Requesting Opinions in relation to the New Rossi 92's

[lever- believer]

Gents (and Ladies if your out there),

I'm thinking of picking up two other guns soon. A used Winchester 94 and coming to the question at hand a Rossi 92. I suppose I am having trouble picking a caliber. So perhaps I should list out my uses and such:
1.) Hunting in the thick Brush. I hunt in Bedford County Virginia on the side of a Mountain on private acreage and its thick brush dotted with old logging trails (and who knows maybe some Old Narrow Gauge railroad tracks). Its very thick and a one hundred yard shot will be considered a long one.
2.) Thinking about some Cowboy Action stuff. If I can find a group who likes to shoot and doesn't get hung up in the 'gear game'. haven't bought a single action yet so that gives me some flexibility in cartridge choice to keep things uniform.
3.) I plan to reload some for these once I get moved into the new home and get the press and such purchased and installed.

That being said I handled one of the 20" barreled .44 Mag rifles (which I am assuming can chamber and run the .44 spl as well) which has the round barrel. Its everything the 92 needs to be, light, handy and packs a whallop. I liked the feel and the balance and the light weight.
But of course other options are the 24" Octagon Barrel or 16" or 20" in Round in calibers like .45colt, .357 and 44mag, not to mention the .454 Casull (which I understand can chamber and shoot .45 colt).

Who owns one and what says the rowdy crowd?

[Les Staley]

I took a SS 20" 44 mag to Niihau Island in 07...served me well on three hogs and two Moreno rams on a one day hunt. Since I purchased a "trapper" ..same flavor but 16" barrel and I think I like it even better. The trapper says Taurus on it..seems to be a little better quality..you sure won't be sorry making this choice. YMMV. Les

[buckeyeshooter]

The gun will be fine for hunting in any configuration, however, for CAS you will need 10 round magazine capacity to keep from reloading 'on the clock'. Though 44 specials can work in 44 mags. Don't count on it until you try it. I would go for a 44 mag myself, but a .45 colt would be fine too.

[Griff]

Well, and we know that's a deep subject, about as deep as the question you've asked.

Your huntin' needs are taken care of with a Winchester 94 in any of the calibers they were made in... with the possible exception of the 25-35... being that you're in heavy brush. Although, there is a school of thought that runs contrary to the bigger the bore, heavier bullets are best for brush bustin'.

Now, for cowboy action shooting. The mdl '92 has certain limitations that make it "less than ideal" for the sport. I have always listed the best rifles for CAS as: #1 - 1873, #2 - 1866, #3 - Marlin 1894, #4 - 1892, #5 - 1860 Henry, #6 - Winch. 94, #7 - Henry Big Boy, #8 - Colt Lightning. The Spencer is ok, and I don't rank it as it requires the hammer cocked for each shot manually. In one sentence or less, here's the reasons for each placement:
1873 - smooth action, and wide availability of parts to make it even smoother and a lighter action.
1866 - With no trigger block safety, it can fire out of battery when run really, really fast. Also, they've been known to stretch with the abuse that cowboy action really is.
Marlin 1894 - can be as fast as the 1873/66 when the action is reworked by a more than competent cowboy gunsmith. They can be shortstroked and slicker'n snot on a Louisiana swamp!
1892 - while it can slicked up to within an inch of it's life, and be as smooth as butter, its geometry is fixed, there isn't anything yet developed to shorten it and make it really competitive with the Marlin and toggle-links.
1860 - Just like the '66 & '73 it can be really slicked up and run fast. However, the weight of the barrel/magazine assembly make it very tiring to carry and being so heavy, it swings thru a target arc slower than other, lighter rifles. (It's great for long range stuff with the pistol rounds it's chambered in... that heavy, stiff barrel is wonderful for those 2-300 yard shots that sometimes appear at some venues)!
94 Winchester - everything that makes it a great rifle with rifle cartridges work against it in pistol calibers, whereas the 1892 is slow, the 94 is s-l-o-w-e-r. And nothing to cure that.
Henry Big Boy - can we spell HEAVY? Can we spell CLUNKY; and while some can be smooth, it ain't on the order of smoothness the toggle-links can display
Colt Lightning - (and it's clones)... there's a VERY good reason it didn't make it commercially back in the day. It's a finicky rifle, subject to jams and breakage. Runnin' right, they can be quick... but not just any ol' gunsmith has the expertise to make one right.

As to caliber, there's a real reason the .38Spl/.357Mag is the top competitor in the game. It can be loaded with a WIDE range of bullets at a wide range of velocities.

One thought about the Mag/Spl combinations, these are two different length cartridges, making the action a compromise between the two. A good cowboy gunsmith can usually find that hapy median where both length cartridges will feed and work properly. However, I've seen many where the 'smith wasn't able to make it work... and shooter's are left with either only being able to cycle 38Spls reliably, or having to load bullets seated out to .357 length while trying to keep velocities in the light 38Spl range. Same with the .44s.

I have many more ideas about the pistol caliber leverguns, but I said I'd keep it short... (I don't think I succeeded, did I?)

