 44WCF .He also told me that the supply he had in stock took over a year to arrive.
If you look at the Winchester website it shows two loads for the 44WCF , 200gn soft point and 225gn lead , all I could get was what the shop had .
44WCF is not a common calibre here in Oz so you just have to take what you can get or roll your own.
Unlike the US customer service is not a big deal here so choice is often not available , and a lot of products easy to get in the US are a nightmare to get here.
You pays your money and the seller decides what you can or cant have .Our politicians here call it the "lucky" country because they keep telling us its the greatest country in the world and we are lucky to live here..
I call it the lucky country because you are lucky if you can get exactly what you want.

[Malamute]

Your loads are probably the standard loads for 44-40 rather than the so-called cowboy loads. Does the box say cowboy? The cowboy stuff was weaker and loaded with the lead bullets for target shooting steel plates rather than hunting.

Nice score by the way. Hope it shoots well for you. Should be fun working out a load.

[dikman]

What a great deal you got! A beautiful rifle indeed. You'll find there's something "special" about owning a genuine old Winchester, and in .44 to boot!! I've been reloading .44 for mine, and am now going to the Hi-Tek coating for the boolits. The problem I found with wax lubing is that it builds up in the seating die and starts pushing the boolits further into the case!!!!

You need to keep an eye on that 1873 and grab it at the first opportunity. Just so you've got one :D. (I've shot a fellow club members Uberti 1873, but I must admit I like the 1892 better).

[BigEyeBob]

What a great deal you got! A beautiful rifle indeed. You'll find there's something "special" about owning a genuine old Winchester, and in .44 to boot!! I've been reloading .44 for mine, and am now going to the Hi-Tek coating for the boolits. The problem I found with wax lubing is that it builds up in the seating die and starts pushing the boolits further into the case!!!!

You need to keep an eye on that 1873 and grab it at the first opportunity. Just so you've got one :D. (I've shot a fellow club members Uberti 1873, but I must admit I like the 1892 better).





Well yesterday I took my 85 year old chronologically gifted Father and the rifle out to my bush range , unfortunately due to monsoon rains over Christmas the road has suffered large wash outs on the first creek crossing so I elected to stay well out of it and just propped on the side of the track for a few shots from the 92.
I had a box of new Winchester 200gn factory loads , I loaded the rifle with 8 rounds and picked out a large termite mound at around 60yards , it had some new construction on the top and it looked like a human head. First round was dead center of the head , second was an inch to the right and third was under the first and touching.On inspection there was a double fist sized hole in back of it . The head was about 8" thick , the termites were in confusion.
My Father took the rifle and fired two shots and hit just below of where shots hit. He has mild Parkinson's and is a bit shaky for off hand shooting so I thought he did very well plus he's not a shooter and hasn't fired a gun since he was about 20 years old.
Ok I looked for another termite mound victim and picked on one at around 100yards , just a slight hold over to where I wanted the bullet to strike and I fired , dust kicked up below my marks , so I tried again with a tad more elevation and hit the spot . The smile near cracked my face open . Beautiful rifle , cant wait to get my sights on a hog or two.
The rifle functioned perfectly , no feed problems and the trigger is really nice for a 116 year old gun.I did notice a click some time after I cycled the action and think its the magazine,follower hanging up in the tube, a bit of steel wool and oil or similar on a cleaning rod should fix it . .To be expected I guess , the rifle hasn't been fired for over 50 years or so and has been sitting in a collection.
All up I'm very happy with the rifle ,and if the 73 is as good or better then I will be a happy camper. You are correct about the feeling of the genuine old Winchester rifle.
I've always liked the 92 and its big brother the 1886 , I know they are the strongest of the lever actions with good solid lock up , unlike the toggle arrangement on the 73 , but the 73 is a classic and I will be happy to own one. An 86 would be nice as well , but far and few originals in this country .
The 73 is reserved for me , I just need to negotiate a price .
157785

[dikman]

What a great day out. Sounds like your old man did well, and I'll bet he had a smile on his face too.

Normally, if I'm looking at buying a gun if I decide, in my opinion, that the price is too high I'll pass on it and keep looking. In this case, if that '73 was offered to me I don't think I'd hesitate. For lever gun aficionados that is something special.

[missionary5155]

Greetings
Nice model 1892 ! They are a joy to own and use.
With the ones that have passed through my hands the throats can be fat or skinny. Have one right now that will chamber .434+ and with a lesser diameter cast will only shoot patterns.
Also give 10 rounds of 3F a try. Use a soft cast (I like 40-1) and see what that rifle is capable of. Then try to match that with smokeless.
Mike in Peru

[TXGunNut]

Very nice, Congrats!!

[rondog]

Wow, what a beautiful rifle! I really love the looks of those long-barreled leverguns. I could never hope to own a real Winchester that old, so I'll have to settle for a Rossi in .45 Colt. Someday.