Rossi lever action ?

rebs · November 9, 2017, 07:44 AM

Tell me about the Rossi lever action 357 magnum rifle, the good and the bad ?

OldScout · November 9, 2017, 11:00 AM

The main problem as I have heard, is loading 38spl rounds jamming. Do a google, there are a lot of pros and cons, but mostly pros. But the price is right.

zipspyder · November 9, 2017, 11:22 AM

I had one. Everything is fine until you use 38 SPCL ammunition. Best to use it as a single shot for that. At least for mine it was.

T. O'Heir · November 9, 2017, 01:21 PM

"...loading .38 Spl. rounds jamming..." Lotta .357 lever actions do that. Has to do with the OAL length difference and the action. Loading .357 cases to .38 velocities will fix that.

DPris · November 9, 2017, 01:45 PM

The offerings seem to be in a state of flux.
Many were discontinued & reports are that the remaining guns are often hard to find.
Denis

COSteve · November 9, 2017, 02:34 PM

As the feed design of the Win '92 lever action assumes a fixed case OAL, dealing with two different rd lengths that are some .125" different is a challenge. The spec for a 38spl OAL is 1.550" while the 357mag OAL is 2.590", however, many commercial 38spl rds are loaded in the 1.460" range because the 38spl's case length is .125" shorter than the 357mag's.

When the shorter 38spl rds are cycled through a levergun the cartridge stop and lifter sometimes don't deal with the shorter rds smoothly. I have 2 Rossi 357mag and when I was loading both 38spl and 357mag, I found that a simple way to avoid the issue is to load the 38spl at or near it's SAAMI max OAL so I loaded all of them at 1.500" and above and didn't have any problems.

Later, I decided that sorting the 38spl brass from the 357mag brass was a pain so I got rid of all my 38spl brass and only load 357mag brass. I load all my levergun loads a full power 357mag levels while I load my SA Cav model pistol lower so the way I differentiate them is I use nickel plated brass for my pistol loads and brass brass for my rifle loads. That way I can tell at a glance what ammo goes where.

jetinteriorguy · November 9, 2017, 08:22 PM

I have a Henry Big Boy Steel in .357 and it has fed anything I've shoved in it whether a .357 or a .38 and has functioned both smoothly and accurately. This includes SWC, Truncated cone flat base, round nose flat point, round nose, and hollow points. All of the above in jacketed, HiTec coated, lead, and copper coated. I was shooting some long range at Quantico a couple weeks ago and let my friend shoot it, he loved it and now he has one on his list.

shafter · November 9, 2017, 08:32 PM

Mine feeds both 357's and 38's without issue. Hollowpoints, roundnose, semiwadcutters, it doesn't matter. I think I need a new extractor though because it's starting to slip.

Radny97 · November 9, 2017, 09:47 PM

Mine cycles both just fine

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Mycin · November 10, 2017, 05:50 PM

Mine also cycles 38s fine. I haven't shot a lot of 38s through it, but when I first got it, I took it out and ran some of every type of 38 and .357 I had (about 6 or 7 different makes & models of cartridges) with nary a hiccup.

I've read a LOT of reports about problems with 38s in various .357 lever guns, not just the Rossi. Seems like it depends on the individual gun in hand.

The little Rossi 16" carbine is my favorite long gun. There's lots of fun in that little package. I'd love to take it hog hunting, but haven't had the opportunity.

Fit and finish doesn't match up with the more expensive models, but that's not as important to me as it is to some people.

The only problem I've had with mine is that I had to replace the front sight. The one installed at the factory appeared to have been filed down too much, and was a little loose in the dove tail cut. I bought a replacement sight from Steve's Gunz, which fit perfectly, and was good to go.

az_imuth · November 10, 2017, 07:32 PM

I purchased mine around 2010 and it has cycled 38 and 357 equally well. Both feed, fire and extract exactly as they should. Great rifle in my opinion and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another.

DPris · November 11, 2017, 03:08 AM

Mine won't feed either .357s OR .38s.
Denis

rebs · November 11, 2017, 07:08 AM

when were the ones that feed both 38 and 357 made or bought ? Is it the older or newer ones that feed everything ?

Laz · November 11, 2017, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Mine won't feed either .357s OR .38s.

LOL. Funny. Sad, but funny.

DPris · November 12, 2017, 03:50 AM

Says ".45 Colt" on the barrel, might be a part of the problem.....?
Denis

Tony Z · November 12, 2017, 06:42 AM

My Henry .357 will not reliably cycle .38 wad cutters, though it is fine with .38 round nose or Keith style bullets. Not a big deal to me.

My favorite lever (at the moment!), is my Rossi 92, in .44 magnum. Right out of the box, it cycled smoothly, is well finished and accurate.

Airman Basic · November 12, 2017, 10:08 AM

140 lee.jpg
Had my problems with 38s, tried this one, no problems since. Lee makes it in 6 banger, which helps too.

