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if you were going to buy a .45 LC Short Rifle, which one ?

17K views 24 replies 15 participants last post by  Mecanik 
#1 ·
am going to buy a .45 LC short rifle, and would like to hear some opinions on which is the best, quality and performance wise.....

I don't know if Browning (Miroku) or Winchester (also Miroku) ever produced the '92 in .45 LC, but think I would like to find one if possible.... mayhap someone could enlighten me ?.....
 
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#3 ·
yep....however that is a carbine, I want one in a Short Rifle, with the curved, metal-capped buttstock, the capped fore-end, and the dovetail barrel-tube fixture.... I don't know if they made one however....
 
#4 ·
yep....however that is a carbine, I want one in a Short Rifle,.... I don't know if they made one however....
I did a search on "1892 short rifle" and came up with several hits, Winchester, Navy, EMF, Chiappa, and Rossi. I like the looks of the short rifle over the carbine too but then, I'm addicted to octagonal barrels.

Sorry, I can't recommend a company as my '92 rifle maker (Armi San Marco) went out of business.
 
#9 ·
Maybe I couldn't help you as much as I wanted to. I surfed the Winchester, Cimarron, Chiappa, EMF, Navy Arms, Rossi, Puma, and Dixie Gun Works webs. Only Winchester is offering the '92 short rifle at the present. Cimarron has them but none are currently in stock. Your best bet is to check the auction houses for one, check with Cimarron as to when they will get new stock, or check with Winchester. Calibers are limited to .44 and .357 magnum IIRC. Best wishes on finding your rifle.
 
#7 ·
You will have to search for used ones, but look for either the EMF Hartford or Navy Arms short rifles. Both were by Rossi.

Marshall, fear not, your Armi San Marco has been resurrected. After Armi's "bankruptcy", they made a new sign, went back to work, buffed them a little more, added to the price and call them Chiappas. Honestly...
 
#10 · (Edited)
. . . Marshall, fear not, your Armi San Marco has been resurrected. After Armi's "bankruptcy", they made a new sign, went back to work, buffed them a little more, added to the price and call them Chiappas. Honestly...
Thanks for the good news. Last I heard of Armi San Marco, they had been taken over by American Western Arms (AWA). A check on the AWA site shows they are still in business offering primarily Colt SA and Lightning rifle clones but no '92 lever actions. Looks like Chiappa picked up that portion of the Armi San Marco products. This is getting so confusing that it's hard to keep up!
 
#12 ·
I don't know if a 20" takedown version is interesting to you but, Winchester(Miroku)/Davidson's produced a special run of 500 1892's in .45LC. They are still available at CDNN and several are on GB. I recently received mine and it is quite handsome indeed. The lockup is tight, for now, and the finish is typical Miroku, meaning...beautiful. The barrel tube band is attached in a curious manner. I suspect it is spot welded as there is only a straight cut in the barrel and no visible means of attachment from inside the band. The barrel is rollmarked with all manner of "crap" and is a bit of distraction but, overall...a fine rifle.

Ed

 
#13 ·
yep...

yep, this DOES interest me, and would be just peachy except for the pistol grip stock and the curved lever.....beautiful at any rate, and I'll keep looking....I did find that winchester actually had a very short run of them made up by Miroku around '98-2000 in a short rifle in .45 LC...so they are out there.... and I ~WILL~ have one....
 
#15 ·
Am also going to be buying a 45LC lever gun soon. Have looked at the Rossi which is probalbly the least expensive and the Uberti, but can't get my head around Italian made replicas of American firearms. I think I will settle for the, Henry 45LC Big Boy, to go with my 45LC Rugar Vaquero. I use my .308, M1a/M14 for the long shots. Good luck to you.
 
#16 ·
There's nothing wrong with the Italian Winchesters. I've got three of the 92's in 44 mag. :D Would it be nice to have an American made one ? Yes, but you'll likely never see another in our lifetime. The Henry's just don't LOOK right to me, and I've heard they have their problems too. The only problem I've had with the Rossi's was the magazine tube jumping the retainer screw with full house magnum rounds with heavy bullets. All that took was some minor work here at home to fix.
 
#17 ·
you need to find a Cimmarron to try first, ( Chiappa ), as the Henry's are very heavy and just don't "Feel" right to me, whereas the Cimmarron is an exact copy of a Winchester Model '92...I have one and it's wunnerful and in .45 LC to go with MY New Vaquero in .45 LC also.... I posted a picture in another thread, do a search for it it's great.

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#21 ·
I also love the short rifles. I had a Cimarron 1873 carbine in .44 W.C.F. that had to have the rear sight so far to the side of the dovetail to be zeroed at 100 yards that it was almost falling out of the slot. I was looking down the barrel in good light one day and the barrel was definetely crooked. I contacted Cimarron and they said if I had bought it new and had a receipt, they would look at it under warranty. But I had bought it used at a gun show, so they couldn't help me. I had been wishing it was a short rifle instead of a carbine, and Cimarron said they would sell me the octagon barrel, new stock and forearm and mag tube at their cost, but it was still several hundred dollars plus having the barrel fitted. I had a WRA/Miroku short rifle in 32/20 and it was nice. I believe they made or still make it in .45 LC., but haven't been keeping up lately. I had a Marlin 1894 short rifle in 45 LC. it was very handy, I remember it having a 16" octagon barrel. All I ever shot with it was a huge beaver that was eating through half of my big cottonwood trees down by the river, then he would give up and eat half way through another, so he had to go. I know it's not a M92 like you wanted, but a Marlin short rifle in .45 LC. might be found on the used market.
 
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