I'm tired of my modern levers

[J Miller]

As the title says I've grown tired of my modern lever action rifles. Especially those that came with safeties and angle cut outs on the receivers. They are great and useful tools but have exactly ZERO personalities. Some how when these changes were made they took the life out of them.

Any way, I'm sorta looking for a lever action withOUT any after thought lawyered up safeties to make into my one "go to" rifle. I do want it to be in .45 Colt. Problem is, that leaves out all the current Marlins, all the post 81 Winchesters, and all the most recent Rossis.

What's left to choose from that does not have extra widgets and gadgets that the original design did not have?

What I would like to have would be either:
A pre-safety Marlin 1894 in .45 Colt,
A Win 92 Copy that's built the way John Browning designed them, in .45Colt.
A PreUSRAC NON-AE Winchester 94 in .45 Colt.

So since there is a bunch of lever gunners that have more internet savvy, what am I looking for?
I do not scope my lever guns, so the ability to scope them is irrelevant to me. I do like side mount receiver sights though.

That's pretty bad isn't it? I've got two really good .45 Colt lever guns and neither one of them satisfy me.

Joe

[jnyork]

Glad to see your post, Joe. If you are looking for a new rifle, it means you are feeling better and looking to the future.

[O.S.O.K.]

Joe, I know what you mean. I would suggest taking a pic of one of the rifles that you'd like to trade (if that's the idea) and post it in the classifieds - for trade. Maybe somebody will have just the rifle you're looking for and want what you're trading... can't hurt anyway.

[Idiot]

What I would like to have would be either:
A pre-safety Marlin 1894 in .45 Colt,
A Win 92 Copy that's built the way John Browning designed them, in .45Colt.A PreUSRAC NON-AE Winchester 94 in .45 Colt.

Joe, I thought Winchester's chambering of their M92 in 45 Colt was a rather recent event; and was certainly not the cartridge the gun was designed for - am I mistaken? I thought the original M92 cartridges were mostly of the slight bottleneck design rather than the straight wall design.

You can still find M92 Rossi's and their ilk on used gun racks that might fit your needs. I'm not sure how plentiful the Marlin 1894s are that combine both a pre-safety design and 45 Colt chambering. However, even though what I'm about to suggest is a very modern gun, it does come without an external safety (it has a transfer bar type safety similar to Ruger NMBH), it has no holes for scope mounts but instead uses old style Marble's semi-buckhorn sights, its style is certainly old school complete with an octagon barrel, and it's quality made with good fit and finish and - oh, and it comes in 45 Colt. The rifle I suggest you look at is the Henry Big Boy lever action rifle chambered in 45 Colt. Even though it is modern, it does not have any modern nuisances, only its benefits. I'm currently saving some jingles to buy the same rifle in 44 Magnum.

http://www.henryrepeating.com/h006_bigboy.cfm

Anyway, that's my suggestion.

[Mike D.]

I'll probably be boiled in oil for saying this, but the .45 C in a lever has just never held my interest. Call me an idiot, or whatever, I'm strictly a traditionalist when it comes to levergun cartridges. Original, chambered for the gun, cartridges are what "turns my wheels".

[nemhed]

Joe, just a couple of comments. I can relate to what you are saying about the "modernization" (if that's what you want to call it) of some of these rifles, but as I recall a 45lc levergun is kind of a modern invention in itself. That being said, what gives a firearm "life" or a "personality" is the person or people that have used it. I always feel better about a new gun after I have bonded with it in the field and (preferably) hunted successfully with it. I can understand not having the feel for one of the newer leverguns with the added gizmos. I can't get into the 92 copies because they're not "real" Winchesters, but I'd still love to have a 92. Of the choices left I would then suggest a used but not abused Marlin or Winchester with some character, but plenty of life left in it. I don't know what years either manufacturer would have made started making 45lc's. Maybe you just need to drag your current rifles around in the woods. Keep your chin up.

[El Chivo]

they make the reproduction Rossi's with 100 years of patina.

Check out Cimmarron, but if they have the safeties you are out of luck.

I too thought the 45 Colt in Marlin was recent; the old 1894s all being 44 magnum. So you wouldn't see any pre-safety ones, Marlin experts correct me there.

