Just got a new Rossi .357 20" lever rifle from Buds Guns...

[dogngun]

I had an old Puma some years ago, and liked it but it had that big cowboy lever that I just could not get used to, and it had holes for a scope mount drilled into it...
Found my new rifle online at Buds for $419, free shipping. It's on its way now, should have it early next week.

I have mostly .38 Spl and .357 Magnum handguns now in my retirement, and I have been thinking about getting one of these for some time. I saw a used one on gunbroker for $550 or so, but I decided to look around a little more and found a new one for over $100 less.

I'm thinking this will be good for groundhogs and even deer in the woods here in eastern PA...You can't see more than 40 yards most of the time, and long range rifles are pretty pointless here.

I loved shooting my old one, and I'm really excited to get this one...it is a 5 years retired present to myself.

mark

[Borregos]

Looking forward to pictures and a range report

[Tycer]

Order the DVD, follower and ejector spring from Steve. www.stevesgunz.com

[O.S.O.K.]

Congrats Mark! You will love it.

Load it with 180 grain xtp' or gold dots at max pressure and take it deer hunting for sure - nipping on the heals of the 30-30 in terms of kietic power and plenty for complete pass-through penetration at 50 yards. There are quite a few m357 mag levergun hunters with success stories out there.

And I too have purchased from Buds - I've had nothing but good service from them though I've heard of them having very slow response times during high volume sales periods...

[gak]

Congrats - great guns. Carbine or short rifle?

[Old Ironsights]

Congrats - great guns. Carbine or short rifle?

He said 20"...

That means "Short Rifle".

[gak]

Congrats - great guns. Carbine or short rifle?

He said 20"...

That means "Short Rifle".

Last I checked 90%+ of the 92 carbines out there are 20"--100% if you don't count the minority 16" trappers. So the question is, is it the octogon, rifle forend'd, rifle butt'd "short rifle" or round barreled, carbine butt'd carbine?--both 20 inchers. Just curious.

[Pete44ru]

I just could not get used to, and it had holes for a scope mount drilled into it...
Found my new rifle online at Buds for $419, free shipping. It's on its way now, should have it early next week.

While it's always good news to hear that someone's getting a new gun, I'd be interested if you found 3-4 plugged scope mount holes in the barrel top, under the long leaf of the rear sight, when your new rifle arrives.
I know that my .357/.38 had them......................

.

[walks with gun]

It's pretty danged hard to beat those little 92's for nice light woods guns, I've never used a .357 for deer but think it should be a great close range gun. Hope you can report on it this fall.

[bdhold]

sounds like a great choice.
would like to see photos.

[Pisgah]

There are only two certain "must do" improvements to make on the Rossi '92, IMO. First, get Steve's stainless steel mag follower to replace the cheap plastic orginal. I don't know how much it really enhances reliability, but it is unquestionably an item of highest quality, and it sure can't hurt.

Second, (for me), get his safety replacement plug. The halfcock is all the safety the '92 needs, and that bolt safety is goshawful ugly. The plug is an attractive and practical mod, and a cinch to install.

As for action mods, like springs -- shoot it for a bit first. It is really going to depend on the individual rifle you get, and your own preferences. Yours may be like my Hartford Rifle in .45 Colt. The action was silky-smooth right from the box, and the slightly-heavy trigger responded beautifully to a slight upward bend of the trigger return spring. No action work could improve mine in my mind -- but they ain't all that way, in my experience. If yours turns out to be cranky, excellent help is available at very reasonable prices -- and enough free, good advice (a rarity!) to do any work needed if you have basic mechanical skills and tools. A good-working, good-shooting '92 is worth a lot to a shooter!

[Blaine]

[Dawg]

The two "Must Do" mods to make, are the Ejector spring and the follower. And of couse get Steves DVD so you know how to take it apart to do the ejector spring. Those are the two biggies. You dont need to mess with anything else. But, the ejector spring that Steve sells, is without a doubt the single best mod you can do to a Rossi.

[Rusty]

A 180 grain LBT bullets in that rifle puts it in the major league for sure.

