Iver Johnson Wagonmaster .22 lever rifle

rossowmn

November 13, 2012 00:51

Any Iver Johnson experts out there? I need information about the Iver Johnson "Wagonmaster" lever-action .22 beyond what little the Blue Book says. I'm wondering about serial numbers in particular, but other info is also welcome. I found an Iver Johnson lever .22 at the Tulsa show that I'm sure is a Wagonmaster, but the barrel markings only say it's an I J .22; The Blue Book says nothing about an I J Western-style lever gun except as a "Wagonmaster." I've seen identical guns except they were marked "Wagonmaster," so I'm curious why mine is missing that label. This gun has a mid-four-digit serial number so I'm wondering whether it might be an early model that was made before the "Wagonmaster" name was added. That's just a guess, of course, and, no, the model name couldn't have been buffed out before a reblue; the gun is in almost-new condition except for an unfortunate scratch from where another gun apparently fell against it.

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  hrf

  November 13, 2012 01:32

  The late Bill Goforth's I. J. book lists only a Wagonmaster with 18-1/2" barrel and a Wagonmaster Junior with 16-3/4" barrel, imported 1985-88 from Germany.
  
  There are no serial number records.
  
  http://www.leverguns.com/leverguns/Iver_johnson_wagonmaster.htm

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  rossowmn

  November 13, 2012 03:52

  Thanks for your reply. This one has the 18-1/2" barrel and the German Erma Werke markings on the metal, along with a tiny I J owl. It has all the features of the Wagonmaster. It's just odd that it isn't labeled "Wagonmaster," but that may have been added to later guns. Mechanically, it seems identical to the several Ithaca Model 72 lever guns I have; they, too, were Erma Werkes guns.
  
  quote:Originally posted by hrf
  The late Bill Goforth's I. J. book lists only a Wagonmaster with 18-1/2" barrel and a Wagonmaster Junior with 16-3/4" barrel, imported 1985-88 from Germany.
  
  There are no serial number records.
  
  http://www.leverguns.com/leverguns/Iver_johnson_wagonmaster.htm

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  rufe-snow

  November 13, 2012 05:41

  One of the German proof marks should be a coded date, in the format of two capitol letters.

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  BigLoop22

  November 13, 2012 07:38

  rossowmn,
  
  The current version of your rifle is made, in the United States, by Henry Repeating Arms Company. The Imperatos were involved with Ithaca, and with Iver Johnson. Now, they own all of the tooling to make the rifle. Henry has made some improvements, too.
  
  There were several variations of your rifle, while Erma manufactured them. Here is a link to some information (with pictures & diagrams), to show just some of the variations that Erma produced, plus some information on the Henry connection:
  
  http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=458413
  
  Here is part of my response to another member:
  
  quote:Fotheringill,
  
  As I was told, many years ago, by Anthony Imperato, Mr. Lou designed the Model 72. Also, years ago (circa 2003), Ithaca had a completely different Web site, complete with a decent history of the 1970s timeframe. During the early Seventies, someone named "Imperato" worked for Ithaca. The Model 49, singleshot rifle, was in production. They had just introduced the Model 49R, a repeating rifle. The 49R was problematic, and Ithaca did not return them to their owners, if they were sent back for repair. Ithaca gave those people a voucher for $$$-off of any other Ithaca rifle. The Model 72 Saddlegun was the replacement for the 49R. Erma, in Germany, produced the Model 72. I understand that the 72 went on sale in 1973.
  
  As history tells us, the Imperatos were, again, involved with another gun manufacturer: Iver Johnson. Iver Johnson also sold the Erma-produced leverguns & pump rifles. The levergun was called "The Wagonmaster" by Iver Johnson.
  
  I have read (one questionable reference) that Excam also sold the Erma rifles.
  
  In the 1990s, Erma went bankrupt, and Iver Johnson stopped selling the Wagonmaster. Henry Repeating Arms Company buys the rights & tooling to manufacture the old rifles, and moves production to the U.S.A.

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  spasmcreek

  November 13, 2012 15:21

  i have one of the 72 deluxe engraved...haven't been able to find another to put with it

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  rossowmn

  November 18, 2012 02:50

  Thank you so much to everyone who replied, and for the links with great information about the Erma guns and the Ithaca 72. I have three of the 72s, so I was interested to read the writeups about them. I still wonder why my new Iver Johnson isn't actually marked "Wagonmaster." I saw one at a show several years ago (and foolishly passed on it) that was marked. I hope i didn't overpay for my Iver Johnson -- about the same price as a new H001 Henry -- but I can get a Henry any day (already have two, in fact), but I believe the Iver Johnson version is scarce. It's only money.[:)]

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  BigLoop22

  November 18, 2012 18:00

  You are welcome,rossowmn.[:)] Almost 40 years after their introduction, the design still holds up well. Enjoy your new rifle![:D]

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