Obambulate · November 12, 2017, 12:00 PM

My Rossi Carbine loads both with no issues. We keep it loaded with .38 Special +P hollow points for home defense.

briandg · November 12, 2017, 08:57 PM

I have fired many .38 rounds in my 92 and the reliability is good enough, I only use it on paper.

My 92 is as rough as any gun I have ever cycled. I intend some day to refine it. I suggest that you handle before buying.

Laz · November 13, 2017, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Says ".45 Colt" on the barrel, might be a part of the problem.....?

Even funnier. Less sad but funnier.

hemiram · November 16, 2017, 02:36 AM

I'm looking for an SS 16" one. My friend and a guy he knows bought one last year and they both feed everything he's put through them as long as you aren't gentle about working the lever. If you work it slowly, they WILL jam, if you work it like you're angry, all is well. Rossi seems to have fixed the insanely powerful loading gate spring problem they had in the past, as well as the edge of the loading gate was smooth enough not to cut your thumb all up like a lot of the old ones did out of the box. The only thing it seems to need is a metal mag follower, as the plastic one is not going to last.

Joe-ker · November 16, 2017, 09:01 AM

"Work it like your angry"

My Henry is the same way with .38's. Just gotta give her hell....... Hand does get sore from the lever after a while though.

Model12Win · November 16, 2017, 03:06 PM

Nobody really makes a good .357 lever gun these days.

Marlin discontinued theres, the Rossis are very hard to find right now, and the Henry's ar heavy and have a strange loading method.

COSteve · November 16, 2017, 11:33 PM

Don't forget about a Browning M92. While they too are no longer made, they are a great carbine, especially in 357mag.

**4V50 Gary** · November 16, 2017, 11:51 PM

The Miroku made Browning 92s were great. You had to load your 38 specials a little longer to get them to feed reliably though.

November 9, 2017, 07:44 AM	#1
rebs Senior Member Join Date: January 10, 2012 Posts: 3,881	Rossi lever action ? Tell me about the Rossi lever action 357 magnum rifle, the good and the bad ?

November 9, 2017, 01:21 PM	#4
T. O'Heir Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 12,453	"...loading .38 Spl. rounds jamming..." Lotta .357 lever actions do that. Has to do with the OAL length difference and the action. Loading .357 cases to .38 velocities will fix that. __________________ Spelling and grammar count!

November 12, 2017, 08:57 PM	#19
briandg Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2010 Posts: 5,468	I have fired many .38 rounds in my 92 and the reliability is good enough, I only use it on paper. My 92 is as rough as any gun I have ever cycled. I intend some day to refine it. I suggest that you handle before buying. __________________ None.

November 16, 2017, 09:01 AM	#22
Joe-ker Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2016 Location: North Iowa Posts: 247	"Work it like your angry" My Henry is the same way with .38's. Just gotta give her hell....... Hand does get sore from the lever after a while though. __________________ From my cold dead hands.....

November 16, 2017, 11:51 PM	#25
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: Colorado Posts: 21,838	The Miroku made Browning 92s were great. You had to load your 38 specials a little longer to get them to feed reliably though. __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

November 9, 2017, 11:00 AM	#2
OldScout Member Join Date: August 1, 2017 Location: North Central Illinois Posts: 52	The main problem as I have heard, is loading 38spl rounds jamming. Do a google, there are a lot of pros and cons, but mostly pros. But the price is right.

November 9, 2017, 11:22 AM	#3
zipspyder Junior member Join Date: June 13, 2017 Posts: 429	I had one. Everything is fine until you use 38 SPCL ammunition. Best to use it as a single shot for that. At least for mine it was.

November 9, 2017, 01:45 PM	#5
DPris Member Emeritus Join Date: August 19, 2004 Posts: 7,133	The offerings seem to be in a state of flux. Many were discontinued & reports are that the remaining guns are often hard to find. Denis

November 9, 2017, 02:34 PM	#6
COSteve Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2009 Posts: 1,344	As the feed design of the Win '92 lever action assumes a fixed case OAL, dealing with two different rd lengths that are some .125" different is a challenge. The spec for a 38spl OAL is 1.550" while the 357mag OAL is 2.590", however, many commercial 38spl rds are loaded in the 1.460" range because the 38spl's case length is .125" shorter than the 357mag's. When the shorter 38spl rds are cycled through a levergun the cartridge stop and lifter sometimes don't deal with the shorter rds smoothly. I have 2 Rossi 357mag and when I was loading both 38spl and 357mag, I found that a simple way to avoid the issue is to load the 38spl at or near it's SAAMI max OAL so I loaded all of them at 1.500" and above and didn't have any problems. Later, I decided that sorting the 38spl brass from the 357mag brass was a pain so I got rid of all my 38spl brass and only load 357mag brass. I load all my levergun loads a full power 357mag levels while I load my SA Cav model pistol lower so the way I differentiate them is I use nickel plated brass for my pistol loads and brass brass for my rifle loads. That way I can tell at a glance what ammo goes where.

November 9, 2017, 08:22 PM	#7
jetinteriorguy Senior Member Join Date: April 28, 2013 Posts: 3,175	I have a Henry Big Boy Steel in .357 and it has fed anything I've shoved in it whether a .357 or a .38 and has functioned both smoothly and accurately. This includes SWC, Truncated cone flat base, round nose flat point, round nose, and hollow points. All of the above in jacketed, HiTec coated, lead, and copper coated. I was shooting some long range at Quantico a couple weeks ago and let my friend shoot it, he loved it and now he has one on his list.

November 9, 2017, 08:32 PM	#8
shafter Senior Member Join Date: December 23, 2009 Posts: 1,624	Mine feeds both 357's and 38's without issue. Hollowpoints, roundnose, semiwadcutters, it doesn't matter. I think I need a new extractor though because it's starting to slip.

November 9, 2017, 09:47 PM	#9
Radny97 Senior Member Join Date: July 8, 2015 Posts: 1,021	Mine cycles both just fine Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

November 10, 2017, 05:50 PM	#10
Mycin Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 2015 Location: North Texas Posts: 104	Mine also cycles 38s fine. I haven't shot a lot of 38s through it, but when I first got it, I took it out and ran some of every type of 38 and .357 I had (about 6 or 7 different makes & models of cartridges) with nary a hiccup. I've read a LOT of reports about problems with 38s in various .357 lever guns, not just the Rossi. Seems like it depends on the individual gun in hand. The little Rossi 16" carbine is my favorite long gun. There's lots of fun in that little package. I'd love to take it hog hunting, but haven't had the opportunity. Fit and finish doesn't match up with the more expensive models, but that's not as important to me as it is to some people. The only problem I've had with mine is that I had to replace the front sight. The one installed at the factory appeared to have been filed down too much, and was a little loose in the dove tail cut. I bought a replacement sight from Steve's Gunz, which fit perfectly, and was good to go.

November 10, 2017, 07:32 PM	#11
az_imuth Senior Member Join Date: September 27, 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 306	I purchased mine around 2010 and it has cycled 38 and 357 equally well. Both feed, fire and extract exactly as they should. Great rifle in my opinion and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another.

November 11, 2017, 03:08 AM	#12
DPris Member Emeritus Join Date: August 19, 2004 Posts: 7,133	Mine won't feed either .357s OR .38s. Denis

November 11, 2017, 07:08 AM	#13
rebs Senior Member Join Date: January 10, 2012 Posts: 3,881	when were the ones that feed both 38 and 357 made or bought ? Is it the older or newer ones that feed everything ?

November 12, 2017, 03:50 AM	#15
DPris Member Emeritus Join Date: August 19, 2004 Posts: 7,133	Says ".45 Colt" on the barrel, might be a part of the problem.....? Denis

November 12, 2017, 06:42 AM	#16
Tony Z Senior Member Join Date: September 29, 2013 Location: North Central Pennsyltucky Posts: 749	My Henry .357 will not reliably cycle .38 wad cutters, though it is fine with .38 round nose or Keith style bullets. Not a big deal to me. My favorite lever (at the moment!), is my Rossi 92, in .44 magnum. Right out of the box, it cycled smoothly, is well finished and accurate.

November 12, 2017, 10:08 AM	#17
Airman Basic Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2013 Location: South of Interstate 20 Posts: 219	140 lee.jpg Had my problems with 38s, tried this one, no problems since. Lee makes it in 6 banger, which helps too.

November 12, 2017, 12:00 PM	#18
Obambulate Senior Member Join Date: February 22, 2011 Posts: 582	My Rossi Carbine loads both with no issues. We keep it loaded with .38 Special +P hollow points for home defense.

November 16, 2017, 02:36 AM	#21
hemiram Senior Member Join Date: November 6, 2005 Location: Toledo, ohio Posts: 762	I'm looking for an SS 16" one. My friend and a guy he knows bought one last year and they both feed everything he's put through them as long as you aren't gentle about working the lever. If you work it slowly, they WILL jam, if you work it like you're angry, all is well. Rossi seems to have fixed the insanely powerful loading gate spring problem they had in the past, as well as the edge of the loading gate was smooth enough not to cut your thumb all up like a lot of the old ones did out of the box. The only thing it seems to need is a metal mag follower, as the plastic one is not going to last.

November 16, 2017, 03:06 PM	#23
Model12Win Junior member Join Date: October 20, 2012 Posts: 5,854	Nobody really makes a good .357 lever gun these days. Marlin discontinued theres, the Rossis are very hard to find right now, and the Henry's ar heavy and have a strange loading method.

November 16, 2017, 11:33 PM	#24
COSteve Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2009 Posts: 1,344	Don't forget about a Browning M92. While they too are no longer made, they are a great carbine, especially in 357mag.