Some might say the Model 1873 Winchester “Won the West,” but it was Model 1892 that conquered Hollywood. The imfdb.com page for the Model 1892 may well be its longest entry. Remember Chuck Connors in “The Rifleman,”? Yeah, that was a Model ‘92. How about the “Mare’s Leg” in “Wanted: Dead or Alive”? That was a cut-down Model ‘92, too.
Made in New Haven, Conn., in 1919, this original Winchester Model 1892 rifle in .32-20 Win. is just one of more than a million made between 1892 and 1941. A John Moses Browning design, the Model 1892 was a scaled down and simplified version of the great inventor’s Model 1886. Made in numerous guises, this Model 1892 rifle, has an octagonal barrel with a full length magazine tube. The rear sight is a semi-buckhorn with an elevator and a front blade dovetailed into the barrel’s front. The walnut buttstock is topped with a crescent buttplate. The Model 1892 was chambered by Winchester to fire blackpowder pistol caliber cartridges (.25-20 Win., .32-20 Win., .38-40 Win. and .44-40 Win.). Additionally, Winchester added .218 Bee later in the production run. They have been offered under the Browning name, and Winchester still offers them today, but these say they come from Japan’s Miroku, not New Haven.
Check out the video above hosted by American Rifleman Editor-in-Chief Mark Keefe to learn a bit more about this iconic American lever-action.
Additional Reading:
The Winchester Story
SHOT Show 2017: Annie Oakley's Winchester Model 1892 Rifle
The Navy Arms Model 1892 Rife: A Gentleman's Lever-Action
Winchester 1892 Deluxe Takedown Rifle
