Winchester 1892 32-20

[fordson]

Great looking rifle. Somewhere along the line I picked up some hundred plus 32-20 Starline brass. All I need now is a rifle……..

 

[AKtinman]

I have Police Positive Special in 32-20 (1919) & a 1902 M&P in 32WCF (1902). along with a modern 1894 CL Marlin. RCBS dies, Lyman mold for 117 gr GC.

I have WW 500 brass I bought when I bought the rifle, and a few hundred more from scrounging at gun shows. I Have used WW231, Unique, & Trail Boss powders all with good success.

If you can lay your hands on an old Lyman #45 Manual, the Accuracy and Factory Dueplication loads are spot on for everything they list.

Ivan

Thanks for the suggestion, Ivan.

I don't have the Lyman #45, but I do have the #44 along with Ideal #38, and several newer manuals. Always good references. Philip B. Sharpe's "Complete Guide to Handloading" has some interesting load data.

The Accurate Molds #31-100F has worked well in the .32 Long and H&R and it appears to have the right nose length and crimp groove for the 32-20. I'm interested in loads around 800 - 1100 fps for range use, depending on accuracy. Will chrono the UltraMax ammo for a baseline and use that as a comparison when running my loads across the chrono. Also have a #31-120S2 and some 115 gr RNFP from Rushmore Shooting Supply, though I am not too keen on coated bullets - they work fine but I don't care for the smell.

Dies are due in this week. Now just have to shoot up some of those UltraMax cartridges to gather up some cases for reloading.

I'll add another photo of the rifle posed on my cluttered reloading bench.

 

[TIMETRIPPER]

It's a heck of a rabbit hole to go down...

Oh yes! In addition to that '92 of mine, I also have a Stevens 44 single shot and have owned three hand ejectors and a Uberti SSA clone in 32-20. Am down to just one hand ejector and the two rifles now but have several hundred pieces of brass to keep them fed. Reloading is a must and keeping the brass separated by manufacturer helps as there is a great deal of difference in case length which will place havoc when crimping if not separated.

John

PS. A #2 roller would be the cats meow.

PPS. And a nice 1885 Low Wall!

 

[BrovoEchoSierra]

Wow! That is so nice! Some one took great care of that one for it to have survived and still be in such nice condition.
The 32-20 or 25-20 either one would be a very fun plinker.
I would prefer the 32 20 as it would be easier to shoot cast lead bullet in it.
It would have been hard for me not to buy that gun, had it crossed my path.

 

[Charlie Foxtrott]

I pickup one of that run of Winchester model 53s they put out.

Miroku guns they made about 1990 in 32-20. Clean as a pin and a great shooter with heavy lead bullets. Essentially a model 92 with a half magazine.
Shown here with another of my Winchester Miroku model 92s in .45 Colt

 

[smithra_66]

On Thursday I stopped at the LGS to chat with the owner and swap off some stuff I no longer needed.

He happened to mention that he had a "shooter grade" Winchester 1892 in 32-20 if I was interested, but it wasn't in the store at the time. Yup, I was interested! I told him I would return on Saturday to have a look.

I was expecting a grayed out finish gun with no bluing and worn stock. Well, it turned out to be a 24" rifle in really nice shape, great bore with no pitting. Very nice condition for a 1896 manufacture gun.

At $1400 it was priced a little less than the Browning 53 at the other shop. He also had some UltraMax ammo so I bought 2 boxes. The price of the ammo just about took my breath away, but after it is fired, I'll have a hundred Starline cases to get me started.

And I'll be checking Starline regularly to place an order for 32-20 brass if they offer it for sale in the next few years My Starline 32 H&R brass that I ordered on January 3rd arrived yesterday.

My first centerfire rifle was a Winchester 1892 rifle in 25-20 that my uncle gave me when I was 12 years old. He paid $50 for it, which was not an insignificant sum in the late 1950's. That old rifle and the uncle are long gone, but the fond memories remain.

This rifle will be a range gun as I no longer hunt, and it will see only mild loads in keeping with both its age and my interest in shooting.

Very nice gun. I have a similar one. If the receiver indeed dates to 1896, it's re-barreled because the markings on the barrel are later teens or 20s. Likely the 1896 barrel was octagonal and would have had the caliber designation at 12 o'clock instead of the left side of the barrel.

Also if it's not reblued, that's amazing! It's probably likely that it's had a little restoration

Mine is the exact same way...the receiver dates to 1905 and is almost in the white but the barrel is round with the later markings like yours, and has more bluing than the receiver.

I get the best accuracy out of mine with a case full of Swiss 2F and a 115 gr. bullet with SPG lube.

I paid about $1100 for it a couple years ago on Gunbroker (add shipping and fees), so nowadays you're right in line.

Enjoy it!

 

[AKtinman]

Miroku guns they made about 1990 in 32-20. Clean as a pin and a great shooter with heavy lead bullets. Essentially a model 92 with a half magazine.
Shown here with another of my Winchester Miroku model 92s in .45 Colt

Very nice! I was planning on buying the Browning 53 until this one came up. I do like the button magazine on the 53, but prefer the straight stock on my '92. Fun little guns!

