Rossi 1892 357 mag 20 inch or 24 inch Opinions Wanted

[Suo Gan]

I am going to be buying a Rossi in 357 mag with an octagon barrel. My question has to do with the carry and balance of the 20 and 24 inch barreled version of these guns. Is the 24 inch barreled gun muzzle heavy or overly so? I really am interested in a gun that is quiet and that does not have much recoil, but it will be a deer rifle that will be carried too, so there will probably be compromise somewhere. I would like something that carries well, has good balance, is quiet, and has minimal recoil.

Which of these two versions would you choose for what I seek? I have not handled either of these guns and would like your opinions on this matter.

[fecmech]

In the .357 recoil IMO is not an issue and I'm a recoil shy person. There is a little over a pound difference between the two barrel lengths with all the weight in the barrel itself. For hunting I'd go with the 20" for carry and handling. I have both myself and the 20" gets shot the most. The stock length is shorter on the carbine than the rifle, that may be an issue for you.

PS I'm talking between a 20" round barrel vs a 24" octagon. I was not aware of 20" octagon barrels, if that's the case there would be little difference weight wise.

[Suo Gan]

I would like to take my dad shooting and hunting, but he has a bad shoulder and several open heart surgeries.

Is the 24 real muzzle heavy or is it that noticeable? Thank you for the input.

[JayinAZ]

If you can get a round barrel it is a lot lighter. I have a 20 inch Navy Arms octagon barrel in .45 Colt, and it is heavier than my Winchester 24 inch round barrel in .38-40. The octagons really look nice but add a lot of weight. I guess you and your dad have to decide how much weight is too much.

[Boerrancher]

To me, the 20 inch barrel is the ideal rifle. Mine is a 45LC and with the mag tube loaded, the balance point is right where the fore stock and receiver meet. The 20 inch 92 is a dream to carry and pack in the woods and they are great shooters. I have many rifles, some very expensive and nice custom builds, but if I was ever limited to just one rifle it would be my Mod 92 45LC. The 357 is a very nice rifle, as my friend has one. It will shoot most any load accurately. If I didn't already have a Marlin 1894c, in 357, I would have the Rossi in one.

Best wishes,

Joe

[jblee10]

I have a Rossi 92 in the 20 inch round barrel 357 and I love it. I put a Williams Foolproof peep sight on it and it is great fun. That requires drilling and tapping though. But well worth the effort. I would hunt deer with it to 125-150 yards with a Lyman 358429 loaded stiffly in 38 cases. 357 cases are too long to feed that bullet, but 38 cases feed slick.

[Suo Gan]

Thank you for the replies. I may have to make a trip to the Bass Pro an hour away soon. I am trying to find one in 20" and they seem to be hard to come by at the moment? That sounds normal. A few months ago they were coming out of woodwork. I will find Murphy someday and it ain't gonna be pretty!

[EDK]

My first 357 rifle was a converted and restored 1892 WINCHESTER with a 24 inch octagon barrel. I first had it cut to 20 inches...baaad idea!...and then traded it off.

My next was a NAVY ARMS 38 special 1866 winchester replica with 20 inch round barrel IIRC. Not bad, but a weak action and in 38 to boot.

Next was an early MARLIN 1894c...little brother wanted my 5 inch Model 27 S&W so I thought I stalled him off by saying I'd trade for a MARLIN that wasn't readily available. I don't know where he found it, but he did! I used it for almost 20 years...until I got a 24 inch MARLIN Cowboy rifle in 357. My step daughter got it and has since passed it on to her nephew....so she borrows my 30/30 TEXAN. I've got the 24 inch Cowboy and a 20 inch Cowboy in 357 and 44 both. I'd buy another 24 inch Cowboy in a heart beat if the price was right BUT we know where the prices on desirable MARLINS have went.

I'd have Dad try both rifles. He probably will be sitting in a stand and maybe have a rest to boot...so the length and weight wouldn't be a problem. Keep the metal oiled and the stock shined up just a bit when it's displayed in his living room/man cave while he relives the memories. I think the longer octagon barrel would look elegant for those purposes...or I wouldn't have bought all those Cowboy rifles!

:redneck::cbpour::guntootsmiley:

[rockrat]

I guess barrel length also depends on your size. I am 6'4" and wide shoulders, so a 20" barrel seems short to me. Thats why I have a 357Cowboy, and a 24" Navy Arms (Rossi)stainless octagonal barreled 357

[Larry Gibson]

"Dad" probably will appreciate the longer 24" barrel for being able to still focus on the front sight......we lose that ability as we get old and appreciate longer barrels more and more if we want to still use iron sights. If the longer barrled rifle doesn't balance well with the full length magazine tube then shortening the mag tube to just in front of the fore stock will improve that greatly. Much better with the longer barrel and short mag.

Larry Gibson

[smokinbarrel]

I have the 24"oct, it is front heavy and slower handling, compared to my Miroku with 20"round bbl. I put a taurus tang and red firesight on the Rossi, made it quite accurate, just depends what your priorities are.

[Gray Fox]

My wife and I have the '92 in .45 Colt in the 20" round barrel and the 24" octagon. The 20" is much handier and shoots the Lee 255 grain RNFP nicely with a near max load of 296/H110, but I prefer the 24" with the Lee 300 grain RNFP and a stiff charge of same powders, however, the crescent butt plate of the 24" lets you know if it is in the wrong place.

