Can anyone direct me to a 38-40 lever action.....

[Harry O]

I have a Uberti 1873 Winchester clone in 38-40 that is working great for CAS shooting. I would like to get another 38-40 for backup. I see a lot of jams or breakdowns while shooting. I want to get something different, though.

ORIGINAL Winchester 1892's cost more than I am willing to pay. I have a couple of new Marlin 1894's in 44-40 and 32-20 and love them. Did Marlin ever make a run of 1894's in 38-40 for any of the specialty retailers? How about the Winchester 1892 clones that have been made by various manufacturers in recent years? Did anyone make them in 38-40? I have seen very few original Marlin 1894's in 38-40, but they have been pretty well used, if not abused.

I recently tried an original 1889 Marlin in 38-40 and did not like it. It has a hesitation near the start of levering that is part of the design. There is a button on the bottom of the stock at the rear of the lever that has to be pushed out of the way while levering. It would not be suitable for CAS without modifications, which I would not want to do to an original. In addition, the 1889's are pretty well used by now, too. I have never seen an original one (or an original 1894) that had a good barrel. For some reason, in looking at the gun auction websites for the last several months, there seems to be a lot more 1889's in 38-40 than 1894's.

Does anyone know of a Marlin 1894 or a Winchester 1892 clone that can be bought off the shelf? If not, are there any other suggestions?

[RIHMFIRE]

my favorite round...
I have an original and love it....
go to gunbrker.com
go to the rifle catagory....then lever ...and type in 38-40
38-40 clones are far and few between...
winchester still makes them in a 92....made in japan
Taylors firearms make some
Armi chiappa ...makes them too

[KirkD]

The Winchester/Miroku made Model 92's in 38-40 are some of the nicest 38-40's ever produced, not counting the original Model 1892's. They do come with a tang safety and rebounding hammer, though, but I think those can be removed and fixed up real nice.

[gak]

Taylors doesn't "make" anything IIRC. They ARE Chiappa/Armi Sport, I.e., one of three (at least primary) distributors for the Italian Chiappa/Armi Sport-made 1892s,...the other two being Cimarron and LSI (formerly of Rossi/Puma fame), the new LSIs still, confusingly, called Pumas. Especially if you want a carbine (vs short or long rifle), the Chiappa's about the only way to go...and they're very nice.

EDIT: Correction, in checking all three of the above distributor's sites, only Taylor's among them provides the 92 in .38-40, and only in short and long rifle configuration. All other calibers seem to be available in the carbine as well, so this is an odd omission (even if the reason ends up being they're catering to the CAS crowd with these--which seems to favor the heavier-barreled octagonals). This means, I believe, that there are no current manufacturers--whether with lawyer devices or not--making the .38-40 in a traditional carbine format. I hope someone can refute this.

[Mike D.]

Most of the rifles you see on internet sites are grossly overpriced for the representative condition. "Phishing" is rampant on these venues. You will see guns that have been "re-offered" for months, if not years. A nice "shooter" '92 rifle in .38 WCF should set you back not more than $1000, a carbine a few hundred more.

[KirkD]

A few years back, I could almost swear that I saw a special run of Winchester Model 92 short rifles with full octagon barrels for some company that would be offered in 32-20, 38-40 and 44-40. The photo showed a full octagon barrel and the short rifles (not carbines) would be made in the Miroku factory. I seriously considered the possibility of getting one at the time. Does anyone recall these, or for whom they were made/to be made?

[RIHMFIRE]

CHECK THIS OUT, WINNY WITH 20" BARREL
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewIt ... =185203230

[Harry O]

Thanks for the information everyone. That Taylors looks just like what I am looking for. I knew if anyone had one, the people here could direct me.

BTW. I started off shooting CAS with a Uberti 1873 Winchester clone and two Uberti SAA Colt clones all in 38-40. Everything worked great. However, I had long wanted to shoot CAS with the 41 Long Colt. I had a couple of cylinders machined out last winter (one was originally a .357 Magnum and one a 32-20) and had them fitted to the SAA clones. I have been using the 41LC for my handgun caliber since spring. I still shoot the rifle in 38-40. I am happy with all of them, but sometimes you need an excuse to get another. A "backup" gun is a GREAT excuse.

[KirkD]

CHECK THIS OUT, WINNY WITH 20" BARREL
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewIt ... =185203230

That is exactly what I was thinking of. What a beautiful rifle!

[Harry O]

Rimfire wrote: CHECK THIS OUT, WINNY WITH 20" BARREL
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewIt ... =185203230

I e-mailed them to check if the magazine on this gun held 10 cartridges. They wrote back a snotty e-mail that they didn't know and weren't about to load such a pristine example to find out for sure. I said it was worthless to me if it couldn't hold 10 cartridges.

[RDB]

20" '92s all hold 10 rds.

That said, and nice rifle, hard to buy from a DICK

[RDB]

Forgot! I have an original '73 in 38/40 that holds a few over 10. Built in 1893. Little rough but shoots great. Had it for 50 years it and needs a new home....