Rossi 92 .45 Colt or .357 Mag ?

[hylander]

OK I found a couple Rossi's online, .45 Colt and .357 Mag.
Can't decide which one to order, and no both are not an option :(
Main use will be plinking, Cast matches (Steel Plates @ 50yds.) and maybe Deer hunting to 100yds.

R92-56001 is the .357 Mag.
R92-57001 is the .45 Colt

Both are 20" blued round barrel and the same price.

Update: 8/26/16
Almost ordered the .357 today
However I keep reading on various forums that their CS is pretty much non existent.

[ReloaderFred]

If you're going to be plinking with it most of the time, then I'd suggest the .357 Magnum. You can shoot .38's in it for fun and economy. The brass is plentiful and cheap, and the bullets are half the price and take half the alloy if you're casting.

I've got Marlins in .357 Magnum, .41 Magnum, .44 Magnum and .45 Colt, and the .357's get shot about 10 times as much as the other calibers. For hunting, I'll use either my .375 Winchester Marlin, .444 Marlin or the .45-70 Marlins, but that doesn't preclude you from using a .357 Magnum on deer out to 100 yards. They shoot them with handguns at that distance, so a rifle would certainly do the job, with proper bullet placement.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Artful]

I can shoot my 357 as cheap or cheaper than buying 22LR - my 44 or 45-70 not so much.
I'd say hold off shooting until the deer is 50 yards away with you 357 and you'd be golden.

[Greg S]

Got both calibers in Winnie 92s. Foryour use, I'd highly recommend the 357 for plinking and economy of use with still having enough to humanely harvest deer. The 45s are great but more costly to operate at the same level. The 357 can develop some really good energy levels with 158-180s in the 20" barrel.

[knifemaker]

Go with the 357 as it will fill your needs far better then the 45. Far cheaper to shoot for plinking with both 357 or 38 Special. For deer hunting up to 100 yards, a 158 gr. Hornady XTP hollow point or a cast 160 gr. at 1600-1700 fps will make clean kills on deer at that distance if you place the bullet into the heart or lungs. I have a Rossi 357 and love it. So do the grandkids.

[olafhardt]

357 ammo and reloading stuff is generally more available and cheaper than 45. After going around with this I found that the straight walled cartridges just did not impress me. I will stick with my 70's model Win 94 30-30. YMMV but I traded off my Rossi 357 and kept the Winchester. To each his own.

[Smoke4320]

I had a Rossi 45LC several years ago.
it was fun. great for deer 100-125 yds
Got the wife a 357 much more fun
Cheaper to shoot. recoil is non existent for a big guy
Easy to light load 38's for true non existent recoil
75yds will be no problem for deer and as said 100 will not be a problem either with proper placement

[Rustyleee]

Not even a contest. .357 is the only way to go. You can plink with .38s or go for it all with a 180 grain .357.

[upr45]

Have a couple 1894 Marlin's in 357 & 44 (not exactly a 45 but close). The 357 is way more fun & gets taken about 10x more than the 44. Another in favor of the 357.

[Harter66]

I'm in favor of the 38/357 as well.

A friend has a stainless 20" 357 . It will need some polish work, we have his to where it feeds 100% with factory 357 ,80% of the time . 38s you can put 3-4in the air and never miss a beat . That is just 1 rifle and I haven't heard of another having such a quirk .
I have 2 in Colts feed fit and function is all you could want if it will come up from the magazine on the elevator it'll chamber their not length or bullet fussy and will run RB Schofields as well as super heavyweight Colts.
Both have killed hogs from powder burn to 47 yd with loads from medium Colts to just above Ruger start loads . However supersonic loads tumble badly when they get down to the fringe in this case both rifles show it vividly at 78-82 yd where they will climb ft in the 25 yd to the back stop .
My solution is a super heavyweight and fast rifle powder ,this is still in progress so no details or data .

I believe the slow 1-30 twist is the issue . Keep your loads subsonic or shots under 75 yd and the Colts will make you happy too.

A last suggestion .
Buy the 1 you already have a companion pistol for , it'll save you having to buy 1 later .