Recently we have gotten two '92s in .357 with 16" barrels. Since we both have older eyes I mounted BSA 2x pistol scopes on them via a mount that screws into the four tapped holes under the rear sight. This combination makes an extremely compact and well balanced rig and for us it took only moments to get the knack of using the scope with both eyes open. These loaded with the 158 grain Lee RNFP (yes, I do like the Lee boolits) over a stiff charge of 2400 will bust clay birds at 100 yards all day, and will probably go in one side and out the other of a well hit deer or medium sized hog. However, if your Dad has a 34-35 inch sleeve length like I do he may have to scrunch up on the short carbine stock, but with shorter arms he should have no problem. From what I have read, the .357 reaches peak velocity in about 16" and actually starts to slow down a bit in longer tubes.

We also found that the actions on the new rifles were much smoother than the .45s we bought over ten years ago, and the triggers were much better, too.

Hope this helps.

[excess650]

I don't have a Rossi but have several Marlin 1894Cs. (3) are 18-1/2" and the other is a 16-1/4" CP. I've handled the 20" and 24" octagon barreled versions and like the 20", but not the 24" as it seemed too heavy.

While I do appreciate the extra sight radius on my 336CB 30-30 (24" octagon), its not as nice in the woods as my shorter barrels.

On the target range the extra weight is of no consequence. On the plus side, its longer sight radius and extra weight should make it easier to shoot with aging eyes ( iron sights).

[Boerrancher]

I must add about the Rossi 20 inch round barrel guns, the original sights look cheap and clunky and not as streamlined as the original 92s made by Winchester, but one of the reasons I like mine so well is even with my aging eyes I can still see those huge clunky sights. One of these days age may force me to change them out and go with a rear tang, peep sight, but unless my eyes rapidly get worse, rather than slowly like they have been, it will be another 10 or more years before I need the peep sight.

Best wishes,

Joe

[Jacko.357]

I have a Rossi 24 Octagonal .357. Yes it is muzzle heavy but I like that as I can hold steady with unsupported Shots in the Field. With a Sling it is no chore to carry on long Hunts. The long sighting Radius, especially with a Tang Sight makes my Rossi my go too Hunting Rifle. I find my Rifle comes to the Shoulder quickly, points well and I can track running Game no problems.

I can see how an older person could find the 24"Oct Rifle tiresome to carry. A good mate has a .357 16" Barrel Carbine and it is SWEET, no other word for it. Again with a Tang sight I doubt I'm a good enough Shot to tell the difference between the 2 in the field accuracy wise. They are just so damm light !!! I'd be fitting a long stock if the little Carbine where mine

regards Jacko

[gundownunder]

I don't have a Rossi in 357 but I do have a Marlin 20" octagonal barrel and when I compared it to a 24" octagonal barrel I found the 24 to be way too heavy in the muzzle. However a 24" 44mag or 45LC has a totally different feel and I have handled a 45LC Marlin with a 24" octagonal barrel which I would gladly own.

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

I would like something that carries well, has good balance, is quiet, and has minimal recoil.

You just described the Rossi '92 20" round bbl .357 to a TEE!

The only reason for going with a 24" bbl is to gain a tad more velocity and about 3/4" trigger pull. I have the 24" but the previous owner must have been a CAS shooter and had it slicked up. The 24" bbl is actually an octagon-to-round. It carries very well and I don't have any problems with balance. I cannot speak for the full octagon bbls though.

I also have a 20" round barrel carbine that my son and daughter use. My daughter can't be 100 lbs soaking wet and she has no trouble shooting box after box of full .357 mag 158 grain bullets.

[shdwlkr]

I am an old guy and I like the 24 inch barrel length even 26 inch, I have one 20 inch and a custom 22 inch lever being built. Mine are all winchesters but one marlin 62. I grew up when long barrels were the norm so I like them
I can tell you this let dad handle both and see which he likes better as he is the only one who can really tell which one speaks to him.
By the way my miroku 357 has a 24 inch round barrel and I am very happy with it.

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

Shdwlkr,

I agree with you, I'll take as long a barrel as I can and I'm not particlulary shy of heavy guns either. But I've been blessed with decent health and build. I suppose there may come a day when I really hate lugging my 10.5# 56-inch long flintlock up and down hills. But I'm going to enjoy it while I can.

I think the lightweight gun thing is overrated.

[shdwlkr]

I have a few that are getting heavy but compared to the shorter barreled models I have picked up I don't notice a whole lot of difference in weight.
I know my three winchesters in 20, 24, 26 inch barrels there is less than a half a pound difference in weight if that. When 8 ounces gets to much to carry time to start selling them and get me a good power wheel chair. ha ha

[CLAYPOOL]

Did / does Rossi make a 24" .454 in stainless...

[Suo Gan]

Real good! This was what I was looking for. Thank you all. We have decided on a blued 20 inch carbine, no one has em in stock right now though.

[phonejack]

I bought a 24" recently, very pleased!

[CLAYPOOL]

I am wondering if they made a 24" in .454..?

[maglvr]

I have a Rossi 92 in the 20 inch round barrel 357 and I love it. I put a Williams Foolproof peep sight on it and it is great fun. That requires drilling and tapping though. But well worth the effort. I would hunt deer with it to 125-150 yards with a Lyman 358429 loaded stiffly in 38 cases. 357 cases are too long to feed that bullet, but 38 cases feed slick.

Good to finally see someone, that doesn't put the ever so popular (and completely senseless) 50-75 yard limit on a 357 rifle!!
Congrats!!

[BAGTIC]

Ballistically there isn't enough difference to make a difference.

Personally I prefer a longer barrel. Not only is it steadier, and quieter, it holds steadier especially on running targets. There is a reason pass shooting birders prefer longer barrels and it is not for a couple extra fps.

Did you ever wonder why tight rope/high wire performers carry that long balance pole?