new Rossi 92 357 magnum

[jimbo1950]

Went to Orlando gun show yesterday and picked up a new Rossi .357,20 inch blue.
Very happy with the action after cleaning,can cycle with 1 finger! Blueing is nice but the furniture really sucks,ugly color!
Going to go try it out today!

[Artful]

Didn't happen without pictures! - is it pre-safety?

[azrednek]

I got one about 10 years ago. Got it dirt cheap from a going out of business sale also buying a 44 mag and 45 Colt. Mine will not cycle 357's but works perfectly with 38's. Mine is the Puma version with the half-cock safety without the Mickey Mouse safety button.

[TCLouis]

The one I handled would not work with anything over 1.60" and RNFP boolits.

Truncated cone boolit may well be the solution for this gun when shooting 357 Mag brass and heavier weight boolits.

With proper OAL it would cycle any 38/357 I tried in it.

4.1 PROMO 160 RNFP GB boolit shot very well out of that gun at 50 yds.

[phonejack]

Rossi uses a dye rather than a stain on the wood. Take the buttstock off, mask the forend wood from the metal. The dye can be removed with water and hard rubbing. I used min wax stain of choice, 2 coats, sanding with steel wool between coats. Then seal with tru oil. As many coats as you like. You will discover the wood actually has a grain. It's easy

[Airman Basic]

And don't take the forend off. You'll never get the danged thing back on right.

[jimbo1950]

Rossi uses a dye rather than a stain on the wood. Take the buttstock off, mask the forend wood from the metal. The dye can be removed with water and hard rubbing. I used min wax stain of choice, 2 coats, sanding with steel wool between coats. Then seal with tru oil. As ma



ny coats as you like. You will discover the wood actually has a grain. It's easy

The dye comes off with water, amazing! Thanks i will try it!
This rifle does have the safty on it.
May be i will replace it with steves plug or the one with the sight on it.
The action works pretty smooth considering everything i have read about Rossi actions being a little rough.

[snaketail]

+1 for TruOil. I cleaned mine and put TruOil over the stain. Looks much better now and is more "bump" resistant.

[beezapilot]

I tried Tru-Oil for the first time a while back- and all I could wonder was how did I miss it all these years- who ever invented it earned a place in heaven.

[fecmech]

And don't take the forend off. You'll never get the danged thing back on right.
If you squeeze the barrel band with a pair of padded channel locks it makes it much easier to start the screw. Also a couple passes with a small round file to clearance the groove in the barrel for the screw.

[jimbo1950]

If you squeeze the barrel band with a pair of padded channel locks it makes it much easier to start the screw. Also a couple passes with a small round file to clearance the groove in the barrel for the screw.

I have read about the procedure to get the barrel band screw back in on an other forum, so i may try that procedure!

By the way is see that you are from Buffalo, i was born on Grand Island!
And i am a original Bills fan, living in Florida and have to listen Dolphin B/S all the time!

[jimbo1950]

Went out and ran acout 200 rounds downrange, workrd just fine with 357 and 38's.
Used 158 rnfp,158 rn,125 jsp,158 swc, and Hornady hollow points
Accuuracy was good but i was just shooting dirt clods on the canal bank
Recoil from 38's was nill, but full power 357's were snappier but enjoyable.
So far so good,and am going to Tru oil the stock.

[fecmech]

By the way is see that you are from Buffalo, i was born on Grand Island!
Well at least now you're not totally surrounded by water!
I think you'll enjoy your Rossi, I have two of them and have shot the living daylights out of them over the past few years. Both of mine have been trouble free and are accurate. I think they are one of the best values in pistol caliber rifles.

[Artful]

jimbo1950, give it a try on targets at distance - it may surprise you - at one point my 357 loads were busting clay birds at 200+ meters then busting up the bigger pcs, That's when I could still see Iron Sights.

[BCRider]

If water is the way to get that mud off the current wood stocks then it's no wonder that folks cant get the wood to fit back on. The water will make the wood swell up so it won't fit anymore.

By all means clean out the mud with water if that works. Then dry the wood to encourage it to shrink back to original size in an oven set to very low heat. Like the 140 to 160F "warming" setting. Leave the door ajar so it encourages the moist air from the evaporated water to leave and draw in cool dry new air. A few hours at this and the wood will be dry, clean and back to the original size and ready for a new proper finish.

My own older Rossi and one of the new ones done in the "mud dip" finish both have rather sharp edges on the wood fore stock. Once stripped clean that would be the best time to correctly shape and de-horn the wood before moving on to the staining and oil or varnish.

If using a finishing oil such as boiled linseed or tung oil I'd suggest playing with mixing the oil and stain. That way you get the finishing oil going down into the end grain for a really good protective value at the same time you're applying the stain.

[robertbank]

BC Rider I should be down through Chiliwack again this summer in August. I should bring you my Rossi 357 for a clean up action and wood wise.

Take Care

Bob

[azrednek]

Went out and ran acout 200 rounds downrange, workrd just fine with 357 and 38's.
Used 158 rnfp,158 rn,125 jsp,158 swc, and Hornady hollow points
Accuuracy was good but i was just shooting dirt clods on the canal bank
Recoil from 38's was nill, but full power 357's were snappier but enjoyable.
So far so good,and am going to Tru oil the stock.

My Puma Rossi runs best with the Lee 125 RNF seated into the top crimp groove. It will cycle SWC's but hangs up every now and then. Mine is real stubborn cycling 357's but cycles 38's like a hot knife through butter. Several years ago I rolled a Coyote with my Rossi shooting a factory 38+P 125 JHP. The Rossi has gone on a few Javalina hunts but so far it is 0-3 in favor of the pigs. With the mild recoil from 38's women really enjoy shooting it.

