Rossi model 92 .38/.357 carbine feedback

[ELMOUSMC]

I spend quite a bit of time wandering the river valleys and hollows here in N.E. Iowa and and often I will kick a coyote out.I have carried a lot of different gun from pistols(useless for me) shotguns,.22 semi autos,Ars ect
A friend has a Rossi md 92 16in carbine in .38/357 its a handy little lever gun that weighs6+ lbs,he swears by it and carries it every where
Iam hoping some of you all have some experience with this gun and could give me some feed back on quality,fit,finish and reliablity.The 1 my friend has is about 10 years old and it looks like it was used as a fence stretcher any imput would be great:D

[PetahW]

IMHO, your friend's already given you the best feedback/reference available - they're a no B.S. using gun, slicker than a green snake and handier than an extra arm.


.

[gak]

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.

[sgms]

One of my favorite walking (non bear area than gets a .45-70) around rifles.

[smee78]

I also have one of the Rossi (Interarms) guns and it is a great gun, mine is a pre safety model. It is light weight and fun, I love to run 38spl loads out of mine for a fun all day shooting. I believe you could do alot worse for a good run about gun. I also picked up one in 45LC and could not be happier.

[bull0117]

I have one in 44 mag and it's the best gun I have purchased given the low price and high fun factor. Super reliable and much more accurate than I was thinking it would be. Busting little clays at 70 yards is pretty easy. Plus mine feeds any bullet profile I've tried including semi-wadcutters.

[Deja vu]

I thought about getting one. My son wants to steal my marlin 1894 trapper. When and if that happens that leaves me with out my favorite deer harvesting rifle. I have looked at the Rossi but had the guy behind the counter tell me they are junk... it nice to hear that guy may be wrong.

Still I am wanting a Winchester Trapper.

Is there not any 357 magnum carbines made in America any more?

[gak]

Lever-wise, no American-made Winchesters any more, and when they were they were just 94s, no 92s. AFAIK, there has NEVER been an American-factory Win 92 made in .357, period--or in any other calber since 1941. Model 94s are another matter, made here 'til the Connecticut plant closed eight or ten (?) years ago,...and from many posts in this and other forums, .357 is not a good chambering (yes, some report no problems). The 94 was not designed for "pistol-length" rounds in the first place, but the larger bores among them supposedly fare better than the .357. Stick with the Japanese (Miroku plant) Win 92 if you must have Winchester---though far from cheap. Same plant that made the stellar Browning 92s--which are getting precious in .357 especially (lower production than the .44s). Otherwise, another American made .357 would be Marlin. I'd pick an older Marlin before a Win 94 or Henry (too heavy) in this chambering.

[bamaranger]

Do't have a Rossi 92 but do have a Marlin .357. The .357 lever carbines are indeed handy and useful shooters and mine gets steady use as a GP and walking abouit rifle. I shoot mine better than any handgun, and the .357 ctg gets a useful boost from carbine length barrels. Loaded down to .38 power, or simply shoot .38 in you don't load, and the carbine is no more trouble to shoot for beginners than a .22.

You will not go wrong w/ a .357 lever carbine.

[az_imuth]

I have one of the rossi 38/357's with a longer 24' barrel and I absolutely love it. It was a little stiff right out of the box, but not bad at all and after working the action a bit it smoothed up real nice. The sights were dead on with 38's and I can get nice little groups out at 50 yds. Haven't tried grouping it any further than that yet. Fit and finish is great for such an inexpensive rifle and it is loads of fun to shoot. I imagine one of the 16 or 20 inch versions would be quite handy to carry around.

[CCCLVII]

I have a Rossi in 38/357 and it is not as smooth as the older Marlins and Winchesters. Mine works fine but If you are looking for smooth and perfect fit I think you may be a bit disappointed.

I guess you get what you pay for... unfortunately there is no such thing as a 357 magnum lever gun made in America any more. (as far as I know)

[45_auto]

I've had a Rossi 357 carbine for several years now. The ABSOLUTE BEST thing you can do if you own one is to do the action job (or get it done) described on the Stevesgunz DVD referenced in Post #3.

It will make the Rossi the slickest lever action you have ever worked.

