Rossi 92 .357?

[EthanR9]

What is your honest opinion of the Rossi 92 .357? Do you have experience with one or any Rossi lever action rifles?

I want a lever action .357 with a 16 inch barrel. Marlin is ruled out... there currently isn't a gun I want more than a Marlin 1894 CP .357 but they go from about $1500 and up and I can't even get close to justifying that price. I purchased a Marlington 1894C .357 and it was horrible. It wouldn't even cycle .357 mag. So I got rid of it after getting it back from being repaired and haven't made another lever action move since then. (Unfortunately I sold my JM 336 to fund the 1894C )

I'm thinking Rossi because it's about the cheapest option, unless there's something I don't know? I can get a 16 inch barrel and .357 for about $450 new. I've seen them around $350 used. I've done quite a bit of research on them and the reviews are very mixed.. some say they're awesome, some say they're terrible. I've read that they need a lot of work to get them running smoothly and not jam. Which is fine because I enjoy working on my own guns. I've also seen several times that the feed problem is a result of Rossi using the same mag follower in .357's and .44's.

 

[Restroyer]

What is your honest opinion of the Rossi 92 .357? Do you have experience with one or any Rossi lever action rifles?

I want a lever action .357 with a 16 inch barrel. Marlin is ruled out... there currently isn't a gun I want more than a Marlin 1894 CP .357 but they go from about $1500 and up and I can't even get close to justifying that price. I purchased a Marlington 1894C .357 and it was horrible. It wouldn't even cycle .357 mag. So I got rid of it after getting it back from being repaired and haven't made another lever action move since then. (Unfortunately I sold my JM 336 to fund the 1894C )

I'm thinking Rossi because it's about the cheapest option, unless there's something I don't know? I can get a 16 inch barrel and .357 for about $450 new. I've seen them around $350 used. I've done quite a bit of research on them and the reviews are very mixed.. some say they're awesome, some say they're terrible. I've read that they need a lot of work to get them running smoothly and not jam. Which is fine because I enjoy working on my own guns. I've also seen several times that the feed problem is a result of Rossi using the same mag follower in .357's and .44's.

I have the exact Rossi you are talking about - mine has the large loop which is beneficial when wearing gloves or if you have average or larger hands. I like the gun very much. I like the Marlins better but for the price the Rossi is nice. Mine has never jammed and I have fired it a lot over 3 plus years. The two biggest complaints I have is because of the top ejector you have to get a long relief scope (scout scope) or a red dot. Many scopes that say they will fit the model actually fit the 18" barrel (not the 16" model). The reason is that the scope mount holes sit back about 1/8" closer to the top ejection port than on the 18" model so be careful that your scope will fit. I originally put a red dot on mine which brings me to my second complaint - mine fires high. I adjusted and adjusted my red dot and it still was not accurate enough for me. So, I took off the red dot and put on a bullseye rear sight. It still fires a little high but practice with it at different distances and you'll get used to adjusting the front sight in the bullseye sight. It's now one of my deer rifles and it works well. It's just one of those guns that you have to practice with a little more than others. Don't know if that makes sense or not but that's my opinion. But as to jamming - mine never has jammed and I fire .38 special for fun and use .357 for deer hunting and all different kinds of ammo and no problems. Also, I had to drill in the studs to mount a sling but that worked well also.

 

[kalboy]

I too have the Rossi 92 in 357 and 16" barrel. The top eject never bothered me as I wasn't concerned with mounting a scope.
I always replace the plastic factory follower in any lever gun with a stainless piece from the Smith Shop of Warwick RI.
Mine feeds any type of ammo I've tried thru it and this includes 38 and 357 SWC . Haven't had a single jam, misfeed or any type of issue . Had mine a couple years ,maybe 400rds total.

The Smith Shop-Magazine Follower

 

[EthanR9]

Awesome, thanks guys!

 

[kalboy]

Just a word of caution, if you do buy a levergun , of any brand, and decide to replace the mag follower do use caution when removing the magazine tube plug. Being under some spring tension these can be launched during removal and become lost or even cause injury if you should have it pointed unwisely.

 

[bwframe]

I was on a similar search a few years back. I settled on the new at-the-time Ruger 77/357. Pretty happy with the choice.

 

[dsol]

I have the 16 inch large loop myself. Been wanting one for a long time and one came into my view at a gunshow several years ago when I happened to have almost enough cash. My brother who was with me commented that I had been looking for that exact rifle for a while and pulled $100 bill out of his pocket and said "let me get you started". I shoot mine a bunch, it is my favorite (and my son's) to take out with the 686 and SP101. We cast and handload so there is always a bunch of .38's and .357's for plinking. I have even hit a couple of clay pigeons in the air with it.

You will love it.

 

[GLOCKBOY]

I've had one for about 20 years. I really like it. Shoots well and is a ton of fun.

 

[EthanR9]

I was on a similar search a few years back. I settled on the new at-the-time Ruger 77/357. Pretty happy with the choice.

