The Model 1892 is one of the most popular lever guns among cowboy action shooters, and new for 2007 Charles Daly is offering a takedown version chambered in .45 Colt. Shooting Times obtained one of the first production models to roll off the line, and as you will soon see it is a fine-shooting little gun.

To enlarge this photo of the Charles Daly Model 1892 Take Down Rifle Lever-Action Rifle, please click HERE

Before we get to the new Charles Daly Model 1892, though, let's take a quick look at the original Model 1892.

The Original Model 1892
Oddly, the classic Model 1892 Winchester, which happens to be the lever gun most often depicted in TV and movie westerns, was introduced too late to actually be used to tame the Wild West. It was released in 1892, and the U.S. government had pronounced that the "frontier" was officially closed by 1890, so the Model 1892 was technically too late to be used on the frontier. However, the model did see considerable use "out West" for gathering food and bringing outlaws to justice.

Charles Daly's new Model 1892 Take Down Rifle utilizes a crescent-shaped, steel buttplate like the original Model 1892.

The Winchester Model 1892 was designed by John M. Browning, and it was a strong, lightweight, and extremely smooth-operating lever action. Like all previous lever actions bearing the Winchester name, the Model 1892 loaded its cartridges through a port on the receiv-er's right side; they were then housed in a tubular magazine under the barrel.

SPECIFICATIONS Charles Daly Model 1892 Take Down Rifle Lever-Action Rifle
Manufacturer:	www.charlesdaly.com (717-540-8518)
Model:	Model 1892 Take Down Rifle
Operation:	Lever-action repeater
Caliber:	.45 Caliber
Barrel Length:	24.25 inches
Overall Length:	42 inches
Weight, empty	6.8 pounds
Safety:	Halfcock notch on hammer
Sights:	Open rear; post front
Stock:	Two-piece American walnut
Magazine Capacity:	5 rounds (magazine limitation rod can be removed)
Finish:	Oil finished wood; color-case-hardened receiver, lever, buttplate, and foreend cap; blue barrel and magazine tube
Price:	$1095

The Winchester Model 1892 was basically a scaled-down Winchester Model 1886, which was also designed by Browning. Like that of the larger Model 1886, the Model 1892's breechblock was secured by two locking bolts that were raised into battery when the lever was closed. It was a much stronger breeching system than anything previously used by Winchester.

The Model 1886 was chambered for full-size rifle cartridges, such as the .45-70, .45-90, and .50-110. The Model 1873 Winchester was chambered for the "pistol-size" cartridges, such as .44-40, .38-40, and .32-20. While the Model 1873 lever action was extremely successful, it was a bit on the heavy side for those pistol-size cartridges, so Winchester took the opportunity to combine Browning's new pistol-cartridge-firing Model 1892 design with more modern steels and produced a stronger but lighter rifle that could utilize the then-new smokeless powders.

The Winchester Model 1892 was considered so much stronger than the Model 1873 that during most of the 20th century reloading manuals often listed special high-pressure loads to be used only in Model 1892s.

Original Winchester Model 1892s were offered in carbine, rifle, short rifle, and musket variations. At its introduction a standard Winchester Model 1892 rifle had a 24-inch round barrel. An extra-cost option was a full- or half-octagon barrel. (Interestingly, octagon barrels were more popular even though they were more expensive.) The standard stock design for Model 1892 rifles was a straight grip with a crescent-shaped, steel buttplate. Pistol-grip buttstocks and shotgun-style buttplates were custom-order options as were barrel lengths as short as 14 inches and as long as 30 inches.