1992 marlin 32 rimfire-centerfire?

[smkummer]

Are all Marlin 1892 rimfire rifles also centerfire with firing pin selection? Or were some just rimfire only? Thanks

[farmbif]

not 100% sure but believe they were originally offered with both firing pins and you could swap em out. might check Brophy book for exact info.

[Earl Brasse]

Farmbif has it right as I know.

I have one, neat rifle but rimfire ammo is very high (IMHO) & .32 Short Colt hard to get & .32 Long Colt really hard to get.

I'm still looking for brass for .32 Long Colt but no luck yet.

If yo need a centerfire pin there are a couple places that sell them.

[Sc0]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?327620-Update-on-forming-32-Long-Colt-brass

And WOW, that is some expensive brass....
https://www.rccbrass.com/product/32-long-colt/

[smkummer]

Thanks guys. Neat little rifle but I’ll bow out.

[Mk42gunner]

There are a few very long threads down in the rimfire section on how to convert useable .32 Long Colt cases from other brass.

Robert

[farmbif]

32 long colt brass, it sure aint cheap

https://www.rccbrass.com/product/32-long-colt/

[uscra112]

.32 Colt brass, a lot cheaper.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/874042585

Or you can swage down .32 S&W Long yourself. I've done it, but I'm lazy so I buy it now. He starts with Starline as the parent case.

Seller *tenmile* aka Jack Harrison has a very useful tutorial on his listings. He also sells the correct 299153 heeled bullets, and also Colt cases modified for rimfire.

The only area we disagree on is that he uses Ramset charges in his adaptors, while I much prefer to use 6mm acorn blanks and a small charge of Bullseye. Punching out the acorn blanks is a lot easier, and wears the adaptors less.

[farmbif]

what amazes me is the prices these old marlins bring on gun broker when it is such a very difficult caliber to make ammo for. it wasn't that long ago that you could get a 375 win for next to nothing because ammo or brass was so hard to find. I guess the internet changed a lot of things

[uscra112]

If you get hooked up with Jack Harrison, .32 Colt ammo is no trouble at all. Easy and cheap enough that I converted a .32 rimfire Stevens Favorite to centerfire and plink with it in the yard.

I wish I could afford one of those neat Marlins, but I have to content myself with single shots.

[ATCDoktor]

The Marlin 1892’s are very fine rifles, accurate and Heel based ammo is no harder to kid than any other cartridge.

The two I have both came to me with rimfire during pins that were easily replaced with centerfire pins from Jack First and Wiseners.

Both the pins I bought had to be “fit” to my rifles but that only took a few strokes with a file and they were good.

Loading dies can be a bit of a trick but, I used a set I cobbled together from a Letter “O”drill bit guide and Press fit into a hogged out 357 expander die for a sizing die and seated the Bullets using a 32 acp seating die.

Homemade sizing die

https://i.postimg.cc/W1Mk3B1r/C2B89041-9CDF-44F2-9CC0-CDF33CA89781.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

I get my brass from Buffalo Arms for 64 cents a case (bought 200 at a time), trim to .78”, load with a couple of grains of fast burning pistol powder and your good.

Factory 32 Long Colt (With internal lubed bullet) on the right, my handload with heel based bullet on the left.

https://i.postimg.cc/VNG8z9gg/BF955652-FF1E-4026-A2A4-16261BE135DA.jpg (https://postimages.org/)



This a 100 yard group off the bench with my round barrel Marlin in 32 Colt.

https://i.postimg.cc/rp93hMB5/C11CA41B-710D-430A-8615-E79AD3E22BF5.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

50 yards offhand
https://i.postimg.cc/xCT7hBQh/103773F2-9BCA-4520-9E08-90FDF68AD151.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

They are very good low noise small game rifles and I have killed a bunch of rabbits with mine.
https://i.postimg.cc/gcq81vMH/5AE47B1C-9C6F-4C9A-ADAA-3BCF09C31BF0.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/rscWKmp4/6405E617-BA7E-4602-926A-26B30EE12FB4.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/q7rWXz5k/D0821734-15BE-4342-AA2C-158F48E2FE6D.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

If you can get in to a Marlin 92 in 32 Colt for short money I’d jump on it, swap the firing pin out and go have fun.

[carolina sorillo]

I don't know from experience because I wasn't born until 1972. They were well out of production before I came along. But, I do believe the 32's all came with an extra firing pin. Just like a 39A, you remove the bolt and the firing pin is just laying in a groove in the top of the bolt. It just falls out when you turn it over. As for making or buying brass, it may be easier to have it reamed to accept .32S&W or S&W Longs. They have the same bore diameter as the .32 Colt's do.

CS

[ddixie884]

I don't tthink the .32s&w will fit in the magazine.......

[pietro]

.

IME, the sporadically-available (only one or two runs per year) commercial Winchester .32 Short Colt is a direct replacement for the .32RF with a FP conversion to CF (which is what I did with a 1902 Remington #4 rolling block rifle).

.

