Rossi 92 357 with heavy cast bullets?

[Brazos_Jack]

I am planning on getting another .357 levergun. I have a Cimmaron 1873 now. I plan on using it for target shooting and to hunt whitetails and hogs at ranges up to about 125 yards with 160gr - 180gr cast bullets - SWC's and WFP's. The Rossi/Taurus/Braz Tech is priced right. But from what I've read, all have 1 in 30" barrels. I know some 9mm handguns have 1 in 32" twist but they are intended for bullets of 124 gr or less. Most other .357 lever guns I've looked at have rifling twist rates from 16" to 19".

Are any Rossi's of any age equipped with faster twist barrels?

Will these 1 in 30" barrels shoot accurately at 100 yards with 180 grain cast SWC's or WFP's?

Online twist calculators indicate that my current 163gr SWC (#358156) needs about 1 in 24" or faster.

[NoAngel]

I load for my runnin' buddy's Rossi and it likes an RCBS 35-200 loaded in .38 special cases. Makes for a nice subsonic thumper.

[Artful]

I think my older Rossi Puma (pre safety) which shoots very well, gave about 4" groups at 100(ie you could hit a clay target everytime) with 180 saeco mold back when I tried it out when I first got it.

[Brazos_Jack]

Have all Rossi 92's in .357 Magnum always had 1 in 30" twist barrels? Are these doing well with heavy bullets at low speed actually equipped with faster twist barrels?

[Buckshot]

............My Rossi M92 357/38 (Legacy Sports Import) Maybe 8 years old, and has the safety on the bolt .......................

http://www.fototime.com/1E3476AAA5405E2/standard.jpg

...........Has a 16" twist barrel. I'd heard the, "Rossi rifles'em all at 30", " before. My Rossi M92 in 45 Colt DOES have a 30" twist, which is also a Legacy Sports Import.

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

[Brazos_Jack]

............My Rossi M92 357/38 (Legacy Sports Import) Maybe 8 years old, and has the safety on the bolt ...Has a 16" twist barrel. I'd heard the, "Rossi rifles'em all at 30", " before. My Rossi M92 in 45 Colt DOES have a 30" twist, which is also a Legacy Sports Import.

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

Buckshot,
That makes a lot more sense. Is there any way to know when your .357 was made? By serial number or some other markings?

Twist rates of different calibers are easier to compare when expressed as "Calibers per turn" instead of "inches per turn.

1 in 30" for a .44 (.429) is comparable to 1 in 24" in a .357. My 163gr Lyman 358156 SWC is 0.685" long and that means it should take almost 2000 fps to stabilize it in a 1 in 30" barrel. 1 in 16" should stabilize that same bullet down to 600-700 fps (target load velocities in a revolver). A 1 in 24" twist (comparable to 1 in 30" in .44) should stabilize my bullet down to about 1260 fps.

I wish some members here with .357 Rossi's of various vintages would run a cleaning rod down the barrel with a tight fitting patch to determine actual twist rate and post the result here. 1 in 30" would only make a little over 1/2 a turn. 1 in 16" would make slightly more than 1 full turn.

[Brazos_Jack]

My Rossi Puma M92, imported by LSI was bought about the same time frame as Buckshots, maybe a little later. Mine is the stainless version( wish I had bought the blue version), had the safety on the bolt till I replaced it with a brass plug. It has a 30" twist, about 2/3 of a turn in the 20" tube. Serial # SK117xxx.

Marvin

Marvin,

Is it a .357 and what kind of 50 yard or 100 yard groups do you get with 158 grain or heavier cast boolits?

[Groo]

Groo here
With a slower twist barrel you need more speed as the bullet gets longer.
You gain 300 to 400 fps from a rifle with a heavy ]180 to 200gr] bullet.
pistol--- 1-16 in twist 1300fps x 12in [one foot] / 16 x 60 [seconds in minute]= 58500 RPM
rifle---- 1/30 twist 1800fps [ per buffelo bore ] x12in /30 x60 = 43200 rpm
The 38 special 200gr police load was 200gr at about 750fps and was just stable.
1 /16 twist 750 x 12 / 16 x60 = 33750 rpm.
I would suggest no less than 35000 rpm to 40000 rpm.
x = 33750 /12 /60/x30 or 1406.25 fps
Its all about bullet length vs rpm.

[hornady308]

My Rossi is just a few years old and shoots great with 158-180gr bullets. Unfortunately, I'm on the road and can't verify the twist rate. My standard do-everything load is 14gr 2400 with the Lee 358-158-rf.

[Hamish]

20" bbl. Serial B 093XXX. 1-30"

[farmerjim]

Mine 20 in bbl. bought 4 yrs ago Sn 5GP037XXX. 1 in 30. Shoots lee C358-200-RF loaded in 38 sp brass fine. (it will not chamber in any of my 38 sp, Tested for safety )

[Thin Man]

I have a Rossi .357, very early rifle with the 16" barrel. Have not taken the time to measure the rate of twist, simply loaded several different weight boolits and went to the range. The tightest groups I got routinely came from the Lyman 358156 mold, sized .360, LAR's lube. I tried several boolits that were both lighter and heavier, but this is where the rifle wanted to play nice. YMMV.

Thin Man

[Speedo66]

I have a 2 year old Rossi 92 20" .357 with a 4x Weaver Scout Scope, and it will group within a few inches at 100 yards with 180g. flat nose Buffalo Bore.

[catkiller45]

Probably to old of a post to
answer this question. Anyone
try the lee c358-200 rf bullets
in the Rossi 92? They don't work
in mine with the 357. To long.

[Four-Sixty]

I got my Rossi 92 in 357 brand new last month. It will not feed a 180 grain LBT design in 357 Mag brass. It is too long.

I measure the twist at 1:30 (Yes, I know this is an older thread. Just providing another data point for those interested).

No opinion on accuracy yet. I've only shot it three times so far and am developing loads.

[Charlie Horse]

The heaviest boolit my Rossi shoots well is the Lee 148 grain TLWC. I have to seat it long.

I have a mold for the Lee 168 grain SWC that I got here, off a group buy a couple years ago. The Rossi doesn't care for it one bit.

My gun is only a couple years old.

[Abert Rim]

Catkiller, old post again, but see Farmerjim's post no. 11. He is using the Lee 358-200 in .38 Special brass.

[trapper9260]

I shoot a 200grs. in my 92 that is a 16 " barrel , in 357 mag. case. It shoots the same way in my BH . the ammo is interchange for the both .