[fecmech]

Another vote for .357 here. I have burned literally 1000's of rounds up in both of mine. Half the lead and powder of the .45 and all the fun!

[northmn]

Very surprised at all the 357 recommendations. Used to see lots of hot loaded 45 recommendations. Problem with them is that some think them kind of a problem. Example, they might get sold in an estate sale or some such and get loaded in a 45 Colt pistol. Winchester quit loading their hot loads for the 92 because of that.
I have a 357 and enjoy it a lot. Carry it on the tractor/4 wheeler when putting up wood or just checking on things. Like some of the others I may not use it much deer hunting, but I would not use a 45 either.

DP

[mcdaniel.mac]

The advent of the Judge has made .45 easier to find, but still nowhere as easy or cheap as .38 and .357!

[Tackleberry41]

I would like to happen on a 357 Rossi when I have the cash to spend. Really like my 45 colt, but a 357 would be cheaper to shoot for sure.

[Mk42gunner]

I have the .45 Colt version; it handles, feeds, and balances very well. I have not shot it at longer ranges, but just plinking in the yard it did pretty good with some light loads I had made up several years ago for the Marlin 1894 Cowboy.

With that said, for your uses, the .357 will be cheaper to load and shoot. There is something to be said for poking bigger holes in targets.

On the other hand, I have read of a lot more feeding issues with the .357 version; whether that is because they sell so many more of the smaller caliber or not, I do not know. I do know that I haven't had any problems with my .45 Colt.

Robert

Robert

[pietro]

.

I also have both, and for a non-reloader, .38 Special commercial reloads are a VERY inexpensive option in favor of the .357 Rossi.

I've found that .357 Mag 158gr JSP's will do just fine on deer, out to 100yds or so.

If the Rossi's you're considering have the bolt-top lawyer safety, AND you don't like it, the safety can be replaced with either a filler plug or a drop-in peepsight.

A good Model 1892/92 resource is: www.stevesgunz.com


.

[sparky45]

Go with the 357 mag. I have one with the 20" barrel and also one in 44/40 with a 24" barrel. I actually prefer the 44/40 because of the balance of the rifle and it's flat out fun to shoot. But the 357 will work as a plinker and as a hunting rifle.

[RPRNY]

There is no substitute for cubic inches. A little rice burner 357 simply does not make a big enough hole :kidding:


I have had both. I still have the 45. I found the 357 would sometimes misfeed/get hung up and would often not feed 38 spl well. But sounds like others have had different experiences. Either way, keep in mind the R92 is not a truly finished rifle. You will have to stone the edges of the loading gate and you will likely want to shorten the main spring and replace the plastic mag follower. They are good value for money though.

[Tackleberry41]

From what I have read on feed issues, they are a bit picky about that OAL. Not so much an issue short rounds in a 45 colt, as its really hard to find Schofield ammo. But 38s are known to hang up, seems most the solution is just load them longer.

The Rossi's do tend to vary. Mine took quite a bit of internal work to smooth out. I did take the safety out of mine. Friggin lawyers gotta ruin everything.

[Artful]

Oh, and I forgot to mention one of my favorite features of my 357
- if you live in a free state you can add a muzzle device
and shoot it without disturbing the neighbors

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-knJmz6HE0

[pirkfan]

I have them both as well, and it's a tough choice, I got the 357 first (16 inch barrel) and that's the handiest little rifle you could ever ask for, just pure fun. The 45 colt came along a little later when I realized you needed a little more grunt in bowling pin shoots to get them to clear off the table. Both are great guns, and while ammo is not so readily available for 45 colt, brass from folks like starline is if you reload. A cast Keith semi-wadcutter in 45 colt with the right powder charge will put down just about anything you're likely to run into in North America.

[Speedo66]

Buffalo Bore and others make 180g hot .357 hard cast loads that approach .30-30 specs out of a rifle. No problem with them on deer.

Surprisingly, Rossi's are extremely accurate. Most find them to be the most accurate of the pistol caliber carbines.

[shoot-n-lead]

I would not swap my .357 for a .45...I had the choice when I bought mine...and I made the right decision...but then I am not really a .45 Colt fan, either. I would buy a .44 before I would buy the .45.

