Winchester 92 Lawyer rifle misfires

[RLJ10X]

I have a made in Japan Winchester 92 in 44mag. I'm guessing it was made in about 2003.

The rifle as you probably know, has that worse than worthless REBOUNDING HAMMER.

The misfiring problem reared it's ugly head again yesterday, and I'd had enough. I pretty much knew it was a mistake, but a malfunctioning rifle isn' worth much anyway, so I took the stock off and removed the hammer spring and hammer strut. I think taking a few thousands off of the "rebound finger" (my terminology) is going to make the thing reliable.

Now if I could only get it back together.

Does the DVD about "Dissassembling the 92" cover the new ones with the rebounding hammer, or just the originals? I sthe new one tough to get back together even with the video?

Is there a good "Lever Smith" that will put it back together for me?

Thanks, Rod.

[dsmjon]

Send it to me, I'll return the favor and mail you a check. :D

[RLJ10X]

I was going to say, " send me $700 and it's all your's", but no.

I really like that 92. It is one of the prettiest guns I own. It shoots very well with the factory iron sights. It loves the bullets I cast for it. I just need to get it back together.

[c3d4b2]

You might try here

http://gunmanuals.net/gun-manuals-w-z

[RLJ10X]

Bin thar. The factory owners manual isn't going to get it.

Lots of lawyer inspired bright red safty warnings. More red ink spent on arrows pointing to the barrel, hammer, and such.

I need to go much deeper than that. I need complete disassembly and reassembly, because if I send this thing back to Winchester I'll get an unreliable rifle back. Or I need the name of a really good Riflesmith that knows these things inside and out.

[Four Fingers of Death]

Most smiths have pulled apart and figured out how to put many rifles back together and will probably be able to 'nut' it out. Try the local bloke or a shooting buddy, sometimes just a new set of eyes will see somethign you have missed. Don't feel bad about it, we pretty much all have had something go sour on us. I used the Brownells Gunsmithing kinks to adjust the trigger on an Interarms MkX. I tried for years to get it right the safety wasn't worth a hoot and the trigger became benchrest (welllllll almost) light, but I finally took it to a gunsmith when I had to have it to go hunting with. :(

[beagle]

If you get it back together and that don't fix it, try changing primer brands. I had a M94 .30/30 Legacy that gave me fits like that. I tried it all and no joy. Then, I figured out that I had a bad case of "cranial rectumitis" (that's when you have your head up your ass) and had loaded a batch of ammo with LP primers when experimenting with some loads. I struggled through that batch and loaded some with Winchester LR primers and it does fine now. I knew better than that but the heigth difference was just enough to give me about 5 missfires out of a box of 20./beagle

[pietro]

Steve/Kiowa is THE pre-eminent Model 92 'smith in the US:

www.stevesgunz.com

.

[RLJ10X]

Beagle, I don't have my head up my ass. My rifle doesn't work. Been reloading for 30 years. I know about primers.

[RLJ10X]

Pietro, thank you. I'm going to give him a call.

[Ernest]

I wish I could be more specific but one of the back issues of Rifle magazine had an article on how to modify the trigger on those Winchesters. I think it was with in the last 3 years.

[RLJ10X]

This is hard to believe. I have it back together.

Better yet, the safty still works, but the rebounding feature is no more. WOOHOO. Now it operates just like an old model Marlin 39; except it has a functional sliding safty.

Beagle, if you're interested in fixing your 94, I'll bet I can talk you thru it. It isn't that bad.

Rod.

[cajun shooter]

RLJ10X, Spend the $29.95 that Steve charges for the DVD. It's worth it. I was going to chime in and tell you that you need to use a fired case to help in assembly but you made it, somehow.

[RLJ10X]

I don't know if the "92 videos' would have been of any help because my modern one has a coil hammerspring, and I think the originals have a leaf, correct?

It is probably common knowledge in "Lever Gun circles" how to get rid of the rebounding feature that Winchester put in their rifles. I couldn't find that information. Once you slide the butt stock off, you can look, and the cure is pretty obvious.

On the coil spring rifles like mine, cock the hammer, and stick a small nail into the hammer strut hole. Let the hammer down. Then, remove the little screw under the lever. The spring/strut assembly slides back and out.

