Looking for my first levergun

[Herdo]

Hello everyone. This is my first post on the forum and I'm hoping some of the more experienced people around here can give me some guidance. I recently decided I'd purchase my first levergun and after hours or research I've narrowed it down to one of the newer Winchester (miroku) 1892's, in 45 colt.

My reasoning for the '92 over the '73 is simply because I don't really have any interest in CAS, and I like the idea of being able to shoot some hotter loads if needed. This is also my reasoning behind choosing the 45 colt over the 357 Magnum/38 Special. My quick math tells me that when reloading, the price difference is small enough that I don't mind (something like $30 per 500 rounds).

The problem is, I can't find one anywhere! They are sold out on every website I've checked (dozens). I called Winchester and was told that this particular model is still in production and that a new shipment will come in sometime in January. I've also found a used one for about $875, which is also a newer Japanese produced Winchester 1892. It's listed as "Like New" and I've emailed the seller for more info. Even if it's is "Like New", that price is essentially what a factory new one costs, so I'd really just be paying to not have to wait a few months.

I guess my biggest question is, am I paying for more than just having "Winchester" stamped on the barrel? According to what I've been reading, these rifles are built extremely well and are worth the money, but I'd like to hear some more recent experiences with them. How do they compare with a Rossi, or a Chiappa?

Thanks in advance.

[Blaine]

If I wanted a Japanese 92, this Browning conversion to .45 would be a smoking deal. YMMV, but on paper it looks great.

http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... =2&t=64409

[1886]

If I wanted a Japanese 92, this Browning conversion to .45 would be a smoking deal. YMMV, but on paper it looks great.

http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... =2&t=64409

I could not agree with BlaineG more. Excellent quality, no rebounding hammer, no tang safety, "proper" half cock safety, action is tuned by a known, professional smith, and the chambering you want. This seems to be a very fine rifle at a VERY reasonable price. I am surprised this rifle is still available and you are in the market. It must be levergun karma. Your search has ended. 1886.

[AJMD429]

A couple thoughts.

Most 'used' guns are smoother and just as functional as new ones; if you use yours a lot (which is what a 92 is for ), it will get as many dings and scratches as a used one in a few months.
I do like "new" but haven't gotten a bad 'used' levergun yet (out of at least a half dozen).

I am happy with my Rossi 92 leverguns; even though they aren't as classy as the Winchesters or Browning 92's, they have worked well, and smoothed out nicely. Their cost is way less.
Having said that, my Winchester 94 Big Bore in 375 is hands-down my prettiest, classiest "classic levergun".

I agree with you for why you selected a 45 Colt. All the other short-action 'pistol caliber' levergun chamberings I've ever owned are plenty of fun (17 HMR 22 LR, 22 WRM, 32-20, 357 Mag, 44 Mag, 45 Colt, 454 Casull, 500 S&W), but for a 'first levergun' I think picking whatever one you have a handgun to match is a good choice, or 45 Colt pretty much CAN 'do it all' with handloads.

[Paladin]

A couple thoughts.

Most 'used' guns are smoother and just as functional as new ones; if you use yours a lot (which is what a 92 is for ), it will get as many dings and scratches as a used one in a few months.
I do like "new" but haven't gotten a bad 'used' levergun yet (out of at least a half dozen).

I am happy with my Rossi 92 leverguns; even though they aren't as classy as the Winchesters or Browning 92's, they have worked well, and smoothed out nicely. Their cost is way less.
Having said that, my Winchester 94 Big Bore in 375 is hands-down my prettiest, classiest "classic levergun".

I agree with you for why you selected a 45 Colt. All the other short-action 'pistol caliber' levergun chamberings I've ever owned are plenty of fun (17 HMR 22 LR, 22 WRM, 32-20, 357 Mag, 44 Mag, 45 Colt, 454 Casull, 500 S&W), but for a 'first levergun' I think picking whatever one you have a handgun to match is a good choice, or 45 Colt pretty much CAN 'do it all' with handloads.

