ATCDoktor
05-08-2016, 06:03 PM
Several years ago I started looking for a "shooter" grade Model 92 in 25/20 wcf and couldn't seem to find one at a price point that I could I could stomach.
So about 18 months ago I found myself loafing around in my LGS when an older gentleman walked up to the counter and informed one of the employees that he had a bunch of guns in his car he wanted to "get rid of".
Being a regular in the store I offered to help the counterman bring them in for evaluation.
Most of what he had was what we all would consider junk but amongst the trash there was an abused M92 in the pile and lo and behold it was marked "25/20 WCF".
Now, when I say abused, I mean to all outward appearances this rifle looked like it had been given to several generations of kids to play cowboy's and Indians.
There was dust and dirt caked on it as thick as the skin on your big toe, the stock was chewed up, gouged and desiccated with longitudinal splits in the wood.
The rear tang screw had been replaced at some time with something that closely approximated the original, the rear sight had been replaced with something that appears to be handmade and last but not least the magazine tube was bent away from the barrel approximately 25 degrees.
When we got the guns upstairs I talked to the store owner and told him I'd like to have first refusal on the Model 92 (even in it's decrepit state) and he said he'd get it checked out and let me know,
It was my intent to pick the gun up cheap, have it rebuilt into a shooter so as to sate my appetite for a 25/20 and I eagerly awaited a call from the store owner as to what the disposition of the rifle would finally be.
After a couple of weeks of not receiving a call I got ahold of the store owner and asked about the M92 and he informed me at that in its present condition there was no way he could sell it and it was his intent part it out.
I told him I understood and appreciated the consideration and sort of half heartedly got along with quest for another "shooter" in 25/20.
Fast forward to last week and I'm walking through the shop and the owner comes up to me and asks if I remember the rough old M92 in 25/20 he had a while back.
I told him 'yes" and he stated that he finally got it cleaned up, the magazine tube straightened and asked if I was still interested in it and I shared that I was.
He brought it down and I checked it over again and while I looked it over he said, "look at these and tell me what you think" and he handed me a couple of 25/20 cases that they had fired in it and the were all swollen and nasty looking.
He then handed me a chamber cast they made and said, "it's been re chambered to something but we don't know what it is".
When I looked at the brass and the chamber cast I knew that at some time in the distant past it had been re chambered and rebored to 32 20.
I shared my thoughts reference it being a 32 20 with the store owner and he said they thought that might have been the case but the chamber cast and brass "just didn't look right".
He asked if I still was interested (even though I had wanted a 25/20) and I said I was depending on price and he said to give him a day or so to come up with a number.
Well, after all this time and a little back and forth I picked it up on Friday.
And this is what $200.00 model 92 looks like in my area of Arizona (Serial Number 4896XX):
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/ATCDoctor/DSC00359_zpsbsrlvqke.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/user/ATCDoctor/media/DSC00359_zpsbsrlvqke.jpg.html)
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/ATCDoctor/DSC00363_zpsufuw9lsz.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/user/ATCDoctor/media/DSC00363_zpsufuw9lsz.jpg.html)
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/ATCDoctor/DSC00362_zpsvzfueebd.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/user/ATCDoctor/media/DSC00362_zpsvzfueebd.jpg.html)
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/ATCDoctor/DSC00367_zpsubnovzqk.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/user/ATCDoctor/media/DSC00367_zpsubnovzqk.jpg.html)
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/ATCDoctor/DSC00360_zpskpb5lkv2.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/user/ATCDoctor/media/DSC00360_zpskpb5lkv2.jpg.html)
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/ATCDoctor/DSC00364_zpsnchb0ung.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/user/ATCDoctor/media/DSC00364_zpsnchb0ung.jpg.html)
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/ATCDoctor/DSC00372_zpstinxsimx.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/user/ATCDoctor/media/DSC00372_zpstinxsimx.jpg.html)
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/ATCDoctor/DSC00369_zpsci1qutna.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/user/ATCDoctor/media/DSC00369_zpsci1qutna.jpg.html)
The bore cleaned up ok and has no pits with a hint of frost throughout it's length.
I was able to run a few Remington factory loaded 32 20's through it Friday afternoon at 25 yards and it did ok with the crude rear sight and Remingtons dead soft 100 grain swaged bullet.
The sight was well centered at that range but the POA was about 4 inches low at that distance.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/ATCDoctor/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsmr92jieu.jpeg (http://s30.photobucket.com/user/ATCDoctor/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsmr92jieu.jpeg.html)
It's not exactly what I wanted reference caliber but it'll do.
I got dies, brass and some commercial cast bullets (sized .313 for it's .312 sized bore) to see if I can make it shoot the way I want.
If I can't, it'll take a ride to Taylor Machine for a reline.
