Thinking about a new Rossi 92 .357

[FergusonTO35]

Anybody have experience with the current Rossi 92 .357? I'm about to call the fun store and order one but want to see what your experiences are first. I know it's not a JM 1894 or Miroku 92, but are they pretty functional out of the box? I'm planning to feed it the same mid range .357's with the Lee 358-125-RF that my Marlin likes so much. If it's minute of coyote accurate to 100 yards I would be satisfied. The 16" carbine is what I am interested in.

[fn1889m]

I bought the newest 20 inch iteration of the Rossi 92 in 44 Mag. I only shoot my cast Keith 44
Specials in it. They feed fine.

The detents on the carrier were shallow. I fixed that. Second, the sear had a bur that caused the sear to catch on the half cock notch. I took
The gun apart and filed the bur out.

You should not have to fix a new rifle. But once fixed, I like it better than my Winchester 92. It has a handier feel. Would buy again. It shoots cast bullets fine. I was not interested in sending it to the Rossi repair place. I used a YouTube video to guide the disassembly and reassembly. Sequence matters.

[badwolf]

Just bought a 16" 45 colt and haven't found anything wrong with it. Looking at a stainless 357magnum next. I think they have stepped up their game.

[pworley1]

I have the longer barrel version of that and it has never given any problems. 38 special and 357 cast of all weights have shot well. enjoy.

[WTEX58]

I don't have experience with the .357, but I have an R92-55008 (16" .44 Magnum) that I purchased right at one year ago. The action is super smooth, it has a great trigger and seems to hit whatever I aim at; max. range of 50 yards, so far. It's become one of my favorite lever actions, and yes, I'm looking for one in .357 Magnum as well.

[Castaway]

Had one in 45 Colt and won’t go that way again. After a year, I decided to remove wood and wax underside of forearm. There was a gouge that was open from the magazine tube to underside of wood. Rossi refused to make good as it was after 1 year. I tried to explain it was a manufacturers defect and it wasn’t abuse or even fair wear and tear on my part. Strike one. Could never get accurate groups with different bullets. What was 2” at 50 with my Win 94 turned to 15” with the Rossi. Eventually got 4” at 50. Strike two. Feeding from magazine tube was erratic. Cartridge came up too steeply to chamber. Strike three. Sold it at a pawn shop and got a Win 92

[siamese4570]

Had one. Worked ok. The first deer I shot at with it, it jammed. Have a henry now. Much better.
siamese4570

[chuckerbird]

Have one. Won't feed 357 rounds over 1.46 in length. Shoots 38sp OK. Isn't very smooth action wise. Save your money and look for a marlin or a Winchester.

[JimB..]

Mine functions rough, gonna try the steve’s gunz suggestions on it since it shoots fine. Also gonna refinish the stock, the pores in the wood are sized to grab my beard stubble and it’s rather irritating.

[dverna]

If you already have a Marlin, I suspect you will not be a happy camper with the Rossi unless you want to work on it.

I had one of the older ones and decided it was not worth keeping. Maybe the new ones are better, but I buy guns for the long haul so have learned to not compromise.

A lot of folks like them so it may be the luck of the draw, or not knowing any better. Good luck!!

[AnthonyB]

I have the 16 inch version you are looking for. I did the Steve's Guns alterations, and it wears a Trijicon RMR. It is the handiest, slickest operating Rossi I own. I do not own the Marlin 1894 but have a Miroku 92 44 Magnum. I really like the Rossi and must get another as this one has been claimed by my wife.
Tony

[pietro]

.

My 16" Rossi M-92 .357, like above, has NP with factory ammo.

While not a target rifle, accuracy is very acceptable.

I never need to apply any mods, like Steve's Gunz.

I cannot speak to handloaded ammo, as some boolit nose configs may/may not feed/chamber as normal.

I D/T'd mine atop the receiver sidewalls for a Williams receiver sight designated for the Winchester 94AE; and can tell you that the receiver had the hardest steel I've ever D/T'd.

To do so, I had to fashion a bolt top plug to replace the lawyer safety, as it needed to be gone for the bolt to cycle under the receiver sight body.


https://i.imgur.com/U7F3Zabm.jpg https://i.imgur.com/z1sR2ALm.jpg

[Froogal]

Anybody have experience with the current Rossi 92 .357? I'm about to call the fun store and order one but want to see what your experiences are first. I know it's not a JM 1894 or Miroku 92, but are they pretty functional out of the box? I'm planning to feed it the same mid range .357's with the Lee 358-125-RF that my Marlin likes so much. If it's minute of coyote accurate to 100 yards I would be satisfied. The 16" carbine is what I am interested in.

A Rossi '92 in .357 is what my wife uses for NCOWS cowboy action. Must be going on 5 or 6 years now. Had an initial problem of it not wanting to accept a cartridge, but a thorough cleaning of the magazine tube and follower solved that problem. NO problems after that. Accuracy is right there. For what it's worth, she is shooting .38 specials. The rifle simply does not care if you load it with .38s or .357s.

[sparky45]

I recently sold my Rossi 92 357 mag and kinda miss her, however, she didn't go very far as I sold it to my brother. I do have a Rossi 92 in 44 WCF that is equally as fine a rifle. 24" barrel and all in SS. Balance of this rifle is exceptional and she shoots MOA at 50 yds.

[rbuck351]

I don't have one in 357 but do have one in 454 Casull that I like very well. I got it about 10 years ago and have shot 45 colts and 454 rounds in it. I haven't had to do anything to it as it feeds smooth and shoots well enough. I did replace the safety switch with a home made peep.

[GasGuzzler]

Those who are commenting negatively about rifles more than 18 months old are not doing the OP any favors. The manufacturing went through an overhaul and most all the comments I hear are positive on the CBC guns. I would stay away from the 1995-2020 era (approximate) for sure UNLESS the price is good and you like to tinker. My .357 is from the 1980's and doesn't suffer from most of the ills brought about during the Braztech and Taurus eras. I had a .454 for a couple months and it was obviously a lower standard than my old .357 but way better than the ones from the period mentioned above.

[FergusonTO35]

Wow, thanks so much for the wealth of info. I am going to talk to the fun store owner this week and see what he thinks, he has sold a lot of them in the past and had some .45's there last week. It may come down to price. If the Rossi is within $200.00 of a Henry, I don't see any reason not to go with the latter. At the same time, this is going to be a rifle that gets used a lot to save wear on my JM 1894 so it doesnt have to be perfect or fancy.

[farmbif]

I like the older ones before they put the safety on the bolt. the best by far is a 45 colt I have that is stamped HARTFORD on the barrel, the action, function fit and finish is fantastic, and is very accurate for a 45 colt. my second favorite is the 44 puma with cast puma head emblem on receiver.

[r80rt]

I have a 16" and a 20" version of the new ones, both in .357. They are slick and accurate, I love these things.

[ukrifleman]

I bought 2 Rossi 92's about 20 years ago, a 24" octagonal in .357 and a 20" s/steel octagonal in 45 Colt.

Both functioned just fine with cast bullets.

I sold the 24" .357 because I found it to be muzzle heavy.

I still have the 20" S/S in 45 Colt and have no intentions of parting with it.

ukrifleman

[robertbank]

I had one and enjoyed it. Mine was well built but had sights that were difficult to see with seven decade eyes. FI tried a springer front sight on the gun and my enjoyment increased using the peep sight. I sold the gun and acquired a Matlin in .357. The Remlin is a much better gun as to fit and finish and much easier to clean. Both rifles were accurate using the factory sights. Where the Marlin excelled was when I wanted to install a scope. The side ejection sold me on the Marlin.

If you like the '92 the Rossi is a good example and will serve you well.

Take Care

Bob
ps I still own a Rossi n 44mag and like it a lot..

[koger]

Since Jan, I have purchased a .44, .45LC and a .357, all with 20" round barrel. I have had no issues with any of them, and the .357 is much more accurate than any of the JM Marlin .357s I have ever had, just plain shoots lights out. Both of the other calibers too, and the .44 works .44 specials as good as .44 mags.

[Levernut]

My experience with the new generation Rossi has been nothing but positive. Mine is the 16” stainless 357. Very slick, to be honest more so than my Miroku built Winchesters. It does not compare to the Winchesters as far as fit and finish but yet they are half the price. Very much worth the $$$.
Now that I think about it the only negative for me is the front sight is very wide, like a brick.

[FergusonTO35]

Thanks. I'm going to the fun store tomorrow to see what kind of deal I can get.

[FergusonTO35]

Well, I talked to the shop today and he said he hasn't been able to get a .357 lever action from any maker for more than a year now. He has gotten a handful of .44' s and .45's from Henry and Rossi but thats all. He said he has standing orders with all the big distributors and nothing. Guess I'll be looking for a little while!

[robertbank]

Well, I talked to the shop today and he said he hasn't been able to get a .357 lever action from any maker for more than a year now. He has gotten a handful of .44' s and .45's from Henry and Rossi but thats all. He said he has standing orders with all the big distributors and nothing. Guess I'll be looking for a little while!