What about the NEF single shot in 45 Colt? Very fancy and interesting. Might not be available new, but there must be some around.

(hey, they still make it)

[Modoc ED]

Joe -

I know that you LOVE the .45 Colt round; however, no old time lever action rifles were chambered in .45 Colt so the only way to have one chambered in .45 Colt is to have a modern lever action rifle.

You like primarily Winchester lever action rifles and as with any other brand, they didn't make a lever action rifle in .45 Colt until lately (using rifle life as an example).

How about taking one of the .45 Colt Winchester lever action rifles that you currently have and completely remove any sign of a cross-bolt/tang safety and then fill in the areas used for the safety and use old Winchester parts to make them the original half-cock safety types.

[Rimfire McNutjob]

I know it's not a lever, but was the old Colt Lighting pump rifle ever offered in 45 Long Colt?

[TedH]

My local shop had just what your looking for the other day. An older Rossi 92 45 Colt. Was in pretty good shape too. If you want I can see if it's still there. I don't remember the price.

[Buck Elliott]

I know it's not a lever, but was the old Colt Lighting pump rifle ever offered in 45 Long Colt?

No.

[salvo]

I know what you mean Joe, I have 4 rifles that came with safety's. Two Marlins, one Winchester and a Puma. All but one of the Marlins still have safety's and that one will be gone soon. I know I don't have to tell you to convert them since I believe you were one of the first to swap half cock parts in a rebounding Winchester 94. The conversions make them more user friendly and familiar, but they still are missing something that a pre-safety has. I just don't buy anything with a safety any more.

[J Miller]

I know the .45 Colt was not an original lever or pump action rifle cartridge, but I am a fanatic for it and so I will stick with it.

What I would like to have would be either:
A pre-safety Marlin 1894 in .45 Colt,
A Win 92 Copy that's built the way John Browning designed them, in .45Colt.A PreUSRAC NON-AE Winchester 94 in .45 Colt.

Joe, I thought Winchester's chambering of their M92 in 45 Colt was a rather recent event; and was certainly not the cartridge the gun was designed for - am I mistaken? I thought the original M92 cartridges were mostly of the slight bottleneck design rather than the straight wall design.

You can still find M92 Rossi's and their ilk on used gun racks that might fit your needs. I'm not sure how plentiful the Marlin 1894s are that combine both a pre-safety design and 45 Colt chambering. However, even though what I'm about to suggest is a very modern gun, it does come without an external safety (it has a transfer bar type safety similar to Ruger NMBH), it has no holes for scope mounts but instead uses old style Marble's semi-buckhorn sights, its style is certainly old school complete with an octagon barrel, and it's quality made with good fit and finish and - oh, and it comes in 45 Colt. The rifle I suggest you look at is the Henry Big Boy lever action rifle chambered in 45 Colt. Even though it is modern, it does not have any modern nuisances, only its benefits. I'm currently saving some jingles to buy the same rifle in 44 Magnum.

http://www.henryrepeating.com/h006_bigboy.cfm

Anyway, that's my suggestion.

Idiot,
You are correct. Winchester was the first to introduce a lever gun in .45 Colt. That was in 1985 with their AE Trapper model. I have one. It has several thousand rounds through it with nary a hickup. But although it did not have a CB or Tang safety, and I've gotten rid of the rebounding hammer years ago, ever time I look at that gouge in the side of the receiver I wanna barf.
Winchesters 92 is even a more recent introduction. And it's made by Miroku in Japan by the same folks that made the Browning B92s. I'm sure the quality is up there, but it's modern with the rebounding hammer and tang safety, so I'm not interested.
The original model 92 were indeed chambered for the small ( pistol caliber size ) bottle necked cartridges.

As for the Henry Big Boy, I've handled one. That rifle weighed a TON! Way too much for what I want. I'd love to shoot one some day, but I've no interest in owning one.

The older Rossis I do have experience with and I was less than impressed. The one I had was junk. Pure and simple ... junque. I don't want to go that way again.

Now for the record, those who have mentioned the Marlins, let me set the record straight.
Marlin did not introduce the .45 Colt to their line till long after the CB safety was introduced. So any Marlin chambered for the .45 Colt without a CB safety would have to be a custom built rifle.

