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Are the Browning Japanese M42 re-issues as good as original Winchester 42’s? I tied one of the early 20ga Browning’s and was disappointed to find chamber was very tightly speced and it would not reliably cycle my reloads. Thanks for opinions.

no..............

Hell No !

Curious about this. Supposedly the Model 1886, 71, 92, etc are respected repro models. Is the 42 the exception or are the 20 ga and 28 ga models also not the equal of their older cousins?

I've handled several of the Browning repros and while I'm no model 12 or 42 expert, the Browning 42's I've seen and shot have been excellent. A couple friends have the 42s and love them. I have two of the lever reproductions, a 65 and a 53 as well as a Miroku Winchester 1886. All exceptional quality and function perfectly. The two guys I know with 42's have never complained about either gun failing to function correctly and both shoot a lot of skeet with them. Another Browning 42 shooter I knew was Gail Martin, the founder of Martin Archery. He shot skeet with us every Sunday morning back in the 90's and had both an old 42 he had as a kid, and the newer Browning. He liked the Browning as much as his old 42.

the selection of choke restrictions, bbl lengths, and the addition of the pump and fire interrupter is the main cause for dissatisfaction of the retro 90's circa 42....making the real ones top dog to this day.
browning got top choice of select wood for the retros. (they must have rubbed elbows with the japs just right) Winchester got back seat on the wood bus, fyi.

FWIW, when I was looking for a Model 12 in 28 gauge to shoot I called Dave Riffle about a couple he had for sale, When I told him what I wanted it for, he told me to buy the Browning and shoot the heck out of it - about 1/6th the cost and very well built. I followed his advice, bought a used one that the previous owner had opened to I/C choke and added an oversized safety button, and enjoyed that gun for years. The Browning reproductions of the Model 12 and Model 42 were fine using shotguns but they aren't collectible in the same fashion as the Winchester originals. That doesn't make them inferior, just different.

I owned 2 28ga brownings.
they were high grades. shot well. the forearm is much narrower than a real one. pistol grip is thinner too.
one started to shoot out of battery......sold both.
they shot well until one started acting up. got the jitters. away they went.