Go gently used. I don't regret my purchase. I saved a little on the price plus taxes and got what I wanted. I may put my Rossi in 44mag up for sale on one of our gun sites up here and look for a Marlin in the same caliber. I need to use a scope for rifle shooting now due to my "experienced" eyes. Take Care

Bob

[Stephen Cohen]

I have a stainless pre silly safety model I purchased 3 yrs ago and just took delivery of. My first range outing showed it would sort of feed 38 special but refused to feed 357 in any brand, it was accurate when loaded single shot so I thought it was worth the effort to fix. I stripped it down to bare bones and removed all the sharp edges that could cause problems, I had to remove metal to allow the ejector to operate properly, the hammer needed work as it galled on left side at times, I found the spring in the cartridge guide stop was installed the wrong way, the grooves in the cartridge guides were not even close to being correct and needed considerable work to allow the cartridge to align with chamber, the chamber entrance had to be deburred to allow cartridge to enter chamber without locking up action, mag spring had to be shortened a good 5'' and loading gate had to be filed to remove all the sharp edges which had made loading painful. Yes it was a lot of work but considering I got the rifle a carved saddle scabbard 1'000 rounds of ammo new unused dies and a hard case for less that half rifle value I considered the work was worth it. I just finished the work yesterday and will be taking a range trip this weekend and the rifle is so slick and feeds everything now except my 156gr Lyman cast. If you want the possibility of a project rifle which will fill your heart with pride yes buy a Rossi. Regards Stephen

[45-70marlin]

I bought a 20" 357 mag. About 6 months ago. Love this gun. Did some action smoothing and shorten the mag spring. Got it on gunbroker, you should find one there.

[beagle74]

I just sold a Puma 92 in 16" 44mag. I personally have never shot it, but it was a tight little used gun, and the action and trigger was pretty smooth. It was quite a treat to carry. If I still needed a little powerhouse to carry around, I surely would have kept it.

[FergusonTO35]

I'll keep my eyes peeled. No need to get in a hurry and spend too much. Been there, done that.

[Walks]

A Rossi 92 stamped with "HARTFORD" on the barrel was imported by EMF of Santa Ana, CA
It was made to a Higher standard then the Interarms imports. A far better Fit & Finish then ever before. I have a 24" bbl'd Octagon Rifle. Best looking/working Rossi then I'd seen before or since.

Shoots great and functions perfectly from the day I got it.

[beefyz]

Paid about $525 new 5 yrs or so for my .357 octagonal. Couldn't find a reasonably priced Winny/Marlin at the time. I was pleasantly surprised with fit & finish as i got this from a midwest dealer and didn't have a chance to inspect it. Action/feeding with both .38/.357 was smooth. Have NEVER shot a jacketed round through it. It was only to be used with my lead reloads. Factory sights suck and I later found out that twist may be a major concern mine being something like 1:32. At first it was very finicky. Didn't seem to like the standard 150-158gr offerings. After much trial & error and then suggestions from others on this site and the net who had the same experiences, I tried some 125-130gr offerings from Matts Bullets. Became a tack driver. Curiously, it shoots a 180 gr very well, but they have to be driven much harder. I still don't like my present sight set-up. I'm using a Skinners and it still swivels around too much w/o using tape around the threads. The best sight I think would be the Williams above, but requires D&T.

[FergusonTO35]

I'm planning to feed it the Lee 358-125-RF which will do just about anything I need it to do.

[FergusonTO35]

I'm currently bidding on a NOS Henry .357 without the side gate. The lack of side gate doesn't bother me, hopefully I can get it cheap.

[koger]

Pm sent, I know where there is a brand new one for sale at a decent price, 16" .357, $650

[trapper9260]

I have a 16" Ross in 357 for the years I have it , one part broke on me that I had my gunsmith fix it something to do with the firing pin. I had him do some other work on it , it shot good for me all the time right out of the box. What ever I put in it , I can shoot the same ammo I shoot in my 357 BH with out any problems. When my gunsmith test fire it after he fixed it He said it was right on at 100yards on a 6" steel plate . He could not believe it and he shot factory ammo in it. I shoot just cast mainly in it that I made up myself. I gone up to 200 grs boolit that 125 gr shoots good in it .

[downzero]

I have one in 20" for Cowboy Action. The 125 Lee RF is great for that. i was going to use a hollow point in it for deer hunting but it doesn't really shoot that great. I may either try a SWC or a J word and see. It's a great shooting rifle though, just not with my 158 grain hollow points.

[Shawlerbrook]

I’d get a SS Rossi 357 in a minute and then give it the Steve Gunz treatment.