[RPRNY]

If only they were available in 9mm. Big bear medicine.

[Dan Cash]

Especially if you want to mate the carbine to a handgun, the .357 is, in my opinion, a much better choice and will fulfill your stated requirements. Having a .45 Colt Rossi myself, I must say that I am underwhelmed with accuracy and practicality with any ammo one might also feed to a non-Ruger revolver.

[hylander]

Almost ordered a Rossi 92 in .357 today.
However I keep reading lots of posts on various forums of Rossi's
pretty much none existent customer service.

[chuckerbird]

Hylander, I am in the process of sending my new 92 to Florida to correct a chambering problem. So far it's going good. Got the shipping label printed and the rifle boxed. Fedx is supposed to pick it up Monday. My fingers are crossed and am hoping for a harmonious outcome.

[pietro]

Hylander, I am in the process of sending my new 92 to Florida to correct a chambering problem. So far it's going good. Got the shipping label printed and the rifle boxed. Fedx is supposed to pick it up Monday. My fingers are crossed and am hoping for a harmonious outcome.


If your Rossi's trip to Florida involves Taurus Customer Service under warranty, be prepared for a very LONG wait for it's return (like, MANY months). [smilie=1:

(Taurus has notoriously bad CS)

I would suggest sending it instead to East Texas, to the US Model 92 gunsmith who used to be a factory advisor: www.stevesgunz.com (http://www.stevesgunz.com) :)

Steve will treat you right. 8-)


.

[jmort]

Steve is a busy guy. Rightfully so. He is just finishing my gun and it was around a 9 month wait. I will not buy a Rossi/Taurus 92 unless I have it tuned by an SASS gunsmith like Steve.

[Artful]

Didn't take much to deburr mine - And if your afraid of Customer Service issues don't buy most things these days.

[hylander]

That's what I am worried about, if there is an issue and it has to go back for repair I may never see it again.
I work for a big retailer and send lots of guns off for repair. Most companies get them back inside 6 weeks or better, except browning which takes their time.
We do not carry Rossi in stock and have only special ordered one, so I have no idea of their CS other than what I read, which Ain't good.

[ironhead7544]

The 357 Magnum is a bit cheaper to shoot. If you are going to use it for big game, I would go with the 45 Colt with the appropriate loads.

I have owned several Rossi 92s and the problem I have is that parts are hard to get. I like to keep consumable parts on hand. Personally, I would go with the Henry today.

If you get the R92, then get the video from stevesgunz.com. It makes takedown and tuning much easier.

Check this site: rossirifleman.com for more info.

[Artful]

I have owned several Rossi 92s and the problem I have is that parts are hard to get. I like to keep consumable parts on hand. Personally, I would go with the Henry today.


So how many and which parts did you have to replace on your Rossi? - I have never had to replace any on mine and a gunsmith friend said most Winchester 92 parts would work in mine...

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?314145-My-Rossi-rifle-24-quot-octagon-X-45-Colt
Evidently the Browning/Miroku parts fit the Rossi as well.

[robertbank]

I would go with the.357mag. I have one and the 44 mag. The latter was absolutely hurtful to shoot until I had a recoil pad installed. The .357mag is like shooting a .22. I suspect loaded up the 45Colt would hurt as well with the curved steel butt plate.

Take Care

Bob

[chuckerbird]

Pietro, Steve is backed up for 10 months. The gal I talked to said 6 weeks. Just have to hope I get it back in a decent time frame and it will chamber a 357 round.

[bob208]

I picked up a used rossi 20 years ago at an auction. been shooting it with out problems. been using a lot of .38-44 loads in it as I have an endless supply of .38 brass. light loads will do ground hogs and tin cans just like a .32-20. with the heavier .357 loads it will drop a deer just like a .44-40 or better. it is a good match with any of my ruger pistols in .357.

[FergusonTO35]

What kind of loads do you use on deer?

[bob208]

358429 10.5 gr 2400 in a .38 spl. case.

