winchester 1892 User Guide

U.S. REPEATING ARMS COMPANY, INC.

275 Winchester Avenue

New Haven, CT, U.S.A. 06511-1970

This is one of the famous line of Winchester
World Standard arms. As one of the Classic
Traditions models you can expect the same
quality and satisfaction as with the original
historic Model 1892 introduced over 100 years
ago. And as with the original, you’ll appreciate
its economy of design, quick handling proper­ties and smooth functioning.

IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS

FOR

MODEL

1892

LEVER ACTION RIFLE

U.S. REPEATING ARMS COMPANY, INC.

275 Winchester Avenue

New Haven, CT, U.S.A. 06511-1970

Administrative Offices:

275 Winchester Avenue,

Morgan, UT, U. S. A. 84050-9333

Winchester trademarks licensed from Olin Corporation.

Contents Page

Gun safety warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

General description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Terminology and descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Serial number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Ammunition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Initial cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Oiling the action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Operation of the hammer & safety . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Assembly and Disassembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

General operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Loading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Unloading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Firing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

In the case of a misfire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Sight adjustments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Cleaning and maintenance suggestions . . . . . . . . 30

Ordering parts / service or repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Questions & Winchester-Guns.com . . . . . . . . . . .35

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New gun owner’s record.

Use the space below to record information about your new
Winchester Model 1892 rifle.

Serial Number ____________________________________

Caliber __________________________________________

Grade ___________________________________________

Purchase Price ____________________________________

Purchased From ___________________________________

Date of Purchase __________________________________

Winchester trademarks licensed from Olin Corporation
Printed in USA. • ©1997 •

KP97082.5/96504

GUN SAFETY WARNINGS

IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT THESE OPERATING
INSTRUCTIONS BE THOROUGHLY STUD­IED BEFORE USING THIS FIREARM TO
ASSURE PROPER AND SAFE GUN HAN­DLING. FAILURE TO FOLLOW THESE
INSTRUCTIONS OR FAILURE TO OBEY
ANY SAFETY WARNING MAY RESULT IN
INJURY TO YOURSELF OR OTHERS, OR
CAUSE DAMAGE TO YOUR GUN.

As a gun owner, you accept a set of demanding
responsibilities. How seriously you take these respon­sibilities can be the difference between life and death.
There is no excuse for careless or abusive handling of
any firearm. At all times handle your rifle and any
other firearm with intense respect for its power and
potential danger.

PLEASE READ AND UNDERSTAND ALL OF
THE CAUTIONS, PROPER HANDLING PRO­CEDURES AND INSTRUCTIONS OUTLINED
IN THIS BOOKLET BEFORE USING YOUR
NEW FIREARM.

1. Do not carry a loaded gun with a live round in the
chamber while walking, running, climbing a tree,
crossing a fence or anywhere you might slip or fall,
drop the gun or otherwise bump or jar the gun. A gun
that is dropped, bumped, or jarred with a chambered
round might accidentally discharge even with the
safety on, causing serious injury to you or someone
else. When a round is chambered keep the safety on
until you are ready to shoot.

2. Do not rely on the safety to prevent accidental dis­charge. Many safeties merely block the trigger and
prevent firing by pulling the trigger. The safety may
not prevent an accidental discharge due to dropping,

MODEL 1892 CLASSIC TRADITIONS

When it comes to legends the Model 1892 stands
with the greatest. It is a gun you and your family will
be proud to own, shoot and enjoy for generations. We
sincerely hope that you are pleased with your new
rifle.

After the incredible success of the Winchester 1886
it was obvious that a smaller caliber version would be
an extremely useful design. That is what lead to the
Model 1892. Like the 1886 it features dual, vertical
locking lugs for impressive strength. But since it was
designed for smaller calibers, the action could be
significantly smaller and lighter, and even faster
handling.

Its popularity is legendary. Admiral Peary carried one
on his quest for the North Pole. It was a favorite of
Annie Oakley. Not to mention the thousands of
ranchers and hunters that have relied on one every
day for over a century.

Today’s Classic Traditions Model 1892 comes in sev­eral grades and caliber configurations. All are beauti­fully finished and made to the level of precision and
quality that made the originals famous.

2

3

ous injury in case of an accidental discharge. Never
load in the house or in your vehicle.

12. Never shoot at a hard, flat surface or at the sur­face of water to avoid a ricochet and possible serious
personal injury to yourself or a bystander.

13. Store guns in a clean dry place out of reach of
children and separated from stored ammunition.

14. Never alter any parts of your gun. Any alterations
or adjustments that may become necessary to the
operating mechanism should be performed by a quali­fied gunsmith.

15. Hunting from elevated surfaces such as tree stands
is dangerous. Doing so may increase the risk of han­dling any firearm. Always make certain that the stand
being used is safe, sturdy and stable. Always make
certain your firearm is unloaded when it is being
taken up and down from the stand. Always make cer­tain that your firearm is not dropped from the stand
or dropped while it is being taken up or down from
the stand.

