North American Auction Company
Live Auction

Fine Montana Collector Sale - April 2023

Sat, Apr 22, 2023 11:00AM EDT
Lot 197

Winchester Model 1892 .32 Cal Lever Action Rifle

Estimate: $2,800 - $3,600

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$50 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$50,000 $2,500
This lot features an unusual and extremely rare variant early production Winchester 1892 octagon barrel rifle in desirable .32-20 caliber, serial number 184358, and made 1902. This example has the almost never encountered extra length barrel. The standard length barrel for the Model 1892 was 24” and extra long barrels were only offered until 1908. Very few rifles were special ordered with longer than standard barrels and all are considered extremely rare. According to the standard reference The Winchester Handbook by George Madis, only 744 Model 1892s were made with longer than standard barrels. Considering that this model was made in four distinct calibers in round, octagon and half octagon barrels, few would be exactly like this rifle that has a 26” octagon barrel with matching extra long full magazine in .32-20 caliber (.32 WCF- Winchester Center Fire) and is fitted with a correct Winchester full buckhorn rear sight complete with elevator bar and a correct Winchester small blade front sight. The barrel markings showing the Winchester address, etc., are all sharp and clear. The barrel and magazine blue are fine and show only normal aging to the deep blue. Similarly, the receiver shows fine deep blue mixing with some brown from age. The bolt and loading gate show fine blue. The upper tang has the correct very early Winchester 1892 markings including the 1884 patent date. The butt stock and forearm show normal handling and usage with the bottom of the forearm displaying some honest saddle wear. The action is tight with strong springs and good safety half-cock on the hammer. The bore is a bit dark and shows some wear, but maintains good rifling all the way through. The 1892, Winchester was Jonathan Browning’s answer to an updated repeating lever action rifle built to handle shorter cartridges. It was Winchesters replacement to the older Model 1873. Basically a scaled down version of the powerfully built big Model 1886, the1892 was so successful that many are still in use today. Early production examples with special order non-standard features are seldom seen, with extra length barrels one of the most rare and desirable. This is a very attractive 121 year old example of one of Winchester’s most popular and successful lever action models. Serial Numbers: 184358. This firearm qualifies as a Curio & Relic firearm, and requires FFL Transfer or NICS Background Check.*