Rossi Lever, which caliber? 38/357, 45LC

[Handloader109]

Don't know squat about Leverguns, but I'm really taken by the look of the Rossi in Stainless. But trying to figure out which caliber to get. (Yes Henry's look nice, but I'm trying to keep cost down)
Yes, I've read each of the posts here, and I don't really see consensus. Mainly looking to get a good plinking gun, might be a deer or coyote (yep, got a few here that really should be gone) along the way but just plinking will be main use. Either would be new caliber for me, I've stayed with the .223 and .300BO black guns and one .243 Remington I inherited.

So factory ammo for a while then dies and mold would be next...

Opinions anyone? 16" or 20" is other decision. I'm favoring 16" but appears that 20" is more favored by those here. My top distance available is 100 yards, so nothing extreme for distance needed.

Thanks!

[sawinredneck]

I’m curious as to what others will suggest. I would like to think that .45lc would be the better choice at your max distance, but I’m not educated enough to know how much drop the 38/357 would have from that type of rifle.

[Harter66]

I'm going to suggest that either of these are great rifles .
My buddy Jorge has an SS 357 with 20" barrel it has a burr or something in it I can't find . It'll run 38s as fast as you can shuck wad cutters to RN weight and type don't seem to matter 357 needs a wiggle or a double bump and behaves like it's hanging the case mouth except that I tried taper crimping until an FMJ RN was under sized .
Seat long and run 357 loads in 38 brass and all's well . Just a bug in his rifle .
It rolls pop cans as well as you can shoot and 2.5" at 100 .

I love my 45 Colts . There's only noise abatement to be gained by going to a 20" barrel over the 16" , I had one of each . The twist is the heart break on the Colts. 200s and 230s are ok 250-265 are great if they start subsonic at the muzzle . A Lee 458-340 sized 454 works but leaves me with 4-6" groups at 100 . Hold shots 75 and under and its a 2" work horse and use whatever bullet you want .
It doesn't like Rem brass and will hang it up but feeds Starline Schofields fine with the bigger rim ........

[bob208]

I have an older rossi in .357. it has the 20 inch barrel . I hit groundhogs out to 100 yds. I think the 20" barrel is better. you give up nothing in handling and the longer sight radius makes it easier to hit with. I use 358429 in .38spl. cases loaded with 12 gr. 2400. yes it will down a deer with no problems. plus if you want lite loads the same bullet with unique saves powder and lead. also .38 spl. cases are cheaper and eaiser to get then .45 colt.

[knifemaker]

You said the main use will be a plinking rifle and you do not reload right now. Just take a gander at the cost for 45 colt ammo as compared to the cost of 38 special and 357 mag. I have a Rossi in 38/357 with 20 inch barrel and love it. It feeds everything from 38 wadcutters to 160 gr. 357 mags using round nose flat point bullets. It will take your coyotes out to 150 yards with ease and deer also.

[pietro]

.

I had two 16" Big Loop Rossi M-92's, a .357 &a .45 Colt, and for me the .357 was far more versatile - and there's prolific, less expensive, ammo choices for the non-handloader.

The .357 took care of business just as good as the .45 Colt did - but I never had to use either much past 100yds, due to where I typically hunt.

I put peepsights on both - a Williams 5D-94SE on the .357 & a Skinner LoPro replacement for the bolt-top lawyer safety on the .45.


https://i.imgur.com/z1sR2ALm.jpg https://i.imgur.com/DviVclUm.jpg


I further fashioned a bolt-top safety replacement plug on the .357, so the Williams aperture could be set as low as possible

https://i.imgur.com/U7F3Zabm.jpg


I replaced the rear barrel open sight on both rifles via fashioning slot filler blanks from old rear/barrel longleaf open/iron sights.


https://i.imgur.com/xkpKrVAm.jpg https://i.imgur.com/ze3jg1em.jpg


.

[pworley1]

I have both Rossies and the Henry. For a plinker you can not make a bad choice. I like either Rossi better for hunting.

[Bzcraig]

I have a 26" in 45lc, a 44mag with a 20" and a 38/357 with a 16" barrel. All are fun and each a bit different but the funnest by far is the 38/357 and can shoot out to 100 with decent accuracy.

[Markedoutdoors]

I am a bit beyond fond of my Rossi 92 I'm 45 Colt. It has the 16" barrel and carries like a dream! Longest shot I've taken with it was about 75yrds. Works real well.

[veeman]

44-40 of course, as they were originally intended. :)

[Speedo66]

For your uses, either caliber would work. However, the .357 rounds are less expensive, brass is easier to come by when you start to reload, and they will use less lead, i.e., less expensive bullets.

