Marshal Hangtree Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 A good friend of mine is slowly getting into SASS and hopes to shoot his first match with me and the Panhandle Cattle Company this weekend. He has one new NMV in .38/.357, and his old Browning '92 in .38/.357. He'll borrow another revolver from another pard, and use my SxS. We plan to get him started reloading in the very near future, so I was wondering what would be a good overall length in either .38 or .357 that would give the least amount of feeding issues with the '92. Thanks y'all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StirrupTrouble Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 I don't have my load notes here at the office, but I have a friend in another state that was fighting feeding issues running 38s. We talked about it and I suggested he tried loading them to .357 lengths as a test, and all his feeding problems went away Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crooked River Pete, SASS 43485 Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 I think you'll find every gun is different, but MY Browning .357 liked cartridges loaded to or close to max .357 length. It also liked 158 gr SWC best. I used .38 spl cases , but the max overall length of .38 is only .040 less than .357. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulsey, SASS#11236 Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 My experience in my Browning 357 Magnum model 92 It took a little experimenting to find a combination that worked Browning 92 357 testing 2015 and 2016 1.525 Badman 130 gr rnfp crimped in groove in 38 case ok in Browning 1.528 Badman 130 gr rnfp in 38 case ok in Browning 1.505 to 1.538 col 357 with 140 Horn worked fine 2016 1.540 col 357 with 140 gr Hornady Cowboy works fine in Browning. 2015. 1.535 Bayou 147 gr. Fp crimped in groove in 38 case ok in Browning 1.580 Badman 157 gr rnfp in 357 case ok in browning 1.485 zombie 158 swc jams in Browning 38 case 1.518 col zombie 158 swc. Jams in Browning 38 case 1.525, 1.530 1.538, 1.540, 1.542, 1.550 col 158 gr swc Zombie ok in Browning 1.568 col 158 swc Zombie jammed in Browning 1.60 COL 158 swc Zombie hopeless in Browning Original 158 rnfp in .357 case with black powder sub for col of 1.60 will not work in Browning 92 Some SASS wire shooters say Browning .357 likes 1.585 RNFP 158 gr another post Browning .357 does not like TC bullets, not 125 likes 158 December 2019 function testing. of Browning : These did not work. 1.409 fp, 1.515 horn 140 cb (3) 1.425 fp, 1.455 fp, (2) 1.475 fp, (2) 1.538 9mm 147 fp all in 38 Special cases These worked 1.460 fp (2) 1.475 fp, 1.505 fp in 38 Special cases 1.520 rnfp, in .357 case The two 1.475 looked just like the 1.47 that did not work. 1.480 fp (2) 1.502 fp in 38 worked. (3) 1.585 Badman 1.580 Bayou, 1.545 Lucky 13 swc, (2) 1.572 Hornady cowboy worked in 357 case every test round in 357 case worked Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
July Smith Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 Every Browning/Rossi 92 I have used has been highly cartridge length sensitive and has really benefited from running 357mag length ammo (1.590"). For SASS I use a 175gr bullet that is specifically designed to be loaded in 38 brass but have an overall length equal to 357mag. The 175gr load works reliably and feeds great, but is a "heavy" bullet by many SASS shooters standards. If you want to shoot lighter bullets I would highly recommend simply loading 357mag brass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted May 20, 2020 Share Posted May 20, 2020 92s can be rather finicky about OAL and bullet profiles. All I have ever seen did not semi-wadcutters. My Rossi 92s like 38 special brass with an 125 grain LTC loaded to an OAL of 1.510. I tried some 147 gr LTC that had a really long nose loaded to the same 1.510 OAL and had feeding issues at speed. Mine will also shoot heavier RNFP bullets loaded to .357 mag lengths. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rattlesnake Slim Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 My Browning 92 ran great with 1.54 oal, with 158gn RNFP. I tried lighter, including the TC bullets, but never had much luck. It seemed that the lifter threw lighter bullets too high and I got stovepipes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate Kiowa Jones #6765 Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 The original Winchester 92's were designed to work with bottleneck ammo in the 1.5" to 1.6" OAL with round nose flat point bullets. Ammo like 44-40, 38-40, 32-20 and 25-20. What that means is they may not work well with really long 357’s or really short 38’s.. The really long 357’s are too long to clear the cart stop coming up or they tend to hit the top inside of the chamber before they make the turn into the chamber. The most common problem with the shorter 38's is the gun will throw out, flip or stovepipe live rounds with the empty's. This is because the shorter 38 coming on to the carrier from the tube can bounce forward enough that the rim is too close to the rim slots in the guides and when you lever it fast the carrier just catapults them up or out with the empty. (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 than other pistol cal 92 leverguns) Also, bullet shapes can make a difference. Bullets other than the round nosed flat point profile they were designed for can cause issues. The truncated cone or TC style bullets will work but can end up too long for some guns. For 38’s, this is what I have found to cycle best. A 158gr elongated round nose flat point seated above the crimp groove and just crimped into the side of the bullet just above the lube groove. This allows them to be loaded to a 1.5” OAL. You can do the same with the 44 spec. too. For years there were commercial reloaders that offered CAS ammo, offered 1 1/5" long loaded Cowboy leveraction 38's. I directed my rifle customer to "T" ammo for his 1.5" cowboy 38's. But, Roy retired so I was recommending Ammo Direct. Well, they are out of business now. (had a fire I believe) Here is the new source. Contact CUSTOM AMMO & RELOADING SERVICES,LLC 817-326-3855 Email; landjb7@charter.net Larry Benningfield 3110 Marble Court Granbury, Tx 76049. they sell this ammo and will also reload your brass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe West Posted May 21, 2020 Share Posted May 21, 2020 What he said . If they flip out the top they're too short. If you have to jiggle the lever to get them in they're too long. Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Hangtree Posted May 21, 2020 Author Share Posted May 21, 2020 Thanks to everybody for the responses. Unfortunately, my friend won't be able to make it down until next month, so hopefully we'll have some experimental time before the next match to iron out the correct length for his Browning 92. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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