JDinFbg
Member
My neighbor and I went shooting and he showed me a Model 1892 Winchester he had (and it is stamped "1892" not "92"). He would like to determine what year it was made, but the serial number is gone from the bottom of the receiver and over-stamped with the letters WRACO. It has a half round, half octagon barrel and was originally chambered for 32-20 (marking still in place), but at some point was converted to 357 Magnum. Research has revealed that Winchester used to over-stamp the serial number with WRACO when they got rifles back for refurbishment or when the serial number was worn off, I suppose to indicate it was a refurbished rifle and not factory original. My neighbor knows some of the history of the rifle and believes the conversion to 357 Magnum was likely done in the late 1930's or 1940's, may have been a lawman's rifle he wanted rechambered to shoot the same cartridge as his revolver, and that there was a gunsmith in Arizona that specialized in doing these conversions. One of the salient details of the action is that it has two "ramps", one on each side of the cartridge port, that raise the cartridge to nearly horizontal position and in alignment with the chamber just before the bolt pushes the cartridge into the chamber. I don't know if these ramps were a feature of a particular gunsmith's work, or if this was something needed in all conversions to achieve reliable feeding of the straight-walled case.
Does anyone know how many years Winchester over-stamped serial numbers with WRACO? Did they stop this practice in a particular year?
Does anyone know of old-timey gunsmiths who used to specialize in converting 1892 Winchesters to 357 Magnum?
Does anyone know if there were any serial numbers stamped elsewhere on the rifles that are hidden from view? I read that some rifles had a serial number stamped on the lower tang which could be seen after the butt stock was removed, but my neighbor looked on his and there is no serial number on the lower tang.
Does anyone know how many years Winchester over-stamped serial numbers with WRACO? Did they stop this practice in a particular year?
Does anyone know of old-timey gunsmiths who used to specialize in converting 1892 Winchesters to 357 Magnum?
Does anyone know if there were any serial numbers stamped elsewhere on the rifles that are hidden from view? I read that some rifles had a serial number stamped on the lower tang which could be seen after the butt stock was removed, but my neighbor looked on his and there is no serial number on the lower tang.