Winchester 44.40

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Winchester 44.40

Post by Grizzle » 07 Jan 2019, 6:44 pm

Hi all,
Looking for some info on this rifle. Mates uncle is on his last legs and looking at selling. Winchester 44.40. Serial number is 8297062. Octagonal barell. Any of you lever action gurus enlighten me about it?
Regards, Grizzle
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Re: Winchester 44.40

Post by duncan61 » 07 Jan 2019, 7:23 pm

In good condition they are worth between $600-$800 that example appears to be in poor condition so its worth what you can get or clean it up
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Re: Winchester 44.40

Post by in2anity » 07 Jan 2019, 8:21 pm

A couple of big selling points is barrel condition and action tightness. If the barrel is still good and the action locks up tight, a 24” half magazine one like that is desirable to silhouette shooters. Can you get the barrel inspected? Also there is a serial number check online from memory.
At what point does lack of maintenance become patina?
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Re: Winchester 44.40

Post by in2anity » 07 Jan 2019, 8:27 pm

I just noticed the barrel - what’s with the barrel 3/4 of the way up?
At what point does lack of maintenance become patina?
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Re: Winchester 44.40

Post by Grizzle » 07 Jan 2019, 8:35 pm

Hey In2anity,
Not sure about the barrel. I have not seen it yet. I’ll check it out and get back to you on it
Ruger Precision Rimfire .22
Henry .22WMR Lever
Ruger American .17HMR
Fabarm Gamma Lux 32" 12g O/U
1945 Lithgow SMLE .303
Tikka T3 204
Browning A-Bolt 30.06
Anschutz Match 54 .22 S/S Target
Grizzle
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Re: Winchester 44.40

Post by gunnnie » 07 Jan 2019, 10:04 pm

Its a Model 1892 half round - half octagonal. From those pics it actually doesn't look too bad. I've seen some a hell of a lot worse.
As has been said, as long as the bore & action are good, it's worth north of $550-600.
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Re: Winchester 44.40

Post by Noisydad » 07 Jan 2019, 10:18 pm

Dont worry about the outside too much. As mentioned earlier it's the barrel and action condition that matters. "92 actions are usually pretty solid and I'm yet to see a sloppy one. If they're good it'll be the funnest rifle you'll own! Be careful about judging the bore on a quick glance. It may look rough but just needs a proper clean out. There are a couple of good "how to dismatle a '92 action" videos on Youtube that make a fiddly job easy.
If you buy it and are going to cast bullets, dont use Lee mold bullets they're not too flash in old Winny barrels. Accurate Molds 43-205C is the bullet to use and are a very easy company to deal with that give excellent service.
There's still a few of Wile. E Coyote's ideas that I haven't tried yet.
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Re: Winchester 44.40

Post by No1Mk3 » 08 Jan 2019, 5:58 am

G'day Grizzle,
Get the thing appraised by a recognized expert, the last 1/2 octagon 44-40 I saw sold went over $2000. The half octagon represents only 6% of total 92 production and in the US can pull over US$6000 (that's 8400 Aus at todays rate) for a mint condition example. Cheers.
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Re: Winchester 44.40

Post by Daddybang » 08 Jan 2019, 6:31 am

Not often ya see a half n half winnie !!!
Would love to see it cleaned up.
If ya end up purchasing it keep us informed if ya don't mind grizzle!! :thumbsup: :drinks:
This hard living ain't as easy as it used to be!!!
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Re: Winchester 44.40

Post by Gamerancher » 08 Jan 2019, 7:37 am

As with anything, condition is key to value.
Going by the couple of pics, screws have been butchered, heavy surface rust, marks to timber.
I would imagine the bore would be in fairly ordinary condition also.
Of the just over 1 million '92's made, 598690 were in .44 caliber.
The serial number you give doesn't exist, too many numbers. However if the first three numbers are correct, it was made in 1916.
As a collectible it would be at the lower end of the scale, the part round barrel is its best feature.
Like all things it is worth what someone will pay for it. Minimum price going on appearance would be around $600, (assuming bore is cactus)
The part round barrel could double that.
Do not clean it up, more rifles are devalued by that than any other way. Wipe it down, run a few patches through the bore but do not try to remove rust by any sort of buffing or polishing. Also, if you don't know what you are doing, don't go stripping down the action.
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