Rossi M92 owners-any regrets? - Page 2

smee78 · July 31, 2019, 05:15 PM

I bought a used Interarms Puma in 357 quite a few years ago. It is a fun gun and my wife likes it a lot. No regrerts on this one.

458winshooter · July 31, 2019, 06:41 PM

I have one bought in early 90's in 38 spl /357mag. If I have one gripe it is the fact that it doesn't feed 38's very well. I have to load them out long but they are a hoot to shoot, not much more kick than a 22. Later production guns have better front sights but it's not that big of a deal I can hit with mine out to 100 yards easy.

jfruser · August 1, 2019, 05:30 PM

Not a regret, just an observation...

My wife's M92 .44mag is an early import--no safety on the top.

So, WOO-HOO, no stupid lawyer-safety.

But that means I can not remove the sucker and replace it with that nifty aperture sight somebody made to fit in that hole.

And it seems a bit pretentious to install a tang aperture sight on a .44mag.

Hawg · August 3, 2019, 01:23 AM

I have a Marbles full buckhorn on mine. I use it as a ghost ring and it works really well with my 62 year old eyesight but not everybody likes them.

Nyoda50 · August 15, 2019, 07:16 PM

I have a .357 carbine. I replaced the font sight with a fiber optic nice bright red one. It’s dead on at 50 yards and I love it. No regrets at all.

LRDGCO · August 15, 2019, 07:31 PM

No regrets. Not sure what they are selling for now, but I think I paid $375 for my last 45 LC. Then whatever the Steve's Gunz tuning kit cost. They need a little work. The wood is rather underwhelming. But for a working gun, they offer value for money. My .357 had feeding issues .38 AND .357, but I understand that is not the norm. My 45LC 16" is the handiest little carbine and plenty accurate. Buy with a view to spending a liitle more to tune and smooth.

COSteve · August 16, 2019, 10:15 AM

Steve sells his action and trigger tuning kit for $58 which includes his DvD that clearly explains how to do everything you need to know to both do the work and take care of your Rossi. Following the DvD, it's simple to do with just basic tools. You'll love both the finished product and the fact that you understand your Rossi much better when you're done.

Add the bolt safety plug or peep sight to his tune up kit (each sold separately) and you'll have a great shooting, slick action and trigger on your Rossi. I did both my carbine and my rifle and my neighbor liked them so much, he bought a rifle for himself, the parts to tune it, and I did the action / trigger job for him just like I did on my two. All three are .357 Mag and all three will feed both our .38 Spl and .357 Mag handloads just fine. I should note that we load the .38 Spl a bit long at 1.500" OAL to ensure that they feed smoothly.

My only regrets are that I don't have a couple more in 44-40, I don't get out with them as much as I'd like, and my son and I don't get to shoot them together as much as I'd like either. (Honey dos get in the way and his work 'interferes' with our shooting fun time.

)

DMK · August 26, 2019, 01:10 PM

I've had mine (a 16" 357) for a bunch of years and have no regrets. It was an impulse buy at a LGS back when the prices of all the tactical stuff and ammo got crazy. I figured I'd shoot a lot of cheap 38 Special through it (which I have done).

I did get Steve's DVD, spring kit, upgraded the tube follower and generally slicked up the action. It's been reliable, accurate and has a very nice (though very light) trigger. Mine feeds both 38 Special and 357 with no drama.

My only issue with the gun is the loading gate is kind of rough. I can't really get smooth with shoot one, load one drills. The round seems to hang up and I have to push it in hard with my finger, then the gate tries to trap my finger. Maybe it's me, maybe it's the gate.

Other than that, I love the little carbine.

roscoe · August 26, 2019, 11:22 PM

I regret not buying two. I gave it to my brother and I miss it.

