And then I really thought about it…

[SundownRider]

Hello gents and ladies,

Had a question I wanted to throw out there and see if I was the only one.
A few years back I stumbled on an old Winchester’92. It had just entered the books at my LGS and since I don’t really live in rifle or Western country, it seemed doomed to sit at the price they were asking.
Knowing I was a western fan, they showed me as soon as I came in and I wasn’t at first impressed. The bore was dark, the finish was mostly gone, and someone in the past had tried their hand at checkering.
But, after a few hand-offs back and forth, the manager tells me to make an offer. I gave what I thought was a low amount to end the discussion.
A few days later I was taking that rifle home. Since then, I always had it in the back of my mind to just sell it, since I hadn’t wanted it too much in the first place.
But a factory letter told me this old gun was 17 years old when my granddaddy was born, and for some reason, thoughts of selling have slowly disappeared.

Anyone else have a gun they didn’t plan on buying but it made its way into their hearts?

 

[Jonny2guns]

Would love to find one in that condition, love the patina. I might change the wood, but something like that would definitely follow me home.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Love it!

I have a silly first gen Universal carbine I picked up on a whim.

I liked it so much, Ive sunk almost the initial purchase price into stuffing it full of GI guts. I have a real GI Inland too, but the Uni is the one that will follow me to the grave.

 

[Walkalong]

Cool old gun, I kind of like the "checkering".

 

[Skylerbone]

Well there was this Sako that nearly followed me home once. It was my wife’s grandfather’s but had been re-barreled to an unknown chambering. I was in charge of shuttling his collection to my LGS during a point where casting a chamber would have been time prohibiting (yes I was that busy).

In its stead, a nice King Cobra found a home with me but sadly didn’t stay long due to a divorce. I should have begged, borrowed, and stolen to buy it a second time just for a receipt proving I had paid the first, but it wasn’t worth the hassle.

Id have jumped on that Winchester too, very nice acquisition OP!

 

[WestKentucky]

I grew up shooting a Marlin 62 in 256winmag and like that rifle but never really realized how special it was to me. That rifle was my dads as a kid. I killed my first few deer with it. A few jobs ago a guy was given what was to become my 62 30 carbine. He wanted a 20 ga for his son and was complaining about how useless this rifle he had been given was. He told me it was a lever action 30 carbine and I on the spot offered to go buy him the 20ga he wanted for his son and trade him even. A few days later it happened. I now have around $140 in a gun that is marginal for everything but is a ton of fun and my oldest daughter shoots it like it’s an extension of her arm. It’s going to be hers when she is an adult.

Middle daughter sat down and helped build an AR that I built as cheap as possible just to have a basic carbine that I didn’t really even care to have. Just plopped down and did it with me without asking or being asked. She immediately claimed it since she helped build it. That one is hers. The youth guns can be split up, but they each have a centerfire rifle in fairly common caliber that will never go anywhere.

Youngest daughter needs one too, but she’s a bit young yet so I have time to try to sway her into wanting something really interesting.

 

[earlthegoat2]

I have come around to universally liking the rifles in lieu of the carbines to the point that I wont buy a carbine anymore.

What cartridge does that 92 fire?

 

[Random 8]

Yes. I have an M1917 sporter that I found at a pawnshop many years ago. I knew the owner from my shooting range, and he was getting a little desperate to pay the bills that month as it was in the height of the Obumma economic "miracle". The rifle was a professionally done sporter, likely done in the 1950s. Barrel was slightly shortened and professionally crowned. Stock was a goofy cheek rest design I later determined to be by Herters. Metal showed some definite finish wear as did the wood. A previous owners name was electric penciled on the bolt release. Mechanicals were sound, and the bore looked good. I took it off his hands for $125 and let him keep the throw away scope that was mounted on it, but I kept the vintage Steel El-Paso Weaver base. I had plans of having it rebarreled into an '06 family cartridge, either bigger or smaller/faster, until I shot the donor. Just using my standard Garand load of 47-IMR 4064 and a Speer 150 SP, it grouped a tidy 5 shot cluster under 1" with an amazingly crisp and light trigger. I later found an early glass bed job that was well done and a shadow and mounting holes for a receiver sight and front globe sight. I think this was someone's poor mans NRA match rifle at one time.

It now holds a place of honor on the wall at my hunting camp for a spare hunting rifle, or for the neighbor kids to practice their big rifle shooting or whatever other things come up requiring the authority of a 30-06 that always hits what it's aimed at. This is one of those weird rifles that seems to disobey the laws of physics and shoot pretty much any load from 110 grain/unique reduced ".30 carbine" loads to 180 Norma Alaska bear busters to the same point of aim at 100 yards or less. It is on my never sell list, and probably gets more rounds per year than any rifle I own outside of dedicated competition rifles.

