Strange Winchester Levergun Question Section

[CZ93X62]

OK, here goes......Buckshot called today with more delightful info from his recent gun shop crawls. I have yet to examine the QUESTIONED ITEM personally, but he did--and he knows his way around Winchester leverguns. Mostly, he called to gloat about the cherry Model 10 x 4" pencil-barrel he snagged at ASK Defensive, but added the following--

The shop has a Win 1894 with a barrel marked "32-20 WCF". I said "Wait a minute". I'll cut right to the chase here.....are the shanks and threads on Winchester M-1892 and Winchester M-1894 the same size or otherwise compatible? I can't leave the house at present, and they want WAY TOO MUCH for whatever it might be ($1400, get outta town).

I asked if the stamp could have read "32/40" or "32 WS"--"Nope" x 2. Goodness only knows what sort of Frankensteins might emerge from the darkness during these feeding frenzied times.

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

Had a guy today with a S&W 6" 22 Magbut when I opened the crane to se what iteration 48 it was it said 53. I looked at the cyl and sure enough it was a jet.
Someone re barreled it. NO MATTER how I tried The man would not understand what he had. Counter guy was not as knowledgeable but knew those cyl was too big for a 22 magnum.

So Id bet you have same, some GS re threadded and chambered the barrel
For, like you said a 32/40 or 32 spl.

 

[CZ93X62]

I just did a bit of Google-fu, and the 94 and 92 both use .805" dia. shanks and 60* 20 TPI threads. So, it COULD "thread up". WHO KNOWS what caliber it was chambered in? 32/20 barrels run .310"-.314", they are a bit poetic in that regard. 32/40 and 32 WS are nominal .321" grooves. GMBTA. Caveat emptor--semper!

 

[fiver]

it might feed a 32-20 just fine, the 94 was made in 45 colt, plus the 44 and 357 magnum.
the 20 is about the same length, and the rim is similar to the 357's so it wouldn't take a decent TIG welder guy long to make the mag stop finger work, and he probably wouldn't even need to put a lifter stop in the right place.

I'd be looking it over real good in fear that there was a reason for the conversion, and it wasn't just some dude like me that wants a 32-20 lever rifle.

 

[CZ93X62]

Roger that, Lamar. First off, I'm not putting out $1400 for a Frankenstein monster of a rifle, when a Cimarron 1892 repro or a Uberti 1873 in 32/20 et al can be had for significantly less. Beside that, I already have a 2004-vintage Marlin 94CCL in 32/20 I adore. Add in 3 revolvers in 32/20 flavor--all of which have chambers with shoulders in differing locations (32/20 are like Duesenbergs, no two are alike)--I have sufficient entertainment and dimensional poetry already under composition and approaching final draft status. I'm good.

As Buckshot was telling me this tale over the phone, I was reminded of a gun show story told by the late Skeeter Skelton in the mid-70s. It involved a Colt SA in 32/20, and the GROSS description of the seller was memorable. Long story shortened--the Colt wouldn't shoot for &^%$, regardless of his best effort to load ammo for it. As last resort, he slugged the barrel, and it was .308", a bit snug for even a Colt. It turned out to be a 30 caliber barrel stub of some sort ("Been had" was Skeeter's assessment), and the gross table holder was in the wind. The tale was most instructive to this budding arms hobbyist in his early 20s.

Finally--if I am in the position of having to re-barrel a Win 94 or Marlin 336, I'll do what I did in 2012 with that spoiled 25/35.......ship it to Jess Ocumpah and turn it into a 38/55. THAT was like falling into an outhouse cess pit, and climbing out smelling like Old Spice.

 

[Glaciers]

First off, I'm not putting out $1400 for a Frankenstein monster of a rifle,

Finally--if I am in the position of having to re-barrel a Win 94 or Marlin 336, I'll do what I did in 2012 with that spoiled 25/35.......ship it to Jess Ocumpah and turn it into a 38/55. THAT was like falling into an outhouse cess pit, and climbing out smelling like Old Spice.

^^^^^^^^^ that

I'd stay away from it, especially at that price unless it has special order features. The barrel has been changed so you could screw on a 94 barrel of your choice. But. But, would it feed, or was the conversation to 32-20 ever completed?Or was the action altered to the point where it won't feed the cartridges designed for the 94 anymore.
Plus you already have a Marlin 32-20. I would stay away, it's a crapshoot. Of course if you're looking for a possible project.

