Solid Lever gun options in 45 Colt?

[mac266]

I have 3 rifles in 45 Colt The first is a Marlin Cowboy Limited that I wouldn't trade for the world. It is a JM and I use it as my main match gun for cowboy shooting. As far as accuracy goes with open sights I can print a 3" group at 100 yards with my cast 250 grain boolets...

I have the same gun, and I also use it for cowboy action shooting. I feel the same way; it's not for sale!

My cowboy action load is a 200 grain RNFP over 4.2 grains of Clays. I have a 255 grain RNFP mould to use for heavier shooting, but for folks who don't shoot cowboy action, keep in mind the name of the game is whacking steel plates at close distances as fast as you can. Light loads rule the day, but the gun will handle powerful loads, too.

[sghart3578]

I wouldn't tell anyone that their fears of buying a Rossi are groundless. All you have to do is search any forum for what seems like endless stories of crappy construction and terrible customer service.

In my post I made it clear that I am happy with my current '92. But I did a thorough inspection before I paid for it. I know going in that support from Rossi will be impossible to get like it was with my first Rossi '92 so I don't expect any. But they are easy to work on and if all else fails I can shove it to the back of my safe and forget about it.

And I am not bagging on Rossi because they are foreign built either. Rossi seems to have gone through a bad period much like the Remington/Marlin disaster. I still won't buy a new Marlin. I have read on the Rossi forums that there have been big changes at Taurus/Rossi and maybe they will turn the corner. I don't know. I hope so becuase I love the idea of an affordable lever action in pistol calibers.

I just want the OP to go into this with his eyes open and with reasonable expectations.

[Buckshot]

............I have a Rossi (PUMA) in 45 Colt.





It's the color cased, 24" octagon barreled rifle version. I put a Marbles tang sight on it. Wood to metal fit was better then average. It did not require much internal cleanup. Metal finish is also very good. I don't know how the color case hardening was done (a dip type?) The rifle is solid, and while the wood isn't walnut it is also well finished. It would eject it's empties into the next county so I put a Winchester (Miroku) ejecter spring in it and it's 100% better. It's bore and groove is .446" x .450" so it's tight with grooves only .002" deep. Twist is 30". I've not had ANY leading issues with it. The largest negative is the size of the chamber, as it will swallow a cartridge with a .457" slug seated. Otherwise it has performed 100% of the time and it isn't a bad shooter at all. Overall I'm happy with it. Five shot groups at 50 yards with cast lead are an easy 2-2.5' or less, and no voo-doo involved in the reloading (visually inspected slugs and thrown powder charges).

I also have a Winchester (Miroku) M92 in 45 Colt.



This one is also a rifle with a 24" bbl but it's round.



It is finished overall better then the Rossi, but then I could have bought two Rossi's for what this rifle cost and to tell the truth this rifle doesn't shoot demonstratively better. This rifle has a 16" twist, and it's bore-groove is .443" x .451" so it's 'On Spec' for it's barrel dimensions, yet the chamber is also a tad large. If I had the opportunity (and the need) to buy another M92 and I knew I could buy a Rossi that shot at least as well as the one I have now, I'd buy the Rossi before I'd spend the bux on a Japchester M92. I'll admit that this is based on MY experience with only these two.

I also have a Rossi (LSI) M92 Carbine chambered 38/357, and it's also a nice rifle without issue right out of the box. I've not checked the twist but it sluged at .350" x .356" so it too is a tad on the tight side, but it's a fine shooting little rifle. A nifty load is a 148Gr WC over 3.5grs of Bullseye which it will shoot into 2" or less at 50 yards. Cheap, and H-E double hocky sticks on ground squirrels However they won't feed, so it's a single loading process. I bought it at a Local sporting goods store a week after Christmas several years ago for $350.00

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

[rondog]

Rossi forums.... http://www.rossi-rifleman.com/index.php

Model R92, .45 Colt, 24" octagonal barrel. I want one, real bad!

[minmax]

I have Marlin Cowboy limited in 45 colt. The only reason I purchased it was the fact that I could not find a nice
Marlin in .357mag. I didn't want to buy a new one at the time. That being said, you will no longer EVER be able to buy a new one. I love my Marlin 45, it is one sweet little rifle to shoot. I already reloaded for 45 colt so that was not a problem. After I had it for about a month, I found a stainless Rossi Trapper. That I could not decide on. I went home, then turned around to go ahead and get it. Of course it was gone. The staff at the LGS. Suggested next time I should put it lay-away, if I don't have the cash. I didn't even think of that.
I would have no qualms about getting a Rossi. They have their had their quality issues in the past. From what I have seen, they have greatly improved.

