Need advice on a new Rossi 92

[PATM]

Hello to All!

I am about to purchase a new Rossi 92 and would like some opinions. I am looking at a 24" Oct barrel in a pistol caliber, and maybe leaning towards the 357/38 because of the lower cost of feeding it. I am pretty much a sport shooter but may like to just try varmint hunting again.

I have heard some past complaints about Rossi quality, feed problems etc, but I don't know if that has improved with the merger of Taurus/Rossi?

What kind of accuracy, w/ the 24" barrel and factory ammo can I expect, without a scope?

Is cleaning the Rossi a big problem or does it just take a little more time?

There are 4 choices when it comes to the finish Blue, blue/case, SS and blue/brass, I like the SS for durability but don' like the look, any suggestions?

Any comments or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.... PATM

[BenT]

I have one in 45 colt that was imported under Legency Arms. It has the 24 in octagon barrel and will shoot clover leafs at 50 yards. Mine is about 8 years old, so I don't know how current models quality is. I have had no problems with mine. The only problems I thought were with the 44 mags not having proper bore dimensions and that was a few years ago.

[J Miller]

PATM,
Welcome to the forum.
I can't answer all your questions from experience but I can answer a few and will do the best I can with the others.


I am about to purchase a new Rossi 92 and would like some opinions. I am looking at a 24" Oct barrel in a pistol caliber, and maybe leaning towards the 357/38 because of the lower cost of feeding it. I am pretty much a sport shooter but may like to just try varmint hunting again.
The .357 Mag is a horse of different color when fired from a rifle. The velocity increase you'll get over a revolver is very significant. Then when you match the bullets to the game it really comes to life. Using the 158gr and heavier bullets actually turns the .357 Mag into a dear cartridge. The 125gr bullets can be pushed so fast it will explode small animals.
If you hand load, and the rifle you pick is agreeable you can load them from cat sneeze levels to loads heavy enough to take any game on this continent. (It's all been taken by the .357 in handguns so my statement is not incorrect.)

I have heard some past complaints about Rossi quality, feed problems etc, but I don't know if that has improved with the merger of Taurus/Rossi?
From what I've read here on the forum they have improved but occasionally vary. Most are serviceable out of the box, but almost all of them will benefit from a polish and tune job.

What kind of accuracy, w/ the 24" barrel and factory ammo can I expect, without a scope?
That I can't really answer but the average (for me) is 2" using an iron sight lever gun. There is many variables to consider or that might pop up. Look here or on the next page for the article about the extra long magazine plug screw in a Rossi lever gun. Weird things can happen. Scoping these guns is something I do not suggest and will not do. I much prefer side mounted receiver sights such as the Williams FP or Lyman 66.

Is cleaning the Rossi a big problem or does it just take a little more time?
No, it's no different from any other Winchester design lever gun. Using a muzzle protector and good rod that doesn't flex you clean from the muzzle. A dual ended cleaning brush like the ones the military uses works for the inside of the action. That's basically it.

There are 4 choices when it comes to the finish Blue, blue/case, SS and blue/brass, I like the SS for durability but don' like the look, any suggestions?
I like all blued or blued with CCH. In the end it's your personal choice. The stainless is a better choice if you'll be in salty or wet areas for long periods of time.

Any comments or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Just one really. Stick with the .357 cases in your loads or ammo. These guns are length sensitive to a degree. Some will feed both 38s and 357s without any concern, some wont. 357 brass will also keep the chamber free of fouling and make cleaning easier.

Thanks.... PATM

[mikld]

My Puma in .44 Mag. isn't too hard to clean. Regular bore cleaning and flood the action w/brake cleaner then oil. By far the best bet concerning Rossi Puma rifles or carbines is Nate "Kiowa" Jones' (AKA Steve Young) CD on care and slicking up of the '92 http://www.stevesgunz.com/. Mine does have a larger than normal bore, .431" - .432", but that's not a problem for me; I got a Ranchdog .44 boolit mold and one of his Lee push through sizing dies (.433"). I really enjoy mine...

[jnyork]

I shoot with a lady who is a silhouette competitor at the State and National Championship level, she wins more often than not, she shoots a .357 model 92 so I dont think you need to worry about the accuracy. It is one of the more popular rifles in the Lever Action Silhouette sport.

[mouthpiece]

Put me on the list of guys having problems with their Rossi.

