New Rossi 92 in .357

[Speedo66]

I'd been reading everything I could on Rossi lever actions, and what it came down to was a crapshoot. Some are good from the factory, some are a wicked bundle of mistakes. The purchase price is about 1/2 of what a comparable Winchester or Marlin is.

Spent some time at www.rossi-rifleman.com (http://www.rossi-rifleman.com), lots of specific Rossi info there. What it came down to is you take a chance at being the final quality control inspector. They can come with stiff actions, failures to feed, poorly finished wood, buggered screws, canted barrels, etc. But the members were saying that the quality had been improving. All the fixes are detailed on Rossi-Rifleman, so I took a chance, knowing what the possibilities were, and ordered a new one sight unseen from an out of state dealer. I wanted a hard to find blued 20" barreled model in .357, and he had one at a great price, $460 delivered to my LGS.

It arrived, I took it home, gave it a thorough looking over, and was very pleasantly surprised. The wood was an excellent dark walnut finish with nice fit, the action was smooth, and everything was as it should be. I joked that someone made a mistake and let a good one out of the factory. LOL

I filled it with both .357 and .38 Spl. cartridges in many different weights and bullet styles, and it fed and ejected them all flawlessly. It did throw them about 5' to my rear, so a lighter ejection spring has been ordered.

Very happy with the initial purchase, and hope to get to the range soon and give it a try.

[jmort]

Mine has been fantastic. 16" .357

[mnewcomb59]

Make sure you try some plain base magnums before you go ordering a stash of gas checks.. The twist rate is really nice for cast bullets, and generally shoots with great accuracy around 1800-2100 fps plain base.

[Speedo66]

Unfortunately, I presently have neither dies nor slow burning powder for this caliber, and have been unable to locate either 2400 or H110 powder.

I bought a few boxes of JHP, but have also looked at this Buffalo Bore as a possible hunting round. 180g flat nose lead bullet at 1850fps from a rifle barrel should be pretty potent. https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=100

[makicjf]

I'm getting to know my Rossi 92 in 357, but it looks like its going to be a winner. It has fed the 358429 in 38 cases and loaded long in 357 and crimped to the groove with out a single hiccup. After a few good scrubbings the bbl is shiny and really does not seem to need gas checks with wdww's and copious amounts of lube and alox, even at full power loadings. With the tinkering I have done from 25 yards just seeing if it would lead I had 50 cent piece ten shot groups off hand with both the 358429 and the RCBS 150 kt. It started stiff, but even the -100 rounds I have through it, it is smoothing in...My favorite truck gun/saddle gun/ cowboy match lead flinger/ always in reach should I need it is my Rossi 92 20 inch in 45 colt loaded with the RCBS 255 kt (weighs 268 is)...Seeing as we have no Griz in south central Texas, if this 357 keeps proving itself it may take the 45's place... besides the GP 100 is a lot lighter to pack than the Redhawk or Blackhawk in 45 colt... My son has a rossi 24 inch octagon that will shoot, if we do our part close to 1.5-2 inches at 100 yards with fat (.454) bullets--- I have three rossi's and love them . Good Luck with yours!
Jason

[prsman23]

Mine is great. I find as a rule more people tend to vent on the internet uninhibited. But with the Rossi at the price you pay I also expect to roll up the sleeves and file a few burrs off here and there. Check out Steve's guns for a good dvd to show you how to really slick it up

[bigarm]

Love my two Rossi's, one in .357 and one in 45 colt, both with 24" octagon barrels. They are a little rough, but both shoot well and the price was good.

[bangerjim]

I also have that long gun in 38/357 and 45LC and the both are excellent pieces. The 38 is SST and a beauty!

Both are dead accurate and worked just fine right out of the box...not really rough action at all. Got lucky on both, I guess? Or............. is this Rossi thing just trashing the name?

I would recommend the Rossi 92's to anybody. Unless you are a name-dropper.

banger-j

[northmn]

One way to smooth a rough action is shoot the "h--l" out of it. I sometimes think that some like the older guns because they have been smoothed through use. My Rossi 357 had some hiccups that others shared. I had to remove the forearm and loosen it up a bit, but I also had to do that on an older Marlin. Tended to walk its groups. Mine had too high a rear sight and I filed the thing down to get it to hit I believer the factory fixed this. I have since installed a receiver sight which I should have done in the first place. Darn things don't come drilled for one and I had to do it. While not overly fussy it does not feed a very flat nosed cast bullet design but does feed jacketed factory flat noses. Some work on the feeding ramp for that, I just do not use that one bullet type.
Saying this, I really enjoy my little 357 Rossi and carry it on the tractor or 4 wheeler a lot. The cartridge itself is very versatile and can take anything from striped gophers to deer depending on the loads. While it is interchageable with the revolver, I tend to use different loads for the revolver and rifle, keeping all my rifle loads in the 357 cases.