This gun is definitely on my list! I love them! And my SP101!

 

[EthanR9]

I have the 16 inch large loop myself. Been wanting one for a long time and one came into my view at a gunshow several years ago when I happened to have almost enough cash. My brother who was with me commented that I had been looking for that exact rifle for a while and pulled $100 bill out of his pocket and said "let me get you started". I shoot mine a bunch, it is my favorite (and my son's) to take out with the 686 and SP101. We cast and handload so there is always a bunch of .38's and .357's for plinking. I have even hit a couple of clay pigeons in the air with it.

You will love it.

That's fantastic! I'm easing into reloading and I'm very curious about casting and have been looking into it heavily.

 

[BFR50-110]

I have a Rossi .357 with a 16" barrel and large loop. I've had it for several years now and haven't had any issues whatsoever with it. Mine also has the large loop. It is definitely a fun gun. I've shot some .38 special +p out of mine also with basically no recoil and they fed just fine. I also have a Rossi .44 mag with a 20" barrel and have not have any problems with it either. They are good guns for the money in my opinion.

 

[ACC]

I have the 16" Rossi .357 with the big loop lever. I LOVE this gun. It is dead nuts accurate out of the box. Been thinking about sending it out to get it "slicked up", but even as it is right now, it is a FUN gun to shoot. I have had mine about a year or so and have about 400 rounds through it with zero problems.

 

[Drail]

I bought a pair of Winchester Trappers back in the 90s - one in .357 and one in .44 Mag. Still love them. I have talked to a lot of people over the years who unfortunately received defective models and gave up trying to get them to work reliably. Most lever actions were designed to feed longer cartridges and may choke on shorter revolver rounds. Mine will feed almost any load I feed them ( guess I got lucky). If you handload you can adjust the cartridge length some and usually get them to feed. If you are limited to factory ammo you may run into problems. The Winchester Model 1892 was designed for short revolver rounds and has become the choice for just about all of the Cowboy Action guys. I believe the Rossis are built on the 92 pattern. They can be tuned and modified into a very slick handling rifle. I have always loved the idea of being able to go afield with a revolver and a carbine that use the same ammo. A .357 in a 16 inch barrel is a much higher performance cartridge than when fired from a revolver. My .357 Trapper shoots extremely flat out to 150 yards with 180 gr. handloads.

 

[EthanR9]

Thanks guys! Lots of useful information for my search.

 

[ol' poke]

I've got a Rossi '92 in .44-40. I couldn't be happier. One thing I've heard about the .38/.357 rounds in the '92 is that they are fairly sensitive to overall cartridge length. IF you reload, that could be something to watch out for.

Good shootin'!!!

 

[NKBJ]

Hunted jack rabbits wading sage brush valleys in Utah in '81 using 125 grain jacketed hollow points and WW296. It was flat shooting and you could see where you were hitting even at those long distances. Ten years later was down by the Mexican border using the RCBS 38-162-SWC gas check with just enough fast burning powder to coast them in accurately at 150 yards using a 4x scope. The Rossi was down right great either way.
That was with the 20" barrel 1892 Model. No way the 16" would do as well.

 

[kludge]

Rossi 92, 16" in .45 Colt here. Shoots fine, but gauging by the size of the brass coming out, I'm disappointed with the extra room in the chamber.

 

[dsol]

That's fantastic! I'm easing into reloading and I'm very curious about casting and have been looking into it heavily.

For .38 spl plinking, I use a 6 gang Lee 125 grain flat nose mold, feeds good and we get a lot from several pounds of lead. We just tumble lube and load them over a fair charge of 231. I get a lot of bang for my buck with that one. For .357, I have a couple of 140 and 158 grain molds. If you checkout castboolits.gunloads.com, you will find a lot of information on casting. Read and learn a lot before you make the jump.

If you were in my area, I would be glad to let you sit in on some casting, if you can find someone around your location, it is the best way to get your feet wet.

 

[EthanR9]

For .38 spl plinking, I use a 6 gang Lee 125 grain flat nose mold, feeds good and we get a lot from several pounds of lead. We just tumble lube and load them over a fair charge of 231. I get a lot of bang for my buck with that one. For .357, I have a couple of 140 and 158 grain molds. If you checkout castboolits.gunloads.com, you will find a lot of information on casting. Read and learn a lot before you make the jump.

If you were in my area, I would be glad to let you sit in on some casting, if you can find someone around your location, it is the best way to get your feet wet.

Awesome! Good information, thank you!

 

[sweendogie]

Just bought my r92 in 38spl/357mag. I've always wanted a lever action gun but couldn't justify spending the extra money on a marlin and I wanted a side loading lever action gun so the Henry wasn't really an option. Couldn't be happier with my Rossi. It shoots great and ammo is cheap compared to the larger calibers. My only complaint is the finish on the stock but that can be fixed.