what he said. Cosmetically I like the older ones better and functionally the no safety ones as well, which were all the Interarms era (late 70s/early 80s to early 90s, EMF "Hartfords" up 'til '06, and the few Navy Arms variants out there. LSI (Legacy Pumas, which "replaced" Interarms, all had the fukakata safety as do all the current Rossis (under Braztech/Taurus ownership). (The safety does have a "fix" out there, however).
But...I'll take a Rossi in any form. Early ones 'til the factory retooling in 2000 or so were said by many to be a little rough out of the box. True of some, not of others. For those that required smoothing, shooting and/or dry levering usually did the trick, or Steve Young (aka Nate Kiowa Jones) of
www.stevesgunz.com, can help directly with one of his tune ups (or above safety "fix"), or with a DVD and parts he sells. NKJ's the acknowledged 92 guru.
All 'n all, like their Winchester forebearers, Rossis are very handy - light, and smooth with a very strong action. The 20" carbine is my overall favorite and the one I'd have if you can have only one, but the little 16" trapper sure is handy.