[hylander]

I Just hit the buy it now on GB for a 20" round barrel .357 http://www.rossi-rifleman.com/images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif
Now I'm off to work to fax over my FFL and then back home to start reloading for it.
Will start a new thread with pics when it gets here and I get it out of jail.

[TXGunNut]

Good choice! I've had and enjoyed the 357 for a few months and it's fun & cheap to shoot. Have components for 1000's of rounds from years past so it's almost like free ammo. To be quite honest, if I ran across the right deal on a 45 Colt it would follow me home, too. I have a 94 Trapper in 45 Colt but the Rossi would be fun too. Don't forget to check out the Steve's Gunz site. After watching the video I figured out my (used) R92 had already had all the necessary mods done. Sweet rifle!

[Artful]

Congratulations hylander (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/member.php?4061-hylander), can't wait to see the new thread about your new toy!

[45Jack]

I have one of each, built by Steve's Guns (https://stevesgunz.com). Action slicker than duck snot on a glass door knob.
As much as I like .45s I think everyone should own a .357 levergun. Just to handy to not have.

[EllasPapa]

Mine is a VERY short barreled .357 ( In Canada, so my 92 is a Ranch hand with a full stock). It's the best bush gun I've ever owned. It's so short it's almost like shooting a long barrel revolver, great accuracy out to 100 yds, with a punchy load deer are no issue at all with it. I've shot the .44 and the .45, and I honestly wouldn't swap two for one. Even with stout loads the .357 is easy recoil, even with the 12in. barrel. As for dependability, I've done at least 5000 rds through mine in the last year and a half, the rifle has functioned perfectly. Mine really hasn't been fussy at all with .38spl, but I have heard others claim they don't like'em, you'd never prove that with mine

[robertbank]

Would love to latch on to one of those .357 Mares Legs. Where I am the 44mag/45Colt would likely make more sense for a bush gun but the .357 would do nicely for deer.

Bob

[Buckshot]

..............Several years ago I wandered into the Local Big 5, and per routine I went over to the gun dept first. In the rack of long guns was a Rossi M92 with a wooden dowel in it's barrel and a hand lettered sign saying "Managers special, $399". Didn't know much about Rossi's at the time. Went home, checked prices on the net, then drove back and bought it. It's 35/357 with a 20" round barrel. There was a couple things I didn't like, but could have easily lived with.

http://www.fototime.com/126904E05992A38/standard.jpghttp://www.fototime.com/C30347487543D4A/standard.jpg

One was the plastic magazine follower, so I made a steel one. The plastic one would have probably worked just fine forever, but when you have a lathe ................. you fool with stuff that may be only an excuse :-) Sorry for the fuzzy photo.

http://www.fototime.com/A428881154C91B6/standard.jpg

The other item was the bolt mounted safety. Better then one of the "Push Button through the action type" of lever gun safeties. Again, not a very good photo as the remedy looks worse then the factory supplied lever thingy. However the remedy is MUCH less offensive or noticeable. So it now simply sports the half cock notch as a safety.

Internally the action as I got it was really nice. Sure I went into it a bit, me just being me :-) Although the action and wood is the same size as that of any other Rossi M92, it simple 'Seems' smaller? Possibly the shorter round barrel and smaller magazine OD. Just recently I discovered the 20" barreled version is a short rifle, while the 16" is the true carbine. Dunno why I never figured that out before :-) I have a friend who has a very early Rossi 38/357 x 16" carbine that was imported by Interarms. It seemed like a toy, heh! I told him he really needed a shoulder holster for it. He got it in the mid-90's, and it seemed that in small details it was simply a bit better? Nothing definitive I could really point to, other then it was as smooth as butter and the wood wasn't walnut but was very attractive whatever it was? In any event, we had no problems hitting a 6" dinger at 100 yards (factory iron sights) with a bunch of old 38 Special WC ammo he'd loaded back in the 70's.

...............Buckshot

[mcdaniel.mac]

I've been considering SBR'ing mine, but I also think I might wait and see about a .44 mag or .357 instead of the .45LC. I like the look of the StevesGunz safety-delete rear sight as an option.