Bought one 2 months ago in 38/357. OK, I accept that it doesn't like .38's but in 500 rounds, I cannot figure why mine has those reported loading gate roblems.

Kinda wish I had bought a Winchester for the same price as the Rossi with a tune job.

On the other hand, my Rossi in .44 has no problems.

[AJMD429]

Even though I'm "a scope guy" when I hunt deer due to 'light gathering' of the 50mm+ objectives, for most other shooting I prefer a 'peep' sight.

On the Rossi, you can get a VERY accurate sighting setup with either a tang sight (the 24" octagonals are all I think already tapped for one, and the Taurus one fits and is a Marble's clone for $29, so it is the least expensive way to get a better-than-factory sight), or a Williams FP you can drill & tap for.

link to post on Rossi 24" tang/globe sight post - http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... =1&t=20359


link to Williams FP installation post - http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... =1&t=25689


link to lots of other sight pictures - http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... =1&t=31831

As far as finish - the octagonal one I got a couple years back is a 'matte' or brushed finish that almost looks 'pewter' in tone - very attractive, and not out of place on the older style gun like a shiny finish would be. You can kind of see the finish in the above 'tang sight' photos; the shiny finish is on a 20" .454 Rossi.

[Griff]

There is much written about the Rossi mdl '92s. Most of it is true. I won't attempt to repeat what Nate Kiowa Jones (aka: Steve of Steve's Gunz) has to say about them. He sez it too well. Besides working on them, he probably understands them better than anyone alive. And since he's been able to take some pretty poor examples and make them slick, reliable and consistent little carbines speaks volumes about his expertise.

However, from my own experience with owning 3 of them... don't let what you hear unduly influence you negatively. However, a real assessment of your willingness to work with what you receive for your dollars should be what determines whether you want a replica model 1892 Winchester. This may entail doing some work yourself, or having it done for you. Now... let me say in the very next breath that depending on your intended use you may not have to do anything!

Most of the negatives about the Rossis have been from cowboy action shooters. They're trying to run them fast. And it's with speed that most negatives about the Rossi 92 shows up. A quick second followup shot hunting is not quite the same as trying to run 10 shots thru a rifle in less than 10 seconds; as some have said, cowboy action shooting is more abuse than use.

If you have any mechanical aptitude and proper tools, then doing any necessary work yourself is very satisfying. The two .38/.357 carbines my wife and son used in cowboy shooting are prime examples. Starting in early 1987, I bought my wife a nice engraved, gold-toned receiver model 92 Rossi with upgraded wood, all factory done. And while it worked... it was stiff, slow and rather clunky. Following the advice of some more knowledgeable shooters, I smoothed some of the metal parts and lightened a couple of springs to improve the action. I then fitted the guides to optimal clearance for the .38 Special cartridge, and yet still feed .357 Magnums. (When I first started shooting BP, I used this rifle with .357 cases along with my .36 caliber 1851 clone).

Although there wasn't any guides when I did this rifle or my son's .38/.357 Rossi a year or so later... I've since found that the process I used initially is still basically the same used by good gunsmith's today. Rather than re-iterate my process here... I suggest that you buy Steve's Gunz DVD or you can follow the steps in Marauder's Rifle Tips.

In 2004 I bought my son a new rifle, again an 1892 Rossi in .45 Colt to go with his EMF Harford Model SA clones, also in .45 Colt. Once again I broke out the crocus cloth and polishing compound and snipped a few springs and polished the internals. Again, I clearanced the guides to optimally feed a variety of .45 boolits, from 160 grain SWCs to 255 grain SWCs and the other ½ dozen shapes and weights I either stock or cast.

The only negative that I've heard that you might not be able to fix yourself, is chamber and groove diameter on certain vintages of the .44 Magnum. Although some reloaders and casters have been able to overcome this with judicious selection of bullet size. I also understand that the new versions have kept to SAAMI dimensions and are quite improved.

Overall, I would advise one to buy one of these handy little carbine, or the rifle in either 20" or 24" barrel lengths if you want a strong, fairly light action of a traditional form that was expressly designed for the class of cartridges that were originally chambered in the Winchester 1892. Even if the example you receive requires a little work... they are worth that investment!

[66GTO]

I have owned two Rossi 92's. The first was a 20" stainless .44 Magnum that had the infamous overbore. It could be a little picky about cycling certain ammo and I sold it because of the overbore. According to Nate Kiowa Jones the new production Rossi in .44 Mag. does not have the overbore problem.

