What to do with Damaged Browning 92 .44mag

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PatientWolf

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I picked up a Browning 92 (Miroku) a couple years ago that has turned out to be a very bad investment. It was a consignment gun that evidently some unethical person decided to pass on to someone else. It appeared to be in good condition a and operated very smoothly when I looked at it at the LGS. I made what I considered a reasonable offer and the seller accepted. I picked up some snap caps so I could cycle and dry fire it without worrying about damage.

At home, I eventually learned that the hammer was following if I cycled the lever quickly so I took it to a local smith. He charged me $140 to fix it and to put an abomination of a front sight on the gun. I took it to the range and it operated smoothly for the 20 rounds I fired. I had other guns to shoot that day as well.

Dry cycling the lever a few months later, the hammer was following again. I was not about to go back to the first smith due to the his 2nd grade quality of work on the sight and failure to fix the problem. I took the gun to another smith who was able to locate parts to fix the hammer follow issue.

Then he informed me the gun had bigger problems. Evidently, the previous owner had fired a squib and then fired another round and bulged the barrel. He was not able to locate a replacement barrel.

So being the person I am, i refused to pass a damaged gun to another unsuspecting person, but I have no use for a gun I can't shoot.

What would you do in this situation? The way I see it, my options are:

1. Trade it in if I can find a police gun turn-in day.
2. Take it home and keep trying to find a barrel (though I doubt the gun is worth that).
3. Try to part out the good components.
 
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OOOOoooorrrrr.... (and I smile here ;) ), the OP could garner
some real Range-Wow Factor and convert to that 44-40.


`Course `ya gotta be a reloader to get full potential, but just
add that to the RWF. :D
 
Time is on your side as you already own the rifle and it cost you nothing to hold on to it. If finding a barrel proves to be impossible then perhaps you could convert it to a "Mares Leg" (depending on where the bulge is located). Your final option, as you stated, is part it out and sometimes that is the best option. Good luck on however you choose to deal with it.

One final thought. The seller may have inherited the rifle without ever knowing of the problem. Then again they may have been less than honest.
 
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Or, if it's safe to continue using, just keep shooting it for fun.
Not every gun we own has to be perfect to be enjoyed.
Lots of barrels still shoot good enough even with flaws.
Did the smith who noticed the bulge tell you not to shoot it ever again?

A friend managed to very slightly bulge the barrel in his High Power and continued using it for years that way.
He claimed the bulge tightened up the barrel to slide and improved the accuracy.
It did still shoot pretty good.

I once had a .22 with a bend in the barrel.
After repeated attempts to straighten it I finally just learned to live with it and aim to the right a little.
It still provided a lot of good range time.
And a lot of fun when your hot shot pal challenges to a impromptu contest and you get to choose the shootin' iron.

Like you I won't pass on defective stuff unless it's to a knowledgeable person with full disclosure.
Surprisingly there are plenty of folks who don't mind the challenge.
So you more than likely will find a few at any show that you can sell it to with a clear conscience.
 
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Orrrr...

You could have the barrel relined...
Click to expand...

Not to 44 Magnum, too much pressure. 44-40 is possible.
Click to expand...

Hmm...

After researching, I see you are right...I apologize for the suggestion...

Could the following be a viable option?

Find a .357 barrel, and have the chamber recut for .357/.44 Bain & Davis?
 
Troops, a 44-40/High-Velocity load (as originally set up for the `92) puts a 200gr
slug out at 1,500-1,600fps from a rifle barrel -- and is nothing to sneeze at.
 
You could strip it to parts and sell them off individually. I did this over the winter with a couple of old rifles I had laying around, that werent in firing shape and pretty rough. I made out quite well selling them on EBay, and got a lot more than I would have ever got selling them intact.

There is a thriving parts business going on there, and pretty much everything sells. I would sell the barrel, and any parts you think might be an issue as well, just describe whats up with them and let the buyer decide. Ill bet someone buys them.
 
Shot 20 rounds through the bulged barrel and nothing bad happened? Okay, so if the group size isn't horrible, and it hits as aimed, I see no reason to not shoot it.

That buys time for decision-making at some later date. "I gotta do something!" is what politicians do. :)
 
Options that come to mind, but haven't been addressed yet...


1. Sell it to someone that understands the condition and wants the rifle for parts or to rebarrel it.

2.a. Depending upon where the bulge is, it may be possible to chop the barrel and recrown.
2.b. Depending upon where the bulge is, it may be possible to chop the barrel and permanently install a barrel extension to keep it legal length (muzzle brake, bloop tube, whatever...).
2.c. Depending upon where the bulge is, it could be a candidate for a Short-Barrel-Rifle application (Mare's Leg?).

3. If the bugle is small and concentric, it may be safe to continue shooting it as-is.

4. Use it for shot shells.


If it were up for sale, I would be an interested party (as-is). But you'd likely be out of my price range, even with the defects.
 
Bulged barrels seldom affect accuracy. Just keep the gun, shoot it and enjoy it.
Think about it-you didn't even KNOW the barrel was bulged until you were told about it.
 
"Bulged barrels seldom affect accuracy. Just keep the gun, shoot it and enjoy it."

This. I've seen barrels that look as if a snake is swallowing an egg, and yet they still turn in excellent accuracy.
 
Find a .357 barrel, and have the chamber recut for .357/.44 Bain & Davis?
Click to expand...

Funny you should mention that, the same idea crossed my mind. Then I realized that it probably won't be any easier to find a 357 replacement barrel than it was to find a 44.
 
you could sell it to me, & I'd have my retired machinist buddy rebarrel it for me from a 44 barrel blank :)

I'm sure you could find someone to do the same for you...;)

BTW... while I've seen bulged barrels that shot OK... I could never own one... just knowing it was bulged & weaker in that area...:o
 
BTW... while I've seen bulged barrels that shot OK... I could never own one... just knowing it was bulged & weaker in that area
Click to expand...

There are, or have been at least five concentrically bulged barrels in my family - ranging from .22 LR to .30-40 Krag.

Most remain in use and perform as well as ever.
The Krag, however, had a tendency to lose the gas seal in the chamber when light loads and/or short-bearing-surface bullets were used. The bulge was long enough that the bullet had to jump the gap, and, with some loads, pressure would drop enough to lose the chamber seal. ...That, of course, resulted in terrible performance and the shooter getting a little blast of air in the face (but never debris and the puff of air was not hot enough or violent enough to cause worry).
Since light loads were the prescription for that rifle, and it didn't do well with them, I chose to let it go.


There's also a dented shotgun barrel (12 ga Win M25). Over the years, it has mostly straightened itself out. ;)
 
Just to let everyone know, I am still out here and sol lowing the thread.

I spoke with the smith again today and discussed the possibility to use it with the bulge. He said that if it were him he would not, and so I will take his advice.

The I followed the link to the .44-40 barrel and it appears it is only 11" long. That would probably generate some unwanted interest at the range since it would become an SBR. For me, anyway, it would need to be a .44 mag or .357. I doubt the .357 conversion would be worth the cost to me.

The I was told the bulge was near the barrel band. I asked if the position of the bulge would allow the barrel to be shortened from 20" to 16", but no luck there either.

I'm not sure the even cost to re-barrel would be worthwhile, but am considering it and still looking for a barrel. One potential issue is the fact that the Miroku (I think I misspelled it in the OP) may have Japanese threads.
 
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