Winchester 92 Short Rifle is great!

[Lance Boyle]

My FFL buddy called me about this time last week and said his distributor called him that the Winchester 92 Short rifle was about to drop. My buddy had a standing order in for one in .357 for me for going on three years. Home based dealer so any of these on allocation are not normally offered to him. The catch was this one was in .44-40 not .357 magnum. Ok, that took me two seconds, yes I want it if you can get it.

So by Monday afternoon I have a rifle, dies and some ACME commercial cast bullets. Tuesday I put a few assembled rounds down range. Nothing all that accurate but. being a dummy left my single rx glasses at the house and was making due with the normal progressive lens glasses which suck for iron sight shooting. I learned a couple things I made mistakes on, wrinkled a case while reloading, stepped on another. The usual. I will say I did notice that obviously they have multiple molds and not all the bullets were exactly the same from the crimp groove to the tip. That is what got me the wrinkled case because I set to seat and crimp die together and found an oddball that maxed out the space in the crimp groove. Bullets snuggle a little deeper with the crimping.

Ok, second set was much better after talking to Mr. Ed Harris. He steered me toward WST which is one of the ones he recommended that I have.

Besides remembering the right glasses I managed to get a nice group with the top charge of the four charges loaded. A nice 1.25” 50 yard group. I already made more of those and the charge below it. The first three groups I shot holding center mass and as it got faster it was getting toward the edge of the paper. To adjust for that I moved the sight up to the next step on the ramp and switched to 6 o’clock hold. I can see more distinct edges of the target that way. That optical improvement was likely a good part of the shots coming together.

IMG_0544.jpg

oops my other pics seem too large.

Since that phone call last week I have been reading a lot on loading the .44-40. You guys are great! Bryan Austin’s site is a great help. Thank you! It’s funny that even though the sight screen names change I see we all dabble on all the casting websites.

[Lance Boyle]

I easily justified buying the new gun, dies, bullets, etc because I had a used Lyman H&I die in 0.429 size that came with my RCBS LubeAMatic.

I hate waste!

[Texas by God]

Nice rifle in a proper chambering!
And good shooting!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bowdrie]

Good for you, the short rifle has been on again/off again a couple of times in the line up.
I got one of the original production run short rifles back in, (got to think,) ~'00/'01 or so in .44 Mag.
IMHO, the short rifles are the star in the line up, you get the shorter barrel, but without the sharp taper of the SRC.
That gets the balance a bit more forward, they seem to "swing" better.
And without the front barrel band, (and a thicker muzzle,) you get more consistent accuracy no matter the number of rounds in the tube.
I'd actually like a "hybrid", a short rifle with the SRC buttstock and a ladder sight.

[Lance Boyle]

Thank you both!

My hybrid if we had the old Winchester Custom Shop would be the same but a shotgun butt. Carbine Strap butts are ok. +1 on the ladder sight. I am thinking of seeing if I can order one.

Winchester had other fine options for butt plates after 1900 but now they only have the carbine or the crescent. I don’t hate the crescent but there are better ones. The balance on this short rifle is quite nice.

In many of the movies and TV shows I see flat butts and ladder sights on guns. I tend to watch Wagon Train and I’ve caught a couple Winchesters with ladder sights.

[dverna]

Very nice group.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

You got a "keeper".

DG

[FergusonTO35]

I easily justified buying the new gun, dies, bullets, etc because I had a used Lyman H&I die in 0.429 size that came with my RCBS LubeAMatic.

I hate waste!

This 100%!

[35 Rem]

I got one of the Model 94 Short Rifles in 32 Special from the 2018 production run a couple years ago used. I love it. Mine has the shotgun style butt which is my preference. The only feature I dislike is the rebounding hammer which gives an excessively heavy trigger pull. If/WHEN I get around to buying a Model 92, I would prefer the 44-40 also. As much practical sense as it would make to get a 357 so you could use a carbide sizer die and no lube, I'd prefer the original chambering.

