Winchester 1892 .38 WCF 24″ Lever Action Rifle MFD 1895 Antique
SOLD FOR: $1,905.00
LSB#: LSB260629EB035
Make: Winchester
Model: 1892
Serial Number: 49743
Year of Manufacture: 1895 / Antique
Caliber: .38 WCF (.38-40 Winchester)
Action Type: Lever Action with Tubular Magazine
Markings: The barrel is marked “MANUFACTURED BY / WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO. NEW HAVEN. CONN. U.S.A.” The upper tang is marked “MODEL 1892 / WINCHESTER / PAT OCT 14 1884”. The underside of the receiver is marked “49743”.
Barrel Length: 24″, Round
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a metal blade dovetailed into the barrel. The rear sight is a notched sporting sight with a stepped elevator, dovetailed into the barrel. There is one drilled, tapped, and filled sight-mounting hole on the upper tang.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece smooth wood with a capped forend, straight grip, straight comb, and a steel crescent buttplate. There are scattered scratches, small dings, and handling marks, including a longer scratch on the left side of the buttstock. The wood finish shows scattered wear and fine crazing. There are no chips or cracks. The buttplate has surface wear and brown discoloration. The LOP measures 12 7/8″ from the front of the trigger to the rear of the buttplate. The stocks are in Very Good overall condition as an Antique.
Type of Finish: Blued, Case Color
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is generally bright. The rifling is well defined. There is light erosion. In this writer’s opinion the bore rates 6/10.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 65% of its original metal finish. There is thinning and edge wear with portions of the metal turning brown. There are scattered scratches, small marks, and areas of light surface oxidation. The lever and hammer have largely muted case coloring. The screw heads show tool marks, and the markings remain legible. Overall, this rifle is in Very Good condition as an Antique.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly.
We did not fire this rifle.
As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This rifle comes with a CFM Record Search which confirms this rifle configuration received in warehouse in 1895 and shipped in 1896.
Our Assessment: In 1895, the year this rifle was made, Winchester was expanding the meaning of a lever-action rifle. The Model 1894 had just joined the line, the .30-30 arrived as a commercial smokeless cartridge, and the new Model 1895 adopted an internal box magazine. Amid that rapid development, the Model 1892 continued to serve the established shorter cartridges that had helped build Winchester’s business. John Browning had drawn on his Model 1886 design to create the smaller action, giving the company a new mechanism for the cartridge family already associated with the Model 1873. This rifle’s .38 WCF chambering places it directly in that continuity: Winchester could introduce a different action while retaining ammunition familiar to its customers.
The 24-inch round barrel, capped forend, and crescent buttplate identify this example with the Model 1892’s sporting-rifle configuration, one of several forms Winchester offered alongside carbines and muskets. Its compact receiver and full-length tubular magazine show the company’s approach to that established market, while the New Haven barrel address locates its manufacture at the factory producing the expanding Winchester line. The Model 1892 remained in original production through 1941, long after the innovations of 1895 had become familiar. Its endurance helps explain this early example: the arrival of smokeless sporting cartridges and new magazine arrangements expanded Winchester’s offerings, while a well-developed rifle for the older short cartridges retained a place of its own.