Back in May I picked up an Interarms Model 65 carbine in .44-40. It's simply a rebadged Rossi 92, which is a replica of the Winchester 1892.
Attached FileThe exterior condition and the bore are excellent, however the action was rough. This was long before Rossi bought new CNC machinery and not a lot of attention was paid to the internal fit.
One nice thing is that a prior owner installed studs for quick detach sling swivels. They will come in handy. I ordered a Hunter Company 1" carrying strap for it. (I have one on my Cabela's Hawken and like the simple design.)
As typical of Rossi 92s it was oversprung. I ordered reduced power springs for the hammer and ejector from Steve's Gunz.
Disassembly wasn't not difficult with the assistance of documents found online and a couple YouTube videos. Reassembly, on the other hand, was a bear. I wound up enlisting the assistance of my friend Nick who aside from being a shooter, is a mechanical engineer by training and generally the handiest guy I know.
Aside from fiddling to get it reassembled, we also had to debur a the ejector and ejector collar. The action is much smoother than it was when I got it but to feed properly you need to work it like it owes you money. I think as it gets shot more it'll get even smoother.
After we got it back we ran 31 rounds of my black powder, .44 Henry-equivalent handloads through it shooting at a gong (1.9cc or ~28 grains of 3Fg BP, a 1/8" thick nitro card to take up air space, and a 219 grain bullet cast in an Accurate Molds 43-215C.)
I'd forgotten to bring a bottle of moose milk with me so I just ran a patch with some Ballistol on it through the bore while still at Nick's, then finished cleaning it at home. I first wet brushed the bore and then after about 8 patches they came out clean. There was zero black powder fouling in the action because the thin .44-40 brass seals the chamber so well.
The 1892 and replicas have a very strong action. However, due to the simpler and easier to maintain design, if I was limited to one, I'd still prefer a Winchester 1873 over the 1892 for a long-term survival rifle. But there's nothing handier than an 1892 carbine.