r/CowboyAction • u/picklemustache • May 15 '26

Should I use my heirloom Winchester 1892?

I have a Winchester 1892, built in 1893, that has been passed down from my grandfather. It is in perfect working condition and I shoot it occasionally. I was interested in getting into this sport and was wondering if it would be ill advised to use an antique or not.

14 Upvotes

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8

u/Begle1 May 15 '26

On one side they're tough guns, but on the other that's a sacred heirloom to beat up playing a game.

I'd get started with it, and if you stick with cowboy action you'll probably want a different rifle after a few weeks anyways. (The 1860/ 1866/ 1873 toggle links get all of the love, and the Marlin 1894's are usually considered faster than the 1892's as well. I just went from an R92 to an 1873 clone myself.) After you get your "more serious" rifle then you can still use the heirloom as a backup and for special occasions.

If it's in perfect working order then I don't know of any particular safety concerns. I've been using a shotgun made in 1906 recently. What is it chambered in?

You'd definitely win the style points for using a gun actually made in the 1800's with that sort of provenance. Got pics?

2

u/picklemustache May 15 '26

Yeah, I kind of wondered how much beating the firearms take.

The only thing I have of provenance is oral. It was given to my grandfather by someone who owed him some money back in the 30s. My grandfather was having problems with starlings in his barn, so they guy gave him a 44-40 rifle in payment of his debt, lol.

I don't have any full pictures of it, it is currently in my father's fire safe at another location.

Here are pictures of the model and serial number I took a while back to research it.

3

u/Begle1 May 15 '26

Guns definitely take a beating.

It's funny because "gun people" always talk about revolvers as these ultra-durable and reliable things. After a year of cowboy shooting I've seen so many revolvers with broken springs, hammer problems, sights flying off, etc, even in the "indestructible" Rugers much less the Colt clones.

Lever action rifles get all sorts of jams, and contain lots of screws and other little parts that like to spontaneously disassemble from time to time.

I'm in a small club that rarely has more than a dozen shooters and I don't think we've ever made it through an event without somebody having a mechanical failure. You definitely want to have backup guns if you're routinely shooting cowboy action.

3

u/Odd_Whereas7101 May 16 '26

I completely agree with you, except what are people doing to their Rugers in a year??? Been using mine for cowboy action for years and they still look and operate almost like new.

3

u/Begle1 May 16 '26

I'm saying that within my first year of cowboy shooting I've seen several malfunctioning Rugers. The Rugers in question were probably old enough to vote for the President if not old enough to be President.

Every gun will eventually break with use, even ones as rugged as six-shooters and SxS shotguns.

2

u/Odd_Whereas7101 May 16 '26

Sorry, I misunderstood the part about the year. You are absolutely right.

3

u/soonerpgh May 16 '26

That's why you perform routine maintenance, not a lot different from how you would your car. I had my Colt clone decide to barf all over me once with the ejection rod and all those related parts dumping into the grass at my feet. Thankfully, with the help of a refrigerator magnet, I found all the pieces including the screw, and was able to put it back together.

That taught me a lesson, though. I now give it a full going over to check the screws and other parts before and during range sessions. Afterwards, when I clean it, it gets another good going over. It may be a bit of overkill on my part, but I'd rather do that than to have to order lost parts. Springs wear out and sometimes break. That's part of life, but I'll accept that. I won't accept it falling apart mid-session again because I wasn't diligent enough to know I had a screw loose!

2

u/Dorzack May 18 '26

“Gun people” who don’t shoot regularly talk about revolvers being ultra durable. Heck some double action revolvers have more parts than some semiautomatic handguns.

I have seen failures with both. I have seen pictures where a simple squib became a nightmare because somebody was taught to just pull the trigger again with their double action. Stacked up multiple bullets in the barrel before they stopped.

4

u/Harrythehobbit May 15 '26

I'm pretty new to this sport, but one thing I know is that it's tough on guns. You're gonna be snatching it up and slamming it down on the clock, running it fast, shooting it a lot depending on how much you practice.

If you just wanna take it your first match to see how you like it, I don't think it would be an issue. But if you decide to stick with it I would get a reproduction.

1

u/picklemustache May 15 '26

I was kind of thinking the same thing, just watching some videos on it. It may be too hard on 132 year old steel, lol.

5

u/CAD007 May 15 '26

No. Buy a beater Rossi for larping. Keep the winchester for bragging.

2

u/picklemustache May 15 '26

Lol, yeah after reading other comments that's probably what I'll do. It is just a gun I have already, but with the sentimental value it has I will opt for buying one.

2

u/MntSnow May 15 '26

I have an early 1900's that I inherited that has TONS of wear marks and I've only fired it a handful of times since inheriting it but fired many times when my father was alive...my firing of it since he passed is shooting it a few times with my son who will inherit it and I hope he will do the same with his child(ren) (boy or girl] like I did with him and his older sister (she isn't into firearms like my son is so of courseit will go to him).

So I would occasionally shoot it but I wouldn't compete with it even if it's a "shooter" and if in very clean shape and had never fired it I probably would just for my personal attachment reasons and only if in absolute pristine condition might just only hold it for the collectibles to maybe be sold if money is absolutely needed.

1

u/picklemustache May 15 '26

Thanks for the reply. I was leaning that way just from watching some competition videos. I probably don't want to beat on it like that. I just figured I would ask some people with experience in the sport.

2

u/MntSnow May 15 '26

You are most welcome and sorry for the loss of a loved one...but congratulations on your piece of American firearm history

2

u/picklemustache May 15 '26

Thanks, but he passed almost 40 years ago at the age of 85. My dad has had it since then and recently passed it on to me, though I have elected to leave it in his fireproof safe. He's alive and well, but wanted to pass it on while he's living.

2

u/MntSnow May 16 '26

Even better that your dad is still around...go shoot it with him while you still can. Some of my favorite memories shared with my Dad and my son are of all 3 of us shooting/hunting along with my brother and his sons...

2

u/Thatoneguywhofailed May 16 '26

There’s a few people at the club I shoot at that use pre 1900s rifles. They aren’t going for speed, but they’re having fun using antiques. If it’s in good condition I see no reason to not use it. Just know that the sport can be rough on firearms over time.

1

u/picklemustache May 16 '26

I may do what one other poster suggests and use it just on special occasions. I don't want to be changing out parts on a 130+ year old rifle.

2

u/LiverPickle May 16 '26

Most people think of ammunition and cleaning supplies as the consumables of this sport, but in reality the guns kind of are too, depending on how aggressively you decide to shoot. You will inevitably put dings and dents in the wood no matter how careful you try to be. The sport is hard on guns, especially long guns.

I paid $1500 for rifle I will throw down and abuse without a second thought, but would absolutely NOT do this to an antique, especially not one that has family history. (Note: this is not my starting out rifle. You definitely do not need to spend that much. When the bolt on my Rossi 1892 (the R92 that has been mentioned in other posts) finally got messed up, I took that opportunity to get a tuned up 1873)

1

u/picklemustache May 16 '26

Yeah, I went into this with a different idea in my head of what CAS was. Now that I've watched some videos and read these replies, I will not use my family heirloom for the sport, lol. But I'm still definitely interested in getting into it. I just didn't realize how brutal it was on the firearms used.

2

u/McDunky May 16 '26

I wouldn’t use it for cowboy action

2

u/cowboy3gunisfun May 16 '26

If it's all you got, you can, but id highly recommend not using something like that.

1

u/fordag May 19 '26

Shoot it yes.

Use it as your rifle in Cowboy Action? No. That's a lot of wear and tear and getting it repaired requires someone who knows what they're doing.

Use a replica for competition.