Winchester 94 or 92 in 44mag

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hawk-i

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Can anyone tell me the disadvantage of a winchester model 94 as compared to a model 92 when chambered for the pistol cartridge 44 mag. I know the 92 is designed for the shorter cartridges but will there be a functioning disadvantage in the longer action?
Also, I've read the post 64's are only worth 50% the value of the pre 64's, does this sound right?
I've got a pre 64, 94, 30-30 trapper and love it and would like to add a 44 mag to keep it company but not sure about a post 64,Model 94 in 44 mag.
 
Lever Action Horrors!
Virtually everyone has a horror story about 1 or more firearms that they have owned. He's my lever horror story;

In '94 I was looking for a lever in .357 because I was doing alot of .357 shooting out of my M66 and wanted a cheap and easy round that I could reload in abundance. After looking around for about 6-8 months I couldn't find one, I even phoned Winchester! The nice lady said that they didn't have enough calls to start manufacturing them again. Remember this was before Cowboy Action got bigger.

I finally gave up on .357 and found a Winchester Wrangler in .44 Magnum. Shades of John Wayne that large loop lever was kewl! Little did I realize that with 2 years, I'd start shooting Cowboy Action. I did lots of testing and came up 7.2 grains of Unique pushing a 240 grain LSWC bullet as an accurate target load.

Within the first 20 rds down range, the pot metal feed ramp broke. Off for warranty work! Eight months later I get the rifle back. After every 50 rds the rear sight elevator would fall off. So we have to install a Williams rear sight! Shooting again after every 50 rds the screws in the receiver would work loose. Locktite!! After 1,500 rds the tubular magazine spring gave up the ghost! Wolfe Gunsprings to the rescue. After this the Lever Link broke, 3 months and 5 nasty letters later, Winchester told me they would sell me the part but without warranty! They wanted me to send the gun to the warranty centre again!

That was the last straw, I found a sucker to buy the Winchester and bought a Marlin M1894S, after 8,000 rds through it, it broke a firing pin. I love the quality Marlin builds in.

P.S. My Wrangler was one of 4 Wranglers in town with the same problems. I own both a 1906 mfg Winchester M1894 in .38-55 and a 1906 mfg Winchester M92 in .44 Magnum that are quality firearms. Post 64 should be spelled as "JUNK".
 
Thanks for the reply Garand, yeah I was wary about the post 64. Might be a new Marlin 1894 is the way to go.
 
However, everyone has thier own story. One of the most relaible Post-64s I have is a 1982 made Winchester Trapper in 44 Magnum.
One of the features of a 94 in this calibre is that the loaded round can be a bit longer than what fits/feeds through a Marlin 1894.
Hence a longer bullet (265-300 grain) with just a little more powder can be worked up to with handloads.
Consider it a benefit for hunting big game.
 
The new Winchester Mod 92s make by Miroku are superb quality firearms. I bought one when they first hit the market and was duly impressed with fit, finish and function. I would highly recommend them, the quality is every bit as good as the dozen or so pre 64 92s I own.
 
c-fbmi said:
The new Winchester Mod 92s make by Miroku are superb quality firearms. I bought one when they first hit the market and was duly impressed with fit, finish and function. I would highly recommend them, the quality is every bit as good as the dozen or so pre 64 92s I own.
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I'll second that. I had a modern, Miroku-built Winchester Model 92 chambered in 45 Colt. Beautiful fit and finish. If you want the ultimate 44 Mag, see if you can find an original Browning Model 92 in that caliber. Those do not have the tang safety or rebounding hammer, just the original half-####.
 
the 92's have two locking lugs as opposed to the 94 which only has one. This means that the 1892's are generally smoother to cycle than the 94's, of course I am biased because I have four 1892's and currently no 1894's. I have a Browning 92 in 44 mag as was suggested above and would not hesitate to recommend it. I also think the 92's are slimmer and nicer to carry than the 94's. I have never had an issue with cartridge length but I have never used, nor felt I needed a bullet over 240 grains. I shoot a little cowboy action and I only know one guy who uses a post 64 trapper. He has had trouble with the loading gate breaking twice. (pot metal) If you are happy with your other 94 then go ahead and look for another but once you go 92 you won't go back. my .02 cents fwiw :) jed
 
the Model 1892 was made for a short round (pistol)
the Model 1894 was made for a med length rifle round

The 1892 will be a lot better for pistol rounds or shooting cowboy action
the 20 inch model will hold 10 rounds
 
jed said:
the 92's have two locking lugs as opposed to the 94 which only has one. This means that the 1892's are generally smoother to cycle than the 94's, of course I am biased because I have four 1892's and currently no 1894's. I have a Browning 92 in 44 mag as was suggested above and would not hesitate to recommend it. I also think the 92's are slimmer and nicer to carry than the 94's. I have never had an issue with cartridge length but I have never used, nor felt I needed a bullet over 240 grains. I shoot a little cowboy action and I only know one guy who uses a post 64 trapper. He has had trouble with the loading gate breaking twice. (pot metal) If you are happy with your other 94 then go ahead and look for another but once you go 92 you won't go back. my .02 cents fwiw :) jed
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I have had the same problem with my 356! And I was trying to clear the loading gate & spring & I inadvertantly broke the shell lifter with minimal effort. Thankfully the 1982 trapper and Pre 64 carbine have worked faultlessly for myself. (hunting)
 
Lots of helpful info, thanks! I think in the Winchester the model 92 will be the way to go, either pre-64 or Miroku.
 
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