I agree the Rossi's work fine. My wife's .357 and my .45 Colt rebuilt by Steve both shoot GREAT. As an OLD guy I need the red dots over the sights especially at night. The Marlins are a .44 Mag and the bottom Co-Pilot in .457 WWG.
If I wasn't recovering from a divorce I would buy the B92 in .45 Colt.
Almost forgot, Welcome to the forum.

[Herdo]

Alright, that IS a beautiful gun. I've emailed the seller to let them know I'm interested.

After reading your comments, I think you are all right. A used gun might actually be better in a lot of ways. It should have a lot of the stiffness worked out.

The seller mentioned being out of town until Monday, so it will probably be a few days before I know anything more.

[FLINT]

Excellent decision going with the 45 colt !!! I have a ruger blackhawk in 45 colt and am a big fan of the round. I think you will be very happy with it. I also don't think that you can go wrong with a winchester/browning. I have several winchesters and love them all.

[Tycer]

PM Nate Kiowa Jones the link to this thread. I'd like to hear his opinion.

[Griff]

Yep, all I can do is echo the pluses that everyone else has said about the 45Colt in a 1892 styled action. The strength of te action added to the selection available in .452 makes it just a little too good! From my experience, one has some difficulty selecting the "best" bullet to use!! For there are may excellent choices. From slow moving heavy thumpers, to light weight relative screamers... there's at least one that'll be right.

[Ysabel Kid]

Welcome to the fire!

Good choice. As you probably know, the .45 Colt chambering is not authentic for the 1892 when originally issued. The straight walls of the .45 Colt case can mean for a bit of a mess, especially if using black powder. Doesn't sound like that will be the case for you. I have a Rossi in .45 Colt that NJK (Steve Young) smoothed up for me and it is the smoothest lever-action I own!

[jazman]

If I wanted a Japanese 92, this Browning conversion to .45 would be a smoking deal. YMMV, but on paper it looks great.

http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... =2&t=64409

I could not agree with BlaineG more. Excellent quality, no rebounding hammer, no tang safety, "proper" half cock safety, action is tuned by a known, professional smith, and the chambering you want. This seems to be a very fine rifle at a VERY reasonable price. I am surprised this rifle is still available and you are in the market. It must be levergun karma. Your search has ended. 1886.

Totally agree here, buy this one and don't look back...and welcome.

[Booger Bill]

Personally, I would get it in .357. The 357 is a sweetheart to shoot. I own both a .357 and a .44 mag in 92 clones and have also shot one in .45 colt. The .44 mag and the .45 colt are big kickers compared to the .357 and the .357 will realistically kill as well.

[Herdo]

Thanks for the replies and welcomes everyone.

Personally, I would get it in .357. The 357 is a sweetheart to shoot. I own both a .357 and a .44 mag in 92 clones and have also shot one in .45 colt. The .44 mag and the .45 colt are big kickers compared to the .357 and the .357 will realistically kill as well.

Everything I've read has said the opposite when it comes to recoil. I guess is probably a bit subjective, being that the 357 has more of a snappy recoil vs the 45 colt which has more of a slower push (or so I've heard). Either way, I intend to shoot light cowboy loads mostly so I don't think recoil will hardly be noticeable. What I do know is that 357's are LOUD. Personally, I'd much rather have a quieter rifle with more kick than a loud rifle with less kick.

That being said, if I can't get the Browning for whatever reason I'm going to keep my options open. Thanks for the advice!

[Ji in Hawaii]

I too much prefer the earlier Browning rendition over the later Winchester though both made by Miroku of Japan, just can't get used to that tang safety that the Winchester has. I took the tang safety off my '94 Trapper replacing with an earlier '70s model lower tang, hammer, and trigger then filling the tang hole with antler.

A custom Browning 92 in 45 Colt sounds sweet, I hope you can get a hold of it. Keep us in the loop of your acquisition progress.

