Browning B92 and cast boolits

[win92]

Well I'm about ready to give up!!.
This thing shoots like a dream with jacketed stuff but more like a shotgun with cast bullets.
I only bought it to shoot cast with and I just can't make it work.
From what I understand they had at least 2 differant types of rifling in their makeup.
A ballard style and a less desireable modified micro-groove style. Of course I have the Micro-groove type. I even went so far as to drill and tap for a williams peep (that I hated to do even though the sights are great.) Shot them gas checked not checked. Soft, hard, straight Lino, wheel weights . Even give up for a while and passed the gun to a Cast bullet Buddy who really knows his stuff. (he kept it for 2 months and it frustrated the @#$& out of him.
Clover leaf 5 shots at 50yds with jacketed and 8-10 in all over the place with anything else.
OH well trade bait!!

[Buck Elliott]

Caliber...?

Slugged barrel...?

Groove diameter...?

Then maybe we can help

[Rimfire McNutjob]

I didn't realize Browning ever used Micro-Groove rifling. Is this the 44 Mag?

[Buck Elliott]

Browning's version is a little different from Marlin's. It worked for my old '92 and cast bullets (429421s sized .430 and cast from wheelweights or linotype...)

The gun eventually got a Sharon, .45 Colt barrel and never looked back.

[win92]

Ya its a 44 Mag .429 slugged bore. Tried .429 dia tried .430 and .431 didn't go smaller.
It will lead with a soft unchecked bullet. As they get harder no leading. Checked bullets won't lead any wich way I make them. I have a pretty good casting experiance under my belt at this time. I make all my own sizing dies and have no problems casting for a host of other rifles, and a 44 blackhawk. But this thing is making me pull my hair out!!.

[Buck Elliott]

Did you swamp out all the jacketed bullet fouling before you tried you cast bullet loads..?

[win92]

Did you swamp out all the jacketed bullet fouling before you tried you cast bullet loads..?

YA i've tried that though personally I don't ever see a differance in my other rifles.
but my buddy absolutley insists on never mixing cast and jacketed. Mike Venturino did an article a while back on this issue and said he felt it was a myth?? I really want this B92 to work so I've tried everything I can think of. I just don't understand How it can shoot jacketed so well and as soon as I try lead its a disaster. If the lead shot into a 2.5 inch group at 50 yds I'd be pleased But its horrible sometimes it will miss the 12" square paper.

[J Miller]

win92,

Have you checked for any tight spots in the barrel? That's about the only other thing I can think of right now.

Joe

[win92]

Ill push a slug through and post results

[Terry Murbach]

THERE IS ANOTHER THING TO CONSIDER, THE QUALITY OF THE CAST BULLETS. BULLETS MISS A TARGET LIKE YOU'RE DESCRIBING BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT STABLE AND ARE TUMBLING. IN OTHER WORDS, EITHER THE BULLETS ARE LOPSIDED stuff OR THEY ARE NOT ENGAGING THE RIFLING TO BE STABILIZED.

[JFE]

A B-92 in 44 mag will certainly test your patience if your trying cast in it. I've often thought of re-barreling mine but have persisted in trying to make it work and I'm finally starting to get some results. The barrel in my rifle is a shallow multi groove design and shoots reasonably well with jacketed. The trick to them, as with the micro groove Marlins, is to use a larger diameter bullet, a harder alloy and a GC. This formula tends to work reasonably well.

The throating for pistol cals in rifles just compounds the problem. Check out the chamber drawings available in the reference area on this site. Rifles in pistol cals generally have long throats and when you use soft cast pills can result in accuracy problems. The throat length is about 0.22 as far as I can measure.

I'm still experimenting with mine but so far bullets left unsized (at 0.434) and have a BHN of around 16 work well. I have some loads using a 300 gr cast HP that are close to jacketed levels of accuracy. I think the larger diameter and longer bearing surface of the 300 gr help centralise the cartridge in the chamber, fill the throat and bridge the gap from the end of the chamber to the beginning of the rifling. Hits like a hammer too.

Joe

[win92]

SLugged the bore again and can't report any noticable loose or tight spots.
This rifle has 12 lands 12 groove fairly shallow style rifling. I will try to locate some heavier (300gr) cast bullets to try, maybe try and make something larger than .431??
I can make em hard . This gun is soooo nice to carry I really don't want to part with it, but It's got to behave with cast not jacketed! Thanks for the advice guys !!

[1886]

My experience with several .44 mag. chambered B-92 rifles was not good with cast or jacketed. I am probably the exception. My B-92 .357 is a killer. 1886.

[Terry Murbach]

My experience with several .44 mag. chambered B-92 rifles was not good with cast or jacketed. I am probably the exception. My B-92 .357 is a killer. 1886.

I WAS GONNA SAY THIS TOO, BUT I DIDN'T WANT TO PEE IN SOMEONE'S SOUP BOWL. BY'N' LARGE MANY OF THE BROWNING ' 92 44MAG CARBINES DO NOT SHOOT MUCH BETTER THAN A NOISY SLINGSHOT. SOME WILL NOT SHOOT ANYTHING FOR SOUR APPLES, JACKETED OF LEAD BULLETS. SOME OF THEIR 44MAG BARRELS ARE SIMPLY ONE SMALL STEP BELOW WORTHLESS. WERE I IN THIS PINCH I WOULD BE CONTACTING BROWNING SERVICE IN MISSOURI ABOUT FIXING/REBARRELING MY INACCURATE 44MAG CARBINE . THE WORST THEY COULD SAY WAS "NO" AND YOU HEARD THAT ALREADY FIRST THING THIS MORNING.
THE GUN IS WORTH REBARRELING IMHO IF ALL ELSE FAILS.

THIS IS NOT TRUE ABOUT THE 357MAG BR. ' 92 CARBINES.

[1886]

If one chooses to re-barrel their B-92 .44 mag., it is worth the effort if it does not shoot, consider replacing the barrel bands with the Marlin units. You will be most pleased. 1886.