[gak]

Griff did a great sum up. If your focus is more to huntin' and woodsin' I'd say a 20" 92 carbine (round barrel) in .44 Mag. While Uberti eventually chambered the '73 in .44 Mag two (?) years ago and some users claim there is no untoward stretching, etc, problems as many feared, I would guess that is with fairly conservative loads and still wouldn't trust it with the range of loads the '92 has no problem with. Griff rates the 92 at least as a midling for CAS competition--something I'm not so familiar with--so I would think it'd still give you a versatile platform for a range of hunting and CAS use. Among 92 users, CAS'ers seem to prefer the "short rifle" which is also a 20" but with heavier octagonal barrel. These have the other rifle features of no barrel bands (substituting instead the forend cap and dovetailed hanger in front), and sharper crescent butt also standard on the longer (24" typ) rifle. For trail use, I prefer the lighter/handier carbine and "gentler" profile butt, but the short rifle is a nice compromise option you might want to consider, combining trail handiness with the extra front end heaviness many CAS'ers want for steadying their sighting/shots.

[M. M. Wright]

I really, really agree with Griff, right down to the Lightning. Had a real Colt in 32-20 which I tried and tried to get it to run but it just wouldn't. Still have one of the Colt SAAs that I had to go with it. Now IT works!

Try the 73. Just look up your local club on SASS web site and give the person a call who is listed there. You need a place to shoot and they will have it. Someone there will let you try several of the rifles you mentioned. Just remember that the sport is addictive and may cost you a bunch of money.

As to caliber, I like 44-40 but then I shoot black. Don't sell 38/357 short as it is a pretty good hunting caliber too and is much cheaper to load for.

[AJMD429]

I'd pick a Marlin 1894 if:

• a) I wanted to scope the gun (especially for dim-light hunting), or
  b) I wanted to be 'cutting-edge' in Cowboy Action shooting,

Realize though that a fully slicked-up short-stroked Marlin wouldn't likely be the same gun you'd take woods-hunting anyway.

I'd pick a Rossi 1892 if:

• c) I wanted 'factory' sights, or a Williams FP, or a Marble's Bullseye, for sights, and
  d) I mostly wanted to hunt but might want to 'dabble' in Cowboy Action shooting.

If you got a Rossi and 'dabbled' in CAS, but found after the first year that you liked CAS enough to keep doing it a lot, yet you were frustrated that you couldn't climb to the top with your Rossi, you'd be "hooked" enough on CAS to justify the extra bucks for a CAS-specific gun anyway.

So sounds like you'd be happy with the Rossi unless you want to do lots of twilight hunting (even then you can pop-on a quick-detach B-Square mount on the Rossi and use a scope when you want, without bothering the open sights). Marlins are harder to find on the new market and are more expensive, but I doubt you'd be unhappy with a Marlin either, if you find one that's affordable.

I'd go for a Winchester 1892 instead of the Rossi, just so I could say I had a 'real' 1892, IF I found one beat-up but shootable, at the same price (a 'collector grade' one would be too pricey for a gun I'd be using out in the woods and beating up).

As to chambering, I'd probably go for the 45 Colt as a tiny bit more versatile than 44 Magnum and more high-end power available than 357 Magnum, but they all work fine for hunting, CAS, or whatever. Get one you have a handgun in, or want to get a handgun in. Reload and save some money and make better loads anyway than you can usually buy. I guess if you can find any of them in 44-40, or want to re-barrel to that, it IS supposedly a better-feeding round than the modern ones we've forced into those actions.

They all have about the same magazine-capacity per length of barrel. If you want ten rounds, you'll have to go with a 20" which are available in Rossi or Marlins. The 24" guns some say "hang better" for open-sight shooting, and look cooler to some, and hold a couple more rounds, but get a bit more 'brush-unfriendly' when hunting. The 16" guns (Marlin 357's, any of the short Rossi's) are downright HANDY, and if you don't mind only 8 rounds instead of ten, those little Rossi shorties are fast and slick-handling little carbines...! Our family has several members who've gotten their deer with 16" Rossi's - in all three chamberings, using Marble's "Bullseye" open sights.

[two bit okie]

as you can see, I have four of them. bbls from 12" to 24", three of them are are 44 mag and one is a 45-70 rio grande.

All of the mod 92's have Gunslinger spring kits in them are absolutely worth every penny. all effort to function the rifles are cut in half and they guns are a delight to shoot. and shoot straight they do.

The reason for 44 is that in 1972 I bought a brand new om super black hawk. And gawd she was gorgeous. Further side note. I told my oldest son that the day he graduated from college it was his. Well he did and it is. Be careful what you promis your son . Any how, my next purchase was 8 3/8"
mod 29 in the wood case. son #2 has it now. he loves to carry it concealed. Ya concealed. its amazing what you can carry under your arm when you are 6' 5" and 360 lbs. any way back to why a 44. I had at one time 5 ruger 44's and one Winchester 44.I reload, cast, and do all that other 44 mag stuff. and have since 1974. I simply could not see adding another caliber.