[dogngun]

It should ship today or tomorrow, might get here by the end of this week .
It's the standard 20" round barrel which is what I ws looking for anyway.
My old Puma was a very handy little rifle, and I had no problems shooting it at all...I have owned one or 2 EWinchester 94's and maybe 8 or 9 Marlin levers in various calibers and models, as well as a few Savage 99's...I have a '99 from the early 1970's in .308 right now...never shot it yet.

I will have a few crowded days at the range getting these guys straigtened out, but I will have a good time doing it...and I'll try to get pics up when I can...I just killed my Nikon Saturday by dropping it onto the concrete patio...but I had another one still n the box to replace it.

mark

just got the email from Buds-it ships today.

[dogngun]

Got it. The quality is much improved over the old Puma I once had, and I don't see a need for improvements. Trigger is very good, laver needs a few hundred cycles, loading gate is pretty easy. Wood, finish and fit is first rate. I really like the buckhorn rear sight -it is also improved over the older version, and the brass insert in the front sight is great-I don't remember that.
To me, the lever rifle is meant for offhand shooting at game, quick shots possibly at moving targets. The buckhorn sight -to me-is ideal for these conditions, and I have used peep sights and scopes on lever guns, but after some years, went back to the simple buckhorn. It works, it's pretty foolproof, it's right for these guns.

Pics if I can get them posted here...I'm just cleaning the factory grease out of it-there are a few drips and runs that are CLP, not from the factory-this rifle came out of the box perfect. Great wood, too.

Won't let me post them yet-have to move them to another file...

mark

[Tycer]

Congrats!!!!! Can't wait to see the pics. They are great guns.

I don't see a need for improvements.

Check to see if the magazine follower is metal or plastic. The plastic should be replaced. It will eventually bind or wear through. Also check to see how far the rifle tosses the empty brass. If it's not in a neat little pile somewhere close by off to the right and you think that would be neat, the replacing ejector spring will fix that. And sometimes the extractor is a bit heavy and will nick the brass wile closing the bolt, that's an easy fix too. If a couple hundred rounds don't loosen it up to your liking, Steve's DVD will show you where to buff.

Looking forward to hearing how she shoots!

[Indianagirl]

Drat I kept reading down the thread.....waiting for the pictures and got all the way to the end and sigh................................no pictures!

I have been thinking since I already have a 357 handgun, the 357 rifle would be natural to follow. (they shoot the same ammo, so it would be an efficient ,cost effective purchase. I will have the opportunity to shoot one next week, (i hope) so only time will tell.

Congratulations!!

[dogngun]

I just could not get used to, and it had holes for a scope mount drilled into it...
Found my new rifle online at Buds for $419, free shipping. It's on its way now, should have it early next week.

While it's always good news to hear that someone's getting a new gun, I'd be interested if you found 3-4 plugged scope mount holes in the barrel top, under the long leaf of the rear sight, when your new rifle arrives.
I know that my .357/.38 had them......................

.

Currently, Rossi makes a model with a scout scope mount...probably where those holes came from. I haven't seen them on mine, but I haven't taken the sight off, either.
The rifle got here Wednesday. I took some pics, put them on my computer, can't find them anywhere...sorry, but I will have to try again...The rifle was perfect out of the box. Wood is very very nice, matte finish-not the old dark gloss, but real wood with some figure in it . Looks like a dried oil finish. Blue is perfect. Trigger was so good it surprised me, loading gate is really good, too. I have a brass replacement for the follower, but will probably wait to wear the original out...or at least get some wear on the gun before taking it apart.

Indiana girl, I'm a retired guy, and I want to simplify my guns-I slowly am going with .38 Spl and .357 magnum revolvers mostly, and I had one of these handy little rifles some years ago. The new one it way, way better quality and is a really beautiful rifle. I have 2 .357 revolvers and a 3rd on layaway for my 65th birthday, so I agree with your idea. The magnum out of a 16" of 20" barrel is a whole other animal, and these rifles are pretty useful. They are also fun to shoot, take .38 Specials with no problems...my old one would fire a mixed load of specials and magnums perfectly.

Great range rifles, great hunting rifles at 100 yards or less, great to have in the house for just in case. I'll try to get pics up again soon.

This forum says my pics are too big...???
mark

[flightsimmer]

Just so Indianagirl won't be dissappointed here's a picture of mine untill you find yours.

[dogngun]

Just so Indianagirl won't be dissappointed here's a picture of mine untill you find yours.

