1892 8mm St. Etienne french ordnance revolver - Pics and questions

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dustin1706

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So, I picked myself up an 1893 dated 1892 french ordnance revolver. I love old guns to start with, but I mostly wanted this just to be able to shoot tin cans and paper on the back 40 without the hassle of registration atts etc. Purchased it on the EE and probably slightly overpaid, but it appears to be in good condition and the seller had a ton of positive feedback which is definitely worth something in a psuedo-anonymous transaction.

I've read everything I could about the gun and reloading for it and my initial inspection deems it capable of being fired. It locks up tight on trigger pull and everything else seems tight and pretty clean. I slugged the barrel and cylinder using slightly compressed 00 buckshot and a dowel. Measured with a simple vernier caliper, so results may not be perfect.

cylinder throats .323 - .324

groove diameter .320 - .321

land diameter .310 - .311


Anyone else slugged their gun?

Is (max) .004 from cylinder throat to barrel too much? Also, I have never been a reloader but needing 8mm ammo will be the push I need to finally take the plunge. I see that a member here casts and sells .327 cast bullets. Is .327 too large for the cylinder throats? Also, where can one purchase 32-20 starline cases?


A few other questions:
What are the weak points / common failures on these revolvers?
My firing pin pivots up and down a bit... Is this normal?
I don't have feeler gauges with me, but cylinder gap seems to be a little over .010. (3 post it notes) Is this reasonable for this gun?






 
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You can buy yourself a few boxes of factory ammo first from Budget shooters supply and then you have yourself some brass afterwards.
Also the cast bullets at .327 will be fine in your gun. I tend to load mine with 3.3gr of unique. The current batch of fiocchi ammo I bought from budget is good ammo, not too snappy, not too anemic and goes bang every time.

Cheers on the purchase, its in above average condition, I'd rate it Good+ to VG. They are extremely durable and high quality arms, the steel is the best quality you will find from the era.

Take care!.
 
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That firing pin is a "floating" design - it's supposed to pivot like that.

There are no real flaws that I'm aware of. I do like my M92 and shoot it a fair bit. Those Barrel IDs seem a bit skinny compared to the ones that I've measured - They have all been in the .325" to .330" range. You might get better results if you used a lead slug rather than a lead ball, I think you might be losing a bit on those measurements.

32-20 brass is scarce lately. Check out P&D in edmonton, and WSS sometimes has some on the shelf. I've got 2000 starline cases on order for converting to 8mm but they have been backordered for months now. They might show up next week or next year, no idea. The Fiocchi isn't the best brass in the world but it works. I like brass made from winchester and starline 32-20 better than the fiocchi stuff, but i'd use it if that's what was available. Avoid remington 32-20 brass - several people including me have tried it and found it is prone to splitting when you expand it to 8mm size. I use 3.0 gr Unique with a 110 gr bullet and it shoots very well. Soft bullets are the key to accuracy and long life for these old gals.

My M92 is like yours, the trigger and hammer are still straw colored which was the effect of the original heat treating. They are a nice shooting gun and were very advanced for their time - IMO well ahead of contemporaries S&W and Colt in design as well as fit and finish. You did well to find one in such nice condition.
 
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Looks nice.

I would agree with Jethunter about your measurements sounding on the small side but its possible. My bullets cast to .331 and the fit is ideal. Shoots well with 2.6-2.8gr of trailboss but I'm planning to go with Unique next time just because I found 4lb lately.

I've found Budget Shooters Supply and Mystic Precision to both be excellent suppliers for brass and loading gear. One should be able to get some 32-20 for you then its just a matter of trimming to 27mm. I've heard that 7.62 nagant shells are even a bit better fit.
 
French military guns, I find, combine the strangest and most inconvenient of wonky designs..... with the best materials and the finest workmanship you will find.

They look a bit strange but they will last forever; they tend to be vastly over-engineered.

This is a SUPER nice example. WISH my Spanish copy was a quarter as nice!
 
Yeah, I saw your post drslav and several others on CGN, great stuff. Actually the info here pushed me towards the 1892 as it seems that ammo can be reloaded and it seemed to be a reasonably priced, quality firearm from all accounts. Turns out Prophet river has some 32-20 brass and I will get some bullets from Jethunter. Tin cans beware!
 
Great. I'm happy u got one! I use jet hunters bullets.i trimmed my .32-20 and I can do that for you if you need..., Great stuff. As said earlier... Any questions just ask.
 
Well, I got some starline 32-20 brass at Prophet River and I picked up some .327 bullets from a member here.

I slugged my barrel again using the .327 bullet and it was an extremely tight fit and some lead was even shaved off getting the bullet in. From the muzzle end mind you. The barrel still slugged at .320-.321 and .311. The cyllinder throats are about .324 - .325 so the bullets push easily through those.

Shooting .327 through a .321 barrel on an antique revolver makes me a bit nervous. What do you guys think. I'm kind of thinking that they should be resized to .323, though that will make them a bit sloppy in the cyllinder throats.

Still trying to get my hands on some unique powder which seems to be impossible to find.
 
dustin1706 said:
Well, I got some starline 32-20 brass at Prophet River and I picked up some .327 bullets from a member here.

I slugged my barrel again using the .327 bullet and it was an extremely tight fit and some lead was even shaved off getting the bullet in. From the muzzle end mind you. The barrel still slugged at .320-.321 and .311. The cyllinder throats are about .324 - .325 so the bullets push easily through those.

Shooting .327 through a .321 barrel on an antique revolver makes me a bit nervous. What do you guys think. I'm kind of thinking that they should be resized to .323, though that will make them a bit sloppy in the cyllinder throats.

Still trying to get my hands on some unique powder which seems to be impossible to find.
Click to expand...

if the bullets are too tight for your taste.. have them resized. better safe than sorry but i think they would be fine. Also if you cant find unique powder get some trailboss. works nice.
 
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