As far as the barrel, you may pick up a few extra FPS with the longer barrel, but any increase will be minor. Try them both at a store or try other people's guns if possible, see which one suits you better. I'm very happy with my 20".

[fecmech]

Hands down .38/.357! I own 2 Rossi's in .357, a 20" and a 24" octagon. The 20" carbine is nice to carry due to the light weight and quick handling while the 24" octagon "hangs" better for more deliberate long range offhand shooting. Brass for .38/.357 is abundant and cheap, factory ammo less expensive than .45LC. Once you own one of these rifles you will find yourself going through much ammo. Shooting pistol caliber levers is like eating popcorn, hard to stop. Good luck which ever you choose.

[rondog]

Good luck finding a Rossi in .357, they've been out of production for awhile and are scarce & pricey. If you know of one, buy it! Supposedly, the factory has been undergoing "upgrades" and is back online again, and new rifles are supposed to be shipping, but I'll believe it when I see them.

FWIW - I want a 20" Rossi .357 too. I have a 24" in .45 Colt and I love it! It took some tuning up, but it's a superb shooter now, one of my favorites. I prefer blued but mine is stainless and there ain't a thing wrong with that. The wood kinda sucks, but I refinished mine with Watco Danish Oil and it's 1000% better now.

[mcdaniel.mac]

Good luck finding a Rossi in .357, they've been out of production for awhile and are scarce & pricey. If you know of one, buy it! Supposedly, the factory has been undergoing "upgrades" and is back online again, and new rifles are supposed to be shipping, but I'll believe it when I see them.

FWIW - I want a 20" Rossi .357 too. I have a 24" in .45 Colt and I love it! It took some tuning up, but it's a superb shooter now, one of my favorites. I prefer blued but mine is stainless and there ain't a thing wrong with that. The wood kinda sucks, but I refinished mine with Watco Danish Oil and it's 1000% better now.I traded into mine. The deals are still there sometimes.

[RPRNY]

If you don't reload, then a 38/357 is the better choice, but good luck getting it to feed 38 spl reliably. I never could with mine. It now belongs to someone else. On the other hand, have had zero problems with 45LC and several different profile bullets. There is no easier introduction to reloading than the 45LC.

[fecmech]

I have no problem with .38's in either of my Rossi's. Both will feed RN,SWC,RNFP in .38 cases as fast as I can run the lever. They will even feed cast wadcutters if I crimp on the middle lube groove!

[Handloader109]

Thanks for the updates and comments. Yes, I DO reload, but not 45 or 38/357 YET! Reload and cast other stuff, so yes, for a while I'd be only factory. But probably not very long.

Supposedly, the 38/357 is out there, I'll be checking..... I'm now tilting that way.... And I guess barrel will just depend on what I find.

THANKS AGAIN!

[phonejack]

I have a 24" stainless octogon in .357. I slicked up the innards and refinished the wood. Runs great, scary accurate .

[mcdaniel.mac]

If you don't reload, then a 38/357 is the better choice, but good luck getting it to feed 38 spl reliably. I never could with mine. It now belongs to someone else. On the other hand, have had zero problems with 45LC and several different profile bullets. There is no easier introduction to reloading than the 45LC.My R92 runs .38SPL RN fine, but doesn't like .357 Mag LFN. Throws them right out the action onto the ground. I'm ngoing to experiment with other bullet profiles.

[Walks]

I have 2; a .44WCF-24" & A .357MAG-20". If you're going to hunt then .357 is a better choice. Plinking/target is cheaper with .38/357 too. Pick a mold designed for Cowboy Shooting. It will feed better & they have the crimping groove needed for ammo loaded to shoot in a tube magazine rifle. Each ROSSI is a law unto it self, whether it will feed specials or magnums. All I've seen & worked with will feed .357MAG. Most will feed .38spl without a problems. You have to use the right profile bullet, SWC & WC rarely feed well. If not, a good COWBOY GUNSMITH can fix that.

I've .45COLT Lever rifles too. A MARLIN with a 24" bbl & a UBERTI with a 19" bbl. I use them for plinking too. But I'd never use them for hunting. I have better choices for that.

.357MAG is simply a better choice for your needs. And again It's a whole lot cheaper too. And when you get your .357MAG Revolver you'll be all set up.

[Soundguy]

id go 38/357, it gives you the best range of ammo choices from 38 to +p to 357mag.

[Greg S]

A plinker to deer, 357 is the choice. Cheaper/lighter components and with a 158-180 class projo perfectly capable of harvesting a deer.

[sawinredneck]

Good thing the OP didn’t listen to me! I’m finding it interesting that the .357 is coming out on top and why. I’m learning new stuff all the time!

