Rossi Lever actions?

Started by McCrower, January 02, 2015, 02:54:01 AM

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McCrower

Is the new Rossi lever action in 38/357 any good? I am a newbie and I am thinking about buying one for CAS.. Does it work OK with 38 special?  http://www.huntershouse.dk/kat1848-Rossi-leveraction/




Pit Mule

Many start with a 92 and upgrade later to a 66 or 73. Spend your money on a 66 or 73, you'll be happier in the long run. Preferably a 73.
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McCrower

Quote from: Pit Mule on January 02, 2015, 08:58:41 AM
Many start with a 92 and upgrade later to a 66 or 73. Spend your money on a 66 or 73, you'll be happier in the long run. Preferably a 73.

What is the drawbacks with the 66 rifle?

Major 2

some had a loading gate tab issue... mostly I think in the 2000- 10 date code ....
I never had the problem on my early 80's Date code in 38.
Haven't heard of it being an issue ... on Guns after 2012 or so... :-\

otherwise... they are fine for CAS

does not appear on the 73's and 76's
when planets align...do the deal !

Jefro

Quote from: Pit Mule on January 02, 2015, 08:58:41 AM
Many start with a 92 and upgrade later to a 66 or 73. Spend your money on a 66 or 73, you'll be happier in the long run. Preferably a 73.
Howdy Crower, what Pit Mule said. The 92 is fine to start with if on a tight budget................and they do have problems with shorter 38sp. That can be easily overcome with the right gunsmithing,  or run the 147gr long bullet in 38s will give you a longer OAL. The most popular rifle is the 73 20" and the 66, followed by the 94 Marlin, then the 92. The 66 does not have the lever saftey that I prefer on the 73.

However, my advice to new shooters is..........................before you spend one dime on guns or leather etc. etc....start going to as many local matches as you can find. Try all the different gear out before you buy, most of us will gladly let you shoot our guns. Get ahold of the Match Directors, let them know when you are coming...often they can have gear ready for you to shoot. Bring a belt to hang a couple of holsters on, we don't always have the right size belt. Good Luck :)

Jefro :D Relax-Enjoy

#1 mistake made by new shooters .....................buying guns and leather before trying out several kinds
#2 mistake made by new shooters .....................building a gun cart as a big and heavy as a tank ;D
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McCrower

Thank you all for replies. The problem here in southern part of Norway is that there is no CAS activity yet. My shooting club has a "western" group, but haven't started out anything. Therefore it's difficult for me to go to matches and gain experience. But all the same, I would like to get leather and guns so I am "ready"  ;)

Pettifogger

Go over to the SASS wire and look at the December, 2014 edition of the Chronicle.  I did an article on a new Rossi starting on page 44.  I was impressed with the new Rossi's.  The last one I had was about ten years ago and the newer versions are much better.

OD#3

The biggest problem I have with the Rossi 92's is that the shape of their receivers departs too much from the original.  I had an older one in .45 Colt that I liked, but even it needed a little stoning here and there for best function.  I did find it to be very accurate, and I appreciated its strength and ability to handle heavy loads (I'm not a cowboy action shooter, so I like full-power .45 Colt loads).   But when i acquired a Uberti '73, I fell in love with its smooth action and its authentic contours.  The Rossi lost its luster, and I sold it.

  I can't shoot heavy smokeless loads out of the '73, but my heavy blackpowder loads will push a 255 grain at well over 1200 f.p.s.  I have to anneal the case necks to keep blowby away, but the fun is worth it.  Were I not firmly wedded to the .45 Colt, I'd have gotten one in 44-40 just for the superior case-sealing in rifles with that cartridge.  I can get the same case-sealing with my .45 Colts, but the annealing does add to the case preparation work.

I think the Rossi represents pretty good value if all you want is a rugged lever action rifle.  But if I were looking for an authentic cowboy gun, I would choose something else.

shootniron

Really been wanting a Rossi 357...just have not been able to come up with one to look and actually put in my before pulling the trigger on buying.

Called a shop this week and they did not have a Rossi...but had a Taurus...I know it is the same company, but are the guns the same?