I figure at 200 bucks for the rifle there's a little room for to move before I'm in to it so deep and can't get most of my mony out of it.
So about 18 months ago I found myself loafing around in my LGS when an older gentleman walked up to the counter and informed one of the employees that he had a bunch of guns in his car he wanted to "get rid of".
Being a regular in the store I offered to help the counterman bring them in for evaluation.
Most of what he had was what we all would consider junk but amongst the trash there was an abused M92 in the pile and lo and behold it was marked "25/20 WCF".
Now, when I say abused, I mean to all outward appearances this rifle looked like it had been given to several generations of kids to play cowboy's and Indians.
There was dust and dirt caked on it as thick as the skin on your big toe, the stock was chewed up, gouged and desiccated with longitudinal splits in the wood.
The rear tang screw had been replaced at some time with something that closely approximated the original, the rear sight had been replaced with something that appears to be handmade and last but not least the magazine tube was bent away from the barrel approximately 25 degrees.
When we got the guns upstairs I talked to the store owner and told him I'd like to have first refusal on the Model 92 (even in it's decrepit state) and he said he'd get it checked out and let me know,
It was my intent to pick the gun up cheap, have it rebuilt into a shooter so as to sate my appetite for a 25/20 and I eagerly awaited a call from the store owner as to what the disposition of the rifle would finally be.
After a couple of weeks of not receiving a call I got ahold of the store owner and asked about the M92 and he informed me at that in its present condition there was no way he could sell it and it was his intent part it out.
I told him I understood and appreciated the consideration and sort of half heartedly got along with quest for another "shooter" in 25/20.
Fast forward to last week and I'm walking through the shop and the owner comes up to me and asks if I remember the rough old M92 in 25/20 he had a while back.
I told him 'yes" and he stated that he finally got it cleaned up, the magazine tube straightened and asked if I was still interested in it and I shared that I was.
He brought it down and I checked it over again and while I looked it over he said, "look at these and tell me what you think" and he handed me a couple of 25/20 cases that they had fired in it and the were all swollen and nasty looking.
He then handed me a chamber cast they made and said, "it's been re chambered to something but we don't know what it is".
When I looked at the brass and the chamber cast I knew that at some time in the distant past it had been re chambered and rebored to 32 20.
I shared my thoughts reference it being a 32 20 with the store owner and he said they thought that might have been the case but the chamber cast and brass "just didn't look right".
He asked if I still was interested (even though I had wanted a 25/20) and I said I was depending on price and he said to give him a day or so to come up with a number.
Well, after all this time and a little back and forth I picked it up on Friday.
And this is what $200.00 model 92 looks like in my area of Arizona (Serial Number 4896XX):
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/ATCDoctor/DSC00359_zpsbsrlvqke.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/user/ATCDoctor/media/DSC00359_zpsbsrlvqke.jpg.html)
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/ATCDoctor/DSC00363_zpsufuw9lsz.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/user/ATCDoctor/media/DSC00363_zpsufuw9lsz.jpg.html)
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/ATCDoctor/DSC00362_zpsvzfueebd.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/user/ATCDoctor/media/DSC00362_zpsvzfueebd.jpg.html)
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/ATCDoctor/DSC00367_zpsubnovzqk.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/user/ATCDoctor/media/DSC00367_zpsubnovzqk.jpg.html)
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/ATCDoctor/DSC00360_zpskpb5lkv2.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/user/ATCDoctor/media/DSC00360_zpskpb5lkv2.jpg.html)
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/ATCDoctor/DSC00364_zpsnchb0ung.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/user/ATCDoctor/media/DSC00364_zpsnchb0ung.jpg.html)
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/ATCDoctor/DSC00372_zpstinxsimx.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/user/ATCDoctor/media/DSC00372_zpstinxsimx.jpg.html)
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/ATCDoctor/DSC00369_zpsci1qutna.jpg (http://s30.photobucket.com/user/ATCDoctor/media/DSC00369_zpsci1qutna.jpg.html)
The bore cleaned up ok and has no pits with a hint of frost throughout it's length.
I was able to run a few Remington factory loaded 32 20's through it Friday afternoon at 25 yards and it did ok with the crude rear sight and Remingtons dead soft 100 grain swaged bullet.
The sight was well centered at that range but the POA was about 4 inches low at that distance.
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/ATCDoctor/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsmr92jieu.jpeg (http://s30.photobucket.com/user/ATCDoctor/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsmr92jieu.jpeg.html)
It's not exactly what I wanted reference caliber but it'll do.
I got dies, brass and some commercial cast bullets (sized .313 for it's .312 sized bore) to see if I can make it shoot the way I want.
If I can't, it'll take a ride to Taylor Machine for a reline.
I figure at 200 bucks for the rifle there's a little room for to move before I'm in to it so deep and can't get most of my mony out of it.