Same goes for the Winchester 94s. Prior to the AE models there was no such thing. There was 44-40s, and 44 Mags, so converting one of those to .45 Colt would be do-able. If you could find one.

Colt Lightning??? I am interested, but it's not a lever gun.

Joe -

I know that you LOVE the .45 Colt round; however, no old time lever action rifles were chambered in .45 Colt so the only way to have one chambered in .45 Colt is to have a modern lever action rifle.

You like primarily Winchester lever action rifles and as with any other brand, they didn't make a lever action rifle in .45 Colt until lately (using rifle life as an example).

How about taking one of the .45 Colt Winchester lever action rifles that you currently have and completely remove any sign of a cross-bolt/tang safety and then fill in the areas used for the safety and use old Winchester parts to make them the original half-cock safety types.
Joe -

I know that you LOVE the .45 Colt round; however, no old time lever action rifles were chambered in .45 Colt so the only way to have one chambered in .45 Colt is to have a modern lever action rifle.

You like primarily Winchester lever action rifles and as with any other brand, they didn't make a lever action rifle in .45 Colt until lately (using rifle life as an example).

How about taking one of the .45 Colt Winchester lever action rifles that you currently have and completely remove any sign of a cross-bolt/tang safety and then fill in the areas used for the safety and use old Winchester parts to make them the original half-cock safety types.
Post Posted: Thu Jan 08, 2009 12:44 pm

Ed,
My Win 94AE Trapper had the rebounding action replace well over 10 years ago. I was one of the first to do so as Salvo said. Even wrote a tech article on it over on Beartooth Forum { http://www.beartoothbullets.com/tech_no ... tes.htm/42 }
My Marlin has the Clyde Ludwig safety replacement in it. But it's still visible.

Joe

[Modoc ED]

I know the .45 Colt was not an original lever or pump action rifle cartridge, but I am a fanatic for it and so I will stick with it.

Ed,
My Win 94AE Trapper had the rebounding action replace well over 10 years ago. I was one of the first to do so as Salvo said. Even wrote a tech article on it over on Beartooth Forum { http://www.beartoothbullets.com/tech_no ... tes.htm/42 }
My Marlin has the Clyde Ludwig safety replacement in it. But it's still visible.

Joe

And I thank you for that article Joe. I used it when I converted my rebounding hammer Winchester AE to half-cock using older Winchester parts.

I wish you luck in finding what you want or at least what will satisfy your yearnings.

[J Miller]

TedH,
Let me know the details and price on that one when you find out. PM, or Email me if you want. Remember, can't have a silly widget on the bolt.

Ed,
You're welcome. I enjoyed doing that article. Marshal Stanton actually asked me to do it.

..................

"IF" I were to stick to standard pressure loads all the time, I'd be thrilled with one of the 1860 Henry, or 1873 Winchester copies. But occasionally I do like to steam things up a bit.
About the only guns that will tolerate that are the 92 copies, Marlins, and Win 94s.

Now, Jeff Quinn recently posted a thread about the new baby Sharps in .45 Colt. To be honest, that rifle has me all weepy in the knees. I want. It's not a repeater, but I want one. Hobie we need a slobber smiley.

Or, and this would help a bit, if I could find a machinist who could custom make me a safety replacement that would fit my existing Marlin flush on both sides, without the silly screw slot and color case it. That would go a long way towards making me feel better about my Marlin 1894.

Do we got anybody like that around here????


Joe

[Idiot]

Now for the record, those who have mentioned the Marlins, let me set the record straight.
Marlin did not introduce the .45 Colt to their line till long after the CB safety was introduced. So any Marlin chambered for the .45 Colt without a CB safety would have to be a custom built rifle.

I know there are quite a few Marlin 1894s without the safety still floating around at gun shows and on gun racks. I think I've bought and sold two or three in the last 18 months. So, if that's the platform you'd want to rebarrel to 45 Colt, I can keep my eyes peeled for one. I picked up the ones mentioned above for no more than $250 each. Add another $250 for a new barrel and a little action work and you'd have a nice 45 Colt in whatever barrel length you'd like.

