Snagged a vintage Winchester 44-40 SRC (photo)

[KirkD]

Just got this in the mail yesterday. A fellow from northern BC contacted me and said he is responsible to sell off the estate of someone who passed away there. He sent me some photos of this very well-worn Winchester Model 1892 saddle ring carbine in 44-40, made in 1913, and offered it at a price that made the purchase a no-brainer. The outward appearance makes it pretty clear it spent a good chunk of its life outdoors earning its keep and was rode hard and hung up wet. Still, it was original .... no sanding or refinishing of stocks, and the metal had obviously not been messed with. First thing I did was run a patch through the bore, soaked in Hoppes #9 and then, with great trepidation, I took a peek inside. Given the hard appearance of the external rifle, I expected to see a sewer pipe. Glory be!!!! the bore was shiny, with sharp rifling from chamber to muzzle!!!! Whoever used it must have made sure that bore was well taken care of. This old timer has been up the river and over the mountain, but its action is slick as a whistle and with a bore like that, its work is far from over. I'd love to see a tally of the game it took. Cougar, black bear, Mule deer, mountain sheep, Grizz? I'll never know, but it's clear it did a lot of work. I like old rifles like this. Now I'm just itching to try it out.

car-1000.jpg

[wm]

Nice pick up …… I love the look of a rifle that has been there and done that. I get the show room new appeal to collectors, but I'm not a collector.

I hope you get many years of enjoyment out of it.

Wm

[Nath]

Looks to be just broke in Kirk.
Good on ya.

Good old lead bullets with animal fats for lubes from the start saved that bore

N.

[gamekeeper]

Very nice find, congratulations Kirk I'm sure you will continue to use it as it was intended and with good results too....

[KirkD]

Thanks, men. You are right that it will be seeing some good times ahead!

[Pete44ru]

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If that gun could only talk...……. (nice snag, BTW) .

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[DocRock]

Great patina! Glad to hear the bore is in good shape. What a fantastically handy rifle in a great cartridge. Enjoy!

[piller]

I hope that it shoots as good as it looks. I agree that honest wear on a firearm that old looks better than perfect mint condition. Unused condition on an old firearm makes me think that something is wrong with it.

[Booger Bill]

Here is/was another I bought in the early 1970`s. A 1902 44 wcf. I was told it came off a reservation in the Dakota`s.
It and more were stole out of my house in 2003.
https://i.postimg.cc/k4WxFw3K/Guns7.jpg

[ollogger]

For its age it looks perfect!!
You ought to see the old 1894 src 32 spl. I have that spent 50 years in sheep camp


Brad

[AJMD429]

Now that's just plain cool....!

[1894c]

KirkD -- that is really nice...did I say really nice...WOW. As others have said, I like that "been-there-done-that" look... :)

[M. M. Wright]

Do he like it? You bet I do. This is my 73 SRC in 44WCF. Bore is not real good but shoots OK.

[KirkD]

That is a beaut of a '73, M.M. Wright! You can tell it put some meat on the table.

[Walker]

You have a knack for finding the good ones!

[OldWin]

Very nice! The 92 carbine is probably my favorite Winchester.

[missionary5155]

That is a fine looking Winchester 1892 ! And in one of the best calibers !
Here is another 1913 made 1892 in 44 WCF. This one is just about as bad as a 92 can be .

[twobit]

Just got this in the mail yesterday. A fellow from northern BC contacted me and said he is responsible to sell off the estate of someone who passed away there. He sent me some photos of this very well-worn Winchester Model 1892 saddle ring carbine in 44-40, made in 1913, and offered it at a price that made the purchase a no-brainer. The outward appearance makes it pretty clear it spent a good chunk of its life outdoors earning its keep and was rode hard and hung up wet. Still, it was original .... no sanding or refinishing of stocks, and the metal had obviously not been messed with. First thing I did was run a patch through the bore, soaked in Hoppes #9 and then, with great trepidation, I took a peek inside. Given the hard appearance of the external rifle, I expected to see a sewer pipe. Glory be!!!! the bore was shiny, with sharp rifling from chamber to muzzle!!!! Whoever used it must have made sure that bore was well taken care of. This old timer has been up the river and over the mountain, but its action is slick as a whistle and with a bore like that, its work is far from over. I'd love to see a tally of the game it took. Cougar, black bear, Mule deer, mountain sheep, Grizz? I'll never know, but it's clear it did a lot of work. I like old rifles like this. Now I'm just itching to try it out.
car-1000.jpg

The great thing about rifles like this one is that you can lay it down or against a fence and not have to worry about a $500 scratch that might happen. The really beautiful rifles are just plain hard to hunt with. These are like a dog with its tail wagging at the door. They can't wait to get out there! When you get a chance can I get a series of photos so that I can add the rifle into my research?

All the best
Michael

[Pitchy]

Really nice Kirk, you have some great rifles.

[KirkD]

The great thing about rifles like this one is that you can lay it down or against a fence and not have to worry about a $500 scratch that might happen. The really beautiful rifles are just plain hard to hunt with. These are like a dog with its tail wagging at the door. They can't wait to get out there! When you get a chance can I get a series of photos so that I can add the rifle into my research?

All the best
Michael

Yes. I'll get those photos and S/N to you sometime this weekend, Michael. And you are bang on about a well-used vintage rifle. Could not have put it better myself. I love those 98% rifles too, but I simply cannot enjoy even taking them to the range even in a padded hard case, for fear it gets a "$500 scratch".