[Trapper458]

...I just picked up a Rossi 92, case hardened, 20" Octagon bbl. I ordered it from Kentucky Gun Co, they have some Blems/Factory refurbs for sale with free shipping, mine was $407. I had done a good bit of reading and was curious to see what I would end up with. Rifle was promptly shipped and the only blem I noticed could be some light dent marks on the side of the forend, nbd to me. I read up on action jobs but thought I would shoot it first. One thing I was surprised at was the trigger, hard to believe but it is just over 2# and nice and crisp, wow. I did bang/bounce check it and it holds fine. I lubed the action well and cycled the lever a couple hundred times, thought it couldn't hurt, might make it smoother and when I do take it apart I will see where the rub marks are. Slugged the bore, .357 on the money. I had some 158 SWC/bb boolits around for my revolver so I loaded up a hundred with 6gr Unique and headed for the range. Rifle cycled pretty well, some minor hangups on a few rounds, but I thought I may have some issues with the SWC. I ordered a couple varieties of boolits from Magnus to see if it shows a liking to a particular style before i buy a mould, will try 125 and 158gr rnfp and fpbb. I found at 50 yds with the factory sights set on the lowest step, I couldn't see the notch because the highest step was blocking the notch, but I'm always looking for something to do on my mill so that will be an easy one to fix. I shot 10 rnd groups at a couple different targets mostly 2-3" groups with a couple flyers. Ran em by the labradar and average was 1279 for 30 some shots, threw out the high and low, those were probably the flyers. Got home and took it apart, found a great youtube video from an English gent, made it easy. Found a slight bit of leading in the first 2-3", a little brass wool wrapped on an old brush cleaned that up, bore was nice and bright and smooth. Will probably replace the ejector spring when I put it back together, have read of some guys using 7/32 x 1 1/4 from ACE hardware and 7/32 x 1 5/8 from Lowes and Harbor freight, might try that, the factory ejector spring is very stout. Thinking about a Marbles tang sight for this rifle. Well that is about all I can think of on this rifle, congrats Hylander, I think you will like your new rifle.

Regards,
Trapper458

175710

[Mauser48]

Tag for later

[ironhead7544]

So how many and which parts did you have to replace on your Rossi? - I have never had to replace any on mine and a gunsmith friend said most Winchester 92 parts would work in mine...

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?314145-My-Rossi-rifle-24-quot-octagon-X-45-Colt
Evidently the Browning/Miroku parts fit the Rossi as well.

My problem was that they wouldnt sell me any spares. The extractor hook on one of my 357s was paper thin. It worked but looked bad. They wouldnt sell me one and I would have had to send the rifle to them with a six week turn around. They would not even sell the parts to my gunsmith. I heard they will sell parts now if the rifle is out of warranty but cant confirm this. There was a one year warranty.

Just too much of a hassle to deal with.

Had two older 357s before Taurus took over and they were fine. Sent me a new firing pin no problem.

[Texas by God]

I would vote .45 LC (because I have a .357) I've only shot a couple in that caliber but they worked fine. One cartridge length only might have merit. Best, Thomas.

[El Greco]

All of you should be ashamed of yourselves. You are bad people because you influence others to go buy guns. That's what you have done to me. You reach thru my screen and twist my arm behind my back and I go and buy guns. I had no intentions of getting a Rossi 92 .357 but YOU ALL OF YOU made me do it. I went to a store, walked in and there was a preowened Rossi 92 .357 and called me dad. I hate to see little orphans without a home so I took it home. I hope you feel good about yourselves you bad people. It's a good thing my wife cannot count and she does not know the difference between a Daizy and a Bazooka. If she did, I will be in deep @$&@ and it would be your fault.
����������������������������

[robertbank]

All of you should be ashamed of yourselves. You are bad people because you influence others to go buy guns. That's what you have done to me. You reach thru my screen and twist my arm behind my back and I go and buy guns. I had no intentions of getting a Rossi 92 .357 but YOU ALL OF YOU made me do it. I went to a store, walked in and there was a preowened Rossi 92 .357 and called me dad. I hate to see little orphans without a home so I took it home. I hope you feel good about yourselves you bad people. It's a good thing my wife cannot count and she does not know the difference between a Daizy and a Bazooka. If she did, I will be in deep @$&@ and it would be your fault.
����������������������������
Hey Igor vee got anodder one. Sink he has us exposed. Dar vil be anodder one along soon.