Sacramento Johnson

Hi,
Taurus makes the Rossi '92 (they bought Rossi, I believe).
I know this thread is old, but I'd like to add my opinion as well here, regarding '92s.  
I started in CAS 20 years ago, when my only choices were Winchester '94s and Rossi '92s.  I dressed Hollywood, had a very limited budget then and started with a Winchester '94 trapper in 44 mag. I have owned over the years since, Winchester '94s, Rossi and Taurus 92's, Uberti winchester '60s, '66s, '73s, and Marlin '94s.
I see a lot of CAS shooters telling newbies to save their money and get a '66 or '73.  I also see a lot of newbies turned off by the cost of those rifles and walk away, or by the game itself, after they've bought those expensive '66s or '73's, and now have a rifle they really can't use for anything other than CAS and have to sell for a loss. If one isn't looking for an 1870s-1880s period correct rifle, or isn't really looking to compete/win first place, or is drawn to the sport by film and TV westerns (where '92s ruled), or is limited in budget, or plans to use it also for non-CAS activities such as hunting, the '92 is a fine affordable, durable, strong-actioned choice. Yes, as made by Taurus, it's a stiffer action than the 66s or '73s, but has a natural short stroke and can be smoothed up by use.
I've come full circle now, and prefer my '92s to the others for CAS when shooting smokeless powder. I like the light weight, and the fact that they're so Hollywood, which is what I've gone back to for my CAS attire now, having done the period correct stuff for a number of years. Don't let others make you feel 'under-gunned' for shooting a '92!

nagantino

Good post. I've just acquired a Rossi 92 and it had its problems. I use .357 now cos it's easier. I did purchase the Brownells set of springs last week and fitted them on Friday. Spent the whole day filing, stoning and polishing the ineternal parts. When fitted the new trigger spring is very light. At about 2:00 in the afternoon I was getting ready to assemble the rifle. Looking at the extractor assembly, you guessed it, the extractor collar flew of into space. Fingertip search ensued of the floor. Panic. I shifted every thing to the other end of the garage. No luck. I acknowledged defeat. Moved everything back and looked into a bag of screws. There it was. Holy moly. .

Slamfire

 The ,,only thing wrong with my "rossi 92,,," it just ain't shot "ENOUGH",nuf said. ( 89-90 model ,,44/40 ,,of course).






  Hootmix.

Doc Neugi

The best advice I can give is check out Nate Kiawa Jones' website ( Google Steve's Gunz ). He sells a DVD on how to slick up a '92 and it is a must for anyone who owns or wants to own one. I bought it before I bought my rifle to see if I could handle the work needed. The DVD takes you through disasembly/reassembly in detail, he also the sells parts you'll need. ( I also bought a Lee"s spring kit from Brownel's ) There are also a lot of You Tube vids on mods. The biggest thing I read over and over was that they are picky on OAL of ammo and didn't like the shorter .38sp but I have had no problems with feeding. ( 158gr SWC at 1.550 ) The biggest problem I've had is with loading but with use that has resolved. You can't short stroke it but unless you plan to run with the big dogs this rifle will give you as much fun as you can handle. 

Tornado

I bought a .45colt one as my first rifle and it still runs great in the hands of the person I sold it to.  My brother has a 357 one that eats 38's like candy.  Both of them are unaltered and are fairly smooth.  I think due to manufacturing tolarances that some prefer the longer 357's and some will like the shorter 38's.  If you can try before you buy, take some 38 snap caps and try it out first.  If not then NKJ, as mentioned earlier, can make it perfect.  Another option is SASS member 'John Meadow' sells preslicked up ones on Gunbroker, search for 'Cowboy ready Rossi'.

Coffinmaker

The Rossi '92 in the past were kinda rough.  A little "hitchy."  Even though I worked primarily on Toggle Link rifles, I worked on a whole
bunch of them.  As mentioned by Pettifogger, the newer Rossi guns are quite a bit better.  Please understand though, from a CAS
standpoint, ..... EVERYTHING needs some attention.  A 38/357 Rossi will run .38 ammunition ....... maybe.  In the past, to run 38 ammo,
the Rossi needed to have it's cartridge guides shimmed to correct too much space to run well.  The extractor needed attention, the ejector spring is/was ........ a suspension component to a JEEP.
All the shortcomings can be corrected and for not too much money.  A friend of mine, Nate Kiowa Jones (Stevesgunz.com) makes a '92
sing.  Really sing.  He also offers a DVD for those adventurous souls who want to DIY.  Once the little trix of disassembly and assembly
are learned, it's not a bad gun.  A person can have a really fun rifle for less than half the cost of a stock '73 and about a third the cost of
a '73 fully set up.
Just as an aside, ALL '92s need work to be fun CAS guns.  Once properly set up, the are really fun guns.

Coffinmaker

PS:  you can also get inexpensive parts to do away with that stupid safety.

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