Rossi m92 instead of Marlin 1894c?

[Camba]

I am in the market for a 357 mag lever action rifle and I would have preferred to get a Marlin 1894c; however, they are not readily available and the Rossi m92 is.
A couple of things that I do like from the marlin 1894c are: drilled & tapped for scope mount and 1:16" twist rifling.
Looking at the YouTube reviews, it seems that the Rossi m92 has an edge in accuracy over the Marlin 1894c with open sights.
What I like from the Rossi rifle is the availability and the relative lower price than the Marlin.
I have a Ruger 77/357 mag rifle and it shoots great but I also want a lever gun in that caliber. Should I go for the Rossi m92 in 357 mag 20" or 24" barrel? Or, should I save the $$$ and order one Marlin 1894c 20" bbl?
With bias over one or the other aside, what would be you choice if you have the same dilemma?

I will sit aside and read your responses. Thank you.
Camba

[jmort]

I have a 20" Rossi M92 .357 mag that I had worked over by a top SASS gunsmith. It is real smooth. I like it. The Marlin is more desirable and a better investment. The Rossi has a stronger action. I would rather have a nice Marlin, but would get the Rossi again if that was what was available at a decent price.

[mac266]

I'm going to disagree with my friend above about the strength of the actions. Aside from the few years of "Remlin" junk, Marlins are vastly superior in quality to the Rossi. My friend had a .44 Magnum Rossi that the magazine tube blew off of using factory ammo. I've seen scores of other weird breakages, too. Although Marlins are prone to the "Marlin jam," this generally only occurs after thousands and thousands of rounds. Any gun will wear out when you shoot it that much.

[paralaska]

I had a Marlin 94 in 44 mag, this was a couple of years ago and it was made by Remington after they took over Marlin . . . it was a *** . I had nothing but trouble with it. Maybe they've improved their quality control since then . . . I bought a Rossi 92 in .454 casull last summer and am very pleased with it. I really like the 92 action a lot better and have not had any issues or problem with it.

[fecmech]

The round barreled (20")Rossi's are D&T'd for a scout scope. There are 4 mount screws under the rear sight leaf.
A friend gave me his Marlin 94 carbine to play with for a while as I was thinking of buying one (prior to Marlin closing). I shot a number of different loads through it and came away underwhelmed. It will handle heavier bullets better than the Rossi at lower velocities but from a practical standpoint not that big of a deal IMO. As far as accuracy I'm sure you can find it with either gun, I consider them equals. I also had a Winchester 94AE in .357 (16" twist). It was easier to find accuracy with both heavy and light bullets with that gun and it held a slight accuracy edge over both Rossi and Marlin but not much. The downside of the Winchester was the action was not really designed for .357's and along with Winchester cheapening up their manufacturing process it was not reliable for high volume shooting. IMO in today's market I think the Rossi gives the most bang for the buck. I have owned 2 Rossi's, a Winchester and Browning 92 in .357. I still have the Rossi's. The Winchester and Browning went to people who just HAD to have them.

[mnewcomb59]

The rossi has the better twist rate for cast bullets. It is 1 in 30, so at the same velocities as a 1 in 16" it will allow for much softer lead. I run plain base Lee 158-RF out of BHN 9-10 lead at 1800 fps with 1 inch groups at 50 yards.
This is with 16 grains of Lil Gun, and I'm gonna keep working up this spring and see if I can get 2000 fps, plain base, and accuracy. I think this super gentle twist will let it happen.

The down side to the slow twist is that 180 grains is about all the heavier it will shoot, and it won't shoot the heavy bullets subsonic. It does fine with 158 subsonics. But hey, a 158 hard cast penetrates deeper than any 30-06 load I have seen, even the fancy elk type bullets. I don't see the need for 180s unless you want expansion.

[Lonegun1894]

I have a Rossi 92 and a Winchester 94 in .357, and have played with a friends Marlin 94 in .357 enough to know it well also. Out of these three, I would keep the Rossi over the others. Now, all have had production issues at one point or another, so handle them and check them over well before purchasing, but I bet the Rossi will win, especially since (being on this site) you probably intend to stick with cast boolits.