I can't read posts about early Winchester M92s without remembering all the times I picked one up cheap or traded a saddle or some hides for one, to only shoot it a while before selling it - for almost nothing. When things are plentiful and one is looking for a more practical (read easier to get ammo for) chambering, it's not that hard to do dumb things like sell a M92 chambered in 25-20 WCF for $150 or so, so one can put the money down on a new Marlin chambered in easy to get 357 Magnum. I wish I would have known.

Fortunately for me, I settled long ago on the 44 Magnum as my big bore pistol cartridge. Now when I scramble about looking for something I should have kept, I can usually find it in the chambering I want. Well, good luck Joe.

[nemhed]

Joe, sounds like you've painted yourself in a corner on this one. Maybe a project rifle built on a old 92 or 94 Winchester? Maybe sell a couple of the new fangled ones to finance it?

[J Miller]

Joe, sounds like you've painted yourself in a corner on this one. Maybe a project rifle built on a old 92 or 94 Winchester? Maybe sell a couple of the new fangled ones to finance it?

I've have been thinking about that. All I'd need is one already chambered for .44 Mag, that way most of the parts would already be set up for the shorter cartridge.

Joe

[Dave]

Did Browning make the Traditional Hunter low wall in 45 Colt? It has a little lever on it.

[nemhed]

Joe, sounds like you've painted yourself in a corner on this one. Maybe a project rifle built on a old 92 or 94 Winchester? Maybe sell a couple of the new fangled ones to finance it?

I've have been thinking about that. All I'd need is one already chambered for .44 Mag, that way most of the parts would already be set up for the shorter cartridge.

Joe

That would be the way I would go (not like that matters). That little Sharps is neat but to me it's still just a downsized, imported replica. $1000 dollars would pay for quite a bit of custom work I would think.

[J Miller]

Joe, sounds like you've painted yourself in a corner on this one. Maybe a project rifle built on a old 92 or 94 Winchester? Maybe sell a couple of the new fangled ones to finance it?

I've have been thinking about that. All I'd need is one already chambered for .44 Mag, that way most of the parts would already be set up for the shorter cartridge.

Joe

That would be the way I would go (not like that matters). That little Sharps is neat but to me it's still just a downsized, imported replica. $1000 dollars would pay for quite a bit of custom work I would think.

A downsized imported replica with a lot of class and panache! Yes a $1000 would do a lot of custom work, but those little Sharps have something the lever guns don't. It might be because they are replicas of one of the classiest single shot rifles that was ever built. Don't know. But I won't judge it by the fact it's Italian.
Remember my IJ? Well, as ugly as it is, even though it's cobbled together with parts from other guns, it will shoot smaller groups than my Rugers.

.........................

For those who do not know, to the best of my knowledge, no manufacturer chambered a rifle of any action type for the .45 Colt cartridge prior to 1985 when Winchester introduced their 94AE Trapper in that caliber.
Since then almost everybody has followed suit.

Joe

[nemhed]

Joe, I wouldn't slam anybody for buying that Sharps. I would stand in line for a chance to shoot one. I'd also stand in line for a chance to shoot your custom '94 in 45lc.

[KirkD]

Joe, I sold the last of my modern leverguns a few years ago and went completely over to the 'Old Timers' (old Winchesters at least 54 years old). They got personality like no modern gun has. They've been there, especially those nigh unto 100-year old ones, which I have several. Problem is, none of the old time levers were in 45 Colt. The solution, is to become a lover of an old-time cartridge. A year ago, I would not have even considered the 38-40. Now it is one of my favorites .... maybe even more than the 44-40. It will do anything a 44-40 will do when handloaded. I got both, cause they're both favorite cartridges of mine. What about an original 38-55? You need to come home, Joe, to the old timers. You'll never find personality anywhere else.

[JustaJeepGuy]

They got personality like no modern gun has.

It will probably be too late for Joe then, but won't the modern guns have "personality" in 50 years?

[KirkD]

It will probably be too late for Joe then, but won't the modern guns have "personality" in 50 years?

It would be hard to measure up to the old timers. Many of them were working guns back in the days when the horse and buggy was the main mode of travel and coal oil lanterns were how you lit your house at night.

