Ordered an Antique Winchester 1892

I've been getting the wants for another levergun and ran across a circa-1895 Winchester 1892 in .38 WCF (.38-40) at Simpson's Ltd. I called them up today, asked a few questions about it, and decided to order it. It should ship on Tuesday or Wednesday. Since it was made before 1898, it is legally an "antique" and can be shipped right to my door, no FFL required.

Here are a couple of pictures borrowed from Simpson's:

It's a Sporting Rifle with a 24-1/4" barrel and a 12 shot magazine. (I can get 14 .44 WCFs in my Cimarron 1873 Sporting Rifle, so it'll be interesting if the 1892 can actually be loaded up to the same capacity.) The rifles are not as handy as carbines but I find them easier to shoot accurately due to the longer sight radius. It might get a period tang sight.

After I got off the phone with Simpson's I went over to MidwayUSA and ordered a couple boxes of Ultramax .38-40 cowboy loads. However, I plan mainly to shoot handloads since .38 WCF factory ammo isn't exactly cheap.

I load black powder .44 WCF ammo for use in my Cimarron 1873, so I'm familiar with what's entailed. But I'll probably also try smokeless loads with Unique and Reloder 7, though I will not be trying to hot-rod a 125 year old rifle.

I'm going to look for an original Winchester 1882 loading tool and mold, or an Ideal tong tool with an integral mold.

This should be a lot of fun.