And since Jmortimer brought it us with his comment about action strength, the Winchester 94 and Marlin 94/336 type lock-up designs are designed and safe up to about 40-45K CUP, while the Winchester 92, which the Rossi is a copy of, is good to 60K. I'm not saying or suggesting that it needs to be pushed to those levels, and for any sane and practical load, any of these actions is plenty strong enough, but Jmortimer was correct in his statement.

For my money, the Winchester gets very little use, although it is accurate and handles light loads great, but just doesn't feed as smooth as the Rossi. The Marlin I shot feeds better than my Winchester, but not quite as well as the Rossi, but VERY close, and shoots just as well as the Winchester. The Rossi is the smoothest of the bunch, allows the highest velocities with the softest lead, and gets a very slight accuracy edge over the others with iron sights, at least when I'm shooting these three.

[JSH]

I have a marlins in 357 and 44. The 357 was easy to get to shoot. 180s and a case of lilgun. The 44 is a different story. It has done nothing but agitate me.
You gents talking about the Rossi I may just have to send the 44 marlin down the road in favor of a Rossi in 454.
Jeff

[hp246]

Camba, it would help to know what you are going to use the gun for.

[Lonegun1894]

JSH,
If at all possible, I would say get the Rossi before you send off the Marlin, that way you have them both to compare side by side and can keep whichever you like better. If you go with the .454, for what it's worth, the .454 is a .45 Colt with a longer chamber and case, and my .45 Colt Rossi does ok with .452", but is great if the same bullet is sized to .454" instead, so I wouldn't be surprised if your .454 shows the same preference.

If you don't mind me asking, do you use the largest bullet that will fit a fired case in order to fill the throat of your rifle, or do you just go with the usual .429-.430"? I ask cause my only .44 Mag rifle so far is a H&R, and my first try at it was a .430" bullet and it gave horrible leading and 15-18" patterns at 25yds, but either .425" PPd up to .430" for it or feeding it .434" and it gives 3" or less at 100 yds with iron sights with no leading. I'm still trying to figure out which load I prefer, but so far, it seems it just depends on what kind of mood in in that day.

[Camba]

Thank you for all the advice. Please don't stop!
I will be using this gun for boolit cast deer hunting and punch lots of paper to get to know the gun well. Definitely a scope is a must, due to my poor eye sight (due to age). I had just bought a Marlin 30-30 Win (pre-safety) used and I will also be tinkering with it for cast boolit deer hunting. I am also toying the idea of sending my Rem Mod Sevel in 7mm-08Rem to JES to re-bore it to 358 Win caliber.
Eventually, I like to have all (or most of them any way) of my guns chambered to a 358 cal so I can use same type of boolits (pistol and rifle interchangeably). Am I crazy for thinking like that? I want to learn to be frugal with my shooting expenses to when I retire.

From the advice above, seems that Rossi 92 is winning. Will the 20" be better than the 24" barrel or vice versa? What is your thought on that?
Camba

[hp246]

Based on what you are saying, between the 92 and Marlin, I'd opt for the Marlin. I believe the Marlin is already tapped for the scope mount. I have a 92 and it works OK, but has taken a lot of work to get it there.

As far as consistency, I cast .452 boolits that I use in two Ruger New vaqueros, a Model 73, a model 92 and also my 1911. Saves a lot of work.

Which ever way you go, good luck.

[doctorggg]

I have the 92 rossi in 357 with a 20" barrel. I haven't had any problems and I am very pleased with it. I only use it for paper punching and tin can plinking. At 50 yards a tin can doesn't stand a chance with moderate loaded 158 gr boolits and my 60 year old eyes.