[Griff]

Forgive me for suggesting this, but... have you thought about a Uberti '73 or Henry in .45 Colt. No powerhouse loads for sure. But... for plain old fashioned plinking and fun... I find my '73 Uberti about the 1st gun that get loaded in the truck for the trip to the back yard... and I fully expect the new Henry 1860 to be just as much fun!

EDIT: Forgot the #1 edict of the Forum! Post those pictrures!

[Ben_Rumson]

You might be able to punch out the Browning B92 44Mag.. both chamber and bore..Rim thickness is the same.. case length the same.. Rim OD looks like it would work... Or re barrel..Aside from the coil springs I think they were made like JMB designed them ...

[J Miller]

Griff,

Yes I have thought of the 73s and Henrys. I'd love to have one. Handled a few, and probably left slobber on a couple of them. I'm not sure though, I do want the ability to juice it up once in a while. Might have to keep one of the others if I did that.

Ben,
I suspect if you could find a B92 in .44 Mag, and a Miroku Winchester 92 barrel, it would be a fairly simple job to swap them. Both rifles were made in the same factory and I'll wager a box of primers the barrel threads are the same.

Joe

[20cows]

Puzzling problem!

All you need is a pre-AE post-64 receiver and the cartidge guides, lifter and barrel of one like you you have. Maybe a mag tube, but I'm not sure.

[Griff]

Puzzling problem!

All you need is a pre-AE post-64 receiver and the cartidge guides, lifter and barrel of one like you you have. Maybe a mag tube, but I'm not sure.

Ya think? Actually, the mag tubes for the 94 Winnie are all the same, IIRC. Very little difference between rim diameters in all the cartridges it's been chambered in.

[20cows]

I just acquired a receiver such as I mentioned, so they are out there for the patient and diligent!

[Ysabel Kid]

Joe, if you want personality and function, why not get a stock Rossi '92 in .45 Colt, and send it off to NKJ to have the hiddeous safety removed, and the action slicked-up? You can have some other stuff done as well, if you are so inclined. It will end up being the jewel of your armory!!!

[Pop Watts]

Can you guys get Chiappa rifles over there?
They are made in Italy and are a division of Armi Sport.
I have one on order at the moment.
They make a faithful repro of the 1892 Win that even has imperial thread sizes on all the screws, no safeties etc and list 45 Colt in Carbine, Rifle, Trapper and Mares Leg. Take down option is availabe in most configs and are blued, chrome or colour case hardened.
Just looked on the back of their catalogue and noticed they have a distributor in the US-

Chiappa Firearms, Ltd
PO Box 26178
Dayton Ohio
45426-0178
Tel 937 854 1040
http://www.chiappafirearms.com

My take down octagon rifle is sitting at the dealers now while I wait for my permit to come through from NSW Police.
Quality looks good and case hardening colours are great.
Check them out.
Pop.

[J Miller]

Joe, if you want personality and function, why not get a stock Rossi '92 in .45 Colt, and send it off to NKJ to have the hiddeous safety removed, and the action slicked-up? You can have some other stuff done as well, if you are so inclined. It will end up being the jewel of your armory!!!

Jay,
The whole point is ... it would have had the safety to start with. The two I have now "had" safety gadgets and they've been removed. What would I gain? In reality, nothing. The Rossi 92 won't do anything the two I have now won't do, so all I'd be doing is changing name plates for another modern rifle.

Griff, 20cows,
I've researched it quite thoroughly. I know exactly what parts I'd need to convert a pre-AE to a .45 Colt. But I really don't want to go that route. Too much trouble. And I've already got two many irons in the fire as it is.

Joe

Joe

[J Miller]

Pop,

I'm pretty sure somebody posted about that company some weeks back. I remember the mares leg version.
I'll go check it out anyway.

Joe

[edwardyoung]

Hey Joe,

Since I'm such a nice guy, I'll trade you my pre-safety, half-octagon Rossi in 45 for both of your 45 rifles. No need to thank me

[El Chivo]

Can you guys get Chiappa rifles over there?
They are made in Italy and are a division of Armi Sport.
I have one on order at the moment.
They make a faithful repro of the 1892 Win that even has imperial thread sizes on all the screws, no safeties etc and list 45 Colt in Carbine, Rifle, Trapper and Mares Leg. Take down option is availabe in most configs and are blued, chrome or colour case hardened.
Just looked on the back of their catalogue and noticed they have a distributor in the US-

Chiappa Firearms, Ltd
PO Box 26178
Dayton Ohio
45426-0178
Tel 937 854 1040
http://www.chiappafirearms.com

My take down octagon rifle is sitting at the dealers now while I wait for my permit to come through from NSW Police.
Quality looks good and case hardening colours are great.
Check them out.
Pop.

