A small company rooted in American tradition, Heritage Manufacturing is working tirelessly at “preserving the legacy,” and its most recent introductions to do so are classically styled lever guns that are reminders of the fables from yesteryear. In late 2024, and hot on the heels of the successful release of its Roscoe wheelgun, Heritage Manufacturing announced another entirely new line of handguns and rifles would be available, which eventually came in 2025 as a suite of classically themed firearms modeled after John Browning’s esteemed Model 92. Watch our video above to see the Heritage 92 in use on the range.
The Heritage 92 Series is a clear reminder of the way guns used to be. There is no semi-automatic functionality on these guns or space-age composites, just good ol’ fashioned wood and steel construction and a manually operated underlever. And if you’re familiar with Heritage guns, you might guess that the 92 Series comes chambered for rimfire cartridges, however, the company stuck with Browning’s plan and chambered the series for handgun cartridges.
The example we received for testing arrived in .357 Mag., which means over-the-counter reduced loads in .38 Special can be fired through it, too. In addition to its classic chambering, traditional elements adorn the model seen here on the range. With it you get a 24” blued-steel barrel with a full octagonal profile. A full-length magazine tube extends beyond the hardwood fore-end, ending nearly flush with the crowned muzzle. More classic touches can be found throughout, too, including the sights—a semi-buckhorn-style adjustable rear paired with a brass bead up front.
Controls of the Heritage 92 are straightforward, and running the gun is as simple as stuffing 12 rounds through the side loading gate of the steel receiver, dropping the lever and returning it to seat a round in battery. All that’s left is to switch the top-mounted, (what kind of safety?) safety to red, align the sights, squeeze the trigger and repeat.
It is important to note that Heritage does offer several other models in its stable of rifles to choose from, should you prefer a 16.5” carbine or a handgun version. If a bit more firepower is desired, models made to fire .45 Colt, .44 Mag, and .454 Casull are also available. However, our range sample in .357 Mag. was a completely fun time with zero malfunctions noted. Browning’s Model 92 certainly helped win the West, and this classic example from Heritage, loaded with 12 rounds of .357 Magnum, is surely as capable at plinking as it is game-getting and home defense.
Heritage 92 Specifications
Action Type: lever-action, repeating, centerfire rifle
Chambering: .357 Mag.
Barrel: 24" steel; blued finish
Receiver: steel; blued finish
Magazine: 12-round tubular
Stock: hardwood
Sights: semi-buckhorn adjustable rear; brass bead front
Overall Length: 43"
Weight: 7 lbs., 6.2 ozs.
MSRP: $978