Perform "the operation".

Sliding the spring/strut assembly back in as a bit tougher, but not at all impossible. On reassembly, the hammer has to be at halfcock, and the trigger has to be (I think) pushed foreward. Put the little screw back. Cock the hammer, and remove the nail from the strut and you now have a rifle the will maul a primer!

*I suspect the hammer spring is a bit of overkill now. The hammer as is, no longer has to overcome the stupid rebounding feature. It's all one direction now. I'm going to leave mine as it is, but I'll bet lightening up the hammerspring wouldn't hurt reliability, because as I said, it's probably overkill without the rebounding feature. A lighter hammer spring may give a lighter trigger pull. Mine is right at 4 1/2 pounds. I'm happy with that.

[Va Hillbilly]

Try the 1886 field stripping sticky at the top of this page. Its just a larger version of the 92 if im not mistaken

[RLJ10X]

That 1886 Sticky is a good one! Thanks!

I have a Miroku 92 and it's bigger brother, the 1886. I just got finished fixing the `86. Very easy the 2nd time.

There's no way I'd use a rebounding hammer 86 or 92, if my hide depended on it. Kind of hard to believe that Winchester did such a thing. if you have one, do what I did and fix it. You'll be glad you did.

[cajun shooter]

One of the fixes that Steve does is change that flat for a coil. I thought you was interested in knowing how to remove the bolt and complete assembly. His dvd shows how to strip the receiver.

[beagle]

Didn't say that...said I had mine up mine when that happened with me.

It was just a suggestion that maybe that lot of primers was not up to spec in dimensions as that occasionally happens and a new batch may cure the problem./beagle


Beagle, I don't have my head up my ass. My rifle doesn't work. Been reloading for 30 years. I know about primers.

[TexRebel]

coil hammer springs, rebounding hammers, safteys , on a Win 92? i looked at all of mine, nope no such critters, but then mine are all pre 1915 [smilie=s:

[runfiverun]

that was the problem with my 30-30 too john, changed the box of primers and no more problem.
steve's video shows the complete tear down and rebuild of a 92 from front to back.
think i paid less than 20 bux.

[beagle]

Thanks for the offer but it works fine when I use LR primers instead of the LP primers I loaded in that test batch. Just that minute difference in heigth made the difference in firing and not firing reliably./beagle



This is hard to believe. I have it back together.

Better yet, the safty still works, but the rebounding feature is no more. WOOHOO. Now it operates just like an old model Marlin 39; except it has a functional sliding safty.

Beagle, if you're interested in fixing your 94, I'll bet I can talk you thru it. It isn't that bad.

Rod.

[Three44s]

Primers can have a huge effect on the outcome of things.

Three 44s

[RLJ10X]

A properly working firearm has an even bigger effect. This was NEVER a primer problem.

I don't have to worry about primers. I got rid of that stupid "2 way, lawyer inspired, double action hammer". A hammer that goes foreward, 3/4 of it's arc, then rearward 1/4 of it's arc, has about half the striking energy of a hammer that goes foreward it's full arc. In other words, the last 1/4 of hammer travel was working against the first 3/4 of travel. A rebounding hammer gun, by the laws of physics, cannot possibly be as reliable as a good old one way hammer gun.

[Just Duke]

RLJ10X, I fixed all my 1886's and 92's so I didn't have to deal with the rebounding hammers.

Then I covered the goofy safeties with a tang sight from......MVA

http://www.montanavintagearms.com/107_longrange.html


http://www.montanavintagearms.com/images/sites/108_mid_range_large.jpg


http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd255/EBRSOPMODS/LEVER%20ACTION%20SHOOTERS%20SOCIETY/108_mid_range_large.jpg



http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd255/EBRSOPMODS/LEVER%20ACTION%20SHOOTERS%20SOCIETY/MVA18861.jpg


http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd255/EBRSOPMODS/LEVER%20ACTION%20SHOOTERS%20SOCIETY/MVA18863.jpg



Here's what I'm getting to cover the goofy safeties on the 92's and 1886's.
http://www.montanavintagearms.com/combo_rear.html







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