Manufactured in 1909, this interestingly configured Model 1892 short rifle is very easy to imagine in the hands of an early 20th century cattle rancher in the American West, making a fantastic lightweight rifle for protecting both himself and his herd. It has Winchester factory oval proofs on the barrel and receiver at the breech. The two-line address is marked on top of the barrel, and the caliber marking is offset to the left at the breech. The left side of the lower tang is marked "6731," and the serial number is on the bottom of the receiver. The three-line model and trademark information is on the upper tang. It is fitted with a German silver blade front sight and an elevation adjustable buckhorn rear sight. It is mounted with a smooth forearm and period replacement straight grip stock fitted with a carbine buttplate, which may have simply been a personal preference of the original owner. These Model 1892s with shorter than standard barrels are quite scarce, Winchester expert and author George Madis stating, "One of each 850 rifles in this model had barrels shorter than standard." He also noted, "The short rifles are rare, since most people preferred the lighter weight carbines if they wanted a shorter gun" (The "Winchester Book," pages 375 and 377).

Fine, retains 70% of the original blue finish with the balance having thinned to a smooth grey patina with a few scattered patches of light pitting, exuding the look of a well-maintained working gun. The wood is also very good, the buttstock a period replacement as noted above, with some scattered minor handling marks, typical of a gun viewed as a trusted tool. Mechanically excellent.