Mine looks like the top one-the matte brown wood. Very nice rifle, I see no problems with it at all out of the box. Trigger was surprisingly smooth for a lever gun.

mark

[Betterluckytg]

Dogngun: "I don't see a need for improvements". Good on you for not following the herd and automatically ordering all the stuff you need to make it work right according to some of the pundits. I'm afraid I did that and ended up with a .44 rifle that barely ejects and then only when really forcefully working the lever. And the yellow follower wasn't broke, so why "fix" it? Nothing wrong with fixing a rifle that doesn't work properly, of course, but it seems to me a waste of money to just throw parts at a rifle that's just fine out of the box. All part of the modern thought process I suppose; guess I'm just gettin' old and cranky.

[Old Savage]

Mine is fine and works better out of the box than my B92 which works fine. But, if I were going to order one it would be from Stevez Gunz.

[dogngun]

Dogngun: "I don't see a need for improvements". Good on you for not following the herd and automatically ordering all the stuff you need to make it work right according to some of the pundits. I'm afraid I did that and ended up with a .44 rifle that barely ejects and then only when really forcefully working the lever. And the yellow follower wasn't broke, so why "fix" it? Nothing wrong with fixing a rifle that doesn't work properly, of course, but it seems to me a waste of money to just throw parts at a rifle that's just fine out of the box. All part of the modern thought process I suppose; guess I'm just gettin' old and cranky.

Lucky, this is why I look very long and hard if I'm buying a used 1911...so many people "improve" them without a second thought, you really never know what you have till you have taken it down completely...one reason I am sticking to revolvers in my old age.
Although, the increasing number of times I read about someone casually taking the side plate off his old Smith Model 13 or whatever makes me cringe... I have been shooting a lot different of Smiths for over 45 years and have never felt the need to take the side plate off of one of them.
I'm not a gunsmith, I just shoot the darn things.
ADDED: Just bought a well used Cimmaron/Uberti Evil Roy 5" .357 mag to go with the Rossi...I WILL be changing the base pin for a new Belt Mountain as soon as it gets here from Brownel's-l it shows wear- and this is a very easy and reversible fix.
The gun is from 2007, and probably has a lot of mild Cowboy Action rounds under its belt, but I will be using it as a companion for hiking and maybe for the occasional ground hog hunt.

mark

[dogngun]

Bought some hunting type ammo for the rifle, and for my several .357 magnum revolvers, one of which will go along with the Rossi this fall. I have Federal 158 grain JSP's and Remington 125 grain JSP's for smaller animals. I also have a variety of 38 Spl standard and +p and .357 JHP loads for general purpose or carry.
Just found the Federals at Walmart today.

mark

[COSteve]

Dogngun: "I don't see a need for improvements". Good on you for not following the herd and automatically ordering all the stuff you need to make it work right according to some of the pundits. I'm afraid I did that and ended up with a .44 rifle that barely ejects and then only when really forcefully working the lever. And the yellow follower wasn't broke, so why "fix" it? Nothing wrong with fixing a rifle that doesn't work properly, of course, but it seems to me a waste of money to just throw parts at a rifle that's just fine out of the box. All part of the modern thought process I suppose; guess I'm just gettin' old and cranky.

While I ultimately did an action job on both of my Rossis, it was only after using them in stock form first to see how they behaved. Both functioned well, both feed 38spl and 357mag well, both were accurate, both had decent triggers, and both were serviceable. They just were a bit stiff and their triggers a bit heavy. Also, I did note on both that the last 1/4" of bolt closing was noticeably stiffer and that issue, in addition to the long range brass launching they both did, is directly caused by their excessively stiff ejector spring (Steve's words), the very spring Steve's kit replaces.

The action/trigger job isn't touted to make them work better because they both worked fine before I did it. It's to make them operate more smoothly and with smoother, lighter triggers. Steve has discussed here many times that the excessively heavy spring rates Rossi and other firearms makers use is to account for the lack of internal finish machine work; i.e. so they will function reliably even if their actions are rough. Further, he says that smoothing out the action and lowering the spring rates actually increases the service life of the Rossis by reducing the wear rates.