E.J.W. · August 28, 2019, 12:23 PM

I have a stainless 20" 357. Bought it to have fun with at our range.
Did a spring kit, load gate mod, magazine follower and a Skinner rear sight.
Of those my only regret so far is the Skinner sight. It took a lot of filing to get it to fit. Per Skinner it was supposed to be made for the Rossi dovetail size. I just put a Ranger Point clover leaf on another lever and like that much better.
I was also bored one winter and decided to refinish the wood. I wanted a darker color to show off the bright stainless. Didn't come out like I wanted. Seems like the wood even after stripping and washing did not absorb much stain. It just stayed on the surface. So if I find some cash I will likely look for better/replacement wood and try my black walnut stain again. Other than that it is a great shooter.

Bulwyf · August 31, 2019, 11:08 PM

I bought one in 454 casull
Glad I did, been a great gun.

Radny97 · September 3, 2019, 09:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bulwyf

I bought one in 454 casull
Glad I did, been a great gun.

I had one too. Shot great but it copper fouled after only a couple dozen rounds and then lost accuracy. Loved it otherwise.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

jfruser · September 4, 2019, 08:39 AM

I regret not getting another in .44mag with a 16" bbl.

Polinese · September 6, 2019, 12:26 AM

This thread made me wanna dig mine out and get the sights fixed. The dovetails were milled off center so i stuck it in the safe and it hardly makes it out.

Mycin · September 16, 2019, 06:58 PM

I bought a 16" 357 Mag model, new, about 3 years ago.

I found the action to be plenty slick, and it's gotten better with use. I'm not a Cowboy Action shooter, so maybe I'm not as demanding as some, but I find it very easy to cycle the action without lowering the rifle from my shoulder or anything.

I've put several makes and models of .357 and .38 cartridges through it with absolutely no feeding problems.

Fit and finish of the stock is average, but I'm not real picky in this area, anyway.

The only problem I've had is that the front sight was loose when I bought it. It literally fell out in my hand. It looked like someone had ground it down on a bench grinder to make it fit into the dovetail, and ground it too far. I temporarily shimmed it with paper so it'd stay put, and ordered a replacement sight from Steve's Guns (mentioned and linked above) rather than futzing with a warranty repair. The replacement sight fit perfectly. I also bought a steel magazine follower from Steve's to replace the factory plastic one while I was at it, just because.

This is now my favorite long gun to shoot, just inching out my M1 Garand for the title.

PatientWolf · September 17, 2019, 04:50 AM

A 16” .357 would have a high probability of following me home if I saw one. I missed a great deal on a used one by 10 minutes recently.

hemiram · September 19, 2019, 04:14 AM

My only regret is not buying one when they were commonly available everywhere online. I ended up buying a Marlin to get my lust for a .357 lever taken care of, but I still want a Rossi 16" r92.

powertube · September 25, 2019, 07:49 AM

I bought a new SS 20" in 357 last week.
Action was a bit stiff ootb, but a bit polishing of the bolt edges improved the action much.
Also absolutely no feeding problems with any type of .38 and .357 (factory and handloaded)

TruthTellers · October 16, 2019, 05:18 AM

I checked earlier and the .45 Colt Rossi's only seem to be available in the 20 inch version. I was wanting to get one with a 16 inch barrel and nobody outside gunbroker has them and those on gunbroker have an inflated price tag.

For the hot "Ruger Only" .45 Colt loads, how much of a velocity difference is there between 16 inch barrels and 20 inch barrels? If it's significantly more, I may just go with the 20 inch.

Hawg · October 16, 2019, 10:06 AM

Quote:

For the hot "Ruger Only" .45 Colt loads, how much of a velocity difference is there between 16 inch barrels and 20 inch barrels? If it's significantly more, I may just go with the 20 inch.

Probably 100 FPS, no more than 200. Is four inches of barrel length really going to make any difference in handling? It wouldn't for me, not even in thick brush.

TruthTellers · October 16, 2019, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hawg

Probably 100 FPS, no more than 200. Is four inches of barrel length really going to make any difference in handling? It wouldn't for me, not even in thick brush.

100 fps is significant to me. I'm gonna have to think about the 20 inch now. Already have a 20 inch Henry and it feels unbalanced, but I got it because Henry doesn't make the .327 with a loading gate.

