Browning 1892 barrel specs in 357

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mickbr
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Browning 1892 barrel specs in 357

Post by mickbr »

Fellas anyone know the barrel twist and groove diameter of the 1980's vintage B92's in 357? I have the chance to pick one up. I know they were well made but cant find out anything about the barrel. I know browning did some 1:38 but not sure which calibre it was in- the 44 mags rifling and bore apparently made them poor for cast bullets. Thanks for any info on the 357
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Grizz
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Re: Browning 1892 barrel specs in 357

Post by Grizz »

mickbr wrote: Thu Jul 23, 2020 7:18 am Fellas anyone know the barrel twist and groove diameter of the 1980's vintage B92's in 357? I have the chance to pick one up. I know they were well made but cant find out anything about the barrel. I know browning did some 1:38 but not sure which calibre it was in- the 44 mags rifling and bore apparently made them poor for cast bullets. Thanks for any info on the 357
the 1:38 was definitely in the 44 mag B92, I have one... but IDK about the 357. I've never noticed a barrel that slow in 357, but it could exist.

I would buy any shootable B92 in working order regardless, if the price was low enough
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Re: Browning 1892 barrel specs in 357

Post by mickbr »

Thanks Grizz. Just wondering whether these would have any advantage mechanically or accuracy wise over a Rossi 92?
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Re: Browning 1892 barrel specs in 357

Post by kaschi »

I have both (Browning and Rossi) and can honestly say if I had to choose one over the other as far a quality goes, the Browning wins every time. The Rossi is nice but my preference go to the B92.
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Grizz
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Re: Browning 1892 barrel specs in 357

Post by Grizz »

mickbr wrote: Thu Jul 23, 2020 9:11 am Thanks Grizz. Just wondering whether these would have any advantage mechanically or accuracy wise over a Rossi 92?
I personally think that the B92 was better made, in its day, than the Rossi was in the B92's day. I think the B92 was made with better materials and equal or better manufacturing than any extant Win 92s. I'm not saying that there was anything wrong with the winchesters, but I am saying that manufacturing controls and metalurgy progressed measurably from one to the other.

My opinion about Rossi 92s is based on internet rumors and my daughter's stainless Rossi 92 in 45 Colt. I see that the Rossi was eventually made in .480 I think? That would be a very useful piece if it is built to the quality standards of the Miroku factory , something I have no knowledge about. I wonder if Rossis only got the support of the Cowboy Action tribe, or if there are people staking their lives on it in the hunting grounds of Alaska, surrounded by 1000+ pound apex preditors . . . which is my filter point . . .
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Re: Browning 1892 barrel specs in 357

Post by Nate Kiowa Jones »

mickbr wrote: Thu Jul 23, 2020 9:11 am Thanks Grizz. Just wondering whether these would have any advantage mechanically or accuracy wise over a Rossi 92?
Both the 357's and the 44's started out with the 1 in 38 twist. At about the same time Marlins were doing the same. The guns did OK with full power ammo but not so well with the slower stuff. I actually converted one of the 44's to 45lc for a feller. I had John Taylor re-bore it to IIRC 1-22 then it got retimed for the slightly bigger round.

As for fit and finish they are top notch. That said, even though the Rossi isn't as nice, the Rossi's are less ammo sensitive. The Browning and the current Miroku Wins basically use the same geometry of the original cart guides. Sounds good but the problem is the originals were all bottleneck carts. Bottlenecks always feed better than straightwall ammo, whether it is a rifle cal or a pistol cal. That's because you have a small diameter bullet going into a really big hole by comparison, the bottleneck chamber being much like a funnel.