[Booger Bill]

Many years ago I was out shooting and a guy had a 94 in 45 colt and let me shoot it. They were his reloads but I never had a light rifle kick as hard! I own a Winchester 95 carbine in 30 army, a 94 and 64 in 30-30`s, a 88 in 308, a puma in 357, a browning 92 in .44 mag. I stand by what I said above. Of them all the .357 is the sweetheart to shoot. I aint a weed, about 6ft and 275 pounds. I do have pads on some of them but thats for length LOP not recoil. No way in hell is the heavy bullets in .44`s or 45`s give less recoil than any .357`s unless you have a minimum load.

[piller]

I have one of the Rossi made ones in .480 Ruger, and it is as good as I could ask for. If you are going to go to the Ruger/Thompson Center level loads in your .45 Colt chambered rifle that you get, I would recommend a good pad such as Limbsaver. I have only 5 leverguns, so, I am barely a novice on this site, but I have used my Rossi on a Water Buffalo/Cape Buffalo cross at a game ranch in Texas, and my Marlin Guide Gun on a zebra and a wildebeest in the Republic of South Africa. For what it is worth, leverguns are still valid for any animals you wish to shoot if you just use the right bullets for the animal. I have a Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt, and I really should get a levergun in the same caliber. That would give me 4 calibers for which I would have a pistol/rifle combo. (One of the combo, .44 Mag, is not with a levergun---it is a Ruger semi auto carbine and a Ruger Super Blackhawk)

[MrMurphy]

I found the .44 Mag in a Marlin to kick out of all proportion to what it "should" kick.

The .357 and .45 were considerably more manageable. I didn't mind the .44, but for that level of recoil, I decided I'd stick to a .30-30.

If you're primarily into it for collector interest, the Winchester name still means something. I'm a shooter/hunter more than a collector (and if I do, it's not "new" guns), so a Rossi, personally, would be just fine for me.


An ex of mine had an original (1926) 92, and few guns handle quite as nicely, they're very light and handy. Personally I favor the '73s for the history, a '73 in .44-40 would be ideal, but far down the list of priorities in my case (more modern fighting guns occupy most of my collection due to my profession).

That said, it's your money, if you're happy, that's all that matters.

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

Hello everyone. This is my first post on the forum and I'm hoping some of the more experienced people around here can give me some guidance. I recently decided I'd purchase my first levergun and after hours or research I've narrowed it down to one of the newer Winchester (miroku) 1892's, in 45 colt.

My reasoning for the '92 over the '73 is simply because I don't really have any interest in CAS, and I like the idea of being able to shoot some hotter loads if needed. This is also my reasoning behind choosing the 45 colt over the 357 Magnum/38 Special. My quick math tells me that when reloading, the price difference is small enough that I don't mind (something like $30 per 500 rounds).

The problem is, I can't find one anywhere! They are sold out on every website I've checked (dozens). I called Winchester and was told that this particular model is still in production and that a new shipment will come in sometime in January. I've also found a used one for about $875, which is also a newer Japanese produced Winchester 1892. It's listed as "Like New" and I've emailed the seller for more info. Even if it's is "Like New", that price is essentially what a factory new one costs, so I'd really just be paying to not have to wait a few months.

I guess my biggest question is, am I paying for more than just having "Winchester" stamped on the barrel? According to what I've been reading, these rifles are built extremely well and are worth the money, but I'd like to hear some more recent experiences with them. How do they compare with a Rossi, or a Chiappa?

Thanks in advance.

Get the Browning. The current wins aren't anything like the original. The Browning is real close. I do fire control conversions on the wins

And this is the parts that come out ( not shown here but firing pin, too.) and are replaced with just five parts

[J Miller]

OK, might as well stick my two bits worth in.

I've owned and shot lever guns in the following calibers:

Chronologically listed (more or less):

30 W.C.F. Win 1919 20" SRC
30-30 Win various 20" carbines (15 or so over the years)
30-30 Win 94 Trapper 16" barrel
32 W.C.F. Win 1973 16" octagon barrel ( was shortened before I got it )
.357 Mag Marlin 1894 18" or whatever they are carbine
.45 Colt Win 94AE Trapper 16"
.45 Colt Marlin 1894 20" carbine
.45 Colt Marlin 1894 Cowboy 24" octagon barrel
.45 Colt Rossi 92 20" carbine
.45 Colt Marlin 1894 Cowboy 20" octagon barrel

I have fired other calibers such as the 44-40 and the 44 mag.