 

[Kinman]

Your new rifle is beautiful, I got bit by the 32-20 thing with a couple of S&W M&Ps, square butt revolvers in 32-20. I then ran into a guy that had an 1886 Winchester in 45-70 I was interested in, I went over and saw a little '92 and asked about it. He said that it was in 32-20 and he had picked it up from its original owner. It had been rebarreled by the factory which was good because all those years of black powder and poor maintenance had probably left the barrel in ruins. Its pristine today but does not match the script of the receiver. It was also further messed with the addition of a redfield peep side mount receiver sight. A good deal if you are not interested in retaining any original value but once the barrel is done its all off the table.
It has been drug all over this website about using hot loads in the S&W revolvers, the Winchester likes those little 85gr. Hornady pills and smokes a rock chuck at 50yds. If all you wanted to do was shoot standard velocity 100gr. lead round nose you could have a nice sub caliber pisitol and rifle combination. I decided to go with 44-40 because I like 44's more. The Winchester will one day go to a better home.
32-20 is just a little bit cantacerous to reload, the case mouth is very tender, it does not take to man handling very well, you will crush a few mouths if you rush things, patience and safety first.

 

[bmcgilvray]

That is a beautiful rifle, especially for an early production Model 1892. .32-20 is one of my very favorite rifle cartridges and you got that one at a price that is a "real deal!"

I have an 1896 vintage Winchester Model 1892 in .32-20 as well, but mine is well used. I've used it myself for decades. '92s are great rifles!

 

[Brooks]

Nice! The 1892 is a strong action and can take just about any load. I have almost bought the Browning 53 many times... loved the action, but didn't like the small diameter barrel... and the finish on the stock...I was afraid I would scratch it.
I am loading 4.3 gr Unique with 118gr Bear Creek lead bullet as a standard load.

 

[AKtinman]

Thanks everyone for the comments. Obviously there is a lot of interest in, and appreciation for, these old timers.

The rifle's serial is in the mid 130,000's which does place it's vintage as 1896. When I was examining the rifle before purchase I was surprised at how nice the bore was, expecting some pitting on a black powder era gun.

The dealer had told me that this was a "shooter grade" gun and he thought the rifle had not been refinished. There was no intent to represent the rifle as being all original. The barrel may be a later replacement, but I can say that it performed well at the range last week and I'm happy with the rifle.

While I would have preferred the receiver to have been drilled and tapped for a receiver sight, a tang sight is an option I will consider.

I made up some dummy rounds to test for feeding and found the 31-100F was not suitable. The MP 314-640 100 gr fed and chambered fine so it will get the initial nod for loading.

This rifle will only be used with cast bullets and light loads out of respect for its age. And mine

 

[mrcvs]

Okay, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but this rifle has been refinished and the barrel has been replaced. The OP alluded to some of this, so it won't be a complete surprise.

The hue of the bluing is unlike the original, there's bluing in pitting, and the edges of the receiver are rounded to some degree, telling us it's a refinish. It appears the upper tang is proud to the wood, suggesting the wood is refinished, and the trademark "WINCHESTER" on the barrel did not show up until circa 1924. Lastly, the hammer and lever would originally have been case coloured.

I hope you accept my constructive criticism.

 

[Brooks]

I don't see the barrel replacement as a negative... unless you are collecting antiques. I personally would rather have one not shot out with Black Powder. Could be why the LGS owner told you it was a shooter. And maybe that barrel being a later date is a better barrel.

 

[AKtinman]

I don't see the barrel replacement as a negative... unless you are collecting antiques. I personally would rather have one not shot out with Black Powder. Could be why the LGS owner told you it was a shooter. And maybe that barrel being a later date is a better barrel.

Brooks, that is my thought on this rifle. I appreciate the comments by others on the lack of originality as I'm not a Winchester collector and so am learning some of the nuances of this specific rifle. I do consider the later barrel to be a plus as I bought it for a shooter. And if the finish is not original, it is still a nice looking rifle.

If I were disappointed in the gun I could return it to the dealer and he would reimburse my money.

 

[bmcgilvray]

It's still a .32-20 rifle, one of the ultimate cartridges and chamberings.

 

[Kinman]

That would explain the pristine barrel, anything used during the black powder years is likely to have some corrosion, mine was replaced and is pristine...definitely shooter grade with the added receiver sight. According to the guy that got it from the original owner it came out of Wenatchee, WA territory where a guy owned one of the original apple orchards. He used it to keep deer off his apples. The guy asked him how many deer he killed with it and the guy just shrugged and said "Every one I shot in the ear or the eye went right down and onto the table, we never went hungry for venison."

 

[Model19man]

That rifle looks great. I need to have one of those. I currently have three revolvers chambered for the 32 WCF cartridge. They are a 5.5" barreled SAA flat top, a 6" S&W Model 1899, and a 6" Colt Army Special.

Good find and congratulations!