[RPRNY]

Good thing the OP didn’t listen to me! I’m finding it interesting that the .357 is coming out on top and why. I’m learning new stuff all the time!


ONLY because the OP doesn't hand load. If he did so, there would be no question that 45LC would be the better choice. And given the spotty performance of the R92 with 38/357, which many of its proponents have ignored, even then, it is not the clear winner.

[Texas by God]

If you don't reload, then a 38/357 is the better choice, but good luck getting it to feed 38 spl reliably. I never could with mine. It now belongs to someone else. On the other hand, have had zero problems with 45LC and several different profile bullets. There is no easier introduction to reloading than the 45LC.I had the exact opposite on mine. It likes .38 the best. If a bobble happens, it's going to be .357 on mine. I've worked it over per Steve's video but it still runs .38s the best.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Texas by God]

44-40 of course, as they were originally intended. :)^^^^^^^this^^^^^
And Pietro- those sights are great looking.
I had a 5D on ours for a bit. It now wears a Dockendorff rear wheel blade.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Soundguy]

I have one that is the 38 only, no 357. Wish mine was 357. In any case, mine feeds flawlessly.

[fecmech]

And given the spotty performance of the R92 with 38/357, which many of its proponents have ignored, even then, it is not the clear winner.
Respectfully RPRNY, what "spotty performance" is being ignored?

[RogerDat]

20 inch gives you two more shots in the magazine and while 20 inch is fairly light in weight it will weigh more than a 16 inch. I have had my eye on one of those same two choices for awhile.

[derek45]

I love my 357/38 rossi 16"

LEE 158 SWC GC ( 168gr ) at 1882 fps is pretty neat.

125JHP 22gr w296 - 2241fps
140JHP 19.9gr w296 - 1963 fps
158JHP 17.3w296 - 1748fps

3.0 clays with a 140gr 38 special is like 22LR, fun for kids.

https://i.imgur.com/9NvrKbv.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/9JsZ1nj.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/AKkizlu.jpg

[bob208]

I am still waiting for the feeding problems. I bought mine 20 years ago at a auction house. it has never been apart . I use .38 spl brass because it is so cheap and easy to come by. so if I lose one in the field no big loss.

[RPRNY]

Respectfully RPRNY, what "spotty performance" is being ignored?

The well documented part where many people have feeding issues with either 357 or 38 cartridges and with different profile bullets. That spotty performance.

[derek45]

I did the stevezdvd tune-up DVD to mine

it feeds most 38 and 357 very smoothly

[Kraschenbirn]

So far, my 24" full-octagon .357 has fed everything I've stuffed in the magazine...RNs, RNFPs, and 2 different profile SWCs...so long as I keep OAL under 1.60. Now, I admit, I've only put about 1000 rounds through the gun but I've tried everything that I load for my handguns and all except some 180 grainers (OAL @ 1.625) that I load for my Contender has functioned without a glitch. Off the bench accuracy with factory sights is easily 'minute of quart milk jug' at 100 yds.

Bill

[fecmech]

The well documented part where many people have feeding issues with either 357 or 38 cartridges and with different profile bullets. That spotty performance.
I have not seen where that was "documented" but I suspect you would hear more about .38/.357's simply because the sale of .357 rifles in Rossi 92's is probably greater by at least a factor of 10 over .44's or .45's. I do know personally of 6 Rossi 92's in .357 that are running trouble free. Thanks for the reply.

[ulav8r]

The real solution is to get at least one of each caliber.

[Smoke4320]

A 45 colt and a 38/357 resides here. The 357 would be a better choice if shooting factory ammo.
If handloading and deer hunting the 45 colt would be my choice

[Eddie Southgate]

44-40

[derek45]

The real solution is to get at least one of each caliber.

This is the correct answer

:drinks:

[veeman]

My 92 Rossi 38/357 does not like the 357's, but gobbles up any 38 spl.

[Texas by God]

The well documented part where many people have feeding issues with either 357 or 38 cartridges and with different profile bullets. That spotty performance.There are seven mentions including mine so far of .38/357 issues in this thread so far. To be fair, I've worked on a 44-40 and a .45 colt for feeding problems too.
But some lucky folks get Rossis good from the box. I'd hold out for a Marlin IME.

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[45-70 Chevroner]

I have a 20" 45 Colt that I bought 20 years ago it shoots great. I also have a 16" 38/357, so far it cycles everything I've loaded except WC's but I haven't tried those yet. For your purpose though I would go with the 38/357.

[Handloader109]

The real solution is to get at least one of each caliber.

DANG! What an Idea! Yep, and one of each length barrel too!
If ONLY!:drinks: