Rossi '92 - what caliber?

[Irelander]

OK, after a few years of drooling over a few choices of lever actions I have settled on the Rossi '92.

My dilemma is that I'm not sure whether to get a .44MAG or .357MAG. I like the fact that the .357 can shoot .38Spl and both have lighter recoil than the .44MAG. I'd mostly use this gun for hunting and plinking so .357 would be nice. I'd have to buy all the reloading stuff for .357/.38 to make it worth my while.

I also like the .44MAG because I could hunt pretty much anything with it, but I'm sure it packs a wallop for recoil. My father-in-law has a lot of reloading material for .44MAG since he hunts with a .44MAG pistol. So I'd pretty much already have the reloading stuff taken care of.

I'm looking at getting the 20" round barrel stainless model; I just need to decide on the caliber. So chime in. How hard is the recoil of the .44MAG? I've shot lots of pistols in .44MAG but never a rifle so I really don't know. Will the .44MAG beat up the action of the Rossi more than the .357? How is accuracy of each at 100 yards?

This will be my first lever action rifle so bear with me.

[Tycer]

My vote is the 357 as you already have that caliber. The harvested animals won't care which. The accuracy and range are similar.

I highly recommend you visit www.stevesgunz.com

No person knows more about the Rossi 92s.

Knowing what I do now, if I were going to buy another 92 it would be one of Steve's slicked ones.

[J Miller]

Irelander,

Welcome to the forum.

Being a died in the wool any caliber that starts with a 4 fan it would be easy for me to say get the 44. So I will. Even if you don't count the 44 specials you can load the 44 Mag down to mild, and up to !
Plus you already have access to components and loading equipment.

However having said that, the .357 Mag from a rifle is a totally different animal. You can literally duplicate 170gr 30-30 ballistics with the heavier 180gr bullets from a .357 rifle. It's almost a one gun can do it all cartridge. There are many here who use it for their deer rifles.
As with the 44 Mag, you can load it down to cat sneeze levels or up to ouch that hurt my shoulder levels.

The one thing the .357 has over the .44 is the components and the factory ammo is somewhat less expensive.

But .... I still vote for the .44 Mag.

Joe

[66GTO]

Welcome to the forum!

I am far from an expert. There are plenty real ones here that can offer good advice, but here is my experience. I had a 20" stainless Rossi 92 lever in .44 Magnum a few years ago. I sold it because Rossi had a run of .44 Magnums that were over bored, including mine. It was not very accurate. Since then they have been bought out by Taurus and I assume the problem has been corrected since I haven't read any more about it. If you consider a used .44 Magnum Rossi, be sure to slug the bore.

As far as recoil goes in the Rossi .44 Magnum, shooting it offhand is not a problem. However, when I shot mine from a rest at the range, the curved steel butt plate would begin to hurt my shoulder after 20-25 rounds. It was not intended as a bench rest rifle and if used as intended it is not a problem.

I have since bought a 16" Rossi/Taurus 92 in .357 Magnum and it would be one of the last guns I would ever get rid off. It is more accurate than my old eyes with open sights are. The only time I notice any recoil with it is if I am shooting some hot .357 handloads from the bench. You can shoot mild cast bullet.38 handloads for plinking or pest control or hot .357 loads with 180 gr. XTP's for deer or hogs. It also makes a good household self defense weapon. Very versatile.

One other thing about the Rossi 92, or any 92. They are best left with iron sights. There is no satisfactory way to mount a scope on one, at least in my opinion. If you need a scoped lever gun, get a Marlin.

And as far as the 92 action being able to take the beating from a .44 Magnum, not a problem. The 92 action is plenty strong. Rossi even made it in .480 Ruger and .454 Casull.

[Irelander]

I will definitely not be mounting a scope on it. I like the idea of the Taurus tang sight, but I'm curious about how your shooting hand is positioned with a tang sight in place.

I like the idea of the stainless being less to worry about when it gets wet, but the blued models just look better to me, more classic. I'll be mostly hunting in the winter time here in PA so that usually means rain and snow. Not sure whether to get stainless or not??

I'm also not totally sure which barrel length to get. I talked myself into the 20" but I think that 16" would be really handy. Any pros or cons for either 16" or 20"?

I've looked at Steve's site. I'll definitely be ordering a DVD and some other misc. parts. I didn't see that he had rifles all ready to go. I'll have to check that out.

[darkwater]

With the calibers/cartridges you're talking about, check this website out: http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/357mag.html for 357mag and http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/44mag.html for 44mag.

With .357 at least, it appears to reach peak velocity at about 16 inches, and can start to slow down in an 18-inch barrel with most rounds tested. They did not test a 20-inch barrel, but I would imagine the velocities to be slightly less because the powder is no longer burning to provide enough acceleration to overcome friction in the barrel. In the .44, they do use a Henry with a 20-inch barrel that posts very similar results to their 18-inch test barrel.

Bottom line, you probably won't see a significant difference in velocity between 16 and 20-inch barrels, but you do get 4 extra inches of sight radius with a 20-inch barrel, which can help with accuracy.

[Irelander]

With the calibers/cartridges you're talking about, check this website out: http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/357mag.html for 357mag and http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/44mag.html for 44mag.

With .357 at least, it appears to reach peak velocity at about 16 inches, and can start to slow down in an 18-inch barrel with most rounds tested. They did not test a 20-inch barrel, but I would imagine the velocities to be slightly less because the powder is no longer burning to provide enough acceleration to overcome friction in the barrel. In the .44, they do use a Henry with a 20-inch barrel that posts very similar results to their 18-inch test barrel.

Bottom line, you probably won't see a significant difference in velocity between 16 and 20-inch barrels, but you do get 4 extra inches of sight radius with a 20-inch barrel, which can help with accuracy.

Thanks, that is very informative.

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

I will definitely not be mounting a scope on it. I like the idea of the Taurus tang sight, but I'm curious about how your shooting hand is positioned with a tang sight in place.

I like the idea of the stainless being less to worry about when it gets wet, but the blued models just look better to me, more classic. I'll be mostly hunting in the winter time here in PA so that usually means rain and snow. Not sure whether to get stainless or not??

I'm also not totally sure which barrel length to get. I talked myself into the 20" but I think that 16" would be really handy. Any pros or cons for either 16" or 20"?

I've looked at Steve's site. I'll definitely be ordering a DVD and some other misc. parts. I didn't see that he had rifles all ready to go. I'll have to check that out.

Howdy and welcome to the fire,
Lots of good info here. As for caliber all I can tell you is I sell more 357mag than any other cal. As Joe pointed out, with the available ammo's it will cover 30-30 ballistics down to light plinking 38 spec loads. As for barrel length we had a straw poll here awhile back and IIRC the 20" round barrel was the overall fav. As for blue or stainless the stainless gets the edge in resale. A scratched up blue gun will need a re-blue but a stainless can be easily buffed. The drawback with the stainless is some folks don't care for the shiny finish in the woods. But that can be easily fixed with a bead blaster.


As for guns here ready to go, with my backlog normally I don't have any ready to ship. But, I do have a few of at this time. If you will email I'll see what I got and get back to you.


66GTO,
It took awhile to get it done but Rossi fixed the 44mag bore problem about 2006-7.

[Irelander]

Thanks Steve. Email inbound.

Those are a couple of nice looking Rossis. I think stainless 20" is the way to go.

[Chas.]

Recoil is subjective and somewhat dependent on perspective. I have 5 .45-70's and it was not unusual for me to go to the range a couple of times a week and blow through a box of 50 or more. I reload so a box costs less than a bag of popcorn and a Coke at the movies. Then I got my first Rossi .44 mag. For me, the recoil was negligible. Then I got a .357 and it seemed that there was no recoil at all. If you're used to shooting .22's, the recoil will be noticible, but not severe with either.

[COSteve]

If Steve's guns are even close to your budget, you'd do well to latch on to one as he is THE MAN when it comes to Rossis.

BTW, I have two Rossi 357mags; a 20" carbine with std sights and a 24" oct bbl rifle with Marbles 1/16" bead front, folding rear, and tang sight. I just love them and can shoot the rifle length one accurately enough at 300 yds to ring our steel plate and make my day! Best of all, I'm handloading them for 13 cents per round.

[AJMD429]

I will definitely not be mounting a scope on it. I like the idea of the Taurus tang sight, but I'm curious about how your shooting hand is positioned with a tang sight in place.

You might want to look at the Williams FP sight, as the tang will likely be in the way for carry and sometimes gets knocked forward by a hat brim, and is less durable. I'm not advising NOT to get a tang sight, but just be sure you've considered all the options. I tend to like a Marble's Bullseye on light, fast-handling carbines, or a Williams FP, if I want more precision sight adjustments, and on a long 'rifle' type levergun, will either use the Williams FP, or a tang-mounted peep. Rarely, I'll scope a levergun IF I really need twilight-hunting ability with it.

I like the idea of the stainless being less to worry about when it gets wet, but the blued models just look better to me, more classic. I'll be mostly hunting in the winter time here in PA so that usually means rain and snow. Not sure whether to get stainless or not??

I always liked stainless, although I've used fine-grit sandpaper to put a 'matte' finish on a couple that were just too shiny. They look more like pewter then.

I'm also not totally sure which barrel length to get. I talked myself into the 20" but I think that 16" would be really handy. Any pros or cons for either 16" or 20"?

Those little 16" Rossis are NICE shootin' guns. If you think you might eventually get a second one (...and you know you will... ), a 16" and 24" would make a good "pair" covering both ends of the spectrum.

[brno602]

I will say it bigger is better, at least for me so 45 Colt or Casull or .44 Mag No real Reason I am sure a Deer shot with a .357 in the Rifle will go down just as fast but I like them fat pistol cals and the big hole they make I find my tiny Rossi 45 colt kicks much less than my 94 30/30 and both have close to the same muzzle paper energy, heck just get one of each cal, I am looking for a .41 Marlin now lol.

[rjohns94]

steve,

in those pictures, i see a place on the mag tube that I don't understand in .357. Did you modify them to load like a 22?

mike

[gak]

Recoil is subjective and somewhat dependent on perspective. I have 5 .45-70's and it was not unusual for me to go to the range a couple of times a week and blow through a box of 50 or more. I reload so a box costs less than a bag of popcorn and a Coke at the movies. Then I got my first Rossi .44 mag. For me, the recoil was negligible. Then I got a .357 and it seemed that there was no recoil at all. If you're used to shooting .22's, the recoil will be noticible, but not severe with either.

+1 You'll find most recoil charts actually showing the .44 a pound or two heavier than the .30-30, which I've never understood, specific grain/loadings aside but assuming "average" loads for each caliber. Regarding as close an apples-to-apples comparison as possible, I've shot basically "standard" and "heavy" loads of both for a long time, .30-30 for some forty-two years, .44 for about 35, the latter mostly out of 92s. I don't consider the .30-30 a particularly heavy recoiling round (out of a standard 20" barrel), but in my experience heavier than most any .44 I've shot out a similarly-configured gun.

Yes, .357 "can" do the .30-30 thing at shorter ranges with the "right" loads, etc., and it's a very versatile gun/caliber. If your're planning on a lot of deer hunting as a primary purpose of purchase, between the two "pistol" calibers I'd still go with the .44. I've got both and the .30-30. The latter goes with me on "specifically-planned" hunts for short-to-mid range varied terrain, woods and brush, the .44 as a fun and reliable 100 yd brush buster, and the .357 mostly plinking/target/range, camping, short-range varmint and doubling for HD. As also mentioned, if shooting costs are a major factor, you can't beat the .357/.38 class...and recoil is comparatively negligible in virtually all loadings. In this regard, there is really no comparison with the .30-30, in the .357's favor of course! If you have a broad range of intended uses in mind, with deer hunting not being a predominant one--and short range at that (despite greater claims)--the .357 is hard to beat. OTOH, nothing beats the punch of a .44--but it too at shorter ranges than I'd regularly trust the often maligned and underestimated .30-30.

My vote is 20" round barrel carbine for all around versatility. I've got both. The 16" as mentioned is a handy little piece. I still say 20", especially if you only have one and most especially as your first 92.

YMMV and many do!

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

steve,

in those pictures, i see a place on the mag tube that I don't understand in .357. Did you modify them to load like a 22?

mike

Hi Mike,
Those two, a 454 casull and a 480 ruger are the tube load versions. They still come like that in 454 casull but they no longer make the 480.

Rossi has made a stainless 357m with that option but I haven't seen any in at least 6 or 7 years.

[Booger Bill]

I have a browning 92 in .44 mag and a rossi I bought new about 6 months ago in .357. They look about identical. Shooting them side by side, the .357 is sweeter. I like them both, havent worked with the .357 a lot yet. I notice on the rossi the rear sight is canted to the right some. I dont like it, but guess with all involved to fix it, I will just live with it. In other words the notch is lined up with the right side of the hammer instead of the middle. I have plenty of powerfull rifles so to me the .357 is more usefull and more of a joy to shoot of the two.

[CEMENTHEAD]

44 Mangleum Definately!!

Thanks, Tom

[Im3wheeln]

I was in your same position about 4 months ago. I have a small 3" revolver in 38 special, and have been reloading for it for several years, so the logical choice would be the .357. Unfortunately logic didn't win this time so I went with the 44mag with a 16" barrel. I now have all the gear to reload for 44mag, but it's still not cheap to shoot if you're just plinking.

PS I'm looking into possibly trying the cowboy shooting thing at one of the local ranges so chances are good I'll end up with a .357 anyway. What can I say, like potato chips, you can't have just one levergun.

Eric

[Derailed]

357...More bang for the buck$$$

[jlchucker]

I've had an EMF Hartford (Rossi) 44 mag 24" rifle for a few years now, and just this past year got the 16 inch trapper (Braztech made by Rossi). I handload for everything I have, and cast my own for both these rifles. Both had been smoothed up by an old local gunsmith. It turns out that he did basically everything that Nate does on his DVD. My 357 gave me a bit of concern with a jamming problem when I was using 38 specials, but this was easily overcome by seating my bullets out a bit. 357's work just fine. Both of these rifles I consider to be keepers now. A comment about the current crop of Rossi's is the cheap sights they are putting on them. This can be overcome by drifting them out and replacing them with Marble's sights. I used a semibuckhorn rear (the longer one for longer eye relief fits just fine) but I'm intrigued by the rear sight that AJMD referrred to in his comments. If I were forced to keep only one of my two Rossi's, though, it would probably be, for lots of reasons already stated by others, the 357. For me, it fills a need as a "modernized" 32-20 small game gun. If I want to hunt deer or bear, I already have 30-30's, 35 Remingtons, and a 45-70 Marlin that I'd grab first.

[Irelander]

Thanks for all the input guys. I really appreciate your help and kindness.

I just don't have the coin to spend on one of Steve's guns right now, but I'm sure he will be seeing my gun in the future for some work.

I'm definitely going to get the stainless model 92. I keep going back and forth with the 16" of 20" barrel. I can see myself taking this gun camping/hiking so the 16" may be easier to tote around, but I'm not going to disregard the advise for the 20"er.

I'm probably going to go with .44MAG, but I'm still pondering the .357.

I have a nice .308 that I've been hunting deer with for several years now, and it works good. I also use it for long range target shooting. The problem is that in most of the terrain I hunt in is big woods and shots are rarely over 50 yards, if that, and even then there is often bush to shoot through. I have no doubt that the .44MAG will bust through almost any brush, but I'm not so sure about the .357. Of course, I'm sure I will be plinking with this gun more than hunting with it. Seems like deer season gets shorter and shorter every year.

[Irelander]

I just called my local gun dealer...this isn't getting any easier.

He has two Rossi 92s in stock...both stainless..."short barrels"...one in .357MAG...one in .44MAG. Maybe by the time I get over there he will only have one left and that will make my decision easier.

He wants $442.00 for either of them.

[stew71]

Mine's a 24" octagonal barreled 45 Colt...color hardened finish and purdy wood to match. Makes for a fine anti-hog brush gun....zero recoil.

[Irelander]

I stopped in at the gun shop yesterday and fondled a Rossi 92 .44MAG with a stainless 16" barrel. It was all I could do to leave it at the store. That will definitely be what I get. I just need to unload a Glock 29 that I've been trying to sell. If your interested, check out the classified section.

[Ysabel Kid]

Thanks Steve. Email inbound.

Those are a couple of nice looking Rossis. I think stainless 20" is the way to go.

Welcome aboard!

There is only one problem with getting a Rossi from Steve, or one he has slicked up - you will be FOREVER spoiled! Everything else is going to feel awfully rough after handling one Steve has given the once-over to!!!

[Irelander]

Well, I put down $200 on the stainless 16" .44MAG Rossi at my dealer. Hopefully this month I will have the rest of the cash to bring it home.

[AJMD429]

If you haven't seen the periodic "If you could have just one gun..." posts that generate a few pages of dialogue whenever we're too bored to think of a more complex topic, or too depressed to get all fired up over 'politics', you'll find that the gun you're buying is often one of the top contenders for the "just one gun" award...

I'll bet it winds up being one of your favorite guns of all time. Maybe when you get old and have to have 'optics' to see the broad side of a barn, you'll switch to a Marlin so as to more easily mount a scope. Both are fine guns.

[Irelander]

Picked up my new Rossi 92 in 44MAG today. I'll post some pics after work.

[Old Savage]

I'll be joining you with a B 92 next week

[southfork]

[quoteHi Mike,
Those two, a 454 casull and a 480 ruger are the tube load versions. They still come like that in 454 casull but they no longer make the 480.

[/quote]

I wonder why they don't make the 480 Ruger any more? Isn't it less brutal on the shoulder and also less pressure than the 454 Casull?

[Irelander]

Here she is, nice and shiny.



I agree with AJMD429, this could easily become my favorite gun. I haven't shot it yet, but hopefully soon. I think at some point I might refinish the stock because I can't really see a lot of grain to the wood in its current state. All in good time. Now I need to figure out a starting point for .44MAG loads (advise welcome) and figure out how to take this thing apart.

[Griff]

Congrats on yer new levergun!

Instructions on slickin' up your Rossi can be found on Nate's site with his DVD as you know, but for basic instructions in the meantime, you might try: Marauder's Rifle Tips. I tuned up all 3 of my Rossis (2-.357 & 1-.45Colt) before I'd heard of either Nate or Marauder... and found that I used virtually the same method as Marauder. I did my first one back in 1987 for my wife's use in cowboy action shooting and have used the same method since.

I gotta say, that while I don't care for the SS models, Nate's argument in favor of them holds a LOT of merit. Something I rarely think of... (this resale thing), but looking at my well-used blued models... he's definitely RIGHT ON!

[COSteve]

I've got to agree with your color choice Griff. The blued leverguns, worn or not, look real to me while the stainless steel, while practical, just don't look right to these eyes.

[rogn]

A minor tip- we were shooting on a rainy day(otherwise known as days off{like today}) and discovered that the stocks are simply treated with a waterbase stain that turns your hands yellow. After cleaning things up and drying the wood for a couple of days, I ran a few coats of Birchwood Caseys Truoil by hard hand rubbing and the results in 2 days were a 1000% improvement. Didnt sand or do anything special, but just rubbed a small amout of oil into the wood-maybe 15 per session. It brings the limited grain out, gives some water resistance, and enhances the overall appearance dramatically. Definitely a major improvement for mimimal effort. Well enjoy it now!

[Irelander]

A minor tip- we were shooting on a rainy day(otherwise known as days off{like today}) and discovered that the stocks are simply treated with a waterbase stain that turns your hands yellow. After cleaning things up and drying the wood for a couple of days, I ran a few coats of Birchwood Caseys Truoil by hard hand rubbing and the results in 2 days were a 1000% improvement. Didnt sand or do anything special, but just rubbed a small amout of oil into the wood-maybe 15 per session. It brings the limited grain out, gives some water resistance, and enhances the overall appearance dramatically. Definitely a major improvement for mimimal effort. Well enjoy it now!

I'll probably end up sanding the stock a bit and going the linseed oil route. I did that to a set of 1911 grips and they came out great.

[Irelander]

Well I'm done refinishing the stock on my '92. I'll post some pics later. The forend came out better than the buttstock but I guess I don't really care. I think the stain I used just wasn't the best for refinishing stocks. Anyway, I also tore the action down and slicked things up. I'm liking it.

[Poohgyrr]

Congrats on your '92, Great Levers.

[Canuck Bob]

Well I'm cheap. You can share 44 Mag tooling and it is a common caliber. I vote 44 but as has been said if it don't got 3 4s it ain't big bore as in 444.

I have owned and shot a few 44 Mags in a rifle. They were not a problem at all. If you handload up some flat nose 280 grainers and push them hard it will kick but it will do what the 357 won't. Load up 225 grain lead at 1500 fps and it will be pleasant. Besides recoil is good, no recoil no whack!

Loaded stout with proper bullets the 44 Mag is a wonderful deer cartridge. If one follows LBT ideas about medium speed wide meplat bullets it really is the best of all worlds to my thinking.