Good luck and happy holidays.-

[Tackleberry41]

I was not sure about buying a rossi 92 in 45 colt. I had read the stories, had some experience w Rossi 'quality'. I bought a recent made one, they might sell them as kits vs a rifle. It had to be taken apart, finish the work they didn't do. It runs good now, handles the Ruger level loads with ease. It would be a good truck gun, as your less worried about abuse or it going missing vs something like a henry you paid alot more for. Im very happy with mine, would consider another in another caliber like 357.

[44 WCF]

To clarify my Win in 45 Colt was a 94 large loop trapper. I had a new Manufacture Miroku 92 in 44-40 that was a beautiful rifle and good accuracy

[TXGunNut]

I have a Trapper in 45 Colt, my only AE 94. Excellent eye candy (98% gun) but can't recall how it shoots, been a safe queen for at least 20 years now. I prefer the old 92's for pistol cartridges but for a modern gun that might see some rough use I think the Rossi may work but the apparent lack of factory support would give me pause.

[wildwes]

I have a Rossi 92 in 45 colt with the 20" round barrel, I bought it somewhere around 2008-2010 at Gander Mountain, they had it on clearance plus a discounted price because it had a ding in the wood. I didn't care because I wanted it for a saddle gun, and it was cheap. I can't remember who the importer was, but I was never happy with the open sights, and the loading gate is stiff, other than that is has been flawless and never given me any trouble. Personally I think the safety is ugly, but I can live with it. I'll tell you it's a tough little carbine- my grandparents have a very steep, long set of concrete steps going to their basement, I had it propped up in the doorframe and my uncle opened the basement door and it flipped and slid all the way to the bottom of the steps and against a brick wall, gouged and scraped the wood and bluing all to pieces, but didn't hurt the function at all, other than tearing the rear sight up. I boned the stock and put a marbles sight on it and love it more than ever with all of the dings in it, it takes a deer on occasion and is a good carbine.

On the other hand, about a month before my grandaddy died of cancer in 2013 I bought him a new Rossi 92 in .38/.357 with the 24" octagon barrel and semi buckhorn sights, it's still sitting in his safe where I put it and hasn't been fired, just oiled on occasion. I cycled it and messed with it some, and it is ROUGH. The fit and finish is better than mine ever was, even before the trip down the basement steps, but mine is much smoother. I wouldn't be happy with the .38/357 without working on it.

So, like everyone seems to say, the Rossi 92's can be really good guns, you just may have to mess with them a little to get them running like you want. And I would definitely recommend the Marbles tang sight on one, it's expensive, but to me it was well worth the price. I liked it so good I put one on my Winchester 94 too

[salvadore]

Hey Tex, I bought a Chiappa 92 clone which was sent back to their warranty station three times before the problem was sort of fixed. I believe Cimmaron and Taylor market this shooter at twice the price I paid. Mine shoots into 2" @ 50yes with just about everthing, much better than an Uberti 73 I had.

[Markbo]

Rossi forums.... http://www.rossi-rifleman.com/index.php

Model R92, .45 Colt, 24" octagonal barrel. I want one, real bad!

How much?

[Tar Heel]

The Uberti 1866 Yellowboy or the 1873 Winchester always look good.

[rondog]

How much?

Locally they're about $560/$570-ish where I've found them, but there's a big shop in Colorado Springs that has 'em for $499. If I had the cash I'd drive right down there, it's only about an hour from me. Bud's is a little cheaper at $470-ish, but I like to check out guns in person whenever possible. Something plastic and generic like a Glock, that can be ordered because they're all the same, no difference from one to another.

[fecmech]

A nifty load is a 148Gr WC over 3.5grs of Bullseye which it will shoot into 2" or less at 50 yards. Cheap, and H-E double hocky sticks on ground squirrels However they won't feed, so it's a single loading process.

Buckshot, if you crimp your wadcutters in the middle lube groove I'm pretty sure you can get them to feed. Both my Rossi's will feed them that way.

[wingspar]

I’ve seen too many horror stories on the Rossi’s on YouTube. A fellow I subscribe to bought one to do some cowboy action shooting. It never worked right. He always ended up borrowing someone else’s gun to finish the match with. Off to a gunsmith to get it tuned up. Next cowboy shoot, same thing. After going thru that a few times, he eventually sold it.