[John Taylor]

Don't know about the 1892 but had a model 27 that could be had in CF or rimfire. The breach blocks were different.

[fordwannabe]

I highly recommend Mr. Harrison and his products. He has provided me with the supplies I needed for many hours of enjoyment and has provided different load data and his years of knowledge. Fun to talk to also.

[uscra112]

The flat reversible firing pin was a feature of some early Ballards. John Marlin was the last builder of the Ballard design, from about 1879 to 1890, so if the 1892 lever-gun had it, that's where he got the idea.

Reaming a .32 Colt out to take .32 S&W is not a good idea IMHO. Not long ago Larry Gibson pressure-tested a selection of modern commercial .32 S&W ammo, and found that some is loaded to an actual 18,000 psi. While the 92 may take that in stride, a lot of the popular boys' rifles that came in .32 Long won't, nor will the pocket revolvers of the period. Just sayin'.

[Scrounge]

Buffalo Arms carries them, reformed from .32 S&W Long. Can be cut down to make .32 Colt Short. Out if stock right now. I bought 20 rounds from them for a couple of Steven's 32RF, one long, one short, that I'm working on converting to centerfire. I've signed up to be notified when they're back in stock.

https://www.buffaloarms.com/32-long-colt-cases-reformed-reloadable-brass-cases-32longcolt

[Scrounge]

The Marlin 1892’s are very fine rifles, accurate and Heel based ammo is no harder to kid than any other cartridge...
SNIP!

If you can get in to a Marlin 92 in 32 Colt for short money I’d jump on it, swap the firing pin out and go have fun.

stupid question for you: how many rounds fit in the magazine? Looked on Gunbroker.com, prices are kind of scary. But I'd love one.

[uscra112]

Out of stock at Buffalo Arms, but Jack Harrison can ship today. [smilie=s:

[ATCDoktor]

stupid question for you: how many rounds fit in the magazine?

Mine holds a total 14 32 Long Colts and 17 32 Short Colts in the tubular magazine.

[ATCDoktor]

Out of stock at Buffalo Arms.

Buffalo Arms replenishes their supplies fairly often so if they’re out of stock today usually it’s in stock within a month.

That identified, the difference between the two vendors is minimal, Buffalo Arms uses Starline Brass and the last batch I got from Jack was PPU.

I have found that after trimming, the Starline Brass is thicker at the case mouth than the PPU and what I have found is that the thicker Starline brass provides for a “tighter” grip on the heel base for a more consistent “pull” on the projectile upon firing providing better accuracy for me in my guns.

YMMV.

Dr.

[Jedman]

I don't tthink the .32s&w will fit in the magazine.......

They do ! I have a 1892 Marlin and opened the chamber to 32 S&W long with a chucking reamer and trim my brass to .885” long and shoot a 100 gr, cast rn boolit and it feeds and shoots great. I load them very light something like 2.7 grs of powder and they hit a 100 yard steel easily.
I fussed with making 32 long colt brass foe a while and have a heeled boolit mold but decided I wasn’t going to hurt the value of the rifle by making it shoot a easy to get round and glad I did.

Jedman

[ddixie884]

They do ! I have a 1892 Marlin and opened the chamber to 32 S&W long with a chucking reamer and trim my brass to .885” long and shoot a 100 gr, cast rn boolit and it feeds and shoots great. I load them very light something like 2.7 grs of powder and they hit a 100 yard steel easily.
I fussed with making 32 long colt brass foe a while and have a heeled boolit mold but decided I wasn’t going to hurt the value of the rifle by making it shoot a easy to get round and glad I did.

Jedman

I'm surprised to hear that. I thought about one a time or two and held a .32 S&W up to the cut out in the tube but it didn't look to fit. Now you have me thinking. Not, a good thing........

[ATCDoktor]

I'm surprised to hear that. I thought about one a time or two and held a .32 S&W up to the cut out in the tube but it didn't look to fit. Now you have me thinking. Not, a good thing........

Neither 32 S&W Long nor 32 S&W short will drop into the magazine opening for either of my Marlin M92’s.

The openings on mine would have to be opened up a bit to allow them to fall in.

[ddixie884]

The openings could be altered if they will go in from the top.... I don't have one to check............

[Nueces]

A 32 S&W Long will enter the magazine on mine and feed to the chamber, which is as far as I took it as it still has the original chamber. For my rifle, it appears to be a workable mod.

[uscra112]

Philistines !

[carolina sorillo]

Philistines !

No!! The Philistines are the ammo makers who don't make a run of the "obsolete" ammo's every once in a while.

CS

[ndnchf]

A collet crimp die from Old West Bullet Molds is the cat's meow for crimping heel bullets :-)

[Chev. William]

A collet crimp die from Old West Bullet Molds is the cat's meow for crimping heel bullets :-)

YES! And they can make shell holders that are adjustable for slight case length differences.

Chev. William

[ndnchf]

YES! And they can make shell holders that are adjustable for slight case length differences.

Chev. William
Yes indeed. I made an addition to mine that let's me use it for 32 Colt and 32 Ballard XL. So it is really versatile.