Winchester Model 92 M92 Saddle Ring Carbine, Blue 20” Lever Action Tube Mag. Fed Rifle, MFD 1925 C&R
Sold For: $1,565.00
LSB#: 161011DT04
Make: Winchester Repeating Arms
Model: 92 Saddle Ring Carbine
Serial Number: 945785
Year of Manufacture: 1925
Caliber: .32-20 Win. (.32 W.C.F.)
Action Type: This is a lever action rifle with a full length tubular magazine.
Markings: The right side of the barrel is marked “MADE IN U.S.A. WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO. / NEW HAVEN, CONN.”. The left side of the barrel is marked “MODEL 92”, WINCHESTER / TRADE MARK” and “32 W.C.F.”. The upper tang is marked “MODEL 92 / WINCHESTER / TRADE MARK REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. & FGN.”. The underside of the receiver is marked “945785” at the front and “71” at the left side of the lever. The top of the barrel and the receiver’s chamber ring are each marked with a circled “WP” proof.
Barrel Length: The round barrel with full length magazine tube is 20” in length.
Sights / Optics: This rifle is mounted with a flip-up ladder sight dovetailed into the barrel and a blade front sight pinned into a slotted base fixed to the barrel. When the ladder sight is folded down, a “U” notch is presented. When folded-up, there is a “U” notch on the top edge of the ladder’s slide. The right rear face of the ladder is marked with hash lines from “0” to “20”. The upper tang is drilled, tapped and filled for an aperture sight.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are 2 piece walnut with a lacquered finish, straight grip and carbine style curved steel buttplate. The front of the forend is held with a barrel band. The stocks are dark with oil staining around the buttplate, receiver and barrel band, and along the top of the comb. The buttstock shows a deep ding and a few spots of wear through the finish on the left side of the stock, a few dings in the comb and a long drag line on the left side at the rear of the wrist. There is a sharp ding and the left front of the forend and several small but sharp dings on the right side at the rear sight. There are several more light dings and handling marks scattered over the remainder of the stocks. The wood to metal fit is Excellent and there are no cracks or chips noted. We believe the lacquered finish to be original. The LOP measures 12 ¾” from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The buttplate shows thinning with light wear at the heel and several scratches through the finish. The buttplate is in about Very Good condition. The stocks are in Very Good overall condition.
Type of Finish: Blued
Finish Originality: The finish is original.
Bore Condition: The bore is bright, tending to gray at the muzzle. The rifling shows moderate wear. There are a few spots of light erosion near the muzzle.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 42% of its metal finish. There is surface loss on the front edges of the barrel and magazine tube, the magazine hanger, the barrel band, receiver and upper tang. The magazine tube and the front half of the barrel show thinning with several marks through the finish. There are a few dings scattered over the front half of the barrel with a scrape mark on the left side in front of the forend, and a shallow dent on the left side of the magazine tube about 2” from the forend. There are also a few light marks in the rear half of the barrel. The receiver and its upper tang are developing a plum colored patina. The left side of the receiver shows a few small spots of surface frosting and rings of thinning in the patina from the saddle ring, along with a few light marks. The lever and lower tang show thinning with a mark through the finish in the lower tang from the lever and spots of surface frosting and a few light handling marks in the lever. The screw heads are mostly sharp, with a few having light marks from a screwdriver. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle rates in about Very Good condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly, the lever operates smoothly and the trigger is crisp. The hammer has a half-cock safety. We did not fire this rifle.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: The saddle ring is still attached.
Our Assessment: Per Wikipedia: “The .32-20 Winchester, also known as the .32 WCF, was the first small-game lever-action cartridge that Winchester produced. It was initially introduced as a black-powder cartridge in 1882 for small game, varmint hunting, and deer. Colt produced a single-action revolver chambered for this cartridge a few years later. It has a good reputation for accuracy in rifles as well as the few handguns that have been chambered for it. Because of its low power, it destroys very little meat, making it a good hunting round for appropriately sized game.”. Some years back, Paco Kelly wrote an outstanding article for reloading the .32-20 for everything from varmints up to deer, so please see: http://www.leverguns.com/articles/paco/3220wcf.htm. This is a vintage Winchester Model 92 Saddle Ring Carbine made in 1925. It is in about Very Good condition with about 42% of its original finish remaining. The bore is mostly bright with moderate wear in the rifling and a few spots of light erosion near the muzzle. This rifle probably has a lot of stories to tell if they could be told, and looks like it has seen its share of use over the past 90 years. The saddle ring wear pattern is very unique and adds personality to this piece; we can imagine this consistent wear pattern due to storage on a moving object like a buggy, wagon or in a scabbard on the past owner’s favorite horse. It will make a nice addition to a collection of vintage Winchester firearms.