Take Care

Da skeemer

[OverMax]

I take it your a Home Reloader. Depends on how easy to come by or how much brass you already have governs which to buy. But.___ Bigger is allways better when it comes to making holes if & when you have to track your quarry.

Just saying:
357 in the ribs of a deer is best done under 50-60 yards. 45 colt since it can be uploaded to near 44 mag velocity's . 80-100 yards is its Max stretch. Just saying is all.

[Harter66]

Based on ongoing and current experience with a Rossi 92 in Colts I'm going to disagree with the statement above . 78 yd is where the Colts in the 30 inch twist gets all outta whack .

[part-timer]

Hater66, could you clarify on what you mean by 78 yards and it gets out of whack? What type of loads would that be weight wise? Also, are you pushing them above 1200 FPS or what? I don't have the long range to verify what you or anyone else's observations are, so this is very enlightening to me. Thanks in advance.

[Harter66]

Hater66, could you clarify on what you mean by 78 yards and it gets out of whack? What type of loads would that be weight wise? Also, are you pushing them above 1200 FPS or what? I don't have the long range to verify what you or anyone else's observations are, so this is very enlightening to me. Thanks in advance.

This is an ongoing adventure with a 16 and 24" carbine and rifle . The short version is that thus far every supersonic load reaches transonic between 78-82 yd . The slow twist aggravates the instability , from 75- 103 yd it will tumble and climb over an 8' berm . It was very irritating until I figured out it was an issue of the bullets shape. If the loads start at 1050 fps or less they shoot with reasonable accuracy . I've had loads up to 1325 fps with 452-255 RNFP , 454424 and a paper patched 430426 that casts at .448 . All weigh in at 260-265 . I did shoot a few Remington factory loads with similar results.
I'm currently working a 457-340 FP . The effort is to 1st shoot a 100 yd group consistently on target with a full power load . Playing out in the weeds with some 3rd party Quick load data I've gotten groups and a place fine tune a load . It is in the neighborhood of 1050 fps and with the last loads I should be able shoot 100 yd groups and have roughly Colts muzzle energy at 100yd . The 454 version or a rifle with a faster twist ,1-20 would be preferred . My hope for an honest companion for the BlackHawk is great if Schofield is the all around cartridge , the Colts is both too much and not enough.

The quirk has been nailed down via gross embarrassment at the NCBS after killing 5 TX hogs from powder burn to 47yd . 25 yd it gives me an honest inch with basically every load ,2" at 50 ,< 3" @75, 8' up the 100 yd berm.....

[hylander]

So am I reading this correct.
If I get a 44 Mag and run it up to say 1600-1900fps accuracy will not be there say at over 100yds.

[Buckshot]

...............Years ago Rossi was very interested in keeping their gun buying public happy. But this was during the hey-day of Cowboy action. Of course this isn't germane to the topic, but one rainy day me and 3 buddies set off to visit some gun shops around the area. We stopped for breakfast before the gun scrounging began. I think it was the 2nd stop at the Big 5 in Riverside, CA. At that time they had a 'Consignment' rack. In that consignment rack they had a Rossi M92 in 45 Colt with a 24" half octagon and half round barrel for $350.

Me being me I was instantaneously in love, but tried to be mature. I told myself I would call back the next day. At least I THINK it was the next day. Maybe it was a Saturday we went looking and I figured to call back on Monday? Don't recall now, but the crux of the matter was that within 48 hours the rifle had been sold. Bummer! It was all blued btw in case anyone is interested. Later another buddy told me that Rossi had indeed offered such a creature, but alas and alack, nothing as sublime is currently offered :-(

..............Buckshot

[Harter66]

It is my understanding that the 44 has a 1-38 twist, it also is capable of higher start velocities with weight for weight higher BC than the 45 Colts . A 250gr RNFP that is .16 in 45 is .18 in 44 the .12 SWC is .14 the heavier you go the wider the split . I guess the trick is to be short enough to stabilize and heavy enough to deliver the target energy or be able to go fast enough to beat the drag curve.