[Lonegun1894]

If the scope is a must, I have a question that you need to decide for yourself. The Rossi is DTd for a scope under the rear sight, so it would have to be set up as a scout-rifle type of setup with the scope forward of the action. The Marlin is DTd on the receiver, so allows the traditional scope mounting position directly over the action. So where do you like your scope? The main difference for your needs will be the scope position and the twist, with the scope position probably making more actual difference in the long run. I prefer the 20" version due to the balance, but I don't have scopes on any of my lever guns, and that may change the balance enough to make you like something other than what you thought you wanted initially. Since you have that 336 also, and I assume you will mount the scope directly over the action, it may be easier to go with the Marlin .357 instead of the Rossi just for the sake of having the exact same setup as your 336, but then again, sometimes it's nice to have something different. You have to do what makes you happy in the end.

[Camba]

Lonegun,
Very good thinking. I prefer the scope mounted on the receiver. Never had a scout mount scope so I don't know from that perspective. I had been thinking about aperture sights for the lever guns. I am not used to them but I heard lots of good reviews. I like the scope situation for load development but I can make a "sacrifice" of shooting open sights; especially if I get a good accurate load.
The only thing that keeps me from running to the store and buying a Malin 1894, is the fact that it will be back ordered and the price is north of $600 + tax. It is though a good investment. More than anything, I want to have fun and shoot it a lot. I am also thinking on getting my bolt gun Rem M7 to be re-bored to 358 Win. The only problem I see is that I will not be able to do both. Any thoughts?

Camba

[JohnnyFlake]

I have a Rossi M92 - .454 Casull in SS with a 20" Barrel. It is very accurate and very solid (Built Like a Tank). At first the action was a bit rough but after putting about 1000 rounds of mixed .45 Colt and .454 Casull through it, the action is as smooth as can be. Back in the day, I had a Marlin .44 mag lever gun and had many problems with it, with respect to feeding. I had work done on it but it never was really right or even came close to the action on my Rossi.

[trapper9260]

I have a marlins in 357 and 44. The 357 was easy to get to shoot. 180s and a case of lilgun. The 44 is a different story. It has done nothing but agitate me.
You gents talking about the Rossi I may just have to send the 44 marlin down the road in favor of a Rossi in 454.
Jeff

If you do not mind me asking what is the problem you are haven with the 44 marlin? I have got a used one form someone and the only thing I need to do was when relaod my own .I had to use a Lee Factory Die because it did not feed right.Usen that die it took care of the problem,I got a Rossi 357 and I have n problems with it now just needed to move the front sight and that is all.Feeding is ok and the ammo I use in my BH is the same I use in the Rossi .Same as for my 44Marlin the ammo I use in that is the same I use in my Redhawk.After usen the Lee die it feed ok in the Marlin

[Mike Malat]

If you're considering a Rossi. Check out http://www.rossi-rifleman.com Hosted by Ranch Dog. I have a M92 24" Octagon in .357 and have been happy with it. (no D&T for scopes on the Octagon barrels) Some folks kinda consider it a "kit gun" with a bit of additional cleaning up turn out to be a pretty nice gun. I put a spring kit, skinner peeps on mine and it works well for me.

[shoot-n-lead]

I have the Marlins...but the Rossi's sure handle better. I am about to go buy a Rossi tomorrow...I have probably bought my last Marlin...although, I have no intention of selling the one's I have.

[JSH]

My 44 mag marlin just doesn't get it in the accuracy department. About 5" at 100 is the best I could get it to do. Bad thing is it was with that little lee bullet. I got side lined on other projects and didn't stay after it as I should have. Frustrated me as it just kind of stalled out and results didn't get any better.
As to the above mentioned rebores in same calibers. It is kinda, sorta my same school of thought. Just don't think their is a good do all bullet for 357-35 whelan that will shoot and feed through all platforms. I myself don't like to load a lot of different loads with same bullet in one cartridge. To easy for me to get wrong ammo at the wrong time.
My thoughts were on track with the 35 though as there are a lot of options in design and styles that shoot well. I have used my marlin 357 with the lee truncated nose to squirrel hunt. Then the same gun with 180's for use on deer out to 150+.
A lot of folks look down their nose to those that have a dot or optic on a lever gun or wheel gun. A body does what they have to in order to shoot. Age is not or friend when it comes to eyes. I am happy for ya if ya don't have to wear spectacles.
I have tried red dots and low power optics on my lever guns. My favorite scope on the lever is, don't laugh, the cross hair with a circle turkey scope meant for a shotgun. Buddy loaned me a bushnell firefly and I just don't like the heavy cross hairs.
Jeff

