Rossi 92 SRC in 357

[FISH4BUGS]

I took it out today and shot it with 158gr swc bb with 4.1 gr 231 in 38 special. What a treat to shoot. Very accurate at 50 yds with very mild recoil. Threw in some 357's just for fun. Pretty snappy recoil with 125gr jhp with 18.1 gr 296. My next project is Lyman 358627 gas check bullet. Hollow point that one and that should be able to drop any deer on the North American continent. Here in New England shots are rarely over 50-75 yards anyway.
Feeding was not exactly reliable. I REALLY like this gun and I THINK I want to get an action job on it.
Steve's Guns has been recommended in the past but I have to play the part of the good shopper and compare.
Anyone have any others that could work over the Rossi 92 src in 357 to be a more relaible feeder and clean up the action?
Any and all help is appreciated.
p.s. If it is Steve's Guns....then it is Steve's Guns......more than happy to send it to him.....just trying to be the good shopper here.

[runfiverun]

you shouldn't need an action job.
my 92's in 357 really hate the swc and 38 cases. put them together and you have 99% failure rate.
the lyman 158 rnfp in 357 cases glide through the rifles like butter.
and can be pushed very fast without a gas check.
the 92 is a simple rifle consisting of a trigger, bolt, and lever, plus the carrier and a few springs.
just shooting it will slick up the action.
if you want a lighter trigger pull steve is good as is nate "kiowa" jones [found on the marlin owners sight] and if bill oglesby is still doing levers he is very good.

[kingstrider]

Steve Young is well known for that particular model, I emailed him over the summer about smoothing out a stainless 92 in 357. Mine cycled everything I ran through it but the action was rough which I find annoying. Considering the cost of the gun and an action job I opted to sell it and just buy another Marlin 357 instead. I think he offers a DVD if you have the time and are good at such projects.

[FISH4BUGS]

you shouldn't need an action job.
my 92's in 357 really hate the swc and 38 cases. put them together and you have 99% failure rate.
the lyman 158 rnfp in 357 cases glide through the rifles like butter.
and can be pushed very fast without a gas check.
the 92 is a simple rifle consisting of a trigger, bolt, and lever, plus the carrier and a few springs.
just shooting it will slick up the action.
if you want a lighter trigger pull steve is good as is nate "kiowa" jones [found on the marlin owners sight] and if bill oglesby is still doing levers he is very good.

I am thinking maybe a round nose 357, or the group buy 358156 plain base bullet loaded into 357 cases and loaded to 38 velocities might work well.
So, if I get the gun worked over will it feed 38's? Somehow, the thought of a 38 special rifle is kinda neat. Just right for popping turkeys or squirrels with head shots.
Maybe I should have bought the Browning to begin with. However, the cost of this gun was not exhorbitant so there is some room to put a few more bucks into it before getting to the Browning cost level.
Better sights or a scope might be in order if I can get this to feed everything reliably.
Any and all hints are gratefully accepted.

[fecmech]

Fish--I have 2 of the Rossi's a 20" carbine and 24" octagon. The Lyman 358429 SWC in .38 spl cases or the same oal( as the .38) in mag cases feeds just fine in both guns. Lee TL 158 SWC also feeds great in .38 cases. Action jobs on those 92's are mainly changing out springs, particularly the ejector spring, that accounts for about 80% of it.

[CITYREPO61]

I was running 158gr SWC in 38 special cases and I was gettig ftf's and fte's until I realized I was short stroking. No problems in the next 300 rounds and the action is getting smoother.
Regards
CITYREPO61

[runfiverun]

the sight dovetails are a bit larger than a normal 3/8ths.
i had to make some shims for under mine when i changed them.
i just plain went with the boolit/case combo i mentioned, and change the load for velocity.

[FISH4BUGS]

So if I understand this thread, it looks like I need to let the gun break in (this is an older model 92) and that 38's should work fine.
It is interesting that this gun throws the brass a good 10 feet when I snap the lever.
Bullet choices and OAL makes the difference in feeding here, no?

[fecmech]

So if I understand this thread, it looks like I need to let the gun break in (this is an older model 92) and that 38's should work fine.
It is interesting that this gun throws the brass a good 10 feet when I snap the lever.

