Evan said
I just inherited my grandpas 1892 44 wcp. It seems to be an early model manufactured in 1893. Trying to gauge a value and get some advice on if it’s worth cleaning up and using or if it’s more of a museum piece now.

  

Hello Evan,

As stated we will definitely need to see some images of the rifle.   If you want to send them to my email at [email protected] I will be happy to post them here and to advise regarding the rifle.  I have been working on a survey of the Model 1892’s and have looked at more than 20,500 rifles.  

Michael

Evan,

First off I have to ask you to correct, and edit you’re title. There is no such caliber as a .44 wcp! There is however a .44 WCF,(Winchester Center Fire)!

The number you posted, #16854, would be the serial number that you found on you’re Winchester Model 1892. (mfg. 1893)

We are definitely here to help you figure out what you have, and try to help in any way we can. Like the other kind members stated, pictures will help tremendously. You don’t have to be a professional photographer, but with today’s I phones, pictures are a lot easier to produce and download. Clear, and plain pictures with good natural lighting, eliminating glare will help a lot. A background color opposite the color of the rifle really helps a lot. Some choose different colors to enhance their pictures. Not necessary. A light neutral color is usually suggested. Any marks on the gun, good or bad will help. Address,(Winchester Repeating Arms), numbers,(caliber), letters, marks as in dents or scratches would also help out. Several different angles of the sights, the muzzle end of the barrel, the wood where is attaches to the receiver, butt plate, and top and bottom tang. Even showing the screw heads, from a slight distance and not necessarily, too close can help us out a lot. Just trying to help you to understand, what we’re looking for, and not waste you’re time either. You have a second year production rifle, in a desirable caliber, so why not get the best advise that you can.

Do yourself a favor, and don’t do any cleaning of the rifle until your advised here, in details from these tremendously experienced, willing to share and help Winchester authorities. Taking care of Grandpa’s gun is important.

Anthony

Evan,

Here are the photos which you went me.  Your rifle is a standard “Sporting Rifle” configuration and the serial number does indeed correspond to production form 1893.  Round barrel sporting rifles are valued lower than an equivalent octagon barrel example of the same condition.  The rifle shows significant wear and not of the original bluing finish that was on the receiver is worn off.  From the small portion of the barrel visible near the caliber stamp most of the bluing on the barrel is also gone.  The allen head bolt in the upper tang is definitely not original and it may compromise the fit of the butt stock to the upper and lower tang.  Surprisingly, it does not appear that the butt stock has been sanded or refinished after all the years which is fairly common.  The large missing chip of wood is a deduction also.  Determining the potential value is always difficult since many collectors have different opinions, desires, and amounts of money to spend.  $100 or $1000 have different personal values depending on how many of each a person may have.  Think of it this way.  A glass of water in the middle of the Sahara desert is FAR more valuable, and needed, than a glass of water when I am at my cottage on the shore of Lake Michigan in the summer and 20% of the WORLD’s fresh water is at my feet!!  As of late Model 1892 rifles in quite poor condition and often in non original condition are selling between $600 to almost $1000.  I am often shocked by some of the prices.   Your antique status rifle in 44 WCF would probably nudge $2000 if listed on Guunbroker.com.  

Michael

Whatever you do, don’t sell Gpa’s rifle. My Gpa never had any guns, but my Dad did. I am proud owner of a 1949 vintage Target Woodsman, and a Belgian Browning he took off a dead soldier in Okinawa, 1945. He was a Marine. I am a gun collector and I buy and sell many guns. These two pistols will be handed down to family when I pass. You can pass Gpa’s rifle down to your kids someday. If you sell it, you will probably regret it later.    Big Larry

Evan said

Anthony said

Michael thanks for posting the pictures. Mac thanks for you’re kind words. Steve, said it best as we all think this on the older Winchesters.”If it could only talk”!

Great advice from many good honest members here. Sure the back screw, on the top tang, is a replacement and is not the correct screw, but like Big Larry said, there’s a lot of history there. The true honest worn condition doesn’t make it very collectable to many of the true Winchester Collectors out there. Don’t sell Grandpa’s gun. It’s yours to do what you want, and we’re glad we could help you any way possible, but the few dollars this second year, well used antique rifle, would bring, wouldn’t enhance your pocketbook enough to change your lifestyle. Don’t refinish it, or try to spruce it up. Hang it on the wall where you can look at it, and remember grandpa everyday. Hand it down, like we’re supposed to do. Those scratches and dents and lack of finish is character!

Thanks for sharing.

Anthony

  

Definitely not selling! And yes, there’s a lot of history here. My family is from Giles Co., Pulaski Tennessee. My grandpa was the youngest boy of 13 children born in 1919. He used it as a hunting rifle, mostly deer. We think it belonged to his father, born in 1873,  just after slavery ended. I can trace my family lineage two generations deep into slavery mainly because the family that owned my family allowed them to stay together never selling them off. Both families are still in the area and we are all friends. Currently I’m searching for a picture we think that exists of my great grandpa with the rifle.

  

It would be very cool to that photo of your grandfather with the rifle!

I would leave it as is with the exception of replacing the tang screw.  

Evan-

I like your Grandpa’s rifle and wouldn’t change a thing. The hole around that bothersome tang screw was likely countersunk a bit to accommodate the head and the threads in the lower tang will probably no longer engage the proper screw. Without a bit of welding and machine work an original screw would probably hurt more than help. It was probably a relatively recent repair but it is still part of the history of that rifle, IMHO. 

Mike