Any input on this?  I've googled around and found places that do it for lots of $ and plenty of old examples, but no actual information on what exactly is done for a specific situation.  I did find one old article about making an original 92 work with 357.  

What I'd like is to take a modern marlin 1894 or rossi 92 in 44 and modify the lever so it works with significantly shortened 44 cases(russian length or even shorter).  I'd like to modify the lever only, but will modify the lifter as well if necessary.  The goal is to be able to swap between the two as easily as possible.  

I have an 1894, and it jams with short cases when the new round slides aft onto the lifter - the following round sticks out and it's rim jams on the lifter as the lifter is moving up.  Making it work looks like a simple case of making the lifter start moving up earlier or limiting how far the round being chambered can slide aft(or a combination of the two).  I can easily add/remove material on the lever and lifter(assuming it's weldable and not some powdered metal or odd cast material).  

Any how-to or guidance on this?  

What you need (want) is a short stroke kit.

Search around. I tried to do it for you, but I lost interest as i have been drinking a bit.

But check out places like Chuck Hawks. com or any of the cowboy action shooting websites.

you're bound to run across what you need fairly quickly.

I've read about those kits....  But simply shortening the stroke won't make shorter rounds work will it?  The timing and/or geometry of the lifter needs to also be changed right?

Beats the hell out of me. I'm no gun monkey, I just heard of the kits and thought that might help.

Sounds like you're going to need an engineering degree on this little project.

It is the carrier, not the lever, that will have to be modified.  A short stroke kit has nothing to do with cartridge length.

Usually, a 'smith will weld a 'stop' on the lifter to compensate for the difference in normal cartridge length and the shortened cartridge that is desired.  Think of it as a little bookend to hold the cartridge higher on the lifter during operation.  This modification is necessary to prevent more than one cartridge from exiting the magazine during cycling.

This modification is done by many Cowboy Action 'smiths and works well when done by someone who's experienced with the modification.  You'll not be able to run normal length cartridges once the conversion is done, unless you have multiple lifters for the gun.

What little I can find find online about this says that both are generally modified, with the lifter being modified to hold a different shape cartridge in a position to feed the round into the chamber most reliably once the lifter is up and the lever to make the lifter move up earlier in the stroke to prevent jamming on the rim of the following round.  The few things online I can find about this specifically are when making a gun work with 45acp or when modifying an old 1892 to shoot 357.  Both are significant changes in cartridge shape and length.  

I want to simply use very short 44 magnum cases, ie. only the length is changing - my rifle feeds short rounds great except for the rim of the following round jamming on the lifter.  I'd like to changer only the lever if possible so that I can easily change between normal length and very short rounds.  

Can't find any specific information though... I might just have to buy a spare lever and try to figure it out.  

There's your problem....

You're trying to do something like the kit that mods Uberti 45 Colt guns to take 45acp.  However, that is a different type of action so the 45acp lifter block is what is different from the lifter block for 45 Colt vice the need to modify the cartridge guide/stop on the inside sides of the receiver for the 92's design.

I would think that to have a convertible 45 LC to 45 acp is not directly possible. It could work if you hunted down and loaded up 45 auto rim (Remington used to make it) brass.

Since 45acp needs to headspace on the case mouth 45acp would drop too far into a LC chamber unless a extractor could be fashioned to reliably hold the cartridge on the bolt face.

For a perm conversion you would need to set back the barrel and rechamber, or sleeve the chamber. Sleeving the chamber would mean excessive free bore - not good for use with cast bullets.

Me - I want to set back a 357mag to feed brass trimmed to 23mm OAL. Use 9x23 load data (reduced) I think this would be sweet with 120-160gr.

Don't think it's possible?  



Check out The Cowboy Shop. He does the conversion for $560 plus shipping.



 

I'm not say a perm conversion to 45acp isn't possible - I'm saying a gun which can convert to 45acp and back to 45 LC is not going to be easy, but I did mention one way it could be done.

Conversions which burn the bridge are easy, conversions that can be removed and returned to near factory original are rare.