I have a Marlin 1894 in .357 and .45 Colt. The .357 is a Remlin and the .45 Colt was made in 1989 and is JM stamped. It has a micro-grooved barrel. The difference in the action between the two is night and day. I wouldn’t buy another Remlin. Their CS is nonexistent.

If money is an issue, get a Rossi and spend the time and money to get it running right, or buy a JM Marlin that works. Anyway, that’s my two cents worth. Your decision.

[44 WCF]

I grew up with Marlin firearms prized for quality, durability, and dependability. Sad to hear that is no longer the case

[birch]

I have the exact winchester 92 as buckshot and it is the most accurate 50 yard gun I have ever owned with 255gr rcbs cowboy sized to .452 and 7.5 gr unique. It is a one hole gun. The fit and finish is second to none, the wood is beautiful, Andi have never had a ftf or FTE. Chamber is perfect. A good used one will cost 1000, but over a life time it is very cheap. It is on the top five favorite guns I own list. I don't even know where it sits in the top five, but it is there.

[Greg S]

I started down the lever gun road really hard about two years ago. I've had a Marlin 1895 SS GG for about ten years and shot it little but figured I needed a carbine to go with a Ruger Bisley so I found a Winchester 94AE Trapper in 45 Colt. It was a 98%, almost fed Keith style boolits flawlessly and with alittle stone, sandpaper and spring work became a slick little rifle for a 94 style action. I enjoyed it so much I picked up a Winouko 1892 short rifle in 357. Fit and finish were tops but again, needed alittle TLC and became a slick little shooter without the 94 stall in the operation from the lever. With that first 1892, it went fast with the additions of a 32-20 Winouko rifle in a 20 Octogon barrel and an 1892 TD Trapper in 45 Colt with an Octogon barrel. The 32-20 shoots great with a Hornady 100 xtp/hp and a stout load of H110 and still working the honeymoon out on the new Trapper. Now that I've got a couple of Mihec's 32 molds and some new 452 molds I can play with them both alittle more when I get outta this frozen north here in a couple of weeks.

I have very little experiance with the Marlin 92s to really say anything for or against. I really enjoy the Winouko 92s, more so than the Win 94 style actions. My next will probably be another 92 action by rossi to give that brand a whirl and as a base for a 327 Fed Conversion.

From my understanding of modern levers available today, they are all going to need some TLC to overcome modern production shortfalls or manufacturers liability. These fixes range from deburring and polishing, spring kits, solid firing pins and deleting the rebounding hammers and smoothing out the triggers. Sights on some models can be abit crude and might need some individual refinement once someone figures out what they want to be able to really do with them.

The nice thing about a dialed in lever is the simplicity; ya don't need a scope, batteries or a magazine. It's old school, a 3 lb coffee can full of some ho-made fodder and you are good to go for an after noon of taming the countryside wether it be pop cans, steel plates or table fair.

[osteodoc08]

Can't comment on other makes but my 1894 Cowboy Limited in 45 Colt is indeed a keeper. With a stiff load of HS-6 and a 45-270-SAA boolit, it is a pleasant, heavy hitter. With a poof of TB and a 255 RNFP, it is a quiet plinker.

[Harter66]

I hunted hogs 2 springs with the Rossi 92' in 45 Colts . I didn't have to but did polish at the rim grooves in the action. It has a fat chamber like fish bellied brass fat but the old taped/0 ring 303 trick corrected that and neck sizing keeps it fixed. It won't feed Remington cases period, well it might if I wanted to monkey with it but I don't. It feeds starline Schofield brass nicely also so it is a Remington brass issue after running PMC,Winchester, Federal and several others w/o incident.

It's a 16" carbine and it's a little thin at the muzzle . I've shot 5 bullets in it only the Lee 452-252 was a flop and then only if I was shooting the hog load that was 1100 fps in the 7.5" RBH the almost wad cutter SWC tumbles and wandered off the target backers at 45 yd . With a deference load it shot fine with that bullet . It has no issue with 454424 ,452-255,45-200 or a paper patched 429426 (opened to 448 bands) other than length. All of the above weigh 257-265 gr except the 45-200 SWC and readily deliver 1300 + fps and hold well inside 3" at 100 . I find it to be a comfortable walking around gun quick to point and it swings well .
I dislike the front sight but not enough to change it .