Winchester 1892

T

Torandir

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
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Location
Newfoundland
Hi All,
Looking for some perspective on this older winchester. Dates from 1912 based on the serial (715440), has no saddle ring, and a 20" octogon profile barrel in 44-40. Externally there is a fair bit of surface rust however it is cleaning up and i have an electrolysis tank to do the majority of the hard work. Everything functions smoothly and the wood is fairly nice. The major problem however is that there is a rather nasty bulge in the barrel under the rear sight. I have it in to the gunsmith at the moment, but his opinion with it being an octogon barrel in 44-40, it should be ok with the low pressure of that cartridge. What i'm wondering is:
A: How sketchy is this gun to actually shoot with that barrel,
B: I can't seem to find a 92 with those characteristics around other than what is called a Short Rifle, so not sure how common/uncommon this is,
C: If this is a more uncommon configuration, is it worth sleeving the original barrel rather than just pulling it and rebarreling.
D: If i should rebarrel, where can I find an octogon to replace it with, not fussy about changing calibers if it's a generic model that's not wortgh keeping original
Link to photo album:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Dvshca33dpUMp1CHA
 
WTB in the EE?
Western Gun Parts?
Numrich?

Surely tc there should be a bawrill leen'in g'ainst ahh corner sum place fur this old gal?

Get on an unlimited long distance calling plan and start phoning the wee shops from yer bel prawvance and
work t'uther way x Kannerder.

Pretty sure one will show up.
 
From a value standpoint , I would sure never put that old girl in an electrolysis bath, if you remove all the patina the collector value will be cut in 1/2 or worse. I would just neutralize the rusting with oil and let it stay dark as can be. Outside rust ain't gonna hurt the function one little bit.

As for the barrel, same thing stands, just leave it with that walnut in place and store the barrel in a safe place. if you need to shoot t he thing buy a replacement barrel.... shoot to your hearts content and then put the original barrel back on when/if you decide to sell.
 
I understand the restoration vs patina argument, however there is bad enough rust, without electrolysis or something similar, it will be impossible to prevent further deterioration of the rifle. i'd rather stop the rusting in the pitting. Besides, electrolysys is what museums use to preserve iron and steel artifacts as it only attacks the rust, not the finish underneath. It's either that or boil all the parts to remove the dirt/grime and rust. As it stands i would't be comfortable selling it with the current barrel without explicitly saying that it is dangerous to shoot due to the bulged barrel. No doubt this gun has had a hard life and i'm not too sure there is a lot of collectopr value left in it, but then i'm not as up on my sporting guns as I am surplus arms.
 
That Rust " patina" is 75-100 yrs old , it will not get any worst if you slap some oil on it.
I think anything you do , short of draw filing the whole gun, and I would not do that on this , will make it look like hell.
If you plan on selling it , just sell it as a parts gun, I would not worry about a light load in 44-40 in that barrel.
No advanced collector will look at it , but there are lots of others always looking for a bargain or parts. The sights ,if not rusty are very good money these days.
 
Torandir said:
I understand the restoration vs patina argument, however there is bad enough rust, without electrolysis or something similar, it will be impossible to prevent further deterioration of the rifle. i'd rather stop the rusting in the pitting. Besides, electrolysys is what museums use to preserve iron and steel artifacts as it only attacks the rust, not the finish underneath. It's either that or boil all the parts to remove the dirt/grime and rust. As it stands i would't be comfortable selling it with the current barrel without explicitly saying that it is dangerous to shoot due to the bulged barrel. No doubt this gun has had a hard life and i'm not too sure there is a lot of collectopr value left in it, but then i'm not as up on my sporting guns as I am surplus arms.
Click to expand...

The best way to go for halting corrosion in its' tracks is to use this stuff. Put a generous film of 'er on the metal and let it soak in, then wipe off excess later.
No more corrosion issues. ACF 50 is another product that be similar in properties to Formula 3000, just costs more. Cambodian Tyre carries Formula 3000.

Formula 3000.jpg
 

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What collector value. I would try to get it ready to shoot starting with that barrel maybe it will shoot straight. My 92 in 44 40 shoots 429 200gr. copper coated campro at 1080 with 9.3 gr. Tinstar. I have a browning t bolt with a bulge worse than that and it shoots fine although it bugs me to know there is a bulge in the barrel.
 
With a bulge that far from the muzzle I expect it will not affect accuracy by a great amount... I would definitely test it with factory ammo or comparable reloads. I would not worry about the bulge being weak with normal factory pressure loads.

The best thing for light rust is Hoppes # 9 Solvent and 0000 steel wool.
 
Thanks for all the info, Getting the action back from the local gunsmith on Tuesday, (was in to check the bulge) I have been getting most of the rust off with G96 and 0000 Steel wool, usual method I use on milsup stuff too. This one has a lot of internal dirt/rust mixture inside as well which is why I was leaning towards electrolysis or boiling. I own an 1886 in 45-70 made in 1900 and know how much of a pain gettin the inside of the reciever cleaned out is. the 92 being basically the same action will be similar I expect. looks like lots of elbow grease coming up.
 
The gun has no collector value given the condition .
Altering it won’t devalue it it’s a 400-400$ parts gun .
If it has meaning to you then do what ever you wish no need to worry about devaluing the gun
 
given where you say the bulge is, I highly doubt there would be any problem with any 44-40 load. Curious in how they managed to ring it there. I found 1892's easier than '86's to strip and clean.
Let us know how it shoots.
they were not known for stellar accuracy, but I suspect you will find 4" groups achievable.
 
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