[FergusonTO35]

Well, the listing for the NOS Henry turned out to be a bust. Seller was really sketchy and would only accept PP so I backed out of that one. Koger gave me a tip on a Rossi carbine in stock locally so I will check them out.

[Handloader109]

The new guns are made in Brazil and are marked that way. I've a 357 SS version 20 inch barrel that I bought about 2 years ago. This was one of the first shipments from the new factory. It loves 38spec, and does ok with 357 rounds. Length does matter a bit, but action is smooth, and it is more accurate than I am. I changed to peep sight to replace the rear ramp buckhorn and it helps me. Price should be about 250 to 300 less than similar Henry.

[FergusonTO35]

Thanks, it seems like the recent Rossi 92's are good guns. I'm planning to put a Marble's Bullseye rear sight on it. In any event I can't buy anything until after my water heater is replaced on Saturday. Seems like less important things always jump in the way of new guns!

[fecmech]

I have 2 of the Rossi's in .357,a 20" carbine and a 24" octagon. Both have had north of 3K rds through them with no problems. Both will average 3moa 10 shot hundred yd groups with the Lee 125 rf. I can maintain that accuracy between 1200-1400FPS with Bullseye and Power Pistol. I have owned a Win 94 .357,a Browning 92.357, a Henry .357 and the use of a friends Marlin .357 for a year. They are all gone and the Rossi's remain. I don't miss the others a bit.

BTW I own a MF2135!

[FergusonTO35]

You have good taste in rifles and tractors!

[Sig556r]

Bought a 20" octagon barrelled, like-new R92 in .357/.38 last year for 6 Benjamins OTD.
The heavy barrel makes even hot loads of .357 very mild felt recoil.
Accuracy with boolits are ok, but Js are on point.
Juts my 2 cents...\

[FergusonTO35]

Thanks. What sort of boolits are you using?

["Spoon"]

Thanks, it seems like the recent Rossi 92's are good guns. I'm planning to put a Marble's Bullseye rear sight on it. In any event I can't buy anything until after my water heater is replaced on Saturday. Seems like less important things always jump in the way of new guns!

I have a 16 inch stainless in .357 and a blued 45 colt. I just put a Marble’s Bullseye on it. It sure makes shooting easier. The .357 shoots .38 & .357s well. Swcs and hps. Back during the Great .22 famine it was my makeshift .22 using the Lee 105 gr Swc and Promo. Love them both. I had a .454 and it was the slickest one ever, but I hated the rubber butt pad on it. It was slow to shoulder. I like the Rossi.


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[FergusonTO35]

Sounds great! So, the Rossi uses standard 3/8 dovetails for the sights?

["Spoon"]

Sounds great! So, the Rossi uses standard 3/8 dovetails for the sights?

Yes. It went right in.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Handloader109]

I had purchase a Skinner for mine and had to file the sight just a bit to make it fit properly. But with 5 minutes work, it shoots fine. Dovetail supposedly is std. and measured as such, sight was a few thousandths large.

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[meh]

Dovetail supposedly is std. and measured as such, sight was a few thousandths large.


Of course the sights are designed to require minor fitting so that a perfect fit can be achieved on almost any rifle, but that raises an interesting question. Skinner sells front sights specifically for Rossi's that are even a little larger, apparently because Rossi dovetails used to be large enough that the standard ones were sometimes coming in too loose without any filing. Now, with the Rossi's coming out of a new factory, one wonders whether the larger ones are needed anymore.

[dverna]

If you ever want to shoot CAS, get the 20" barrel model as it will hold 10 rounds.

I personally find the 24" barrels unwieldly...YMMV There is almost a 2 lb difference between it an the 16.5" version...all out front.

For a "fun" gun, I would get the 16.5" barrel version.

[FergusonTO35]

The short barrel is the plan. My local shop knows I am looking for one and will put it in the back when it finally comes in.

[r80rt]

My blued 16'' .357 is my favorite, but my stainless 16" .45 arrives tomorrow, so that is subject to change :smile:

["Spoon"]

My blued 16'' .357 is my favorite, but my stainless 16" .45 arrives tomorrow, so that is subject to change :smile:

I’m just the opposite I have .45 colt in 16 blued. I have .357 16 stainless. I did put marbles bullseye sights on them. Really made a difference for me.

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[r80rt]

I just happen to have a marbles bullseye sight in my parts bin, and I'd really like to find a 16" stainless .357

[FergusonTO35]

I just happen to have a marbles bullseye sight in my parts bin, and I'd really like to find a 16" stainless .357

Yep, I have a Bullseye in my little gun junkyard too. It'll happen, I'm not going to rush it.