DP

[Speedo66]

Thanks for the responses. I've read so many negative comments, it's good to know there are lots of satisfied users.

I read a thread on Rossi-Rifleman.com where an owner changed out the plastic magazine follower, used a .44 Mag. case with the rim turned down, said it worked fine in his .357.

Curious if anyone has done that here? I know there are a few places selling stainless steel followers, but the idea of making one appeals to me. Now I just need a couple of .44 cases to try it with. lol

[jmort]

I would not do that, I would just buy the metal follower that Steve's Gunz sells.

[northmn]

If it works don't fix it. I have had no problem with the follower. Fix it if it needs fixing.

DP

[KCcactus]

I did the same research before buying my first Rossi, a stainless 20" round barrel in 357. I really wanted stainless, so Rossi was my only realistic option. At the time, used stainless Marlins were selling for outrageous prices and new ones were non-existent. It worked well out of the box, other than throwing empties into orbit. I did the Steve's Gunz tune up from his dvd with his extractor spring and steel follower. That made it even better. I guess it would be more accurate to say I did most of the tune up, since I did not touch the hammer spring or trigger spring. They were like I wanted out of the box. Now, I can work the lever with one finger and empties are easy to find. The only problem I've had is getting it away from my kids so I can use it. I solved that by getting its big brother in 44 mag. It got the same tune up as the 357. Unfortunately, my son likes the 44, too. I'm very happy with both rifles. My eyes don't work well with iron sights any more, so both are also wearing Steve's bolt mounted peep sight.

[cajun shooter]

The reason that you find so many different opinions on the Rossi has many answers. Rossi first started making their copy of the Winchester 92 back in the early 70's. The early guns were named model 65's with that changing to the model 92 later on. The first models were a little rough as Rossi used a old original Winchester to get the measurements on the parts. That's not a good way to do it as we all can understand why.
They had many companies import the Rossi over the years with the first being Interarms out of Alexandria, Va. The order that I print is from memory and is not stated as fact. You then had Navy Arms, EMF, LSI, and when they were purchased by Taurus, they became Braztech. Over the years, Rossi failed to do proper maintenance on their equipment and the rifles became sloppy with fit and finish. These rifles started the rumors and as people will do, they included all Rossi rifles which is very wrong.
I have owned 5 Rossi rifles with the one I have now being a very early model 65 in 44wcf caliber. The bbl slugs out a perfect .4275 and it is slick and fun to shoot. The Navy arms models had USA walnut stocks and a very deep blue color. A great Rossi to own. My 65 has a metal follower in the magazine.
The rifles from Brazil are some good rifles. You do need to check your bbl diameter as I posted earlier, they had some that were made too big for the caliber.
If you have one that needs work then you may contact Steve Young aka Nate Kiowa Jones who has a DVD to show you how to work on your rifle or he does it himself for the SASS shooters. They also have the gunsmith that worked for Interarms in Va. before leaving and starting his own business. His name is Mike Mcclellan and he operates M&M Gunsmithing in Alabama. He sells parts and does gunsmithing on the guns. His number is 571-276-7676 and he is a great guy to do business with.
That's about it for now, Take Care David

[Baja_Traveler]

I looked everywhere for a 20" .357 to use in our Pistol Cartridge silhouette matches and couldn't locate one. Finally an email to Steve Young revealed that he had one in stock. I paid a bit more for it because he had refinished the stock and done action work, but boy is it a shooter and looks fantastic!
You should be very happy with yours...

134037

[LynC2]

I have a Rossi with the 24"octgagon barrel in .357 that I use for pistol caliber silhouette matches. After taking it apart and slicking it up, it shoots as good as I can hold. They are a bit rough out of the box, but they make a good rifle with a little work.

[bangerjim]

I have a Rossi with the 24"octgagon barrel in .357 that I use for pistol caliber silhouette matches. After taking it apart and slicking it up, it shoots as good as I can hold. They are a bit rough out of the box, but they make a good rifle with a little work.

Would you kinldy expound on what you did to "take it apart and slick it up". I have pushed many hundred rounds thru my 38/357 and 45 and both work extremely well. But I would love to know what I can do to them to improve them. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is always my philosophy, but tweeking is fun!

Thanks!

bnager-j

[Airman Basic]

Would you kinldy expound on what you did to "take it apart and slick it up". I have pushed many hundred rounds thru my 38/357 and 45 and both work extremely well. But I would love to know what I can do to them to improve them. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is always my philosophy, but tweeking is fun!

Thanks!

bnager-j
All you need here:
http://store.stevesgunz.com/

[Speedo66]

Thanks again to all for their insightful comments.

I know Steve's Gunz is considered the guru for the Rossi 92, but I find his parts prices and shipping costs to be a little spendy. The same Marbles tang sight he sells for $190 is available from www.Brownells.com for $126. The barrel set screws for under the rear sight, his cost 4/$10 + $10 shipping, www.SkinnerSights.com sells them 4/$2. His stainless steel magazine follower is $20 + $10 shipping, www.TheSmithShop.com sells one for $14 + $3 shipping. His spring kits I believe consist of 2 springs, for the same price Brownells and The Smith shop give you 5 and 4.

I don't begrudge anyone a profit, but his parts costs and shipping fees just seem a bit high to me.

[LynC2]

Would you kinldy expound on what you did to "take it apart and slick it up". I have pushed many hundred rounds thru my 38/357 and 45 and both work extremely well. But I would love to know what I can do to them to improve them. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is always my philosophy, but tweeking is fun!
Thanks!bnager-j


Nothing really major, I basically took a hard Arkansas stone and lightly stoned all the surfaces that rub against one another. I also stoned the trigger and sear engagement with a ruby stone to smooth it up along with altering the trigger return spring for a lighter pull. I also replaced ejector spring with a lighter one. I just knocked the burrs off all the moving parts, not much metal removal at all. Cleaned and reassembled. There is a lot of information on the procedure on the Rossi forum and U-tube.

[dogmower]

I have a 92 in 454 casull. love it. accurate with 454 or 45 colt, and near 45-70 power with full on 454 loads.

[Speedo66]

I have a 92 in 454 casull. love it. accurate with 454 or 45 colt, and near 45-70 power with full on 454 loads.

I considered that, but also did not want full on .45-70 recoil in such a light gun. :shock:

How do you find the recoil with the heavy .454 loads?

[JHeath]

I considered that, but also did not want full on .45-70 recoil in such a light gun. :shock:

How do you find the recoil with the heavy .454 loads?

I fired two rounds of 300gr CorBon through mine. I don't know why I fired the second one.

[chajohnson]

i had a LGS order a blue 24" 357 Rossi 92 a couple of years ago for $400 plus shipping and the LGS handling fee. Fit and finish were excellent. Trigger needed some work. Fed it everything I could put together in cast bullets in both 357 Mag and 38 spl. The only thing it didn't like were 38 spl wadcutters; but it would take them 2 at a time (1 in the chamber and one it the mag.) It does eject the brass into the next county. My best groups with it (2" @ 100 yrds.) were 357 mag cases and the Lee 358-140 SWC with a mid level load of 2400. I took it ferral hog hunting in East Texas last year but never had a shot. I did shoot a squirrel with it. Too much meat lost if you hit low. Overall, it's a fun gun to shoot. Can't see doing anything to it other than the needed trigger work. I did order a tang sight for it from Brownels. Hope it keeps me from blowing up any more squirrels.

[seaboltm]

I have an old one. It is so slick you can cycle the action with one finger. You will like yours. Good buy.

[rondog]

Been reading a lot about these lately, now I seem to want one! 24" octagon barreled in .357, or .45 Colt. Started out wanting .357, but .45 is appealing as well. Plus, I have an Uberti Cattleman SAA clone in .45 Colt.

[41special]

I looked everywhere for a 20" .357 to use in our Pistol Cartridge silhouette matches and couldn't locate one. Finally an email to Steve Young revealed that he had one in stock. I paid a bit more for it because he had refinished the stock and done action work, but boy is it a shooter and looks fantastic!
You should be very happy with yours...

134037



Baja, beautiful carbine! Spendy?


41

[Speedo66]

I fired two rounds of 300gr CorBon through mine. I don't know why I fired the second one.

That made me lol. :razz:

[Speedo66]

Mine was throwing cartridges over my shoulder, so after reading about lighter ejection springs at www.rossi-rifleman.com (http://www.rossi-rifleman.com) , they recommended these. It now drops them at my feet. http://www.ebay.com/itm/171331508393?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I used this video to take it apart, replace the spring, and reassemble with no extra parts left over. :razz: Also good for general tear down for cleaning, and he explains how to smooth the action. https://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play;_ylt=A0LEVvd1Zw9VG3QAxSAnnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTB0Zj NuMHJ1BHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkA1lIUzAwM18x?p=r ossi+92+smoothing&tnr=21&vid=84C2DDA545DE25CF2F2A84C2DDA545DE25CF2F2A&l=1151&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts2.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DUN.6 08010354203033677%26pid%3D15.1&sigi=11rhmuorq&rurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dz VUb6vybexw&sigr=11b3i6ubt&tt=b&tit=Rossi+R92+What+To+Smooth&sigt=10opagm42&back=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fyhs%2Fsearch %3Fp%3Drossi%2B92%2Bsmoothing%2Bvideo%26ei%3DUTF-8%26hsimp%3Dyhs-001%26hspart%3Dmozilla&sigb=1345dcrcq&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-001

[Baja_Traveler]

Baja, beautiful carbine! Spendy?


41

Yea - probably half again more expensive as the rifle out of the box, but everything came flawless in fit and function which was nice...