Winchester Model 1892
- Category
- Rifle
- Barrel
- 620 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.50 kg
- Introduced
- 1892
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Winchester Model 1892 is a lever-action repeating rifle designed by John Moses Browning and produced by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company of New Haven, Connecticut from 1892 to 1941. Intended as a lighter, more compact replacement for the Model 1873 in pistol-caliber chamberings, the Model 1892 borrowed its rugged twin vertical-sliding locking-bolt mechanism from Browning's large-frame Model 1886, producing a remarkably strong action on a small frame. Chambered primarily in the .44-40 Winchester, with additional offerings in .38-40, .32-20, .25-20, and a rare late-production .218 Bee, the '92 could share cartridges with contemporary Colt, Remington, and Smith & Wesson revolvers, making it a practical companion for lawmen, cowboys, and frontier settlers alike. Produced in rifle, carbine, musket, Trapper's Carbine, and takedown configurations with barrel lengths ranging from 14 to 30 inches, the Model 1892 went on to arm Pancho Villa's revolutionaries during the Mexican Revolution, Royal Canadian Mounted Police patrols, and civilian shooters across the globe. Over one million units were produced in the original New Haven run, and modern reproductions continue to be manufactured by Miroku of Japan under the Winchester brand as well as by Rossi, Chiappa, and Uberti. Immortalized on-screen by John Wayne in Stagecoach and dozens of other Westerns and by Chuck Connors' trick-spinning large-loop rifle in The Rifleman, the Model 1892 is perhaps the most iconic lever-action ever to appear in Hollywood.
John Wayne first wielded a big-loop cut-down Model 1892 Trapper in John Ford's Stagecoach (1939), twirling it one-handed to cock the action in a sequence so iconic that the same rifle reportedly became Chuck Connors' flip-cocking signature weapon in The Rifleman two decades later. Pancho Villa's Villistas and Emiliano Zapata's peasant army carried Model 1892s into battle alongside 7x57mm Mausers during the Mexican Revolution, preferring the '92 because its .44-40 and .38-40 cartridges were interchangeable with their Colt revolvers. John Browning famously bet Winchester's management he could deliver a working prototype in under a month, with free rights if he failed; he delivered it in two weeks.
Specifications reflect the standard 24-inch round-barrel sporting rifle in .44-40 Winchester with a full-length tubular magazine holding approximately 13 cartridges. The carbine variant uses a 20-inch barrel, weighs roughly 2.7 kg, and holds 10 rounds. The rare Trapper's Carbine (called 'Baby Carbine' or 'Special Short Carbine' by Winchester) was available with 14, 15, and 16-inch barrels, with a handful produced in 12 inches. A solid-frame takedown version was introduced in October 1893. Only 574 muskets were ever built. A small run of rifles and carbines in .218 Bee was produced between 1936 and 1938 using Model 65 receivers and barrels. Original production totaled 1,004,675 to 1,007,608 units (sources vary slightly) before manufacture ended in 1941. Modern production continues at Miroku in Kochi, Japan, for Winchester (since 1995), as well as Rossi (Brazil), Chiappa (Italy), and Uberti (Italy), chambered in modern calibers including .357 Magnum, .44 Remington Magnum, and .45 Colt in addition to legacy chamberings.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Winchester Repeating Arms Company
- Category
- Rifle
- Country
- United States
- Status
- In production
- Produced
- 1892 to 1941
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 620 mm
- Overall length
- 1250 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.50 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Lever action
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 13
- Magazine
- Tube
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 379 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 930 J
- Effective range
- 91 m
- Maximum range
- 500 m
- Rate of fire
- 20 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Lever action
Tubular magazine
Steel receiver
Side loading gate
Exposed hammer
Twin locking bolts
Graduated rear sight- Fixed post front sight
Walnut stock
Crescent metal buttplate- Pistol cartridge chambering
Octagonal or round barrel options
Takedown option available
Saddle ring option
Large loop lever option
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 1,612 rifles | 4.50 kg | 3.50 kg | Heavier than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 1,557 rifles | 1250 mm | 1080 mm | Longer than about 80% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 1,659 rifles | 620 mm | 584 mm | Longer than about 60% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 1,611 rifles | 13 | 5 | Holds more rounds than about 80% |
Answers
Questions about the Winchester Model 1892
How much does the Winchester Model 1892 weigh?
The Winchester Model 1892 weighs 4.50 kg (9.92 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Winchester Model 1892?
The Winchester Model 1892 is chambered in .44-40 Winchester, .218 Bee, .25-20 Winchester, .32-20 Winchester, and .38-40 Winchester.
How many rounds does the Winchester Model 1892 hold?
The Winchester Model 1892 holds 13 rounds, fed from a tube magazine.
How long is the Winchester Model 1892?
The Winchester Model 1892 is 1250 mm (49.2 in) long overall, with a 620 mm (24.4 in) barrel.
Who makes the Winchester Model 1892?
The Winchester Model 1892 is made by Winchester Repeating Arms Company (United States). It was designed by John Moses Browning.
When was the Winchester Model 1892 introduced?
The Winchester Model 1892 was introduced in 1892 and discontinued in 1941.
How does the Winchester Model 1892 operate?
The Winchester Model 1892 uses a lever action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- United States Civilian Market
- 1892
- Mexican Revolutionary Forces
- 1910
- Mexican Federal Army
- Mexico
- Texas Rangers
- 1892
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police
- Canada
- United States Ranchers and Frontier Settlers
- 1892
Provenance
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/winchester-1892' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "winchester-1892", "name": "Winchester Model 1892", "manufacturer": { "id": "winchester", "name": "Winchester Repeating Arms Company", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1866, "website": "https://www.winchesterguns.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:45", "version": "032f75658544de9d931ca09f772b9ab92b282bf53db67851bf4eb3f8c0612520" }, "category": { "id": "rifle", "name": "Rifle", "description": "Long-barreled firearms designed for accurate shooting" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1892, "barrel_length_mm": 620, "weight_empty_g": 4500, "action_type": "lever_action"}