[indian joe]

I have a really nice 92 long rifle ---38/40 - 26 inch barrel 38-40 finished.jpeg


first target shot with it after the build (50 yards)
38-40 first target.jpg

[Lance Boyle]

I got one of the Model 94 Short Rifles in 32 Special from the 2018 production run a couple years ago used. I love it. Mine has the shotgun style butt which is my preference. The only feature I dislike is the rebounding hammer which gives an excessively heavy trigger pull. If/WHEN I get around to buying a Model 92, I would prefer the 44-40 also. As much practical sense as it would make to get a 357 so you could use a carbide sizer die and no lube, I'd prefer the original chambering.

Ditto!

Three years ago I wanted the 92 in .357 because I was already well set up to load for it. It was practical albeit not 1800’s authentic. Not that a sliding safety and rebounding hammer is. I hope the trigger smooths up some more with use. The .38-40 and .44-40 are authentic! The .38/.357, the .44 Mag and even the .45 Colt are “inauthentic” chamberings. I wanted a gun to fun shoot not another deer gun. Not that it wouldn’t do the job.

So when that 92 in .357 never materialized, I stutter stepped in a Cimarron that had issues but returned that and got the Ruger Marlin in .357 that had just appeared on the scene. That’s a fine gun but not as trim as the 92 imho.

I was still keeping my want up with my FFL buddy for the 92 .357. The .44-40 I got teased with shooting a club members vintage one with BP loads. I giggled, it was just right! The .44-40 is authentic and I don’t have to work a downloaded .44 magnum down to a special load. Not that there is anything wrong with that but the .44 WCF is right there already. 200 grains at 1200 fps with smokeless is pleasant and accurate……and cowboy authentic!

[Lance Boyle]

I have a really nice 92 long rifle ---38/40 - 26 inch barrel 38-40 finished.jpeg


first target shot with it after the build (50 yards)
38-40 first target.jpg

Nice shooting! That deserves a manual operated like button!

Oh and the .38-40 cartridge just looks so sexy with that case shoulder more distinct.

[Griff]

I've got one of the Rossi Short Rifle 1892 actions in 45 Colt. I got it from the last shipment of the Rossis without the bolt safety. While not as nicely finished as my Miroku built rifles, it has pretty wood and a rather heavy octagon bbl. I've got a Uberti 1873 Short Rifle with just an 18-½" bbl. With it's ½ rnd/oct configuration, I think it's one of the best balancing lever guns I have. Very close to my mdl 94 Winch Trappers.

1892-1.jpg

[jstanfield103]

have the Winchester Miroku built Big Loop Short Rifle. I Love mine in 44 Mag. I am a shorter individual and the short rifle fits me very well. That and my Miroku 1886 are wonderful rifles.

[Griff]

have the Winchester Miroku built Big Loop carbine. I Love mine in 44 Mag. I am a shorter individual and the short rifle fits me very well. That and my Miroku 1886 are wonderful rifles.

Fixed that for ya. A rifle has a forend cap and a ring to hold the front of the mag tube... no bands. Plus, a "rifle" stock is narrower and pointed at both toe (bottom) and heel (top). Yours has the traditional carbine buttplate. If you have the 16" barrel, it'd be considered a Trapper. Back when Winchester (& others) actually took custom erders, you could order a carbine buttstock & buttplate on a rifle, but... it was far more common to order a shotgun butt to eliminate the pointed "rifle" buttplate.

[Lance Boyle]

have the Winchester Miroku built Big Loop Short Rifle. I Love mine in 44 Mag. I am a shorter individual and the short rifle fits me very well. That and my Miroku 1886 are wonderful rifles.

That rear sight looks off. Being the nice guy I am I’ll trade you my semi buckhorn rear for it.

[Lance Boyle]

And Griff I just saw today that CDNN has a few special 92 short rifles. Shotgun butts and grade 5/6 wood the ad says. The shotgun butt to me is the best configuration plus the ladder rear I think. I need a bit bolder sights and a flat rear blade. I understand the whys of buck horns I just do not like them all that much.


Edit……yours for only $1699!

For that kind of money I’d prefer the deluxe rifles.

[Griff]

But... that tang safety just drops it off my radar. About as good looking as the AE version of the Winchester 94. IOWs, butt ugly... and just as useless.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

While the newer rifles are nice, I still prefer originals like these 38/40's made in 1892 (4 digit Ser No's)

[45DUDE]

Wow-U D man