One of the things Rossi did years ago was redesign the cart guides by changing the angle of the rim slots so the back end comes up sooner. So they tend to be less ammo sensitive


BTW, someone told me the last of the B92's in 357's and 44's had a different faster twist. I just don't know that as fact.
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Grizz
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Re: Browning 1892 barrel specs in 357

Post by Grizz »

BTW, someone told me the last of the B92's in 357's and 44's had a different faster twist. I just don't know that as fact.
That's interesting because I have an old beaten up B92 in pieces in a bucket, with a take-out barrel in 44mag to replace the bulged one. When I find that barrel I will check its twist rate. I would be thrilled to find a 1:20 44mag barrel that fits the Miroku receiver. A little chamber reaming and it might feed Marshall's 405g bullet. Wow! That would be fantastic. A true woods rifle companion to the redhawk 405g loads. hoping . ....
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Re: Browning 1892 barrel specs in 357

Post by mickbr »

i forgot where I put this. Thanks for all the replies. Well I ended up passing on the B92 as some of the details could not be worked out with the seller. And I got my second ever Rossi 92 in 357. This is a nice little 20" round barrel. Previous gun was the 24" octagon, just too darn heavy. This one also feeds short 38 specials(1.43" COAL) like a dream. I am no cowboy shooter but it digests them as fast as I can cycle anyway. Thanks go to Rossi for their altered geometry as Steve says. First gun was stainless, this one is blued and I find it quite attractive.I'm no expert connosieur of guns. ''Fit and finish' to me is whether the gun fits my LOP and I can finish cycling rounds from loading to firing. Im 'style blind' to everything else :)
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Re: Browning 1892 barrel specs in 357

Post by AJMD429 »

Dunno the twist, but as to picking a Browning versus Rossi, I might pick the Browning since I already have a Rossi, and I like variety, but if I didn't have a levergun in a given chambering and had to choose between the two, since I'd be taking it out and shooting it and getting any 'collector value' lost pretty quickly from scratches and dings, I'd likely pick the Rossi if all else were equal.

Between me and my kids and my friends, we've had LOTS of Rossi's, and only one had any issues - it was one of about five 454 Casulls the bunch of us owned (...of course it would be MINE... :| ), and had an oversized chamber and split cases. It was back in my hands with a new barrel within less than three weeks from when I sent it to Rossi for repair (after getting a Return Authorization Number over the phone). . It's a little 16" 92 in 454 Casull, and it would surely be the carbine in my hands if I camped in Bear Country. If I were actually hunting bear with a firearm, I would certainly be comfortable with it among my leverguns - the only levergun competition would be my 444 Marlin, but the shorter cartridges seem to cycle so much faster an naturally from the 92's than the 336's or Winchester 94's.
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Re: Browning 1892 barrel specs in 357

Post by Booger Bill »

I have one of each. A Browning 92 in .44 mag That I bought in the 1970s when they first came out, and a Rossi in 357 about yen years ago. I have shot each relatively little, BUT: First the browning loading gate broke in two on me. They arent exactly like the old winchester 92. The winchester`s had a two piece gate. Spring screwed on the actual gate. Browning is a one piece spring/gate. First dealer wouldnt sell me one, said it had to be installed by him! It aint brain surgery! Went to another dealer friend and he ordered one.
I also had a little trouble with the Rossi hanging up. I need to work with it as I forgot whether it was the bullet length, case length or whatever shooting specials.
I found out the 357 is a sweetheart to shoot compared to the .44 mag. The .44 will thump you, the 357 is just fine and except for grizz or whatever I believe it will kill a deer just as dead as the .44 mag.
Here is a picture of the pair. They "look" identical. Browning has the gold trigger, (I would prefer blue)
I put slip pads on both for LOP.
https://i.postimg.cc/wvwZ3j3y/35744mag.jpg
mickbr
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Re: Browning 1892 barrel specs in 357

Post by mickbr »

very nice there booger bill. And thanks for the further posts fellas.

Well just hijacking my own thread , I put a few boxes of ammo and dummies through the gun to practice cycling it, and it works like a dream. However thumb is a bit raw getting the last round past that gate, the women in the family found it too hard to do at times. Also the brass gets some long scratches on it. No tears or spilits, just surface marks, is this serious and should it be attended to?

The cycling itself is fine, it digests everything so I dont want to interfere too much with anything that might change the guns ability to cycle short 38 special. One of its main purposes will be plinking for smaller members of the family.

Would shortening the mag spring make loading easier and keep it feeding well?
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Re: Browning 1892 barrel specs in 357

Post by Tycer »

Sounds like a few strokes with a rat tail file on the inside edge of the gate opening might be a good start in diagnosing.
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