rossi .357?

[mainiac]

Need you folks opinion please. Have a chance to buy a rossi lever gun in 38/.357 mag. Havnt seen it yet but is suppositly like new,and he wants 275.00 for it. What do you guys think of rossi guns,and is this to high of a price? Most importantly, will it shoot cast bullets,and shoot real accurate? thanks,mark

[felix]

That is a fair price, new or used. Used ones probably had condoms through it for the most part if not all, so it would already be broken in for cast. All used guns should be purchased with money back guarantee if it does not shoot as expected, so that would mean you would have to know the dealer as being a fair and upright person. The Rossi guns of old had firing pins which were heat treated to extra hard and therefore might break easily. Don't fret, winnie parts will fit with little mods. ... felix

[TedH]

I'd be all over it, if it is in the condition you described. Been looking for one myself for a while now.

[Old Ironsights]

I'm waiting for my EMF/Hartford Rossi to finish getting tuned by Steve Young of http://www.stevesgunz.com/

If it doesn't work well, but is essentially sound, Steve can fix you up.

I bought my '92 from him new for $560 (stainless, 20").

If the gun is at all half decent, buy it. I doubt you would need to put the $300 difference into it even if it has a few problems.

[KCSO]

I bought mine in 1973 and have shot a ton of cast through it. Just using it slicked it up pretty good and from the box the trigger pull was right at 3#. I did a test of the rossi's old and new for the SHOOTIST magazine a while back. I shot my old gun a gun my dealer squirreled away in 1973 and NEVER shot and two new rossi's. On the new guns i don't care for the plastic followers and the triggers need a little smoothing, but other than that they are good guns. My old Rossi 357 has had probably 1500 full house mags and 5000 38 lead loads through it and the only repairs were a fore stock that was cracked when I used the gun for a club. I bounced it off of a head rather than shooting somebody, "your fault, my fault, nobody's fault at all", your going to get a headache.

I can only say that I still carry the Rossi as a backup occasionally.

[biggome]

With used Winchesters about gone from most dealers racks, people (like myself) who don't really care for the Marlin actions are going to seek out the Rossi '92 copies in greater numbers to fill their levergun needs and drive the prices through the roof so you should act quickly if you want one. If it turns out you are less than thrilled with it I am sure you could shed it quickly.

I found an early Rossi '92 in .357 with 16" barrel a while back and I am quite fond of it. It shoots and functions well and carries like a toy. My only complaint was the cheap BB gun rear sight (since replaced) and the fact that it ejects spent brass as if it were trying get rid of evidence, it will throw a loaded round about as far as it should an empty.

As a general use and fun knockabout gun and as a companion for my many .357 wheelguns, I consider my Rossi '92 to be as close to perfect as one might expect.

Paul

[Mugs]

Get one of the spring kits that Brownells sells for the 92 Rossi. It will cure the sending empties into the next county. Mine was so violent it was distroying brass. Great improvement in overall function.
Mugs

[Four Fingers of Death]

Get one of the spring kits that Brownells sells for the 92 Rossi. It will cure the sending empties into the next county. Mine was so violent it was distroying brass. Great improvement in overall function.
Mugs

Mine launches then far and wide, but mostly forward, where you have to close the range to retrieve them. I pick up what i can see and leave the rest. I am about to go back to using 38s as I have squillions of these.

Absolutely greta little gun, especially for the money.

[Old Ironsights]

Another thing to consider: The New Production EMF/Hartford Rossis will have the ugly and unnecessary "safety" cluttering up the action. (LSI/Puma has had them for a while)

Buy while the buyin's good.

[Old Ironsights]

My old Rossi 357 has had probably 1500 full house mags and 5000 38 lead loads through it and the only repairs were a fore stock that was cracked when I used the gun for a club. I bounced it off of a head rather than shooting somebody...

A Ramline Glass/Polymer stock will fix that problem.... :twisted:

[mdatlanta]

I've got an old Rossi '92 .357 imported by Interarms. It's a great shooter...reliable and accurate. Mine has the most god-awful looking stock/forend though. I rationalize away the ugliness when I realize I can't see it when Im shooting! :)

[biggome]

My Interarms Rossi has a very nice buttstock of what looks like burlewood. The stock maker must have been afraid he would get in trouble for using a nice piece of wood so he stained it a near black (very used motor oil?) finish to cover it up.

I hate to make it "pretty" and make me less likely to use it for what it is intended for (Jeeping, camping and general beating and banging) by redoing the finish to let the wood "speak" so I have left it alone.

Paul

[Old Ironsights]

I've got an old Rossi '92 .357 imported by Interarms. It's a great shooter...reliable and accurate. Mine has the most god-awful looking stock/forend though. I rationalize away the ugliness when I realize I can't see it when Im shooting! :)
Stocks are cheap.

OTOH, if you are using it as a truck gun, you may want to look into the Glass/Polymer '94 stocks put out by Ramline. ($50 or so) Totally indestructable.

The 94 stocks will work just fine on a '92, plus, it will turn your nice little "grampaw's levergun" into a 10-shot Evil Black Rifle with which you can scare Liberals. :twisted:

[Scrounger]

I'm going to bend the topic a bit. AzRedNeck made reference some time ago in response to my statement that I was looking for one. Saturday he sent me a PM with the name and telephone number of a pawnshop in Phoenix that was going out of business and had a bunch of new in the box Rossis at an excellent price, I called them and their price was even sweeter than what he had quoted, They are $224.95 out the door. Bad news is I got the last .45 Colt and they have only .44-40s left in stock. Still, at that price.... I thought it was safe to mention it now that I have mine secured and license and money order in the mail. The shop is: Jewel Box Loan Co., phone number is (602) 252-5777. Bon Apetite.

[Old Ironsights]

I'm going to bend the topic a bit. AzRedNeck made reference some time ago in response to my statement that I was looking for one. Saturday he sent me a PM with the name and telephone number of a pawnshop in Phoenix that was going out of business and had a bunch of new in the box Rossis at an excellent price, I called them and their price was even sweeter than what he had quoted, They are $224.95 out the door. Bad news is I got the last .45 Colt and they have only .44-40s left in stock. Still, at that price.... I thought it was safe to mention it now that I have mine secured and license and money order in the mail. The shop is: Jewel Box Loan Co., phone number is (602) 252-5777. Bon Apetite.
Holy Barrel Leading Batman! Thanks for the Headsup! :drinks: