Thoughts on Rossi vs. Uberti

[grahng]

OK...........Thought I had my mind made up on a Uberti 20", 357. Snooping around, I have come across the Rossi 92 20" Oct barrell in 357. Can someone do a compare on these two please? I'm a range guy and plinker but love to shoot and make it count.
Thanks,
Jerry

[JerryB]

I don't know about the Uberti, but I can tell youabout the Rossi rifles. I have one in .357 mag and one in .45 Colt, both are 20" carbines and are the slickest shooting lever guns you could want. They are as smooth as my 1917 Winchester 1892 32-20 rifle. If you want a .357 mag I would highly recomend the Rossi and get with Steve Young aka Nate Kiowa Jones the 92 expert on this forum.

[grahng]

Thanks JerryB,
JerryG

[Wind]

Hey there grahng - If you really want to have some fun, get a Uberti 1873 in .357. They are super slick right out of the box. Mine is a handsome rifle with a 24" barrel, beautiful case colored receiver, and accurate. Best regards. Wind

[grahng]

Thanks wind. I am so hot to grab hold of one of something here..Uberti is 4 months min away. LOL I have it on order in 20".
Why did you get the 24"?

[COSteve]

Negatives: Uberti only makes clones of earlier Winchesters up to an 1876 Centennial. They don't make Win a '92 clone. This means that their rifles are based on the weaker toggle link system of the early Winchesters and therefore their 357mag's action isn't anywhere near as strong as one based on the '92 locking system. Rossi's '92 action is especially strong, stronger than the Winchester's or the Marlin's. In addition, the Uberti rifles are between 1 and 2 lbs heavier due to the older, heavier design.

Positives: The Ubertis (and Uberti made Cimarrons) are beautifully made reproductions with an excellent finish, real quality walnut stock sets, and great sights. Real first class rifles. And, if you're interested in SASS competition, their toggle link action design allows one to add a short throw kit to allow for lightening fast cycling of the action which is not possible in the '92 versions.

Prices: A 357mag Uberti (or Uberti made Cimarron) will cost you over $1,000 while a 357 Rossi 24" rifle, 20" Short rifle, or 20" carbine can be had for about $400 delivered from Buds Gun Shop.

So, like everything else, it comes down to what you want and how much you're willing to pay for it.

[Wind]

Hey there again grahng - I like the way a longer barrel "hangs" when shooting offhand. With the addition of a tang sight, the sight radius is pushing 30" on a '73.

I've seen folks comment on the strength of the toggle links and thought I'd offer this up. It's a test on the 1876, which is just a '73 on steriods. It does give a fair idea of the strength of the rifle...

The strength of the Model 1876 rifle and the .45-75 W.C.F. cartridge was tested by Winchester in the late 1870s. The factory conducted tests on the strength and reliability of the action to answer concerns by customers. These tests will astound collectors and shooters who have stated the Model 1876's toggle link action is "weak." In response to a letter sent to the company by Charles Hallock, Esquire, of Forest & Stream magazine, Oliver Winchester responded by telling about the tests the factory accomplished on the 1876 rifle. He indicated that engineers first started the tests by removing one of the toggle links and fired 20 rounds (this was with .45-75 W.C.F. cartridge with 350 grain bullet) with no effect. They restored the missing link then went through 6 more trials starting with a charge of 105 grains of black powder, behind a 700 grain bullet! The comment "worked well" is noted. They then increased the charge of powder to 165 grains behind 3 bullets (1,150 grains) and that "worked well." From there, they increased the powder charge to 203 grains and added more bullets until they reached 1,750 grains of lead (five 350 grain bullets). This also "worked well." Finally, they added one more bullet, bringing the total weight to 2,100 grains, and things began to happen. The comment was, "Breech pin slightly bent. Arm working stiff." The seventh and final test was again 203 grains of powder but this time six Martini bullets weighing 480 grains each (2,880 grains) were used. "The charge bent the breech pin, blew out the side plates, split the frame and otherwise disabled the arm," was the comment. Oliver Winchester noted that in this seventh trial, the shell had burst into fragments and the escape of gas at the breech did the damage.

Hope this helps. Best regards. Wind

[Ysabel Kid]

Negatives: Uberti only makes clones of earlier Winchesters up to an 1876 Centennial. They don't make Win a '92 clone. This means that their rifles are based on the weaker toggle link system of the early Winchesters and therefore their 357mag's action isn't anywhere near as strong as one based on the '92 locking system. Rossi's '92 action is especially strong, stronger than the Winchester's or the Marlin's. In addition, the Uberti rifles are between 1 and 2 lbs heavier due to the older, heavier design.

Positives: The Ubertis (and Uberti made Cimarrons) are beautifully made reproductions with an excellent finish, real quality walnut stock sets, and great sights. Real first class rifles. And, if you're interested in SASS competition, their toggle link action design allows one to add a short throw kit to allow for lightening fast cycling of the action which is not possible in the '92 versions.

Prices: A 357mag Uberti (or Uberti made Cimarron) will cost you over $1,000 while a 357 Rossi 24" rifle, 20" Short rifle, or 20" carbine can be had for about $400 delivered from Buds Gun Shop.

So, like everything else, it comes down to what you want and how much you're willing to pay for it.

Steve nailed it!