[Lonegun1894]

I hope no one took my comments about using irons on my leverguns the wrong way. Granted, I don't like optics on a lever-action, but I would much rather see a scope on a levergun than see the same gun hanging on a wall and the owner watching TV instead. Do what works to keep you shooting and hunting, and just don't punch me when I throw the occasional smart-alec comment about glass on a levergun your way, cause my time and everyone elses is coming, if we manage to live long enough. I'm just glad we have shooters who know their limitations and the limitations of their weapons and figure out ways to stay in our hobby/sport/obsession, instead of calling it quits.

[trapper9260]

I say what works for someone I say stick with it ,because it you is maken it work for your own needs.I wear glasses all the time and I would ot be able to shoot anything unless i have a scope on all my guns but I do not but I do have scopes on what ever gun I see will work for me.i know there is no set thing for how one needs to shoot for there hobby or sport.It is them and them alone . Sorry about the one that have a problem with his 44mag marlin.Have you try a different powder.Or differnet bullet.I am like you also that only want to use one load for 2 guns that shoot the load.that is how my 357 rifle and BH is and also my 44mag rifle and Redhawk is also.all take the same load of each cartiage.

[JohnnyFlake]

With respect to sights for the Rossi 92, IMHO, the Marble Tang and/or the Williams Safety Replacement Peep Site are the very best! For me, the Tang does not work well, because it interferes with my hand placement, when shooting. The Williams is perfect!

[RJH]

Just bought a Rossi 92 in .44 mag today. I will report back after some range time.

[fecmech]

Camba--Here is a pic with tang on an octagon and scout scope on the 20".

[mnewcomb59]

fecmech you ought to try to locate the cheek piece. I was having troubles with groups after I scoped my gun, but before I had the cheek piece. The parallax is bad on scout scopes, which means if you have your head a little left of center on the scope, you miss right or vice versa. The cheek piece makes it better to get the crosshairs centered in the scope every time. I called Rossi and they wanted like 20 bucks for the cheek piece and screws and I got it in 2 weeks.

Once I loctited the base, and was conscious of centering the crosshairs every shot (they seem to float around on a scout scope) I was able to shoot nice groups.

[wv109323]

I have a Rossi 92 and several Marlins. I much prefer the Marlins.

[starmac]

I do not have a 357, but do want one for the wife. I do have the marlin cb in 45 colt. I have never had a rossi, and one might work just as well, but there is no way one would work better, or be any more joy to shoot. I may have just got a good one, but I will stick with marlin.

[fecmech]

The parallax is bad on scout scopes
This scope (a cheapy) and a Leupold scout that I use have very little paralax@100yds. I generally just use the scope for load testing and when I do I pay attention to head position. For most of my shooting I use the receiver or tang sights.

[TXGunNut]

Nice thread, been kicking around buying a 357 levergun for awhile now. I'm leaning towards the 92 with a tang sight but have been thinking about a Cimmaron 1873 as well. I have an old Winchester 92 and love that slick little action, haven't spent any time with an 1894 Marlin so can't comment but would seriously consider one if it came along. I have a few .359/.360 moulds but would plan on buying a mould for this project.
One question for the OP, are you planning on using .38 or .357 brass?

[RJH]

Nice thread, been kicking around buying a 357 levergun for awhile now. I'm leaning towards the 92 with a tang sight but have been thinking about a Cimmaron 1873 as well. I have an old Winchester 92 and love that slick little action, haven't spent any time with an 1894 Marlin so can't comment but would seriously consider one if it came along. I have a few .359/.360 moulds but would plan on buying a mould for this project.
One question for the OP, are you planning on using .38 or .357 brass?
Those '73s are nice!

