Is the "Riflemans" gun even practical?

Well it's a full size rifle with sights so it's about as good as any back in the day and probably better than many to this day. As to the big hoop, who knows.. I've never fired one with one. Get one!

A '92 winchester is one of the most practical and best pointing weapons of all time. The big loop and trigger tripping screw certianly add nothing in the way of practicality but IMO the don't detract from it either.

Vastly over sized loops like that are annoying, in my opinion.

Having one big enough to get a gloved hand in is nice if you're wearing shooting gloves. But the big loops are too big by far. They slow down the cycling process.

The 1892, by itself, is a very practical and effective rifle. It's also the strongest of the pistol cartridge rifles. However, I have to doubt the practicality of the set screw that tripped the trigger as the lever closed. While it might help the uninitiated to empty the rifle quickly, it is unnecessary for the skilled levergunner and would be a hindrance in deliberate, aimed fire. Probably require carrying the rifle with an empty chamber as well, or at least with the action cracked open. Same for the huge ringlever, just unnecessary. I agree that a slightly enlarged lever will aid when using gloves but those of The Rifleman's rifle and most of them on the market are just too big.

What a bunch of wet blankets.....go tell Mike DiMuzio he has it all wrong.

Are you guys saying the gun used by a fictional television character may be impractical in real life?

I had a Winchester Wrangler carbine with the big loop. I hated it. Functionally the small standard loop is vastly superior IMO.

The trigger tripping thing was just a cool TV prop. But it gave me something to watch very week (back when it was a new show).

I had a large lever loop on one M-92 clone that I used back when I lived north of the circle and was running a trap line. It worked because I could wear heavy mittens, with thinner gloves inside. I used my thumb to work the trigger.

When it is 55 below zero you are not all that crazy about taking off your mittens.

Do away with the big ring lever, use the sights, and the ol' 92 is still one helluva good outdoorsman's companion. I'm not real sure how it works on Zombies, but I've never seen a Zombie in Texas. Might be the climate, not sure.

I had one of those rifles I think it was made by Mattell it was swell!

Early tacticool...it failed then too.

Just as one can get REAL good at point shooting, I'm sure some of us could really get good with that rifle as modified. Beware the man with one gun. I think that was the whole premise of the show, and what some men can do with a gun goes BEYOND imagination. If I had a year, a semi truckload of ammo, and a 92 Winchester, I think I could get good enough to drive a pop can from 5 yards out to 25 yards consistently with a magazine full of cartridges, from the hip. Isn't that about the skill level needed to do what Chuck did on the show?

If it was a good idea, Paladin would have had one.

Remember Steve McQueen, the bounty hunter? They make a mare's leg now, too, Rossi does. I've thought one MIGHT learn to aim one, but it's a pretty stupid idea, too, IMHO.

Coop45 said:

If it was a good idea, Paladin would have had one.

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Ha ha ha ha ha.
Liked him too. ;-)


Large loop levers are primarily useful in cold climates where gloves are a necessity. They tend to be diffilcult to manipulate naturally in warmer places.
As for that trip screw;
A well known gun wrangler taught Chuck Connors to shoot the gun very quickly by keeping his trigger finger inside the trigger guard in a position such that it would easily hit the trigger and fire the weapon. This is how it was envisioned at the start.
But each show has an insurance underwriter and they get some say because if a main character goes out on medical they have to pay the insirance, and the one who inspected The Rifleman set took a look at Connors twirling the '92 and firing at as he'd been taught and said ; "uh no, he is NOT going to keep his finger in the guard because if he's a fraction of an inch off, the trigger will stab his trigger finger and he'll be out until it heals, so it's foreseeable and we are not covering it."
So that's why they put the set screw in, it was an insurance thing.
It also became a very clever TV gimick.
Having a Browning B-92 (with a standard loop) I would not like a set screw. I don't want my gun going off when I close the bolt I want it going off when I pull the trigger.
Fun TV show. But not fun in real life.

NO!!! Not practcal at all. It was a movie prop. What many don't realise is that the rifle was modified with a set screw thrrough the lever loop that pushed the trigger as soon as the lever is closed.

That particular gun could not be aimed and fired. Only shot rapid fire.

Hmmm..., I've seen 'em with a "pin" you can turn on or off so to speak. Anyway, the big loops are so silly -- using the back of your hand in a standard lever is quick, comfortable, and easy. The big loop? Slow, anoying, painful, cumbersome...

dagger dog said:

I had one of those rifles I think it was made by Mattell it was swell!

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The Crackfire Rifle !

jmr40 said:

NO!!! Not practcal at all. It was a movie prop. What many don't realise is that the rifle was modified with a set screw thrrough the lever loop that pushed the trigger as soon as the lever is closed.

That particular gun could not be aimed and fired. Only shot rapid fire.

Click to expand...

Not true. More than once Lucas turned the screw in or out to trip the trigger or not.

It's about as practical as some of the gadgets and stuff I see on the AR's these days...

very poor muzzle control

The big loop was handy for the "duke" to spin-cock the rifle while riding and shooting one handed.