I just checked it out and one of the US distributors is Cimarron, so these are the same rifles. All 1892s are available in 45 Colt, plus they have many more rifle models such as Spencer carbine, etc, for even more choices.

I've been considering the 1892 24" in .357 for quite a while now. Don't really need it but...

Pop, let me know how it shoots!

[JustaJeepGuy]

It will probably be too late for Joe then, but won't the modern guns have "personality" in 50 years?

It would be hard to measure up to the old timers. Many of them were working guns back in the days when the horse and buggy was the main mode of travel and coal oil lanterns were how you lit your house at night.

In 50 years, we may be back to that....

[J Miller]

It will probably be too late for Joe then, but won't the modern guns have "personality" in 50 years?

It would be hard to measure up to the old timers. Many of them were working guns back in the days when the horse and buggy was the main mode of travel and coal oil lanterns were how you lit your house at night.

In 50 years, we may be back to that....

You think it will take that long? I'm not so sure about that.
.........................................

Hey Joe,

Since I'm such a nice guy, I'll trade you my pre-safety, half-octagon Rossi in 45 for both of your 45 rifles. No need to thank me

You know I looked at one of those about 9 years ago when I first moved to IL. I liked what I saw, but didn't have the $$$.$$ to buy it. Great offer, but I think I'll pass cos I'm not tradin two fer one. Joey twernt hatched out yesterday.

J e

[.45colt]

Joe,I too have pondered this for years.Browning did make a run of 92's in .45colt.most of them are well stored and very pricey.Navy arms made some nice 92's with walnut stocks.A few of them around....like You I am less than thrilled with My Winnie 94,even if it is a great test gun. I have a Uberti '73 that is super in every way but like You I need more power if need be. I have a buyer for the '73 and it looks like a model '76 is in my future.You can't always get what You want.

[KirkD]

Browning 92's in 45 Colt?!! I never knew about those! Those would be nice indeed ... and no modern tang safeties or rebounding hammer. That might be the cat's meow.

[J Miller]

Joe,I too have pondered this for years.Browning did make a run of 92's in .45colt.most of them are well stored and very pricey.Navy arms made some nice 92's with walnut stocks.A few of them around....like You I am less than thrilled with My Winnie 94,even if it is a great test gun. I have a Uberti '73 that is super in every way but like You I need more power if need be. I have a buyer for the '73 and it looks like a model '76 is in my future.You can't always get what You want.

I knew of the Browning B92s in .357 and .44 Mag, but I've never heard of or seen on in .45 Colt. If one of those could be found that would be interesting enough to get my attention.

I'm figuring if I keep my Marlin or my Winchester for the warm stuff, a 73 might be just the ticket. But I don't have the $$$$.$$ to even think of it.

Oh well, if I were to just get out and shoot what I got maybe I'd feel better about it.

Joe

[gak]

The "only" - and perfectly fine - way to go is a pre-safety Rossi 92--these abound in .45 Colt....available used in the old Interarms imported variety, or later EMF and Navy Arms (both of these pre 2006 for the no-safety stuff). The latter as one gent said was made with walnut stocks. Some of the (non N-A) Rossi stocks are "fine" too - with no-name South American wood of some sort (some ok looking, some not--on average at least "adequate") - and there was a period of time that, for some reason, they coated it in a sort of hideous near-black stain...but usually removable with some elbow grease. All in all, I'd get an older Rossi and, if the stock doesn't suit you, Precision Gun Stocks - and perhaps others - will be happy to supply you with Rossi 92 specific, genunine walnut stocks--there are apparently some differences in fit from the Win 92--or you can probably make some Win-specific ones fit with a bit of work.