[foesgth]

You are right azrednek that rifle loves the 125s. I finally got my act together and got a Marbles sight for mine. I'm heading out tomorrow to sight it in. Have any of you gotten the DVD, spring and follower from Steve's Gunz (http://store.stevesgunz.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=6&zenid=f8k0oiq04ca2mjva0atd5hbd71)? Was it worth the money and effort?

[KCcactus]

I have two Rossi's, a 357 and a 44. I bought Steve's video with the extractor spring, follower and peep sight. There were times I wished the video had more detailed information, but I don't think I would have ever gotten it back together without the video to guide me. For me, the DVD was worth the cost. The 357 with the stock extractor spring launched empties into the statosphere. With Steve's replacement, they drop in a nice pile slightly forward and to the right. The 44 had a shorter extractor spring to start and the empties only went a couple of inches above the rifle, but it liked to chew on my brass. The new spring throws them slightly higher, but it doesn't chew on the brass now. I had trouble filling the mag tube of both until I replaced the plastic follower and lightened the loading gate spring. The extractor spring and follower are definitely worth the $. The tune up was definitely worth the time and cost.

Both of them straight out of the box would feed everything I tried in mag cases, including backwards HBWC. The 357 will feed all of my swc in 38 cases, but the HBWC in 38s jam.

[Pereira]

I have the Puma LSI SS 24" Octagon barrel model, mine is very accurate. It didn't like the 38s that much but for some reason after shortening the magazine spring its worked flawlessly. I got a nice little 8 pointer at about 85, 90yds. the first year I got it. Love this rifle, the only thing I would change is the lenght of the barrel, really wish it was 20" instead of the 24". Have thought of cutting it down, but every time I mention it, everybody says no so its still 24. Maybe I'll just get another with the 20", but hey I like the octaton barrel.

[BCRider]

Sure Bob, bring it along. And bring a case of a nice IPA or some other nice Ale as well.... :D

I've finally reached Nirvana with my own Rossi 92. It had me running in circles the last few meets but I never found time to look at it. I just lived with the stickiness that came and went. This led me to playing with taper crimping my loads done using .357Mag brass and lead boolits. I used a Lee 9mm factory crimp die to do this. And while it turned out to not be the actual issue I still recommend it to anyone looking for the positively slickest and fastest cycling if you need that sort of thing. It really aids in letting the rounds slip into the chamber with that little extra smoothness as the boolits turn the corner to rise up into place.

But it STILL would get sticky at times. I finally broke the gun down to deep clean it hoping that would help. And what did I find...........

The darn pin on the elevator that holds the detent button in place was walking out and in. And that pin is in EXACTLY the right spot to foul the rim as the bolt pushes it forward. And when that happens it bumps the elevator down and lets the bolt drive the nose of the bullet into the lower lip of the chamber. NO WONDER I HAD TO RATTLE THE LEVER AROUND ! ! ! ! Yet because it was moving in and out easily I never saw it during my previous inspections. I just got LUCKY is all....

That dastardly pin now has the edges of the hole on BOTH sides lightly swaged with a small center punch mark to ensure I can get it out if I'm serious but that it won't walk out on it's own ever again.

I then went on to use my tuned up Rossi for a weekend of cowboy action. It operated smooth as a fresh caught fish on a wet cutting board. Well enough for me to win in the Senior Duelist category for our big annual shoot.

[robertbank]

Good to hear. Do they have a slow and crotchety and hard of hearing division. If so I am in. If I bring it down I will leave it with Kim and let you know. I will in Seattle for a week or so (He says begging).

Take Care

Bob

[TXGunNut]

Congrats and thanks for the range report. Sounds like you have done well. A 92 in .38 has been on my want list for some time. Still waiting on the pics. ;-)

[jimbo1950]

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Ok here are pictures !
These are pics after i refinished the stock with walnut stain and Tru oil. I was really nervous about reattatching the forarm and barrel band but it went on real easy with no file or drill work.
I did have to open the bolt hole in the stock a little to line up the screw properly.
Stock is quite shiney, i may use Stock sheen to knock it down a little.
I used water and a 220 sanding sponge to remove the original mud and it came off real easy.

Just ordered Steve Gunz peep sight that goes in the safty hole.

[jimbo1950]

106175106176

Close up of stock and forearm.

[robertbank]

That is so much better. Great work.



Bob

[Artful]

looking real nice - good work :smile:

[Hooker53]

Welcome to the wonderful world of the Rossi 92. I love mine and like a post upstream will chamber everything I'v tried so far. I have not Smithed it up yet because mine was right good out of the box i will however do something to the wood. lol I like this lever so well that like many others have done here, will start looking serious at the .44 Mag. It will at least boil down to one of them or a good deal in a Used Ruger .44 Mag semi. Enjoy and keep shooting.

[BCRider]

.....If I bring it down I will leave it with Kim and let you know......

Bob

You might want to bring along Guido as a collection agency when it's time to get it back. She's seriously lusting after her own '92 after getting to try mine out. You might need to have Guido bust a kneecap or two to get the rifle back out of her clutches...... :D

Jimbo, that looks great. It might even be a little TOO shiney for my tastes.

I've found that the least sheen buildup comes from raw linseed oil. But it stays oily feeling for literally months before it cures hard. Next up is boiled linseed oil which builds to a low lustre sheen with a few coats applied a week or so apart. Next is treated tung oil which builds to a harder and glossier shine. But even that isn't as shiny as your Tru Oil job appears to be. So that's the one I'd put highest on the "shiny sheen list".