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April 23, 2012
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With Mod 94’s it is pretty clear that early 32-40 and 38-55 barrels were the regular soft steel, unless paying extra for Nickel steel as an option , and they were marked as such (my 38-55 also letters with this option) , and all 30-30, and 25-35 s were always Nickel steel ,
but I am thinking that when the 92 was introduced the 32-20 , 38-40 and 44-40 were soft steel carryover s from the 73 predecessor ?, and what about when the 25-20 was introduced ? was it always only in Nickel steel and unmarked ? I am also supposing that when Nickel steel was being used in all barrels later on that they were marked nickel steel ?
Phil
January 5, 2009
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If it helps for date purposes, this is a shot of the marking on my Model 1892, 38-40, Takedown, Short Rifle. It was shipped December 10, 1904.
PB Picture removed.
April 23, 2012
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Old-Colts Thanks for pic, I think that your example is an additional charge option , as my 92’s from this era are not marked NICKEL STEEL, but my 94
38-55 in this era that letters NICKEL STEEL as an option , is stamped the same as this, where my other 32-40 s from this era are not marked
April 15, 2005
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Just to set things straight, Winchester never used "regular soft steel" for their barrels. They referred to it in their catalogs as "high strength steel", and stated it as "having a tensile strength of over 60,000 pounds to the square inch".
As a comparison, Winchester stated in their catalogs that their nickel steel barrels "has a tensile strength of over 110,000 pounds to the square inch".
In regards to your question about the 25-20 barrels found on the Model 1892, I would suggest checking to see what is marked on the bottom of the barrel. The vast majority of the nickel steel barrels will be marked with either "M.N.S." (Midvale Nickel Steel) or "C.N.S." (Crucible Nickel Steel).
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
March 20, 2009
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Hello,
Based on my work on the 1892’s the only use of nickel steel for barrels also coincides with barrels being stamped as such as in Old-Colts photo. This usage is also noted in the factory ledgers when it occurs in first 379,999 rifles. All the original ammunition for the 1892 were relatively low velocity/pressure black powder loads and did not require the higher strength nickel steel alloy to be used.
Michael
Model 1892 / Model 61 Collector, Research, Valuation
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