[1Papalote]

I’d get a SS Rossi 357 in a minute and then give it the Steve Gunz treatment.

+1 on Steve's Gunz of Lampasas,, TX. He used to live near me on the coast. He specializes in Rossi's. Good guy, great work.

[Castaway]

There are many references to Steve’s Guns. If they functioned so well, he wouldn’t be famous in the Rossi 92 circle of owners

[FergusonTO35]

As far as buying a new Rossi goes, the owner of my favorite shop will make it right even if the factory won't.

[Mwilson0173]

I have a new Rossi .45 colt and I'm having problems with feed, but from what the pros here have suggested they don't like going slow.

[r80rt]

There are many references to Steve’s Guns. If they functioned so well, he wouldn’t be famous in the Rossi 92 circle of owners

I think these new guns are going to hurt Steves business, I have three of the new CBC guns and they are very nice for everyday general use. From what I've seen you can't really compare them to guns made 10 years ago.

[Texas by God]

Steve's video would have saved me lots of time on the first two Rossis that I worked on. The next one after the video was much easier. Once fitted and polished, they are great shooters. I hope that the CBC product is better. A new gun should work in my opinion, all the older Rossis that I've been around had issues.

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

[r80rt]

All three of my CBC guns are great, they operate easy and smooth. A friend of mine has one that is just as slick as mine are. My old interarms puma was horrible till I polished it up and changed out the springs, even after that it's not as good as the new ones I've had my hands on. From what I read CBC took over rossi in 2015, re-tooled and started building rifles in 2017.

[centershot]

The few Rossi's I've seen have been good rifles, they functioned and shot well and looked good. I don't think I'd have a problem owning one.

There was some mention of the Henry rifles, on a lark I pulled up their website. Ohmygosh!!! If you haven't checked them out lately, you need to!

https://www.henryusa.com/henry-rifles-and-shotguns/

[r80rt]

Yeah, Henry's are pricey, and to my eye they are ugly as well.

[farmbif]

with many of the stock out of the box Rossi's you have to pay attention to bullet profile and OAL. I only shoot 1 bullet in my Rossi 45 colt, mp 454640. it works perfectly. I had heard that rossi hired Steve as consultant to show them how to slick the guns up during manufacturing. I guess some get done better than others.
I have an old pre safety 357 and it is very picky what will feed well. Ive settled with the 358156 seated to the top groove in 357 brass and it works perfectly. with some other bullet profiles I have to use 38spl brass. I have a new mp 360640 I have yet to try because the 358156 works so well and with gas check I can push them as fast as a jacketed bullet with no worries.

[r80rt]

My Marlin 94 was the pickest rifle I ever saw with OAL and bullet profile. In my .45 Rossi I use the Lee 255 RF and in .357's I use the Lee 158 RF, both work perfectly in my rifles.

[rockrat]

And my Remlin 1894 is just the opposite, it has digested anything I have tried, even full wadcutters. My Rossi (about 2000 vintage)hates just about everything except for the 158rnfp in 38 special cases.

[pietro]

There are many references to Steve’s Guns. If they functioned so well, he wouldn’t be famous in the Rossi 92 circle of owners


FWIW:

When the Rossi M-92'2 were first made, many years ago (and for several years later), they all had manufacturing issues which Steve started to address as a business.

As their popularity expanded, so did Steve's business - which eventually led to Taurus/Rossi contracting him to advise them on production changes, so they could improve their Model 92's, thus reducing their warranty work.

Ergo, the Rossi M-92's made after his suggested manufacturing upgrades were much improved over the earlier versions, with most owners of newer M-92's only adding the usual suspects to their guns ( different sights, receiver internal adjustments, etc), beside other personal mods like shortening magazine tubes, buttstock pads, whatever.

.

[r80rt]

Steve's advice was good, there is a world of difference between my old interarms and my new CBC rifles. All my new ones are sporting Steve's safety replacement plugs and his stainless magazine springs and followers.

[FergusonTO35]

Well, EAA is now importing a nice BHP clone so there is competition for my scarce fun money. I suppose whichever one the fun store gets in first is what I will go with!

[Petander]

Anybody have experience with the current Rossi 92 .357? I'm about to call the fun store and order one but want to see what your experiences are.

I had one. I wanted a fun range levergun but for some reason it never felt right. It worked but it felt and looked... cheap?

Sold it and got a 120 years old Winchester 30-30 takedown instead. A different world.

I shoot a Marlin 1895 SBL quite a bit, a lighter lever is nice to have. But not Rossi Sorry.

[FergusonTO35]

Awesome! Unfortunately all my fun money has evaporated until next year.