That is the robust ejector spring I mentioned, and the main reason you feel resistance when closing the lever.

"Bullet choices and OAL makes the difference in feeding here, no?"

YES!

[FISH4BUGS]

That is the robust ejector spring I mentioned, and the main reason you feel resistance when closing the lever.

"Bullet choices and OAL makes the difference in feeding here, no?"

YES!

How about a 358156 plain base Group Buy bullet seated out far in the crimp groove closest to the lube groove in 38 special cases? Probably 357 length overall. Load to 38 velocities (OK...maybe a bit more).
That sounds like a winner to me.
Gotta size and lube a few and try them out! I have some 2000 cast but not yet sized. I just HAD to try out the Lee Mould. It was GREAT!....but it had been worked over when I bought it....Lee mented and all that.

[Treeman]

Mine feeds everything-including wadcutters( Those do require a rather deliberate working of the lever).Simply cycling the action does seem to do a lot to smooth things.-A bit of metal polish or Nu-Finish in the innards and a few hundred cycles followed by a flush and relubing is a cheap and easy action job.

[redgum]

Like Treeman I guess I too have been blessed with a gem. Mine feeds anything regardless of wether its in a .38spl or .357 mag case. The action is still quite stiff but smooth, & definately no grating or gritty feel to it. It's is an older one,(mid 70's from my research) but it has been kept almost unfired until it came to live with us.

[FISH4BUGS]

Like Treeman I guess I too have been blessed with a gem. Mine feeds anything regardless of wether its in a .38spl or .357 mag case. The action is still quite stiff but smooth, & definately no grating or gritty feel to it. It's is an older one,(mid 70's from my research) but it has been kept almost unfired until it came to live with us.

Mine is an older one too. How do you get the age of the gun? Serial number is usually the way, but where is a source of info on serial numbers for Rossi 92's?

[WyrTwister]

I took it out today and shot it with 158gr swc bb with 4.1 gr 231 in 38 special. What a treat to shoot. Very accurate at 50 yds with very mild recoil. Threw in some 357's just for fun. Pretty snappy recoil with 125gr jhp with 18.1 gr 296. My next project is Lyman 358627 gas check bullet. Hollow point that one and that should be able to drop any deer on the North American continent. Here in New England shots are rarely over 50-75 yards anyway.
Feeding was not exactly reliable. I REALLY like this gun and I THINK I want to get an action job on it.
Steve's Guns has been recommended in the past but I have to play the part of the good shopper and compare.
Anyone have any others that could work over the Rossi 92 src in 357 to be a more relaible feeder and clean up the action?
Any and all help is appreciated.
p.s. If it is Steve's Guns....then it is Steve's Guns......more than happy to send it to him.....just trying to be the good shopper here.


All my handgun caliber lever guns are picky about the shape of bullet nose and often the OAL of the loaded ammo .

If a person reloads , and especially if they cast their own bullets , this is no big challenge .

I have been reloading for my Rossi .357 Mag , today . I use a Lee ~ 150 grain Round Nose Lead bullet as cast . ( I try to load lead bullets as large in diameter as possible , as long as the loaded ammo will chamber . ) These are tumble lubed 50% - 50% Lee Liquid Alox & paint thinner with a dab of Johnson Paste Wax .

I strive for an OAL = to factory .357 Mag OAL . With this cast bullet , I seat & crimp at the last groove with .357 Brass .

I happen to have about 10 times as much .38 Special brass , as .357 . So I load that brass with the bullet seated and crimped to the next to the last groove . This gives me ~ the OAL of .357 ammo .

I have shot some factory 125 grain Flat Nose FMJ .38 Specials in this rifle . They feed OK .

Also , some SWC's . The SWC's feed pretty good , but not as well as the RNL bullets .

I see no reason to send my Rossi off to get it slicked up , but I am not into into CASS .

I also have a .45 LC Rossi that I feed RN & RNFP bullets and it feeds fine .

Best of luck .

God bless
Wyr

[Four Fingers of Death]

Steve's video is easy to follow and he sells a new spring and follower in the kit, thats pretty much all you need. Even if you get someone else to do it it is worth getting as you really get to know the rifle after that.