With a loading gate, 16 inch rifles are just fine. Can load a couple rounds thru the gate and not have to take prolonged breaks due to loading the Henry.

dgludwig · October 16, 2019, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Is four inches of barrel length really going to make any difference in handling? It wouldn't for me, not even in thick brush.

Same here. The barrel length on a Winchester Model 94 carbine is 20". I've never seen any practical reason to go any shorter than that for hunting deer or bear, even in the dense, heavy cedar swamps like the habitat regularly encountered in northern Michigan. Losing some velocity (however small) and getting a lot of extra noise and muzzle blast for a perception of better handling doesn't seem like a good tradeoff to me.

Targa · October 16, 2019, 05:46 PM

I would go with the 20” with out a second thought. I have a .44mag 92 with a 16” barrel only because there was a good sale going on and they didn’t have any 20” barrels left. Don’t get me wrong, it is one of my favorite guns to shoot but after getting hold of a 20” version, it just fit me better and felt better balanced.

ThomasT · October 16, 2019, 05:53 PM

I had a Rossi 357 with 20" barrel way back in the mid 1980s imported by Interarms. It shot jacketed bullets really well. I could keep 5 shots on the target at 100 yards you could cover with the bottom of a coffee cup. But it would not shoot any lead bullet loads I tried.

Not light loads with WC bullets or full bore 357 loads. I tried every load in between and by 30 yards the bullets were starting to tip. I called Interarms and they told me all their guns were rifled with a 1/30 twist no matter the caliber.

I don't think the twist was the problem but that the rifling was very shallow. I sold it and bought a Marlin 357 and never regretted selling it. Maybe I just got a bad example but I have never wanted another. The Marlin has been a much better gun.

PatientWolf · October 16, 2019, 08:56 PM

Rossi did offer a .454 Casull in 16" at one time, although I can't say if it's currently available. And, of course, you can shoot .45 colt out of a .454 Casull.

July 31, 2019, 05:15 PM	#26
smee78 Senior Member Join Date: July 14, 2008 Location: South Carolina Posts: 2,918	I bought a used Interarms Puma in 357 quite a few years ago. It is a fun gun and my wife likes it a lot. No regrerts on this one. __________________ We know exactly where one cow with Mad-cow-disease is located, among the millions and millions of cows in America, but we haven't got a clue where thousands of illegal immigrants and terrorists are

July 31, 2019, 06:41 PM	#27
458winshooter Senior Member Join Date: June 16, 2008 Location: Transplanted to Ridgeland,SC Posts: 606	Rossi M92 I have one bought in early 90's in 38 spl /357mag. If I have one gripe it is the fact that it doesn't feed 38's very well. I have to load them out long but they are a hoot to shoot, not much more kick than a 22. Later production guns have better front sights but it's not that big of a deal I can hit with mine out to 100 yards easy.

August 1, 2019, 05:30 PM	#28
jfruser Senior Member Join Date: April 6, 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 350	Not a regret, just an observation... My wife's M92 .44mag is an early import--no safety on the top. So, WOO-HOO, no stupid lawyer-safety. But that means I can not remove the sucker and replace it with that nifty aperture sight somebody made to fit in that hole. And it seems a bit pretentious to install a tang aperture sight on a .44mag. __________________ Regards, jfruser "Books and bullets have their own destinies."----Bob Ross

August 26, 2019, 01:10 PM	#33
DMK Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 2001 Location: Over the hills and far, far away Posts: 3,206	I've had mine (a 16" 357) for a bunch of years and have no regrets. It was an impulse buy at a LGS back when the prices of all the tactical stuff and ammo got crazy. I figured I'd shoot a lot of cheap 38 Special through it (which I have done). I did get Steve's DVD, spring kit, upgraded the tube follower and generally slicked up the action. It's been reliable, accurate and has a very nice (though very light) trigger. Mine feeds both 38 Special and 357 with no drama. My only issue with the gun is the loading gate is kind of rough. I can't really get smooth with shoot one, load one drills. The round seems to hang up and I have to push it in hard with my finger, then the gate tries to trap my finger. Maybe it's me, maybe it's the gate. Other than that, I love the little carbine. __________________ - Homeland Security begins at home: Support your Second Amendment - www.gunowners.org - www.saf.org - act.nraila.org - www.grnc.org

August 28, 2019, 12:23 PM	#35
E.J.W. Senior Member Join Date: February 26, 2008 Location: New York Posts: 171	I have a stainless 20" 357. Bought it to have fun with at our range. Did a spring kit, load gate mod, magazine follower and a Skinner rear sight. Of those my only regret so far is the Skinner sight. It took a lot of filing to get it to fit. Per Skinner it was supposed to be made for the Rossi dovetail size. I just put a Ranger Point clover leaf on another lever and like that much better. I was also bored one winter and decided to refinish the wood. I wanted a darker color to show off the bright stainless. Didn't come out like I wanted. Seems like the wood even after stripping and washing did not absorb much stain. It just stayed on the surface. So if I find some cash I will likely look for better/replacement wood and try my black walnut stain again. Other than that it is a great shooter. __________________ You can let things happen to you -or- you can make things happen for you

August 3, 2019, 01:23 AM	#29
Hawg Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2007 Location: Mississippi Posts: 16,189	I have a Marbles full buckhorn on mine. I use it as a ghost ring and it works really well with my 62 year old eyesight but not everybody likes them.

August 15, 2019, 07:16 PM	#30
Nyoda50 Junior Member Join Date: November 29, 2018 Posts: 1	I have a .357 carbine. I replaced the font sight with a fiber optic nice bright red one. It’s dead on at 50 yards and I love it. No regrets at all.

August 15, 2019, 07:31 PM	#31
LRDGCO Junior member Join Date: August 7, 2019 Posts: 19	No regrets. Not sure what they are selling for now, but I think I paid $375 for my last 45 LC. Then whatever the Steve's Gunz tuning kit cost. They need a little work. The wood is rather underwhelming. But for a working gun, they offer value for money. My .357 had feeding issues .38 AND .357, but I understand that is not the norm. My 45LC 16" is the handiest little carbine and plenty accurate. Buy with a view to spending a liitle more to tune and smooth.

August 16, 2019, 10:15 AM	#32
COSteve Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2009 Posts: 1,344	Steve sells his action and trigger tuning kit for $58 which includes his DvD that clearly explains how to do everything you need to know to both do the work and take care of your Rossi. Following the DvD, it's simple to do with just basic tools. You'll love both the finished product and the fact that you understand your Rossi much better when you're done. Add the bolt safety plug or peep sight to his tune up kit (each sold separately) and you'll have a great shooting, slick action and trigger on your Rossi. I did both my carbine and my rifle and my neighbor liked them so much, he bought a rifle for himself, the parts to tune it, and I did the action / trigger job for him just like I did on my two. All three are .357 Mag and all three will feed both our .38 Spl and .357 Mag handloads just fine. I should note that we load the .38 Spl a bit long at 1.500" OAL to ensure that they feed smoothly. My only regrets are that I don't have a couple more in 44-40, I don't get out with them as much as I'd like, and my son and I don't get to shoot them together as much as I'd like either. (Honey dos get in the way and his work 'interferes' with our shooting fun time. )

August 26, 2019, 11:22 PM	#34
roscoe Senior Member Join Date: July 16, 2002 Location: AZ Posts: 575	I regret not buying two. I gave it to my brother and I miss it.

August 31, 2019, 11:08 PM	#36
Bulwyf Junior member Join Date: January 23, 2019 Posts: 25	I bought one in 454 casull Glad I did, been a great gun.

September 4, 2019, 08:39 AM	#38
jfruser Senior Member Join Date: April 6, 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 350	I regret not getting another in .44mag with a 16" bbl. __________________ Regards, jfruser "Books and bullets have their own destinies."----Bob Ross

September 6, 2019, 12:26 AM	#39
Polinese Senior Member Join Date: September 27, 2010 Posts: 949	This thread made me wanna dig mine out and get the sights fixed. The dovetails were milled off center so i stuck it in the safe and it hardly makes it out.

September 16, 2019, 06:58 PM	#40
Mycin Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 2015 Location: North Texas Posts: 104	I bought a 16" 357 Mag model, new, about 3 years ago. I found the action to be plenty slick, and it's gotten better with use. I'm not a Cowboy Action shooter, so maybe I'm not as demanding as some, but I find it very easy to cycle the action without lowering the rifle from my shoulder or anything. I've put several makes and models of .357 and .38 cartridges through it with absolutely no feeding problems. Fit and finish of the stock is average, but I'm not real picky in this area, anyway. The only problem I've had is that the front sight was loose when I bought it. It literally fell out in my hand. It looked like someone had ground it down on a bench grinder to make it fit into the dovetail, and ground it too far. I temporarily shimmed it with paper so it'd stay put, and ordered a replacement sight from Steve's Guns (mentioned and linked above) rather than futzing with a warranty repair. The replacement sight fit perfectly. I also bought a steel magazine follower from Steve's to replace the factory plastic one while I was at it, just because. This is now my favorite long gun to shoot, just inching out my M1 Garand for the title.

September 17, 2019, 04:50 AM	#41
PatientWolf Senior Member Join Date: October 20, 2012 Location: NC Posts: 947	A 16” .357 would have a high probability of following me home if I saw one. I missed a great deal on a used one by 10 minutes recently.

September 19, 2019, 04:14 AM	#42
hemiram Senior Member Join Date: November 6, 2005 Location: Toledo, ohio Posts: 762	My only regret is not buying one when they were commonly available everywhere online. I ended up buying a Marlin to get my lust for a .357 lever taken care of, but I still want a Rossi 16" r92.

September 25, 2019, 07:49 AM	#43
powertube Member Join Date: February 3, 2018 Location: Germany Posts: 16	I bought a new SS 20" in 357 last week. Action was a bit stiff ootb, but a bit polishing of the bolt edges improved the action much. Also absolutely no feeding problems with any type of .38 and .357 (factory and handloaded)

October 16, 2019, 05:18 AM	#44
TruthTellers Senior Member Join Date: October 22, 2016 Posts: 3,888	I checked earlier and the .45 Colt Rossi's only seem to be available in the 20 inch version. I was wanting to get one with a 16 inch barrel and nobody outside gunbroker has them and those on gunbroker have an inflated price tag. For the hot "Ruger Only" .45 Colt loads, how much of a velocity difference is there between 16 inch barrels and 20 inch barrels? If it's significantly more, I may just go with the 20 inch. __________________ "We always think there's gonna be more time... then it runs out."

October 16, 2019, 05:46 PM	#48
Targa Senior Member Join Date: March 20, 2014 Posts: 2,084	I would go with the 20” with out a second thought. I have a .44mag 92 with a 16” barrel only because there was a good sale going on and they didn’t have any 20” barrels left. Don’t get me wrong, it is one of my favorite guns to shoot but after getting hold of a 20” version, it just fit me better and felt better balanced. Last edited by Targa; October 16, 2019 at 05:59 PM.

October 16, 2019, 05:53 PM	#49
ThomasT Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 2,753	I had a Rossi 357 with 20" barrel way back in the mid 1980s imported by Interarms. It shot jacketed bullets really well. I could keep 5 shots on the target at 100 yards you could cover with the bottom of a coffee cup. But it would not shoot any lead bullet loads I tried. Not light loads with WC bullets or full bore 357 loads. I tried every load in between and by 30 yards the bullets were starting to tip. I called Interarms and they told me all their guns were rifled with a 1/30 twist no matter the caliber. I don't think the twist was the problem but that the rifling was very shallow. I sold it and bought a Marlin 357 and never regretted selling it. Maybe I just got a bad example but I have never wanted another. The Marlin has been a much better gun.

October 16, 2019, 08:56 PM	#50
PatientWolf Senior Member Join Date: October 20, 2012 Location: NC Posts: 947	Rossi did offer a .454 Casull in 16" at one time, although I can't say if it's currently available. And, of course, you can shoot .45 colt out of a .454 Casull.