I now have a 16" blue steel .357 Magnum. It was one of the first Rossi-Braztech models produced after Taurus bought out Rossi. It runs flawlessly on whatever I feed it, whether it's .357 Mag. or .38 Spl. I am sure it could be slicked up by someone like Nate Kiowa Jones, but it works great for me as is. My only complaint is that the ejector is too strong. It really flings the brass way out there. I have a Skinner ghost ring sight on it and it would probably be the one long gun I would keep, if forced to make that decision.



This is the Skinner sight I have. I don't use the screw in aperture, just the ghost ring. (This picture is obviously not of a Rossi 92).

[PATM]

Gee Guys, thanks for all of the input!

It's great to have a forum like this!

Thanks!

[COSteve]

Deleted

[gak]

Not mentioned yet is that the 24" octagonal can get a bit heavy in the field--especially nose-heavy in the small-bore .357 caliber...lotsa metal there! My .44 octagonal's no lightweight so my carbines (of small and big bore) get the most use. If that's a concern, I'd think of scaling back to a 20" "short rifle" (octagonal) or, better yet, the 20" round barreled carbine. You may give up a few fps and yards in POA range but gain in overall utility.

[rodeo kid]

I have the 24" octagon in .357mag in Stainless and have been very happy with it. Have not done any mods to it at all. I have just shot it in and it has gotten smoother than when new. It has fed both .38's and .357's without any problem's. Mine is an LSI.

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

Hello to All!

I am about to purchase a new Rossi 92 and would like some opinions. I am looking at a 24" Oct barrel in a pistol caliber, and maybe leaning towards the 357/38 because of the lower cost of feeding it. I am pretty much a sport shooter but may like to just try varmint hunting again.

I have heard some past complaints about Rossi quality, feed problems etc, but I don't know if that has improved with the merger of Taurus/Rossi?

What kind of accuracy, w/ the 24" barrel and factory ammo can I expect, without a scope?

Is cleaning the Rossi a big problem or does it just take a little more time?

There are 4 choices when it comes to the finish Blue, blue/case, SS and blue/brass, I like the SS for durability but don' like the look, any suggestions?

Any comments or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.... PATM

As others here have said all leverguns are ammo sentive to so degree. The bottleneck cals always feed better than the straightwall pistol cals, too. Generally the problems show up more often in the 38/357 guns but only because of the shear number of ammo option. There is just no way one gun can cover them all. The general rule is round nose flat point bullets without any exposed driving bands, loaded to an OAL of about 1.5 to 1.6".

Also, you aren't the first to dislike the bright shiny Stainless guns. I've been doing this Tu-Tone style bead blast finsh for some time now.

[stringbean]

I've got a 92' and love it.Its imported by EMF of Hartford.It's got the 24" barrel and has a
beautifull case hardened reciever and blued Octogon barrel.The walnut stock and forearm
are exceptional walnut.The grain in the wood is great no cull wood here.And i've had no
feeding problems with it at all.Its chambered in 45colt and has put clover patterns in playing
card's at 50yds more than a few time's.































with it at all.

[Ysabel Kid]

Nothing new to add, but "welcome aboard!"

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

I've got a 92' and love it.Its imported by EMF of Hartford.It's got the 24" barrel and has a
beautifull case hardened reciever and blued Octogon barrel.The walnut stock and forearm
are exceptional walnut.The grain in the wood is great no cull wood here.And i've had no
feeding problems with it at all.Its chambered in 45colt and has put clover patterns in playing
card's at 50yds more than a few time's.



with it at all.

Howdy and welcome StringBean. I hate to be the barer of sad news but your gun has stained Brazilian hardwood. The only Rossi made 92's that had Walnut were the Navy Arms imported Rossi's. Back when EMF decided to import the Rossi 92's (about 2000) I was doing some warrant work for EMF on the ASM 92's they were importing. They ask my advice on how the Rossi's should be configured. Knowing the Navy guns with the walnut stocks cost on average about $100 more than the standard Rossi's we settled on at least a matched set of their best Brazilian Hardwoods. This helped keep the cost down but still improve the wood compared to the black stained mis-matched wood of the previously imported Rossi's. The EMFs also had the better semi-buckhorn and brass bead sights and no ugly safeties (at least until 2006)