My gunsmith called me up at the office yesterday to tell me he had picked up 3 Winchesters that he wanted me to have a look at. Great "antiques" with many scarce options and "different" calibers. For sure I am picking all three up.
One however has us baffled. It bears the markings of an 1892 on the tang, but has all the features of a 53, such as caliber, barrel length, 2/3 magazine and cap. The barrel has no markings except for a Winchester stamp on top, near the receiver. It is'nt even mentionned what caliber it is, we had to figure that one out ourselves (32-20). I have the Winchester book here at home and have been looking through it intensively to solve this mystery. The serial number is in the 1892 sequence, but listed in 1925 (the 53 was introduced in 1924). I am thinking that this creature might be a Winchester factory hybrid, where 1892 parts were used to assemble a 53. Is this possible? Anyone ever seen such a gun? Is it possible that it was just assembled as such by a gunsmith at some time? Could it be an 1892 with "specific" options that make it "look" like a 53?
I dunno...what do you guys think?
Sport240