[warnerwh]

I have been impressed by the 38/357 Rossi with a 16" barrel I recently purchased. With little effort and some different springs you can do an action job which makes it about as smooth as any other lever gun. There never was any roughness even when new. I also lightened the trigger pull considerably. Btw the trigger pull was nice and crisp with very little over travel. This gun will shoot 1 1/16" and 1 1/4" groups with 2 different bullets at 50 yards and with older eyes and iron sights. It didn't take but a few different loads to try to get what I consider satisfactory accuracy.

I've only taken it out 4 times and functioning is perfect. I tried some SWC loads for the heck of it and it stumbled a bit but usually fed them. Other bullets not a single issue feeding. I have used Remington 125gr jhp, Zero 125 gr jhp and Speer 125gr tmj bullets.

The fit and finish is good with wood to metal. The quality of the parts fit is good with no slop. The wood on the stock is stained. I used a museum quality wax which removed some stain and lightened the color. You can see the grain of the wood and it looks much better.

I've read you need to look them over before you buy one but other than that I'm very pleased with it and will buy one in .44 now. From what I can tell from reading especially at the Marlin Owner's forum the Rossi is the better choice over a new Marlin. Apparently there have been alot of bad Remlins released. Those guys report seeing numerous Remlin lever guns that should not have made it out the door for sale.

[Nanuk]

Rossi's are great lil rifles. That said I sold mine because I had trouble getting my thumb in the loading gate to load. I much prefer the marlin for that.

[pltx2000]

I totally wish I had the money back from buying this gun. What a piece O S. The stock is underwhelming. The operation of the hammer/safety is stupid. I can (barely) laod 38's but cannot load more than 2 357's. Worst lever action ever.

[Axelwik]

I have the 20" 44 version and like it. Not perfect out of the box, but once you get the action smoothed out its a pretty good gun. I used several coats of Tru-Oil on the stock which really improved the looks, and had a problem with the loading gate which the shop I bought it from quickly fixed.

To smooth the action I removed all the wood, sprayed a lot of brake cleaner into the action, cycled it a lot, sprayed in more brake cleaner, cycled it a bunch more, and after it dried applied gun oil and grease, and cycled it a bunch more. Slick as snot now.

[natman]

The concept of a small lever gun in 357 is good, but I'd get a Marlin instead.

I've owned several Rossis - two 92s, a 20 ga coach gun, a 22 pump and a 22 revolver. All were rough, poorly finished and accuracy was so-so at best. I spent hours trying to make the 92s work smoothly and finally got them to function acceptably, but accuracy was poor. The 22 pump never fed right.

I finally sold them all off except for the 22 revolver, which I kept as a reminder in case I ever got the urge to buy another Rossi.

To be fair, the last one I bought was 10 years ago, so maybe things have improved since then.

But I doubt it.

[idek]

The concept of a small lever gun in 357 is good, but I'd get a Marlin instead.
I've got a Marlin .357. I like it, but it's pushing 7 pounds, which seems heavier than it ought to be, and, for me, a bit heavy for a walking around gun. I'm not a heavy person myself though, so maybe others wouldn't mind. The 16" Rossi 92 is listed at 4.8 pounds. If that's accurate, the two guns would be quite different.

[Water-Man]

My Rossi is the LSI/PUMA with a 20" Octagon barrel. I bought it 7 years ago and it's been trouble-free from day one. Great rifle, especially for the money.

[natman]

I've got a Marlin .357. I like it, but it's pushing 7 pounds, which seems heavier than it ought to be, and, for me, a bit heavy for a walking around gun. I'm not a heavy person myself though, so maybe others wouldn't mind. The 16" Rossi 92 is listed at 4.8 pounds. If that's accurate, the two guns would be quite different.

If you prefer the lighter 92 action, fine, but find a Browning 92 instead. It's more expensive than the Rossi, but worth every penny.

[idek]

I'd really like to have the heavier Marlin 1894 AND a lighter 92 model. If I knew I'd want to accessorize the gun, I'd maybe opt for the Marlin, since aftermarket options (sights, scope bases, trigger replacements, and other parts) are more plentiful. Mine has the Wild West Trigger Happy Trigger (very nice) and Skinner sights. I sometimes mount a Leopold FX-II 2.5x20mm scope as well.

