Winchester's Model 1892 Carbine Part I

11/27/2020

Not going for melodrama here, but raking leaves in New England is worse than a Sisyphus bout with inclined, repetitive boulder rolling. The beautiful fiery red and golden leaves of autumn, drop dead, turn a very ordinary brown and begin to fall, and continue to fall, for a couple of months until the trees are barren. Leaves fall in the woods, they fall on the lawn, they fall in the garden, they definitely fall in the gutters and, then, they must be removed.

My wife and I dump leaves into a shredder, we run them over with a lawn mower, we blow them around with a leaf blower, we rake them until the lawn and gardens are rid of them and they are piled high behind the woodland treeline. Then we go inside and have dinner, as the wind kicks up and returns every single leaf to its exact original position and orientation. It is 762 B.C. all over again. In the morning, I’ll walk outside with a cup of coffee in one hand, shake the other fist at the sky skyward to express my displeasure with nature, before resolutely beginning raking anew.  Yes, “anew”. No, not “a gnu”.

Short of a cooperative black hole, nothing will stem the incoming tide of leaves moving from woods to lawn. However, I do wonder why the tide never goes out, moving the leaves from lawn to woods. All we can do is wait for heavy snow. It won’t solve the problem, but it will hide the problem, and isn’t effectively hiding a problem as good as a solution?

I am struggling with what to write that is worthy of this really nice firearm. A Winchester wrapped in nostalgia with performance potential to spare. So I am just stalling. I spent the past half hour trying to decide if I like Lucinda Williams’s 1988 version of “Change The Locks” or the 1996 Tom Petty version and I am wondering if anyone else still uses a mechanical pencil. Are you hungry, or is that just me?

I like Tom Petty, but Williams is just so much more….” And I love mechanical pencils and I do like Lucinda Williams, and Zombie Bob has more than earned a spot on my desk, holding a pencil at the ready. OK. You guys are no help, so I’ve mentally cracked my knuckles, adjusted my chair and I will poke at this keyboard until something comes out of it…

History. I’ll take “Things not taught in schools anymore” for $200, Alex

The Winchester Model 1892 represents only one of a number of Winchester’s Thomas Grey Bennett and Browning’s John Moses Browning collaborations. T.G. Bennett’s forte was manufacturing. Browning’s forte was exceptional, manufacturable firearm designs. Their working relationship was based on mutual respect, allowing it to endure for nearly twenty years.

As the story goes, Bennett needed successor for the Model 1873 successor, a scaled down version of Browning’s Model 1886 design, chambered for cartridges similar in size to the 44-40 WCF. Bennett created the incentives of bonuses to encourage Browning; $10,000 for design delivery in three months, $15,000 for delivery in two months. Browning countered with $20,000 if done within 30 days, and proceeded to meet that objective.

During the 50 years that followed, over a million examples of the Model 1892 were produced. Initially, the Model 1892 was offered in 44-40 WCF, 38-40 WCF and 32-20 WCF. In 1895, the then new 25-20 WCF was added. In 1936, and for two years that followed, the Model 1892 was chambered for the 218 Bee on special order.

The Model 1892 was produced with barrels as long as 30″, the Musket, and as short as 14″, the Trapper. Special order barrel lengths went as long as 36″. Tubular magazines were available in 1/2, 2/3 and full length. There were round barrel and octagon barrel options and rifles customized in various grades to suit. Not only was the Model 1892 a success in America, it was also well received in South America, Australia and the Far East.*

The Model 1892, at least in carbine form, was produced until 1941. However, derivative models such as the Models 53 and 65 continued on through 1947. Limited edition appearances of the revived Model 1892 occurred in 1997 and in 2006, resurrected for distributor and show specials. Full modern production resumed in 2011.

Some of the early limited production runs came from the Winchester facility in Connecticut, like my 90’s vintage 45 Colt Winchester Ranger that was sold through the western U.S. Big 5 retail chain. However, in 1995 Winchester Model 1892 production began at the Miroku firearms company in Kochi, Japan. In 2006, after the Connecticut Winchester facility closed, Miruku became the sole producer of Winchester lever action firearms for special runs and then continuous production.

 Chambers, then and now…

The first four cartridges were included at some point within early production. All were originally black powder, all are bottle neck rimmed design and all were chambered in rifles and handguns. Interesting that none seemed to suffer from the cartridge setback in revolvers issue experienced by cartridges like the 22 Jet. But then, the 22 Jet bottleneck form is much more pronounced and chamber pressure was 37kpsi +/-. More than twice the level of the old black powder cartridges. More later, on why the 357 Mag was not chambered in the last stages of Model 1892 production. The 44 Magnum did not come along until 1956. The 45 Colt cartridge carried the wrong brand for promotion and the 44-40 WCF already outperformed the then very anemic 45 Colt.

All of the modern chambers are for straight walled and rimmed cartridge. By SAAMI standards, the 357 Magnum and 44 Magnum are comparatively high pressure. The 45 Colt pressure reference is misleading as the cartridge is commonly loaded at or near 44 Magnum pressures by specialty ammunition companies in the absence of a SAAMI homolgated 45 Colt +P version.

Mighty Mouse

I used the term Mighty Mouse to infer that the Winchester Model 1892 is very compact, but also very strong, but I am not sure if anyone still remembers Mighty Mouse. With a presence from 1942 through 1961, and only two minor attempted revivals since, too many people may be wondering what muscular rodents have to do with firearms. My point is, the Model 1892 is a very tough firearm. Based on the large, stout Model 1886 design chambered for cartridges like the 45-90 WCF, the Model 1892 is more than enough gun for any of its historical and current chambers.

The rectangular breechbolt rails ride in close fitting slots cut into the thick interior receiver walls. The breechbolt runs on bore center and is controlled in all directions. Longitudinal movement is controlled by the lever when being cycled, and locked into battery by twin locking bolts engaging the breechbolt when moved into battery. It is a great deal of mechanical containment for what are essentially moderate power cartridges.

Semi-Buckhorn rear sights and Marble Arms gold bead front sight are a combination that works well for the Model 1892 and its intended applications. The sights are dovetail mounted with a 0.040″ rear half aperture and a 0.125″ front bead.Windage is drift adjustable and elevation is adjusted with a rear sight stepped… elevator.

The Model 1892 is not drilled and tapped for optical peep sights. However, various aftermarket suppliers make adapters that replace the rear sight with a peep sight or mount for red dot and optical sights. There are also gunsmith fit sights and scope mounts.

The open sights, even with my diminished eyeball IQ are good for 100 yard shots on deer. The “U” notch rear and front bright bead make for solid critical alignment. Their battery will not die at an inopportune time, their reticle won’t fall and their adjustment will stay put.

Hammers that rebound and safeties that slide…

The Model 1892 has a rebounding hammer, a mechanism intended to prevent the hammer from making contact with the gun’s firing pin unless the trigger has been intentionally depressed. For relics like me, there is a missing familiar “click – click” when cocking the hammer. That has been replaced by just one click and either full cock and fully rearward, or rebound hammer position, down, but not resting on the firing pin as seen below.

The normal rifle carry position is the hammer in the rebound position (inset) with the tang safety on. After chambering a round, the hammer can still be lowered from full cock to rebound position by following the detailed procedures outlined in the product user’s manual. The tang safety is smooth, but positive in actuation and a welcome alternative to a Frankenstein, cross bolt through the neck safety.

The 357 Magnum