16. Discharging firearms in poorly ventilated areas,
cleaning firearms, or handling ammunition may result
in exposure to lead and other substances known to
cause birth defects, reproductive harm and other seri­ous physical injury. Have adequate ventilation at all
times. Wash hands thoroughly after exposure.

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jarring, or bumping a gun.

3. Use only ammunition for which the gun is cham­bered as indicated on the barrel, to prevent excessive
pressure and possible serious personal injury.

4. Incorrectly reloaded ammunition can cause serious
personal injury and damage to the firearm due to
excessive pressure. Reload only after proper instruc­tion and in strict compliance with instruction and
data contained in current reloading manuals.

5. Never point a gun at anything you do not intend
to shoot. Always keep it pointed in a safe direction in
case of accidental discharge.

6. Always check to ensure that the barrel is free of
obstructions before loading and using the gun. If you
experience light recoil or off sound, check the barrel
for obstruction.

7. Before firing, clean any grease or oil out of barrel
with cleaning rod and patch. Grease or heavy accu­mulation of oil can cause excessive pressure and result
in serious personal injury.

8. Keep barrel, chamber and action free of rust. Rust
in the barrel and chamber can cause excessive pres­sures resulting in serious injury. A rusted, pitted or
eroded barrel should be replaced.

9. Use hearing protection to prevent ear damage from
repeated exposure to gunfire.

10. Always use proper shooting glasses to prevent eye
injury from flying particles.

11. Never carry a loaded gun in a motor vehicle or
carry one into a dwelling. Always carefully unload
the gun before entering a motor vehicle, a dwelling or
an area such as a camp. Always point a gun in a safe
direction while loading or unloading to prevent seri-

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6

MODEL 1892 F

EATURES

The traditional open sights are
easily adjustable for elevation
and drift adjustable for
windage

7

F

IGURE

1

The tubular magazine loads
through the right-side mount­ed loading port in the receiver.

On the top tang you'll notice
the primary difference between
today's Winchester 1892 and
the original. Your model fea­tures a top tang mounted safe­ty that serves a a hammer
block. The hammer is also of
the rebounding type, to help
prevent accidental discharge.
These safety improvements
give your rifle an added level of
safety you will appreciate.

Today's Classic Traditions Model 1892 is a careful
reproduction of one of the original configurations of over
100 years ago.

The 1892 is a classic design, taking many of the effec­tive and extremely popular features of the Model 1886
and incorporating them in a much smaller rifle for
smaller calibers.

Hunters of the last century
wanted the kind of metal,
crescent buttplate you get on
your Model 1892

The select walnut stock is
beautifully cut checkered.

The 1892 demands a high level of careful machin­ing and hand finish. Qualities that are uncommon
in most of today’s mass produced guns. Qualities
that take more effort but that you will appreciate
for generations.

The two vertical lock­ing lugs lock into
matching recesses in
the breech bolt for
secure lockup.

The versatile, compact action design was originally
made to handle a variety of shorter cartridges. You
can expect the same reliable feeding with your new
Model 1892. The design of the lever and link
mechanisms are both clever and unique. Other levers
of the day had bulkier designs that dropped below the
bottom of the receiver.

G

ENERAL DESCRIPTION

Your new Model 1892 rifle is a modern version of the
rifle that became so popular with tens of thousands of
ranchers, farmers and cowboys late in the 19th centu­ry. With a few minor exceptions, the action is virtu­ally identical to the way the originals were made in

1892. The primary difference is the addition of a top
tang mounted safety switch for added convenience
and an increased margin of safety. The 1892’s safety
mechanism incorporates both a hammer stop and a
rebounding hammer. These advanced features move
the traditional Model 1892 design to a new level of
convenience and safety. These features are explained
in detail later in this manual.

Figure 1 covers the general features and benefits of
the Model 1892 design.

Cycling the lever smoothly moves a cartridge from

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the tubular magazine to the chamber. After firing,
working the lever ejects the empty cartridge nearly
straight up and slightly to the right, over your head.
Returning the lever upward cycles a new cartridge
from the magazine into the chamber. The 1892's
uncanny, reliable, smooth function made it an
instant success in its day. We are sure you will appre­ciate its incredibly design and high level of precision
as you become familiar with it by reviewing these
instructions.

TERMINOLOGY AND DESCRIPTIONS.

Descriptions in this manual generally refer to the gun
in the horizontal position. That is, in the normal fir­ing position. For example, the muzzle is forward or
front; the buttstock is rearward or rear; the trigger is
downward or underneath; the sight is upward or on
top.

9

F

IGURE2A

Forearm

Magazine Tube

Buttplate

Ejection Port

Trigger

Buttstock

Muzzle

Loading Port

Rear Sight

Receiver

Hammer

Finger Lever

Top Tang
Safety/Manual
Hammer Stop

Front Sight

Barrel