 

[chicharrones]

Cool old gun, @SundownRider.

 

[Skylerbone]

Youngest daughter needs one too, but she’s a bit young yet so I have time to try to sway her into wanting something really interesting.

I did a series of AR builds intentionally with my kids for a host of reasons. The ever looming threat of a ban, the desire to teach them a platform currently in service with our military, the price was definitely right, adaptability to their size, and because they are simple enough as a recipe that children don’t find the effort tedious.

Much as I wish they had patience for 1911 frame up builds, or even a 700 clone, I’m guessing it isn’t in the cards.

 

[SundownRider]

I have come around to universally liking the rifles in lieu of the carbines to the point that I wont buy a carbine anymore.

What cartridge does that 92 fire?

44-40. It was made in 1895

 

[Seedy Character]

I would have jumped all over that.

Nice find

 

[GNP]

Great find, especially since you got it at a price you liked. I wouldn't change a thing on it, it has a lot of character just like it is.

I've had several follow me home over the years, the last time was at an LGS that was going out of business. I had stopped in to try to find out what kind of ammo he had and maybe make a deal on some of it, I wound up spending most of my ammo money on a couple of guns, but I was very happy with the deals.

 

[Stumper]

I like your 92 quite a lot. That 30 carbine is a beauty. I have a Savage/Springfield bolt action 30/30 that I gave $75 for back in the 80s. I can't seem to get over enjoying the ugly little thing.

 

[Weflyfast]

Love old Winchesters.....

 

[tark]

The first thing I noticed was the screw heads. They look good, and that IS good. You did well. I wouldn't worry too much about the funky bore. I have a Remington #2 Roller in .32 rimfire. The bore is horrible, pitted, and with little rifling left. It shoots just fine and no keyholes at fifty yards. It groups around six inches at that range, which isn't bad considering....

 

[Catpop]

Great find!!! What caliber?

 

[starling]

If you like it thats all that matters. Everyone has their own issues they have to work out.

 

[Weflyfast]

Great find!!! What caliber?

38-40 WCF SRC - 1898 -

 

[bannockburn]

SundownerRider

I like it, even with the attempt, by a previous owner perhaps, at checkering. Gives it a certain character that makes it rather special and unique; different in some way from the over 1,000,000 other Model 92s that were built by Winchester.

I would say this rifle has spoken to you in a way that only you could hear it. I would hang on to it and enjoy it for the bit of history in brings into you life.

 

[Armored farmer]

Yes.
Maybe 10 years ago I stumbled onto a 1894 Winchester saddle ring carbine in 30-30 marked NEW MEXICO STATE PENITENTIARY
..it's finish was gone and the stock had numerous cigarette burns...the thing reeked of 'old west' legend....it was priced too high at $900. I passed, and immediately regretted it. I regretted it for 10years.

Last spring I was in my LGS and there was a unfired 1980 (no safety) '94 Winchester SRC in 30-30. I had no intention of buying a rifle that day....but $700 seemed fair, I signed papers on it right then.

 

[DeepSouth]

Once upon a time a friend of mine came to the house and asked if he could have a box of 7.62x39 to hunt with, he had acquired a SKS to hunt with.
He was asking because he was that broke, he offered me a old H&R 760 in trade. I didn’t want to take the gun, as I had literally thousands of rounds of 7.62 and he was after all a friend.
He would have none of it, he didn’t want welfare. I wound up giving him a qt ziplock bog of bullets and I took the 760.

The 760 wouldn’t even fire so I took it mainly to appease him. Some months later I had it out for some reason and noticed the safety lever just flopped back and forth, so I took the safety out and threw it away (I Know) and it shot.

That gun has since become, by far, my favorite 22. It’s kind of unique in that it’s a semi auto single shot, and it’s dead nuts accurate, small enough to fit under the seat of my pick up. With some 22 shorts it’s about as loud as the average BB gun. I just love it.

 

[skfullen]

A bolt action Sears 20 Gauge a neighbor traded me for a 330 Rd box of .22 ammo a few years back. Pretty sure it was made by Mossberg.
It's fugly. I keep it loaded with one round of buck and one slug and it rides on the front of my 4-wheeler.

 

[Catpop]

DeepSouth, I have one of those HR 760s. I got mine from an old friend as a basket case —-with missing parts of course. Got most of it back together, but sadly not enough parts to get it shooting.

 

[DeepSouth]

DeepSouth, I have one of those HR 760s. I got mine from an old friend as a basket case —-with missing parts of course. Got most of it back together, but sadly not enough parts to get it shooting.

That is to bad, keep an eye out maybe the parts you need will show up someday. It is a fairly simple design, and if it’s safety parts you need, it’ll actually shoot with those gone…. Not that I’d recommend it.

I absolutely love mine.