Also, there was nothing wrong with the stock Rossi sights, I just wanted a more precision sight picture for more accurate long range shooting. The addition of the tang, folding rear, and small bead front sight on my rifle was specifically so that I'd have a sight system I could use for 300 yard shooting. I could have got along fine with the stock sights on my carbine but I could pick up the Marbles set for cheap so I did. What can I say, I like working on weapons. I learned how to in Armorer's School during the service and I still enjoy it. However, I agree that there are a lot of 'back yard gunsmiths' who 'fix' things that aren't a problem and then they have a firearm that works worse than before but that's not the case here.

It's the same with the Rossi's stocks. Rossi saves money by not spending a ton on stock finishing. Their standard finish is serviceable but not particularly pretty. Both of mine were fine in stock form but I wanted more color and pop out of them so I added the WATCO Danish Oil to them. Not because they needed it, but because I wanted to. I like the result and I'm happy I did it. If someone doesn't see the need to do it to their rifle, then that's great too.

Finally, Steve's got tons of experience with the Rossi and his kit is a well thought out enhancement to the weapon, not some gimmick. It was specifically designed to increase the smoothness of the action and trigger and increase the service life of the weapon, two admirable goals. So, I think dissing an action/trigger job on one's Rossi is short sited and not based upon the facts at hand.

[Betterluckytg]

COSteve: "So, I think dissing an action/trigger job on one's Rossi is short sited and not based upon the facts at hand." Well now, don't want to get into a dissing match here. However, if expressing the opinion that unnecessary modifications are just that, unnecessary, is "dissing", I guess I'm guilty. As the OP said, his didn't need it, so he didn't do it. Makes sense to this old fanny burp.

[COSteve]

COSteve: "So, I think dissing an action/trigger job on one's Rossi is short sited and not based upon the facts at hand." Well now, don't want to get into a dissing match here. However, if expressing the opinion that unnecessary modifications are just that, unnecessary, is "dissing", I guess I'm guilty. As the OP said, his didn't need it, so he didn't do it. Makes sense to this old fanny burp.

Sorry, I guess that the term 'dissing' may be a bit strong but what I'm trying to say is that many current arms makers produce products that, while functioning fine, are a bit rough in the action and a simple cleanup is worth the time. Not because one gets to 'play gunsmith' but rather because they really do benefit from the work. I wish that they produced them slick and ready but the truth is that they all could do a better job.

[Betterluckytg]

COsteve:"many current arms makers produce products that, while functioning fine, are a bit rough in the action and a simple cleanup is worth the time. Not because one gets to 'play gunsmith' but rather because they really do benefit from the work. I wish that they produced them slick and ready but the truth is that they all could do a better job." Precisely! That's what I was trying to say, in my usual ham-handed way; when something needs work, do it. If it doesn't, shoot it.

[dogngun]

Steve, I had no intention of "dissing" anybody nor his favorite riflesmith. I just do not see a pressing need for any modification to this particular Rossi, and I had never heard of Steve before this. I bought mine from Buds for 2 reasons-they had a great price on what I wanted, and they had some in stock, period.


I have owned several Rossi firearms before, in fact one of their fine 462 .357 Magnum stainless snubbies is my regular carry gun. I have had 2 older Rossi revolvers plus an old Puma lever rifle. I was very impressed with their quality and the accuracy and smoothness of the actions of their products, and the only mod I have made to any of them is to replace the hammer spring on my 462 with one from Wolff-they recommend the same one used by the S&W Chief Special J frame.

I have been shooting since I learned how in Cub Scouts at age 10, almost 55 years ago. I have had many more expensive guns than Rossi's, but my old Smiths stay home and I carry the Rossi revolver.

By all means, do as you wish with your guns. In Real Life, I am a very liberal Democrat, and not into telling others what to do with their private lives.

mark

[Dirty Dan]

Deer at 40-50 yds should be no problem. My Marlin 357s have taken several hogs, as has my 10" Contender 357.

[Indianagirl]

Just so Indianagirl won't be dissappointed here's a picture of mine untill you find yours.

Mine looks like the top one-the matte brown wood. Very nice rifle, I see no problems with it at all out of the box. Trigger was surprisingly smooth for a lever gun.

mark

Hmmmm how did I miss this picture !! They are gorgeous and thankyou for sharing !

[Pete44ru]

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FWIW, this is not a record zombie post - IIRC, the record here is for resurecting an 8-year old thread.



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