Dave Markowitz
Member
Back in May I picked up an Interarms Model 65 carbine in .44-40. It's simply a rebadged Rossi 92, which is a replica of the Winchester 1892.
The exterior condition and the bore are excellent, however the action was rough. This was long before Rossi bought new CNC machinery and not a lot of attention was paid to the internal fit.
One nice thing is that a prior owner installed studs for quick detach sling swivels. They will come in handy. I ordered a Hunter Company 1" carrying strap for it. (I have one on my Cabela's Hawken and like the simple design.)
As typical of Rossi 92s it was oversprung. I ordered reduced power springs for the hammer and ejector from Steve's Gunz.
Disassembly wasn't not difficult with the assistance of documents found online and a couple YouTube videos. Reassembly, on the other hand, was a bear. I wound up enlisting the assistance of my friend Nick who aside from being a shooter, is a mechanical engineer by training and generally the handiest guy I know.
Aside from fiddling to get it reassembled, we also had to debur a the ejector and ejector collar. The action is much smoother than it was when I got it but to feed properly you need to work it like it owes you money. I think as it gets shot more it'll get even smoother.
After we got it back we ran 31 rounds of my black powder, .44 Henry-equivalent handloads through it shooting at a gong (1.9cc or ~28 grains of 3Fg BP, a 1/8" thick nitro card to take up air space, and a 219 grain bullet cast in an Accurate Molds 43-215C.)
I'd forgotten to bring a bottle of moose milk with me so I just ran a patch with some Ballistol on it through the bore while still at Nick's, then finished cleaning it at home. I first wet brushed the bore and then after about 8 patches they came out clean. There was zero black powder fouling in the action because the thin .44-40 brass seals the chamber so well.
The 1892 and replicas have a very strong action. However, due to the simpler and easier to maintain design, if I was limited to one, I'd still prefer a Winchester 1873 over the 1892 for a long-term survival rifle. But there's nothing handier than an 1892 carbine.
The exterior condition and the bore are excellent, however the action was rough. This was long before Rossi bought new CNC machinery and not a lot of attention was paid to the internal fit.
One nice thing is that a prior owner installed studs for quick detach sling swivels. They will come in handy. I ordered a Hunter Company 1" carrying strap for it. (I have one on my Cabela's Hawken and like the simple design.)
As typical of Rossi 92s it was oversprung. I ordered reduced power springs for the hammer and ejector from Steve's Gunz.
Disassembly wasn't not difficult with the assistance of documents found online and a couple YouTube videos. Reassembly, on the other hand, was a bear. I wound up enlisting the assistance of my friend Nick who aside from being a shooter, is a mechanical engineer by training and generally the handiest guy I know.
Aside from fiddling to get it reassembled, we also had to debur a the ejector and ejector collar. The action is much smoother than it was when I got it but to feed properly you need to work it like it owes you money. I think as it gets shot more it'll get even smoother.
After we got it back we ran 31 rounds of my black powder, .44 Henry-equivalent handloads through it shooting at a gong (1.9cc or ~28 grains of 3Fg BP, a 1/8" thick nitro card to take up air space, and a 219 grain bullet cast in an Accurate Molds 43-215C.)
I'd forgotten to bring a bottle of moose milk with me so I just ran a patch with some Ballistol on it through the bore while still at Nick's, then finished cleaning it at home. I first wet brushed the bore and then after about 8 patches they came out clean. There was zero black powder fouling in the action because the thin .44-40 brass seals the chamber so well.
The 1892 and replicas have a very strong action. However, due to the simpler and easier to maintain design, if I was limited to one, I'd still prefer a Winchester 1873 over the 1892 for a long-term survival rifle. But there's nothing handier than an 1892 carbine.