Now, I've read and heard that recoil is subjective. That is it's felt different by different folks.
But, none of the lever guns I've fired have recoil that is objectionable. Not even my Win 94AE .45 Colt Trapper which has the early skinny barrel. I have fired some horrendous loads from it that I will not list. Most were no biggie, but there are some Ruger only level loads that can jar your eyeballs loose.

The Marlin .357 I had was for all practical purposes recoil free. Even heavy Keith bullets with a case of 2400 under them, the recoil was negligible.

Now muzzle blast is another thing. The .357 can be ear splitting bad even from a carbine. There is one load listed in the old Hercules manuals for a 125gr jacketed bullet using a large charge of 2400 that is listed at 1700+ FPS from a revolver. What it did from that 18+" Marlin barrel I had no idea, but it would explode soda cans filled with water and if you put a Ike dollar coin under the can it would imprint the coin in the bottom of the can. Shooting that load without ear protection was an exercise in stupidity. What you say ?????????? Say what??????

Another one to watch for noise is the 30-30 Trapper with the 16" barrel. Just 4" less barrel turns the moderately noisy 30-30 into an ear splitting monster.

Now to my choice if I were to go looking for a new pistol caliber lever gun right now, there is no Winchester or Marlins made that I would waste my money on. So that leaves the Italian imports which cost way more than I can afford.
Nate Kiowa Jones post above explains why on the Winchesters. The lawyers have over thought the design till they are unreliable and no longer enjoyable to shoot.
Marlin has for all reasonable purposes gone out of business.

Browning and Remington own the rights to make guns with Winchester and Marlin stamped on them, but they are not the real thing. Just pee pore copies. JMNSHO

I'd look for an older pre-safety Rossi (or other importer), or a pre-Remington Marlin or a pre-safety Win 94 AE. Those can be good shooting lever guns with minimal work. The Browning that's been discussed here earlier would be a real good one to start with.

As I said all this is subjective, and as usual your mileage may vary.
Good luck on what ever you get and have fun with it.

Joe

[MrMurphy]

After once firing a 175 round burst of 7.62 from inside a concrete bunker...my idea of muzzle blast is a bit different than others. Even with soft earplugs in place, it was impressive.

Thankfully, the gun, ammo (blanks) and targets all belonged to the Army, so no cleaning involved..though the Army unit I was shooting at was a bit upset, it was an excellent ambush position.

[Pete44ru]

PM Nate Kiowa Jones the link to this thread. I'd like to hear his opinion.

Steve's the gunsmith who converted the .45 Model 92 that board member cvarcher's selling in the classifieds.

The seller has posted elsewhere that he's waiting to hear back from Herdo, before he accepts another (2nd) buyer's dibs on the rifle.


.

[1894c]

Welcome... :)

[92&94]

Thanks for the replies and welcomes everyone.

Personally, I would get it in .357. The 357 is a sweetheart to shoot. I own both a .357 and a .44 mag in 92 clones and have also shot one in .45 colt. The .44 mag and the .45 colt are big kickers compared to the .357 and the .357 will realistically kill as well.

Everything I've read has said the opposite when it comes to recoil. I guess is probably a bit subjective, being that the 357 has more of a snappy recoil vs the 45 colt which has more of a slower push (or so I've heard). Either way, I intend to shoot light cowboy loads mostly so I don't think recoil will hardly be noticeable. What I do know is that 357's are LOUD. Personally, I'd much rather have a quieter rifle with more kick than a loud rifle with less kick.

That being said, if I can't get the Browning for whatever reason I'm going to keep my options open. Thanks for the advice!

Yeah, recoil is pretty subjective. My Browning 1886 will leave a bruise after 10 rounds but I still love shooting it. My 44 mag Rossi is a lightweight by comparison. All what you're used to I guess.