[Camba]

Fecmech,
Nice looking rifles! Which one is your favorite? I can't help to go from side to side between the Marlins and the Rossi's. I did buy a Marlin 30-30 Win mod. 336 pre-safety a few days ago and I am still looking to get the Rossi or the Marlin in 357 mag. Ever since I landed in this forum, I cannot stop thinking about a good cast boolit designated rifle. As I get older, I also noticed that I want to go back to basics; but I do prefer to shoot a rifle with cast boolits in a caliber good enough for deer and low cost to reload for hunting and multi-purpose plinking fun.

You guys have some hunting pictures and target shooting pictures of your Rossi/Marlin 357 mag rifles (story included)?

Camba

[Speedo66]

Funny thing: read one thread on Rossi's and it's like hate mail. Lots of problems, terrible customer service, etc. Read another thread, and they are loved by all.

I recently handled a Rossi 92 at a small gun show and liked how it felt. Nice, light, compact action. I stayed away from it because of the last thread I read where all had gripes about them. Now here it's beloved by all.

Confused. :veryconfu

[fecmech]

Nice looking rifles! Which one is your favorite?
Depends on what I'm doing with them. The 20" carbine has a slight accuracy edge over the 24" octagon but not much. For just wandering around and plinking the carbine gets the nod, also if I'm going to shoot a lot of max load .357 mags I shoot it(I put a recoil pad on it!). When I shoot silhouette I use the octagon because it's heavier and hangs better offhand. I like them both about equally.


Funny thing: read one thread on Rossi's and it's like hate mail. Lots of problems, terrible customer service, etc. Read another thread, and they are loved by all.

The Devil is always in the details. My two Rossi's have been trouble free for literally multiple thousands of rounds each. They were a little stiff and rough when new but no worse than my Winchester 94 or my friends Marlin 94. The Browning B-92 was pretty along with nice and smooth but it was not as accurate as the others. They all have their quirks. I'm fairly handy so I took my Rossi's apart, changed a couple of springs, stoned the hammer hooks and now I have 2 very smooth 92's with nice 2 lb. triggers. They are not that complicated but even if you're not that handy they will smooth up with use.

If a fellow is concerned about function & feeding load some dummy rounds with the primers removed and no powder so you don't upset the store clerk. Then load them in the magazine and see how they feed. Obviously stay within SAMMI specs for cartridge OAL etc. Remember these guns were designed for RNFP bullet designs although mine have no trouble at all with SWC's. Just a thought.

[farmerjim]

I have a M92 24" Octagon stainless in .357 and have been happy with it. I put a marbles ghost ring sight on it and these old eyes are able to hit the target at 100 yds.

[Mtnfolk75]

I have a 16" S/S Rossi 92 in .357 Mag. As I've said in other post, when I first got it I thought I had made a mistake in not buying the 20" because it was so SHORT ..... :shock: After using it for 18 months or so and putting about a 1k rounds down the tube, I LOVE IT. It is so handy to carry on foot, on the ATV or in the Jeep. It was initially very stiff and actually difficult to load to capacity, after using it awhile it is now super smooth and loads to capacity with out trouble. Pretty dang accurate even for these 61 year old diabetic eyes ..... :bigsmyl2:

[JohnnyFlake]

As I posted earlier in this thread, I love my Rossi. I just, today, ordered a Rear, Safety Replacement, Peep Site for it. Here is a link to a great site, which is all about Rossi Lever Guns.

http://store.stevesgunz.com/

[btroj]

I like my Marlin. Wish it had a long barrel but it does all I need.

One advantage to a Marlin is ease of disassembly. A Marlin has a simple action, no issues take it down. A Rossi is an entirely different proposition.

