Browning B-92 Levergun is beautiful

[HaroldB]

Finally found me a Browning 1892 clone in .44 mag and am in love.

At the range I sighted in at 75 yards with American Eagle 240 grn HP's. Put 2 X's, a ten and 3 nines using the small original buckhorn sights. Not bad for 60+ yo eyes.

Feels perfect in the hands and on the shoulder. Fit and finish are much better than my Rossi and the Marlin leverguns I have.

Enjoy -
http://gallery.photo.net/photo/17796292-md.jpg

[Hagler]

Harold,

Good for you! I got me one of them Brownings, too. It is the one on the right, with the Roosi large loop lever:



While it is a very well-made rifle, I found mine to be a bit stiff, when I got it from a pawnshop. I gave it the usual Rossi-type slicking-up, and it is much easier to operate. Also, I had to get used to the office-furniture-like finish on the seasoned, French Walnut wood. Please, continue to enjoy your new rifle.

Shawn

[AJMD429]

There, if it's ok with you, I posted your photo directly - just bracket the link with {img} and {/img}, using no spaces, and using "[" style brackets instead of "{" ones.

Makes it easier for folks to see your nice Browning...

[Pete44ru]

.

The Browning/Miroku B-92 exhibits some of the very best workmanship & lack of lawyer safeties.

Now you have to find one in .357.




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[Old Savage]

First time I shot mine at 50 yds with Win factory ammo I got a three shot clover leaf. That was the first and only group I shot with that ammo.

[Les Staley]

Had one a few years back that was not accurate..sold it...traded into another later that even likes cast 180 and 200 gr boolits..still with me.

[HaroldB]

It's surprising that cycling the action on a 32 year old levergun and find it "stiff", but it is. Wouldn't use it for SASS. This one hasn't been shot much. Probably in a closet/safe most of it's life. Even has a trace of rust where hands usually grab, so have those coated now. Not cleaned often either. On the rails, the oil/grease has turned to hard "shellac" that I'll soak in Frog Lube and maybe brass brush it.

As a Cowboy Action shooter I reloaded and shot .44 specials in the Rossi, but I've read the B-92 likes 44 magnum length for good feeding. Anyone have experience with that?

[Malamute]

I don't recall shooting spls in mine, I prefer to use magnum cases with lighter loads to keep the chamber clean.

9 grs Unique w/ a 200 gr rnfp makes a nice pleasant load, similar to the original 44-40 load. Fine for plinking and small game.

[M. M. Wright]

Very pretty Harold. I always wanted to convert one to 44-40 but the chamber won't clean up the 44 Mag. There's still a little ring left.

[GonnePhishin]

Harold B
If you give it a good cleaning and cycle the action a couple hundred times it should smooth out.
Nice looking piece

Ditto on yours too, Hagler with drool

[7.62 Precision]

The lines are very nice on those rifles. It seems people report hit-and-miss accuracy on the .44 Mag rifles. If it shoots accurately, then it is a really nice rifle. Excellent purchase, and I bet it smooths and lightens with use. Also, old caked oil can make the action feel much stiffer than it actually is.

I actually like the finish they put on the stocks of the older Browning leverguns. It strips off way easier than the thick poly finish that is in the newer Winchesters!

[Malamute]

I think the accuracy thing has to do with groove diameter and relatively shallow rifling. Some guns had tight bores, some not quite as much so. Within industry spec, but perhaps not optimal for the bullets being tried in them.

[7.62 Precision]

I think the accuracy thing has to do with groove diameter and relatively shallow rifling. Some guns had tight bores, some not quite as much so. Within industry spec, but perhaps not optimal for the bullets being tried in them.

That is in line with what I had heard. I know some have said that their rifles shot extremely well with some bullets and extremely poorly with others, or that sizing was critical

[1886]

.

The Browning/Miroku B-92 exhibits some of the very best workmanship & lack of lawyer safeties.

Now you have to find one in .357.




.

I agree. Very nice rifles and yours is no exception. I have owned a couple of the B-92 rifles chambered in .44 mag. I had accuracy issues with each one. I considered the possibility of having the prettiest one converted to .45 Colt. I never really pursued it though. I am glad to hear yours is a goodie. The .357 mag. examples are great shooters in my experience. 1886.

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

I think the accuracy thing has to do with groove diameter and relatively shallow rifling. Some guns had tight bores, some not quite as much so. Within industry spec, but perhaps not optimal for the bullets being tried in them.

That is in line with what I had heard. I know some have said that their rifles shot extremely well with some bullets and extremely poorly with others, or that sizing was critical

It's not so much the bore size, as it is more to do with the twist. For a period of time they were doing 1 in 38 twist for both the 44's and the 357's. the problem is i just don't have enough info on the DOM's to know when they did this.
I had one here awhile back for the same reason. We re-bored and retimed it to 45lc at 1 in 20 and it does much better now.

[Malamute]

I don't know how the 357's shot, but 1-38 has been industry standard for 44 mag rifles for ages, until very recently when the heavier bullets became popular. Even the 444 Marlin used a 1-38 for a long long time. Many of those guns shot quite well, as do many of the Brownings. I hadn't heard that they changed the Browning 92's twist at any point, considering how short of a time they made them, and that was before the heavier bullets were so popular.

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

I don't know how the 357's shot, but 1-38 has been industry standard for 44 mag rifles for ages, until very recently when the heavier bullets became popular. Even the 444 Marlin used a 1-38 for a long long time. Many of those guns shot quite well, as do many of the Brownings. I hadn't heard that they changed the Browning 92's twist at any point, considering how short of a time they made them, and that was before the heavier bullets were so popular.

That's true for the 44 and 45 cal Marlin and Wins but not the Rossi. They have always been 1 in 30" and with the 240's and up have been out shooting them.
To be honest with you I'm not sure about the 357m B92 either. They are probably faster than 1 in 38

[Malamute]

What you say makes sense.

Once I learned more about different guns and twist rates in various calibers, I never understood why they stayed with that twist rate for so long in the 44 rifles. It seemed to work OK, though as we know now, it could have been better yet.

Funny how none of the handgun makers used that twist rate (1-38),.....

Williamsons book The Winchester Lever Legacy shows the twist rate of the Browning 357 as 1-18 3/4".

His groove diameter on the 44 Browning he used (.426") was tighter than most report, though the twist was the same. He reported very good accuracy with several loads, and so-so with a couple others. The 250 gr Barnes were under 2" @ 100 yards. Others ran a bit over 2", a few were in the 6-7" group range.