Rossi vs Puma

[Denver]

How does the quality and workmanship compare between the Rossi 92 and the Puma 92? Who made the Puma rifles, and where were they made? I have a Rossi 92 in 357 Mag that I bought new a couple years back. After cleaning up the rough edges internally and changing the mainspring, it's a good little rifle that shoots and functions well. I have a line on a NIB Puma in 45 Colt w/ 24 inch octagon barrel for considerably less than a new Rossi can be bought for today. Just wonderin if anyone here has made a side by side comparison of the two.

Thanks D

[Denver]

Oops! Probly shoulda posted this in Lever Guns. Mods please move if possible.

Thanks

[RobS]

LSI imported the Puma which I believe was made in Brazil by Rossi. I have a 454 Casull Puma and I also have a more recent Braztech 45 Colt lever action also made in Brazil as Taurus took up the Rossi name. All in all they were about the same regards to out of box function. Both were in need of cleaning and needed some spring adjustments (the new Braztech Rossi needed more spring adjustment) but the LSI Puma was a better finished rifle.

[pietro]

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FWIW, "Puma" isn't a "make" of Model 92 levergun, it's a trademarked brand name, long owned by US importer, Legacy Sports International (LSI).

When LSI first trademarked the Puma name, they contracted with Rossi (South America) to brand some of the Rossi M92 production as Puma's.

After that contract ran it's course, LSI (the owner of the Puma name) contracted with a less-than-high-quality Italian company that has since rebadged itself as Chiappa (AFAIK) to put their Puma name on some of the Model 92's they were building.

(That contract has now expanded to include the Puma name on other Winchester repros/clones made by that same Italian gun company - Model 1886/86 Puma, & maybe a Model 71.)

The Italian guns retail for approx 2x the retail of a Rossi - but some of that cost is in the apparrent bling - which is attractive to some buyers.

The earlier Italian gun's quality was very poor, when compared to the Rossi M92's, & especially when compared to an original Winchester or a Japanese/Miroku/Winchester Model 1892/92, but has been somewhat improved lately after a pre-eminent US Model 92 gunsmith
www.stevesgunz.com (http://www.stevesgunz.com) consulted with them in regards to their shortcomings.

Today's Rossi's are better fit/finished than earlier Rossi's, but are plainer than the Italian rifles - neither can hold a candle to a modern Japanese-made Model 92, beit badged "Browning", or "Winchester", for fit and/or finish.

A buyer pays their money, and makes their choice.

Steve's Gunz has a DVD for Model 92 owners that makes smoothing & reliability-izing (my word) their rifles a snap.


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[Denver]

Thanks for the info. I spoke to the seller again, and he says he bought the gun some 15 or 20 years ago. It's a Brazilian made gun imported by LSI according to the rollmark on the lower tang and paper work with the gun. I'm going to check it out tomorrow. The seller lives some 100 miles from me, so I'm hoping it pans out OK.