Pistol Caliber Carbines Aren’t New

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After the 1873 Winchester, the Models 1876 and 1886 arrived chambered in what we normally think of as rifle cartridges such as the .45-60 and .45-70. Then, in 1892, Winchester went back to their pistol-length roots by modernizing the 1873 Winchester into what is basically a miniaturized Model 1886, yet chambered in the same cartridges as the Model 1873 Winchester. The Model 1892 proved to be one of the slickest handling and strongest lever-action carbines of all time.

Although Real Pistol Caliber Carbines are lever actions, we do see the beginnings of handy carbines with the arrival of the .351 Winchester Self Loading (WSL) in the semi-automatic model of 1907. In 1941 the United States military adopted the .30 M1 Carbine, which was widely used in WWII. Ruger still chambers their Blackhawk revolver in .30 Carbine.

The modern era of PCC lever-action-style began in the early 1950s. Ward Koozer, a gunsmith in Arizona, began converting .32-20 Winchester Model 1892s to .357 Magnum. One of my favorite articles found in this magazine at the time was by Kent Bellah and featured his sixgun/levergun combination consisting of a 3 ½” Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum and a Koozer-converted Model 1892.

I believe the first factory-produced Magnum pistol caliber lever-action carbines were the Winchester 1894 and the Marlin 336 both chambered in .44 Magnum in the late 1960s. In 1969, the old Marlin 1894 was resurrected and offered in .44 Magnum, and then later in .44-40. This action, being shorter, is better suited to sixgun cartridges than the .30-30-length Model 336 action. Marlin also made a special run of Trapper-style 1894 carbines in .44 Magnum and .45 Colt with a 16 ¼” barrel, full magazine tube holding seven or eight rounds depending upon the nose length of the bullet, a recoil pad on its straight gripped stock, checkering on forearm and buttstock, and excellent sights.

Winchester would also go on to chamber their Model 1894 in .45 Colt and .357 Magnum offering both in Trapper versions. In the 1970s, Marlin brought forth their Model 1894C chambered in .357 Magnum. This is one of the handiest carbines ever offered and our family has four of them currently in use. Marlin also chambered this little carbine in .32 Magnum, .32-20, and .25-20. Since they did not come up with one in .327 Magnum, I had my local ’smiths convert one of the .32 Magnums to this longer cartridge.