[Baja_Traveler]

I have both - love them both. My Rossi is a .357 I bought from Steve Young - I used it to shoot pistol cartridge silhouette matches. Then I got a Marlin 32-20 for the same match, and haven't picked up the Rossi since. The stock on the Marlin fits me better, so I consistently shoot higher scores with that rifle. One thing to keep in mind with the Rossi that has not been mentioned yet - Rossi refuses to sell parts, so break an extractor and you'll have to ship the whole rifle back for repair...

[JohnnyFlake]

I have both - love them both. My Rossi is a .357 I bought from Steve Young - I used it to shoot pistol cartridge silhouette matches. Then I got a Marlin 32-20 for the same match, and haven't picked up the Rossi since. The stock on the Marlin fits me better, so I consistently shoot higher scores with that rifle. One thing to keep in mind with the Rossi that has not been mentioned yet - Rossi refuses to sell parts, so break an extractor and you'll have to ship the whole rifle back for repair...

That is not correct! Please check this link: http://store.stevesgunz.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=31_32

[Camba]

"... One advantage to a Marlin is ease of disassembly. A Marlin has a simple action, no issues take it down. A Rossi is an entirely different proposition..."
Hummmmm!
Very important piece of information. Not a deal breaker but something to think about for someone like me, non mechanically inclined person.

[18Bravo]

I've never completely disassembled a Marlin, so I can't speak to its easy or simplicity of design. I do own a Rossi 92, 20 inch round barrel, in 45 Colt and have had it torn down on numerous occasions. It is my understanding that the Rossi is very similar to the original Winchester 92 design. I wouldn't rule out the Rossi based solely on its disassembly. There are several good You Tube videos that break down the procedure for those of us that are mechanically challenged. Overall I've been please with the Rossi. It was a bit stiff (and dirty!) out of the box but some judicious internal polishing has made it an extremely enjoyable and reliable farm gun.

[sghart3578]

I was going to stay out of this thread because I don't feel I can give an unbiased opinion. But I will say this much. If you buy a Rossi don't buy it online or through the mail. Make sure you can handle it and inspect it thoroughly in person.

I bought a Rossi 92 in 357 on Gunbroker. It was the standard 20" round barrel. I slicked it up per Steves instructions and it handled everything from 357 mag LSWC to 38 spl rounds flawlessly. It was at the range that I had a problem.

The sights were crooked and the barrel was jacked up. This was a new in the box gun. I sent it to Rossi in Florida for repair. They inspected it and said it needed a new barrel. I will spare you the gory details but after almost a year of fighting with those pricks I finally got my money back.

They still haven't sent me the paperwork for the transfer and it has been over a year. The state of California thinks I still own this gun.

My point is this, buy it in person from a reputable shop, one that will take it back themselves and not insist you ship it off for repair.

The kicker? My camping/fishing/drinking buddy has one in 45 Colt that is as close to flawless as possible. I hope my experience is an isolated example but after reading reams and reams of posts on the forums I think the **** factor runs about 50-50.

I don't mind a flawed firearm. I have had bad S&W revolvers brand new that had to go back for repair. Same with Ruger. The difference? S&W and Ruger both paid shipping both ways and I had my gun back in less than two weeks every time. With Rossi I had to pay to ship and I never saw my gun again.

Marlins, S&W's, Rugers etc. cost more but they are worth it.

[Camba]

I feel like I am flirting with two good looking lever guns. The good thing is that if I get them both, they will not be jealous. The bad thing is that I can only afford one at this time.
:)

[mnewcomb59]

I like the rossis for their twist rate, but I also had a bad warranty experience. My first gun came with the chamber chamfered to feed well. And it fed anything well. The catch was that it was chamfered too much and would ruin cases on the first shot in 38s, and 1/15 magnums would rupture the case. Fired cases were measuring .393 IIRC at the peak of the bulge.

They had my gun for like 4 months before they decided it was not fixable and decided to replace it. My "new" gun had an eighth inch wide 3/4 inch long scratch on the barrel and the front sight is dovetailed a little off center. My front sight is about 11:50 instead of noon. No biggie, I decided I'll take it and not try my luck sending it back.