But for a leave-as-is carrying gun, a 92 model would be nice.

As others have said, I can't appreciate Henry's 9-pound gun. Maybe in .44 magnum or 45 colt, but not in .357.

[Obambulate]

Rossi's are great lil rifles. That said I sold mine because I had trouble getting my thumb in the loading gate to load. I much prefer the marlin for that.

Nanuk, you don't have to kill your thumb loading a lever action. The way I do it is to set the rifle on its side, slide the nose of the first cartridge into the gate, then just leave the round halfway in, with the back of the cartridge against the receiver. Grab another round and use the nose of this one to push the first round in the tube. Leave the second round halfway in the tube and repeat until full. You only have to mash your thumb on the last round. Much better.

[jstanfield103]

Had two Rossi 92's no problem with them what so ever. They are built stronger than the post 64 Winchester's. Couple of things to consider.
They are top ejection so if you ever decide later in life to scope one that will be a problem (I personally do not like the top eject) Marlin is a side eject.
If something does break in the future, Rossi will not sell the part to fix them. You have to send the gun in to get them repaired.
I prefer a Marlin and sold my two Rossi for Marlins but they were nice rifles.

[Auto5]

I have the 20" .44 model. A little stiff and balky when I first got it, but it has smoothed out nicely. I ditched the safety in favor of this peep sight from Steve's Gunz.

http://store.stevesgunz.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=22&products_id=5

The wood stock is nothing special, but I won't fret if it picks up a few scratches or dings either.

[Average Joe]

I have a Rossi in 16 inch, .357/.38 . Great rifle out of the box, no problems with any type ammo in .357 or .38. a real shooter.

[lizerdking]

Love mine. Took two white tail with it last fall @ 50 yards open sight. They both dropped on the spot.

There's a trick to loading them, push the bullet just a bit into the loading gate and then use the next round to push it the rest of the way through, and leave that round sticking out a bit. Rinse and repeat.

Try for a pre safety model, at least that's what I hear.

[rebs]

I had read about the Rossi's not feeding both 38 and 357, that they will shoot one or the other reliably, is this true ?
I have looked at the Henry but its considerably more expensive than the Rossi, are they worth the extra cost in 38/357 caliber ?
I bought a new Henry golden boy 22 and it was perfect right out of the box excellent smooth action and extremely accurate. Would their 38/357 be of the same quality ?

[kealil]

I was worried about some of the negative press regarding this rifle. I am so happy I ignored it. I just got mine about 2 months ago. Great rifle out of the box. The rifle looks good. Serviceable but not heirloom quality. Action is slick out of the box. Pretty darn accurate. I am not a good judge since I am horrible with irons on any rifle let alone buckhorn sights. Super reliable. Feeds 357 mag, 38 special, and empty 357 cases flawlessly.

My only complaint is the lack of accommodations for current optics of any type. The only solution I’ve found is a side scope mount which I still haven’t been able to work properly. This is a small gripe though since I can shoot it without the optic but I prefer to shoot rifle with one.

Two words: GET IT!
More words: You won’t regret it!

[skizzums]

I got mine ordered from LGS about a year and half ago. LOVE IT!!! feeds everything reliably, accurate, quiet and just FUN!! I have no regrets, well maybe one, I wish I had went with the 16" instead of the 20". I have found that the anything over 16" actually starts to decline velocity, and although it already really light, lighter would be even better. people talked about needing "slicked up", I don't see the need, I can shoot it fast simple. I could go on for pages about how much I like, quite possibly my favorite gun....

[stagpanther]

My 16" 44 came with all kinds of issues and I almost heaved it into the dumpster, but I eventually figured out most of the problems and it can now pound the hottest loads I can load up into MOA at 100. It's now one of my favorite weapons of the many that I have. 4.8 lbs of kick-taming rifle--can't think of anything else quite like it. And yet another opportunity to post a gratuitous pic. : )

http://i1049.photobucket.com/albums/s388/triggerpull/rossi_zps116f34f0.jpg (http://s1049.photobucket.com/user/triggerpull/media/rossi_zps116f34f0.jpg.html)

[oley55]

the good, the not quite so good, and anything else you ever wanted to know about a Rossi 92 can be found here:

http://www.rossi-rifleman.com/viewforum.php?f=9

some can use a little tweaking, but for their low cost, pretty unreasonable to expect an absolutely perfect weapon.

