Winchester 1892 Rifle -Early 1st Year Production-

This is an early Model 1892 Sporting rifle.   Low Pre-1898 Antique serial number is in the 6,000 range which dates this rifle to the first year of production.  Mfd in 1892.   Standard sporting rifle configuration with 24" octagon barrel, full magazine, and crescent rifle buttplate.   Caliber is 32 WCF.   This rifle has never been cleaned or enhanced and has a really nice look to it.   Whoever owned this Winchester certainly carried it but took very good care especially the bore.  Being first year production, it has all the early features collectors like to find.   This includes the first style 2-line Winchester barrel address located on the top barrel flat, John Browning's 1884 patent date on the upper tang, and the early style checkering with the decorative Victorian era dipped top border.   This hammer design is only on the first 20-30,000 Model 1892's with a few sporadic appearances on later guns into the 70,000 range.

Overall, this rifle is in NRA Antique Fine+ to nearly Excellent condition.   The frame has 80% original blue with light handling wear and silvered edges from handling, with some brown freckling mixing in from age.   The loading port still shows 50% bright fire blue.   Breech bolt has 95% bright shiny blue with much of the original tempered finish left on the extractor.  The dual locking bolts are still in their original factory bright.   Upper tang shows 50% original blue while the lower has 98% blue as it's protected by the lever.   70% case colors on the hammer while the lever shows about 30% fading colors.  The barrel and magazine tube reveal 65-70% original blue with the majority of wear confined to the mag tube which has turned a grey patina with blue in the more protected areas.   Fore-end cap has a strong 75% bright original blue.  Original early front sight (sans adjustment screw which is correct for pre-1895 production, and standard semi-buckhorn rear sight.   The bore is absolutely perfect...like new...bright and shiny with perfect rifling and no pitting.   My friend let us use a rare Model 1892 Winchester bore mirror to observe the chamber where there is often hidden erosion that can't be observed from the muzzle.   Wow!   This one is perfect from back to front too which is pretty tough to find for a 32-20, let alone a first year production rifle.   The action and mechanics are like new.   Very Good screws overall.   The wood is in Excellent condition...completely untouched with only light handling marks.   Very Good Wood.  The walnut stocks are a nice reddish tone with 50% original varnish and a healthy dose of light handling marks from years of hunting use...which we like to rationalize as "character wear".  Nice wood to metal fit.  No chips, cracks, or repairs, of any kind.   Just a nice solid example of an early Model 1892 Winchester that has a great look to it!

Item# 9205

SOLD