So all of my levers except for one mod 94 30-30 are 44 mags. because I am getting to be an old wuss I only shoot mouse phart loads in the two 4 5/8 vaqueros . but load som 320 gr rhino rollers for the7 1/2 vaqueros and rifles.

If I were starting over again, I would probably go 357 just to save on cost.

JMHO. Which with a doller will get you a cup of coffee at macdonalds.

[AJMD429]

Any how, my next purchase was 8 3/8" mod 29 in the wood case. son #2 has it now. he loves to carry it concealed. Ya concealed. its amazing what you can carry under your arm when you are 6' 5" and 360 lbs.

A guy that size shouldn't need a gun for protection...

Even as a skinny guy under 200 pounds, when I was in college and worked night-shifts in ghetto pharmacies, the only two handguns I owned were a Ruger Mk-II in 22 LR and a Super Blackhawk 44 Mag. Guess which one I carried when working in pharmacies... . After that I saved up my paychecks, and got more 'normal' and got a 1911 clone and a Charter Arms Bulldog.

Anyway, back on-topic - tell us more about what the Gunslinger kit does to improve the Rossi...

[Ranch Dog]

My experience with the R92 has been brief but quite intense. I have been shooting them just over a year but I have probably have gained a lifetime of experience with them based on my in depth involvement with the product. In a nutshell, I believe the current production R92s are a very good buy. I have no experience with the requirements of CAS but in the past year I have acquired a lifetime of experience of field use with the R92. Without looking at my field book, I suspect at this point I have taken 75 big game animals with my different R92s. I like the little carbines so much that I ended up with two 357 Mags, a 44 Mag, 45 Colt, 454 Casull, and a 480 Ruger. All the rifles are Braztech rifles; the 44 Mag and 480 Ruger are Pumas from LSI of Braztech manufacture. All have the pigtail safety and Taurus hammer lock. All but one are scoped carbines and use the Weaver K4 Classic Scout for my low light hunting needs. One of the 357 Mag carbines sports the Skinner barrel mounted peep.

My only question for the OP is are you a reloader? If not, I think the 44 Mag would be ideal for your needs. If you do reload, the 45 Colt can be quite the hammer! Factory ammo is anemic but I load my heavy cast bullets to 35.0K PSI and this carbine/cartridge combo is capable of any task the Lower 48 can throw at it.

I might even offer further, based on my experience with the rifles, that you consider the 454 Casull offering over any of them. This rifle can handle everything from lighter CAS 45 Colt loads through heavy 454 Casull load that will take ANY critter in North America. There are several improvements in this R92 over the base design that are worth mentioning. The carbine has a square butt stock with a effective recoil pad. I would call the felt recoil of my heavy 45 Colt, and that of the 44 Mag as well, brutal with the curved butt stock of these models. The 454 Casull also features a threaded magazine tube, the tube is threaded into the receiver rather than held in place by the magazine band. This feature allows the magazine to be loaded via a port in the tube just like loading a Marlin 39A or any other tube fed 22 rimfire. The magazine tube can also be unloaded out the end of the tube. The receiver retains the loading gate on the side of the receiver as well. Despite the panic buying there has been a steady supply of 454 Casulls run through GunBroker. I have seen some NIB rifles go for as little as $500 and as much as $700. One fellow, a Davidson's dealer in AZ, runs a steady supply of them through the site. A blued carbine is $600 and a stainless carbine is $700.

I do have Marlin 1894 carbines as well, the real Marlins, chambered in 357 Mag, 41 Mag, 44 Mag, and 45 Colt and if I had to choose I would take any of my R92s over any of the 1894s at any time. The R92 is a lighter, tighter firearm.

[BenT]

A lot of good info. My experience is like Ranchdog's for hunting. A a square shotgun stock works better at getting on game faster than the curved butt stock. The 44mag and the 45 colt both work good on Wisconsin size whitetails in the thickstuff when jump shooting. My favorite brush gun is a Win 94 Wrangler in 32 special, it has a 16 inch barrel. I have a Rossi in45 colt and a Ruger 96 in 44mag. The 44 mag shoots flat out to a hundred yards as will a 45 colt hand loaded warm.

[44-40 Willy]

I've owned a Navy Arms 1892 which was made by Rossi for 14 years now. 24" octagon in 357. Very accurate and is my go to gun on the farm here. The action was a bit "clunky" (technical term) out of the box, but working it has loosened things up and it's pretty slick now. Still have all the original parts in it as I have no intention of making a CAS racin' gun out of it as it's my "workin' rifle". The only issue I have with it now is that it launches the empty brass into low earth orbit. I know that I could fix that by putting in a weaker spring from Steve's Guns, but it's not broke and I don't believe in fixing stuff that aint broke.

I'd buy another one with no second thoughts on it.

[FWiedner]

I'd buy two guns.

Win Model 94 in .30-30 in a Trapper length and a Marlin 1894 in .357.

[Nate C.]

I don't know if you are sitting still or moving about while hunting. If you are walking, that 24" barrel will start to get heavy after a while.