Accuracy will be what you can make it .

In my case the bullets are tumbling and becoming literally curve balls.

[hylander]

It is my understanding that the 44 has a 1-38 twist, it also is capable of higher start velocities with weight for weight higher BC than the 45 Colts . A 250gr RNFP that is .16 in 45 is .18 in 44 the .12 SWC is .14 the heavier you go the wider the split . I guess the trick is to be short enough to stabilize and heavy enough to deliver the target energy or be able to go fast enough to beat the drag curve.

Accuracy will be what you can make it .

In my case the bullets are tumbling and becoming literally curve balls.

I am pretty sure all Rossi 92's have a 1:30

[olafhardt]

This is an ongoing adventure with a 16 and 24" carbine and rifle . The short version is that thus far every supersonic load reaches transonic between 78-82 yd . The slow twist aggravates the instability , from 75- 103 yd it will tumble and climb over an 8' berm . It was very irritating until I figured out it was an issue of the bullets shape. If the loads start at 1050 fps or less they shoot with reasonable accuracy . I've had loads up to 1325 fps with 452-255 RNFP , 454424 and a paper patched 430426 that casts at .448 . All weigh in at 260-265 . I did shoot a few Remington factory loads with similar results.
I'm currently working a 457-340 FP . The effort is to 1st shoot a 100 yd group consistently on target with a full power load . Playing out in the weeds with some 3rd party Quick load data I've gotten groups and a place fine tune a load . It is in the neighborhood of 1050 fps and with the last loads I should be able shoot 100 yd groups and have roughly Colts muzzle energy at 100yd . The 454 version or a rifle with a faster twist ,1-20 would be preferred . My hope for an honest companion for the BlackHawk is great if Schofield is the all around cartridge , the Colts is both too much and not enough.

The quirk has been nailed down via gross embarrassment at the NCBS after killing 5 TX hogs from powder burn to 47yd . 25 yd it gives me an honest inch with basically every load ,2" at 50 ,< 3" @75, 8' up the 100 yd berm.....
I have had similar experiences with 22 rifles, great accuracy out to 50 yards and then patterns at 100. One day I had the range to my self and moved targets back and forth. I found 75 yards to be max for cheap 22 hv ammo.

[GooseGestapo]

Yeah, it's fascinating to watch. I was shooting a 10/22 with a match barrel and a 6-24x scope.
At 50yds, some of the bargain 36-38gr high-velocity would shoot almost as good as some expensive match ammo. However, move the target to 100yds and shotgun patterns developed.

I was shooting targets made with a home printer and copy paper. With the high magnification I could see the bullets flying to the target, something like watching bumble bees fly.

The he expensive target bullets arced a bit more but flew straight, perhaps with some occasional wind drift. The cheap bullets would fly straight, and then suddenly warp left, right, and sometimes start wobbling, even flashing like a strobe light if light angle was just right. Years later I found out from browsing rimfirecentral.com, it was the bullets going trans-sonic and destabilizing.

The match ammo is subsonic (mostly) to avoid the transonic turbulence, and higher drag that makes them (super sonic, high velocity) lose more velocity and have more wind drift. Took me a while to get my head wrapped around the latter.

[olafhardt]

Goose, I am glad you shared those experiences with us. I haven't read much about this. Glad to know I'm not crazy especially as I have heard of quite a few squirrels being killed at "a hundert" yards. I may be guessing but I am inclined to believe that if you want to shoot a decent group at 100 yds with a 92 your chances are better with a 357 because it probably won't go subsonic. A Win 94 in 30 30 might hold up to 200 yards but I don't know. Where I hunt 35 yards is about the maximum. These are some of my reasons for reccommending a 30-30 as a woods walking lever. Also when I had a 357 Rossi the kick was right there with the 30-30 when the 357 was loaded to max level. Besides that you can get a 30 30 in the same price range.