Guns: The Rich Man's .357 Lever Action - Winchester Model 1892 review

By far the most popular post here on Shangrila Towers is my review of the Rossi 92, a .357 Magnum levergun I bought a decade ago (and have since sold).  The review, titled "The Poor Man's .357 Lever-Action," was pretty frank about the pros and cons of the humble Rossi, which was all I could afford fresh out of law school.

As you might expect, after years of lawyering, I have a bit more disposable income than I did back then, which leads us to today's featured gun - a beautiful Winchester Model 1892 Short Rifle chambered in .357 Magnum:

Fit and Finish

Yes, it's made in Miroku, Japan, but what the new Winchesters lack in authenticity they make up for in modern engineering and good old-fashioned Japanese craftsmanship.  The Winchester's gloss blued finish and walnut stock are noticeably nicer than my old Rossi, though in practical terms I'd bet both guns are about as durable as each other.

This Winchester 1892 (well, at least the Short Rifle model) has a smooth, metal crescent buttplate. It looks great and mounts well, but if I'm being honest, it is not ideal for shooting, since it provides absolutely no cushion for recoil. Another issue is that the gun has a long length of pull - okay for a piece from the end of the 19th century, but out of step for the way people shoot rifles in 2022.

Sights and Trigger

The iron sights that come with the gun are great - a Marble’s gold bead in the front, and a semi buckhorn rear. They worked fine for informally ringing steel at an outdoor range:

The 92's trigger is good - a pretty standard single stage affair that breaks cleanly.  Aside from the trigger, the only other controls on the gun are the well-knurled hammer spur and the controversial/unnecessary modern tang safety. I know traditionalists don't like it, but it's unobtrusive, ambidextrous, and doesn't affect the functioning of the gun one whit if it's not engaged.

Range Report

While I've never used a lever action that ran perfectly 100% with all ammo, the Winchester 1892 fed a wide variety of ammunition well overall - certainly better than my old Rossi. One caveat - the gun (and all 92-style actions) is expressly designed for .357 Magnum, not .38 Special. Feeding .38s is tough on the action and can lead to jams if you don't cycle the gun gingerly.

I found the rifle to be quite accurate.  I managed decent 25 yard offhand groups at my local indoor range, and could have done a lot better if I had a benchrest and outdoor lighting.

Remington UMC 130 gr. FMJ .38 Special - note the circled "A" showing my point of aim. Again, .38s are not indicated for this gun, but I wanted to see if you could use them in a pinch:

Winchester .38 Special 130 gr. FMJ flat nose rounds

Remington .357 Magnum - as expected, the gun shoots better with .357s since the chamber is designed around them:

Conclusion

As Peter from Dawn of the Dead put it, "Ain't it a crime . . . The only person who could miss with this gun is the sucker with the bread to buy it." The Miroku-made Winchester 1892 is a spendy, hard to find, and somewhat archaic .357 Magnum lever action - but you certainly get workmanship and accuracy for your money. Whether that's worth it for your particular zombie apocalypse is in the eye of the beholder.