I absolutely love my 24" octagon with case harden color receiver in 38/357. although a pretty big gun for banging around in a pichup's cab.

and I'm watching hard for a 44mag in matching configuration.

[skizzums]

who could throw this outta bed
http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af103/nwalker73/Misc%20Guns/DSCF2098_zpsaevd3and.jpg (http://s998.photobucket.com/user/nwalker73/media/Misc%20Guns/DSCF2098_zpsaevd3and.jpg.html)

I would like hear any negative feedback on someone that has bought a rossi in the last 2-3 years. I don't know what issues plagued them in the past, but everyone I talk to that owns a recent manufacture one seems to have a vey positive experience.

[stagpanther]

Well, I bought my about a year ago and it DEFINITELY had major issues (I have a lot of posts on that rossi forum BTW)--but as I said I fixed em all eventually.

Here are the issues with purchasing a rossi:

1. You're buying a braztec (Taurus) product--if ANYTHING goes wrong--even a screw breaking--you will have to box and send the entire weapon to Brazil for them to determine what they will or will not do.

2. They do have an earned reputation for unpolished action parts--for some people that's not an issue--for others that have used a Winchester or Marlin it often is.

3. My particular gun came with the magazine tube way over-torqued at the front barrel band--so much so the gun wouldn't group under 7" at 25 yds! It was obviously putting way too much pressure on the barrel. I machined down the barrel band to relieve the pressure--but when I did that the magazine cap screw would no longer engage the dimple in the barrel. Upon the first shot the magazine tube flew out of the receiver--that little cap screw is the only thing retaining the magazine tube to the receiver. I eventually epoxied the mag tube to the wood foregrip (junk wood anyway) which is in turn held by a much more robust screw in a slot in the barrel. You might think that simply getting a replacement screw would fix the problem--but that is easier said than done--they have their own proprietary thread pitch--and you're back to sending the whole weapon back to them.

4. Grip and stock woods can vary greatly--mostly junky soft wood with poor finishing these days; but occasionally someone gets lucky and gets some nice stuff.

After all that you would think I hate the gun--but I eventually got mine to shoot very well with the hottest 44 mag loads I can whip up--so I love what I made it into.

I think a rossi can be a great weapon once they can be jiggered into working right. I think it's pretty evident what you're potentially getting yourself into when you consider Steve has achieved immortality and a decent living by providing fixes for them.

I love mine--but realistically IMO it is way over-priced for all the trouble you may very well get into. I paid just under $600 for mine--real world value IMO for this kind of weapon is $375/425. I think the romantic image of the cowboy action image over-inflates it's popularity and price--but again--if you're willing to tough it out they can be made into great, fun shooters--just go into the deal with eyes open.

[Auto5]

[QUOTE]I love mine--but realistically IMO it is way over-priced for all the trouble you may very well get into. I paid just under $600 for mine--real world value IMO for this kind of weapon is $375/425.[QUOTE]

$600.00? My 20" .44 cost less than $450.00, including tax and shipping.

[A pause for the COZ]

I like mine allot. I put a cheap shot gun scope on it and can pop clay pigeons all day long at 100 yard with 125gr loads.
Mine has a issue feeding 38 special. It will kick them back behind the lever.
I have to take it apart to remove the round. I am sure its just me short stroking it. I worry about slinging my brass out of reach. What can I say, I am a reloader.

No problems feeding 357mag length cases.
Should be just the ticket for those pesky coyotes.

[Water-Man]

http://www.mod94scoperail.com/

Here's an option for a scope mount on the M92.

[skizzums]

I ordered mine through my LGS, it was 530$ out the door for the 20" SS. I could of gotten cheaper online, but felt the 20$ more to have the GS deal with any shipping back is worth it. been great out of the box, yes the internals are not polished, but it runs smooth as is

[stagpanther]

I really do love my rossi, I was trying to be what I thought is objective. If you're not the kind of person that doesn't mind rolling up your sleeves and doing some work to get maximum potential out of a weapon--I would simply say it can be a toss of the dice whether you'll be happy or not with one.

