Winchester 92 25-20

[Les Staley]

Ran on to this 1909 rifle a couple months back. Since it has a relined barrel I decided to give cast boolits a go. (And the fact that I'm recently retired and now have time to learn some of this stuff for real). If one of youse guys will school me a little Ill show some pictures. This forum is quite different from others I have been successful at posting pictures. Thanks, Les

[Les Staley]

How to rotate picture?

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Did you take the picture with a camera and download it to your computer? There should be a "rotate 90 degrees right" and a "rotate 90 degrees left" symbols in your photo file when you bring up the photo to look at it or send it. They are usually curved arrows bent to the right or left. If you hold your cursor on the symbols for a couple of seconds they will usually tell you what they are. Now if you took the photo with a phone...I can't help you.

[missionary5155]

Greetings Les
That is a nice looking Model 92.
First you want to determine the real throat diameter. Then load the fattest cast that will fill that throat diameter if you are going to shoot smokeless. Hope fully with a relined barrel the chamber was cut with a reamer that was narrow throated.
I would also recommend loading 10 rounds with 3F under a 40-1 bullet. This will set a good accuracy parameter to try and
beat with smokeless. So far with all my BP cartridge rifles 3F has turned in some excellent groups that have been beyond me to beat with smokeless. From 50-95 (reproduction) down to 32-20. 3F has just been a winner. Naturally you can easily beat 3F velocities with most any smokeless powder. Your model 92 will easily take the pressure. Unique and 2400 have turned in very good groups in my 32-20's.
Mike in Peru

[TXGunNut]

Congrats on a nice little rifle. I have a similar vintage 92 in 32-20 and it's the slickest levergun I own. Enjoy!

[Les Staley]

The long and winding road has lead me(no pun intended) to a Lyman 257420 mold that casts a 70 gr booklet for a gas check. Just got the gas checks a couple days ago, and lubed with a thinned liquid alox seems to have eliminated the first shot fliers that I got at first with some precast plain base 85 gr hard lubed booklets. Getting pretty good groups of 1&1/2 " at 50 yds with 6 gr of 2400. (you're right, Mike) and the first shot after a day off is right in the group, so I'll be taking it out for squirrel and rabbit. There is a 134 page thread over on MO forums on the cast loads for the 25-20, that has been pretty handy.

[runfiverun]

I have a rifle and a carbine in 25-20 they both seem to do pretty well with 259-260 diameter boolits in the 70gr and under range. [I just cast them and tumble lube them without sizing]
right now I'm shooting a 70gr plain based rapine mold on top of AA-2230 [11.5 or 12 grs don't remember right off]with a cci sr mag primer [yeah I know] but it shoots well and is faster than you'd think.
it's also accurate enough to clean the half sized lever gun silhouette course and it will tip over the 100yd rams.
the carbine is accurate enough to snipe pine cones off the tree your wife is sitting under from about 60yds out. :lol:

[50target]

The long and winding road has lead me(no pun intended) to a Lyman 257420 mold that casts a 70 gr booklet for a gas check. Just got the gas checks a couple days ago, and lubed with a thinned liquid alox seems to have eliminated the first shot fliers that I got at first with some precast plain base 85 gr hard lubed booklets. Getting pretty good groups of 1&1/2 " at 50 yds with 6 gr of 2400. (you're right, Mike) and the first shot after a day off is right in the group, so I'll be taking it out for squirrel and rabbit. There is a 134 page thread over on MO forums on the cast loads for the 25-20, that has been pretty handy.
Les for a shooter I wouldn't worry about the liner. I've shot the 85 grain mostly in mine. I have a Win. 92, a vintage Marlin 94 and a Rem. Mod. 25. Yes, I like the cartridge. Loaded some this afternoon. A nice plinking load that has been accurate for me has been 6.5 - 6.6 gr. of IMR 4227 and use the Rem. std small pistol primers that 35 Remington talks about on the MO forum. My load runs about 1150fps. Enjoy
Bob

[clum553946]

I have three Win 1892 25-20's & they all seem to like Unique with 85 gr. cast bullets. I also had good luck with AA#5, but like shooting Unique in the older guns! Also played around with Speer 75gr Hot Core jacketed bullets & they make a great close range varmint load!

[williamwaco]

You are going to LOVE that rifle. I am green with envy.

[Les Staley]

Bob, the only reason I was interested in this 92 is because it was relined. The collector value wasn't there, and I could afford it. I've been shooting a Browning 53 in 32-20 for the last year, and it's been death on ground squirrels, so the interest in the 25-20. Clum, tried 85 gr plain base bullets in the 25-20. Could never get rid of first round fliers and mid string fliers. Tried diluted alox, just barely coating them, but started having real repeatable success when I found a 257420 Lyman mold, and gas checked the 70 gr (shorter) boolits. Will take it hunting now. More load development in my future, but it's nice to have some success.

[clum553946]

It's great that you have good results with the Lyman 257420. With older guns you never know what works until you give it a try! Congrats on a fun rifle!

[50target]

Bob, the only reason I was interested in this 92 is because it was relined. The collector value wasn't there, and I could afford it. I've been shooting a Browning 53 in 32-20 for the last year, and it's been death on ground squirrels, so the interest in the 25-20. Clum, tried 85 gr plain base bullets in the 25-20. Could never get rid of first round fliers and mid string fliers. Tried diluted alox, just barely coating them, but started having real repeatable success when I found a 257420 Lyman mold, and gas checked the 70 gr (shorter) boolits. Will take it hunting now. More load development in my future, but it's nice to have some success.

Les, nice to see someone who also likes the 32-20 as that is also a favorite of mine. I have a vintage 89 Marlin with a cherry bore, a Rem. mod 25 and recently a Uberti (Taylor & Company) Low Wall in 32-20. I got the Low Wall to get some steam out of the little round. All of my vintage guns get appropriate loads. Was out yesterday after church shooting the LW and using Missouri 120 gr. bullets with AA1680 and getting super accuracy at 50 yards. Both of these 32-20 and 25-20 are delightful rounds. I could get a 357 rifle to do all that they will and more but darn the charm is just not there. I would love to find a used Uberti LW in 32-20 and have it rebarreled in 25-20. That would be a hoot.
Enjoy
Bob

[lobogunleather]

I also have a Winchester 1892 in .25-20 (1914 mfg). So far it has performed very well with cast gas check bullets from 65 to 95 grains, as-cast (unsized) .258-.259" diameter, with NRA-formula Alox lube. My "basic" load is 9.5 grains IMR-4198.

First thing I will recommend is the Lyman M-die for neck expansion. The .25-20 has relatively thin neck walls so the cases can be easily crushed during seating, especially with cast bullets (usually larger diameter than jacketed, for which standard neck expander balls are usually sized). Remove the decapping rod and sizer ball from your sizer die, decap separately, expand the necks on the Lyman M-die for the bullets you are using, then prime, charge, seat and crimp as usual. I also crimp separately, rather than relying on the seating die to do both functions at the same stroke.

The Winchester 1892 is a bit sensitive to overall cartridge length (a bit too long and you can jam up the rifle solidly), so be sure to check your loads for cycling and feeding without problems before producing a batch of ammo.

Have fun with it! Great rifles.