I've had over a dozen of the older Rossis (in all the names mentioned above) and, contrary to one particular poster with a sour (and unfortunate, but to me prematurely ended) relationship with the Rossis, mechanically they've all be perfectly fine and reliable pieces (mine in .44 Mag, 44-40 and .357)--or were made that way without too much fuss. If you can't get it that way yourself (a couple of hundred "dry" leverings - if the gun's a bit new and/or stiff - can help), as some have said - send it off to NKJ for some fine tuning.

Rossi carbines over the years have always (almost) been available with the saddle ring, which I happen to like for authenticity (some 95% of the original 20" round barreled 20" Win's were so equipped), others don't. For a period, to satisfy the latter group, Rossi made a bunch (seemingly only) without. The rifle/carbine also was made for a period, variously, with the "Model 65" moniker - for some unknown reason. To end the confusion once and for all for those that might still be wondering, it's identical to the "92." To the original poster, good luck - but your answer is right in front of you--not that hard....or, as several have posted, the new-ish and more expensive Armi Sport model distributed through Taylors and Cimarron.

[J Miller]

"I" am the original poster, I've had a Rossi carbine in .45 Colt. It was no good muzzle to butt stock. I was totally disimpressed by it. I spent more money on gunsmith fees just getting it to shoot than it cost me.
I am not going that way again unless there's something really impressive about the gun, and I can test fire it before putting my $$$.$$ down.

I'm really glad you've had good luck with them, but I really do not want anything to do with the Brazilian 92s. I might look at the Italian ones when I can, but that's about it.

.............................................

The thing is, I'm beginning to realize my Marlin 1894 actually can trace it's ancestry back farther than the 92s can. So maybe I should find myself a machinist and have that safety situation taken care of to my satisfaction.

Joe

[Dave B]

Joe, yesterday I came across a Winchester non cataloged 1892 Deluxe Take Down in 45LC which is not listed on their site but is at Davidson's. It has a walnut stock, checkered pistol grip, 20" octagon barrel, and a cresent butt plate. Too bad that it also has the manual tang safety. Even still, guy might want to make room for one of these in the safe. Davidson's site said that this is one of 501 manufactured in 2008 (I didn't see or hear of any being out in 2008). They also list a 44-40 with the same features.
http://www.galleryofguns.com/Genie/Defa ... pen+Sights
http://www.galleryofguns.com/Genie/Defa ... pen+Sights
BTW, Winchester added an 1892 Short in 44 mag and 357 mag to their website yesterday.
http://www.galleryofguns.com/Genie/Defa ... pen+Sights

Dave B

[rangerider7]

I decided awhile back not to trade or buy any standard gun that is still being made. They just go down in value. Pre 64 is kinda my rule, but I have a few later models but they are no longer made like the Winchester 9422 mag. As for the 45 Colt in a long gun, too many have the problem of blow back because of not being necked down. I have traded or sold all my new guns but two and they will go soon. That's my 2 cents and IMHO.

[J Miller]

DaveB,

As nice as the Miroku Brownchester 92s are I will buy no more modern guns with safeties.
The whole idea of this thread was to get away from these abominations, not just to cover them up with Clyde Lugwig replacements or NKJ plugs or the like.

Joe

[Old Savage]

rangerider - you are just not putting enough powder in that 45 Colt - Cowboytutt can help you with those loads.

[Malamute]

The Miroku's are about the simplest to get rid of the modern safety parts. A Browning 92 hammer, trigger, mainspring and seat, and either cover the sliding tang slot with a tang sight (if you like those), or fill with a silver or gold plate with your initials in it.

[J Miller]

I decided awhile back not to trade or buy any standard gun that is still being made. They just go down in value. Pre 64 is kinda my rule, but I have a few later models but they are no longer made like the Winchester 9422 mag. As for the 45 Colt in a long gun, too many have the problem of blow back because of not being necked down. I have traded or sold all my new guns but two and they will go soon. That's my 2 cents and IMHO.

Light cowboy game loads are the worst for this. Shoot standard pressure loads and you don't have that problem.

As for switching out the rebounding hammer and other parts in a 92, you are missing the point. Let me make it plainer:
I do not want to retro fit or alter the new guns any more. I've been there and done that. I do not want to purchase any guns that are equipped with safeties or rebounding hammers or locks, no matter how easy it is to remove them.

I can't make it any plainer that that.

Joe