[Airman Basic]

http://i1351.photobucket.com/albums/p783/airmanbasic1/140%20lee_zpsna4tjzt5.jpg

This Lee 140 grain works slick in 38 or 357 in my Rossi. Got the 6 holer which you will need as the Rossi does spit them out.

[Targa]

I absolutely love my 16" .44. Not as nice as my 74' Win 94 but it shouldn't be. The only thing I would have done differently is purchased the 16" in 357 and a 20" in .44. Hot .44 loads out of that 16" rifle certainly let you know your alive :D.

[COSteve]

I have two 2009 Rossi 357mags I bought new. A 24" octagon bbl rifle and a 20" round bbl carbine. I went through both using Steve Young's $58 slick up kit and DvD (http://store.stevesgunz.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6&products_id=7), replacing the plastic mag follower and way too strong ejector spring as well as trimming the mag spring (to allow loading of extra rounds), lightening the trigger and loading gate springs and slicking up the internal rough edges. While I was at it, I also got his $19 bolt plug (http://store.stevesgunz.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=31_32&products_id=4) to remove the stupid bolt safety Rossi's lairs/lawyers talked them into using some years back.

Both have well over 3.5K rds through them now and both feed and cycle slick as snot as well as having nice, smooth triggers. Besides being fun as heck to shoot, they are both accurate as heck with my 158grn handloads as I added a tang sight, folding rear, and globe front sight to the rifle and shoot it at steel targets at 300yds. Off the bench, 8" steel plates at 200yds are dead every time with both the rifle and carbine.

Both mine feed both 38spl and 357mag well as long as the 38spl loads have an OAL close to 1.500" (normal 38spl OAL is 1.460" and 357mag is 1.580") as, like all leverguns, they are a bit sensitive to cartridge OAL. That's not an issue anymore as I've traded/sold all my 38spl brass and now shoot 357mag brass exclusively because it's easier to just cycle one size of brass rather than keep track of both types.

As I reload for all my calibers, I do for my Rossis too. I find that 357mag components are relatively cheap and plentiful and my plated 158grn bullet loads actually cost me less to make than buying bulk rate, cheap 22mag ammo so shooting costs are low and practice time is plentiful. Further, the 357mag round is very versatile out of a levergun as I can make light charge 357mag plinking/small varmint loads with 125grn bullets at 1000-1200fps all the way up to heavy, 180grn high velocity hunting loads. A popular deer hunting load is a 158grn bullet at 2150fps out of an 18" bbl levergun. That's enough for all but the largest deer at moderate ranges under 100yds.

All in all, my Rossis are favorites of mine and all those I take out shooting with me. They're light, compact, low recoil, accurate, and with both a carbine and a rifle, everyone finds one that fits them well. They are both a blast to shoot and great walking around pieces, especially with a pocket full of extra ammo to play with.

[joneb]

I have Rossi Model 92 and it is very accurate. The firing pin broke on mine and I did a garage fix that has been holding up so far. Other than that it's been a great rifle.

[Emerson Biggies]

Right out of the box from Bud's Gun Shop it looked beautiful. Unfortunately, when I tried to shoot it, nothing would chamber. The cartridges would attack the chamber at a sharp angle and tend to set the bullet back in the case. (factory rounds)
First trip to the factory repair.
Rifle came back with the same problem.
Second trip to the factory repair.
Gun came back with same problem and the right side of the receiver was oxidized as someone had turned a torch on it and probably got it red hot.
Third trip to factory repair. Gun works fine and receiver was apparently re-blued. The barrel looks like it had been replaced as there is a good looking feed ramp in it now that it did not have before all this trouble. Ramp rear sight returns to lower position after being fired all by itself. Automatic sight reset??:mad:

[Hawg]

I've had an Interarms Rossi in 44-40 for a number of years now and yes it was rough when I got it but I filled the action with white lithium grease and worked the snot out of it for a couple of hours and now you can run cartridges through it with one finger. I changed the rear sight to a Marbles full buckhorn I use as a ghost ring. Never had any kind of problem with it.