I bought it through Gallery of Guns, and I didn't know it at the time, but they will replace firearms for you through their guarantee. I wish I would have known that before I dealt with Rossi customer service.

[seaboltm]

I have two Rossi 92's, both older with no safety. I have also had Marlin 94's in 44 and 357. The 92 is a sweet action, no doubt. BUT, if you have to detail strip one to clean it, get ready for an adventure. I just got a Rossi 92 SRC that looked as if it had not been cleaned in 20 years. Old varnished oil, grease, powder residue, grass, lead shavings, brass shavings. You name it. A simple spray clean wasn't going to do it, it had to be stripped to the bare barreled receiver. It wasn't hard to get apart, but it was no fun to put back together. The Marlin comes apart far enough for a detailed cleaning by removing a couple of screws. There is something to be said for that, and something to consider.

[Camba]

I ended up getting neither the Marlin nor the Rossi. Instead, I ended up with a 358 Win Browning BLR 81 rifle. I can't wait to have it in my hands.
I will be looking at the Marlin or Rossi again at a later date. I did not find a new Marlin (unknown waiting back order) and this Browning BLR in 358 Win was standing "broadsided" so I went for it. I will be asking for good loads with cast boolits soon. I guess I can shoot with it some 357 mag boolits as well if I keep the velocity low.
Like Douglas McArthur said "...I will be back..." for the 357 magnum lever gun quest.
Thank you for all the information pro and cons. It is very helpful and greatly appreciated.
Camba
Camba

[FISH4BUGS]

I bought a flat new unfired Interarms Rossi 92 in 357 ten years ago and have shot the daylights out of it. It is a real treat shooting 38's in it, and I am experimenting with 357's and heavy bullets with it now.
I think the quality of the gun is first rate, but this gun is older and was an Interarms import. They really did make them better back then.

[TXGunNut]

I ended up getting neither the Marlin nor the Rossi. Instead, I ended up with a 358 Win Browning BLR 81 rifle. I can't wait to have it in my hands.-Camba

Hard to pass up a gun like that, congrats! I've been watching for a pistol caliber carbine in .357 for awhile myself, not in any hurry as it will be a plinker project.

[sghart3578]

I bought a flat new unfired Interarms Rossi 92 in 357 ten years ago and have shot the daylights out of it. It is a real treat shooting 38's in it, and I am experimenting with 357's and heavy bullets with it now.
I think the quality of the gun is first rate, but this gun is older and was an Interarms import. They really did make them better back then.

To FISH4BUGS,

In my post about my bad experience with Rossi I may have given the impression that I was forever against them. I am not. I wanted to suggest to the OP that he fully inspect any gun in person first before buying if at all possible.

I am glad that you got a good one. My buddy has a newer one that is very nice. In fact, I am thinking of a Rossi 92 in 45 Colt right now, but I will surely handle it in person first.

[Camba]

Now that I got a 358 win rifle, I will be looking for opportunities in 357 or 45 colt lever guns. I will wait until the weather is warmer though in case I need to use the dog house from spending money. :)
TXGunNut, you are correct. I could not pass up a gun like that. It saved me from "sacrificing" one of my other rifles to get JES to convert it in 358Win at this time (it's just a matter of when). I will continue to be in the look out for a 357 mag lever gun for another day.

Camba

[BAGTIC]

I have both. I could get by okay with either one if I could only have one.

I actually prefer the M92 because I prefer the open top action. I experiment with a load of oddball loads and bullets and it is easier to single feed the from the top. Also when I shoot the Rossi from the bench the empties eject back right above my rights should so I can reach up and snatch them out of the ait and don't need to pick them up off the ground At my age kneeling is something I avoid at every opportunity.

Some of the later Winchester 94 were chambered for the 7-30 Waters with 50,000 psi loading. I would not be surprised if other calibers on that case head size could be satisfactorily to that same pressure.