 

[Otony]

I’ve read of a Winchester 92 offered by an unscrupulous seller. It was wearing a 94 barrel in .30-30!

 

[358156 hp]

Did he check the chamber? Was the chamber actually a 32-20, or could it have been reamed for 32WS?

 

[CZ93X62]

If he did so, he didn't say so. I don't think he had much interest of his own, but thought I might be. I haven't dragged myself out to look at it, because Marie and I both are having some health issues currently.

 

[fiver]

I'd almost have to see it just for the novelty... LOL

but then again I'm the guy that bought a 7.7 Jap rifle that nobody could get 7.7 ammo to chamber in.
it come with a box of norma ammo and they only wanted 75 bucks for the rifle so I figured I'd only be out 25 bucks if it turned out to be something horrendous and I'd have a box of ammo for the girl's 7.7

turns out.
someone had chopped off the barrel re-threaded it and touched up the chamber with a 300 savage reamer.
so I ended up with a 31 savage, I'm sure the original owner wasn't hitting anything shooting factory ammo, the second owner never had a clue what it was chambered in since nothing was marked.

I just went through things in my box of range pickup cases trying things until I found a 250 savage case that chambered, and done a pound slug.

 

[CZ93X62]

THE MYSTERY IS SOLVED.

I know you all have been waiting with bated breath for this outcome. Earlier today, Buckshot abducted me and dragged me out to ASK Defensive to actually put eyes upon this alleged Frankenrifle. The verdict--it is an original 1892 Winchester, made 1906. It is a RIFLE--24" barrel--full-length magazine--crescent steel buttplate. It may be a re-blue, but it's a good job if so. Bore is bright and sharp, barrel appears original and un-relined. It has a period-correct Lyman tang sight in place.

My opinion--if the bluing was OEM, then the $1800 asking price might be workable. I might make a cash offer on this critter tomorrow, and see what happens. Is it a "collectible-grade" rifle? Not quite. Is it an EXCELLENT hunting- and shooting-grade rifle? Absolutely.

 

[david s]

So not quite as odd of a duck then. Sounds like it may work out for the better in this case. My 25-20 is very similar to what your looking at. A refinisher (action crud and all) 1906-7 round barrel model 92. The refinish put it into my price range and the barrel shows and shoots like it's mint. They are fun rifles.

 

[Glaciers]

Well that makes sense.

 

[CZ93X62]

A lot more sense than the second-hand compilation I was trying to wrangle a few days ago.

 

[Ian]

Good. I think a few of us were about ready to drive out there ourselves just to see. Do you have a would-be companion revolver already?

 

[smokeywolf]

Kind of surprising that someone in a gun store mistook a model '92 for a model '94.

 

[CZ93X62]

Kind of surprising that someone in a gun store mistook a model '92 for a model '94.

The Elephant In The Room. Mostly young guys behind the counter, well-versed in black rifles and current-time market, not so well-versed on classic arms. They try, and that is enough. They mean well. It is still marked as an "1894" on the sales tag.

3 possible companion sidearms in the caliber in my safe, and a Marlin 94CCL as well. One of those 32/20 sidearms was the first handgun I ever fired, at age 7 with my Dad and Leo Reyes on Las Flores Ranch in Summit Valley, not too far as the crow flies from the cabin my Dad was born within. 59 years of fun and exasperation with this perverse, lovely caliber, so far.

 

[RicinYakima]

And also my favorite and most useful caliber.

 

[CZ93X62]

Up to the point of deer hunting, the 32/20 is REALLY useful. It might suffice for Kalifornistan deer, most of which aren't a whole lot bigger than the many coyotes who I have whacked with the 32/20, in both 1882 load levels and some 1892-type stuff (#311316 @ 1600 FPS or so).

For the same reasons I haven't hunted deer with an M1 Carbine, the 32/20 is a small game and varmint number for me. Other guys with other guns might have differing experiences, but the idea of a rifle and revolver both being fed from the same cartridge box has never worked well for me in either 32/20 or 44/40. Rifles are a lot more forgiving, handguns are just fussy and cranky. They run fine--but accuracy can be a challenge.

 

[RicinYakima]

My experience also. Revolver loads are not very accurate in most rifles, and my best rifle loads are too hot for the revolvers. The only exception is the 3.2 grains of Bullseye with 3118 or 311316 load. But it is only about 800 f/s in revolvers and 900 f/s in rifles.