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ROSSI 92 44MAG LEVER RIFLE OPINION
- Thread starter diver dan
- Start date
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While it's not a 44 magnum, I have a blued Rossi 92 in 357 Magnum with 16 inch barrel which is essentially the same item. I bought it in May 2020 before they reached today's prices.
Pros:
I'm not in love with the Rossi but I don't hate it either.
Pros:
- More modestly priced than a Henry and others
- Light weight and handy
- Blueing isn't bad in my opinion and the wood is decent. F&F isn't bad.
- Looks cool and is fun to shoot
- I shoot 4-6 inch groups at 50 yards with open sights and old eyes but the rifle is probably more capable than me. I haven't tried very hard to find a load that it likes.
- The steel butt plate + light weight can hammer your shoulder. I use a slip on recoil pad.
- Action was a little rough at first but is smoothing out with use. There is a lot of info out there on slicking up Rossi actions.
- Feed gate occasionally jams when loading and locks up the action
- Can be very finicky to reassemble if you like to disassemble it for cleaning
I'm not in love with the Rossi but I don't hate it either.
I picked one up from the classifieds a few years ago. Took it home and ordered a peep for the rear. Got a video on my phone of my 12yr old son hitting a steel gong at 200 yards with it. Recoil isn't bad for me with Winchester white box 240gr. My boy was quiet surprised by the recoil.
I have a stainless .44mag. Nice gun. There are several videos that show how to slick them up. The best is probably Nate Kiowa Jones of Steve's Guns.
I impulse purchased a stainless rossi 92 in 357 mag at a gun show last year. It's an older model before they added the safety to the top of the bolt. Beautiful gun, and one of my favorites now. Fit and finish is excellent in my opinion. The ejector broke the first time I shot it. That's when I did more research and found out they are notorious for that issue. Purchased replacement parts, slick up kit and dvd from Steve's gunz and now it is a sweet shooter!
I Had one. I absolutely hated the crescent buttplate, but that's just an old style design feature, and nothing exclusive to the Rossi. When doing mods to the gun I had a recoil pad installed instead. As far as fit, and finish goes, probably not as nice as some other more pricey guns, but then again, it was less expensive... so I was happy with it. It ran butter smooth, and the only real thing I had to complain about was the loading gate was a bit sharp on the thumb when loading if doing it quickly. I will say I fell in love with it.
In fact, I would have kept it had I not discovered Chiappa made a takedown version of the same thing. Had to have the takedown. I didn't even have to have the barrel shortened like I did with the Rossi. My Rossi was a 24" octagon barreled .44 mag I had cut to 17" by Allen M, and my Chiappa is a 16" factory gun, but still with the heavy octagon barrel.
My Rossi all decked out.
The replacement Chiappa.
Overall, they're good guns for the money. If I could afford another takedown, I'd have one in .357 mag, but I cant... so I went back to a Rossi. I'm happy with that one... Decided to get it stainless as well to go with my match set of S&W 4" 686s, and the Chiappa .44 mag. One thing I liked better about my old Rossi than the newer one is it had a fore end with a cap rather than a barrel band. Maybe because that started out as a 24" rifle rather than a carbine? IDK... I just prefer that style of fore end.
The pair together.
In fact, I would have kept it had I not discovered Chiappa made a takedown version of the same thing. Had to have the takedown. I didn't even have to have the barrel shortened like I did with the Rossi. My Rossi was a 24" octagon barreled .44 mag I had cut to 17" by Allen M, and my Chiappa is a 16" factory gun, but still with the heavy octagon barrel.
My Rossi all decked out.
The replacement Chiappa.
Overall, they're good guns for the money. If I could afford another takedown, I'd have one in .357 mag, but I cant... so I went back to a Rossi. I'm happy with that one... Decided to get it stainless as well to go with my match set of S&W 4" 686s, and the Chiappa .44 mag. One thing I liked better about my old Rossi than the newer one is it had a fore end with a cap rather than a barrel band. Maybe because that started out as a 24" rifle rather than a carbine? IDK... I just prefer that style of fore end.
The pair together.
dekeshooter
Sharpshooter
Buy with confidence. It’s a Winchester clone, not a Winchester so you may get one that needs some tuning. If you do, get the kit from Steve’s guns.com. Most fixes are within the reach of anyone with a little mechanical knowledge.
I have a 16” 44Mag and a 20” 357Mag. I replaced the safeties on both with the peep sight from Steve’s and other than that they are stock. Both guns are more accurate than my tires eyes and I couldn’t be happier with them. They are lighter and handier to me than the Henry rifles in the same calibers.
The 92 clones are currently made by Rossi, before that it was Puma, before that it was Legacy (those last two could be backwards), but the machines and plant have been bought, traded, and changed hands of ownership a few times. I bought my 20" stainless 44mag back when Indiana first allowed straight walled pistol cartridges for deer hunting. I've never shot mine at 200 yards, but I know at 150yards if I hold a pop can high I'll be right on target. Mine has been an absolute joy to shoot, and yeah I'd prefer if it had a rubber butt pad, but the steel plate isn't bad. While it's not something I'd take to a PRS match out to 1,000 yards, I would have no issues in the deer woods, or out to 150 yards. I'd also consider it as a home defense gun if I needed it to be in that role. All around great gun, and back in the day these things were super affordable. I once had a 24" octagon barrel 44mag that I put a ladder sight on and I completely regret ever selling it.
For whatever reason, mine has been my lucky deer gun. I've had great luck with this rifle and I should hunt with it more. My only regret is selling that 24" and not picking up a 16" trapper.
For whatever reason, mine has been my lucky deer gun. I've had great luck with this rifle and I should hunt with it more. My only regret is selling that 24" and not picking up a 16" trapper.
Attachments
I don't really remember exactly. I just know that was a really long time ago and that company has changed hands several times. Back in the day though those rifles used to be around $400 for a blued model, and $500 for the stainless.
The only ammo I've used is a hornady 240 xtp and I've had great results.
Pretty much all has been said. I have had several Rossi 92s. Some are smoother than others and some are more accurate. I currently have a 20" 357 and a 16" Trapper in .44. They are both older, pre-safety, models. These two are among the most accurate of all the ones I have owned. A little work slicks them right up. You will enjoy them.
Agreed. I have the 20" oct bbl in .357mag. Have taken many whitetails, and have zero complaints about form or function.
I'd also add, that at the time I bought my 92 clone, winchesters were somewhere in the $800 plus range and the first time I worked the action on one I was shocked at how clunky it felt compared to my 92 clone. Maybe the new ones are better now, but I've never been impressed with the actual winchester I've handled.
bamthetrashman
Plinker
I have a more recent 44mag R92 that has the “CBC” roll mark on the barrel. Mine has the same issue as Ark’s in that the bore diameter is oversized and cast bullets tumble when shot. I fixed that issue by switching to jacketed bullets and it shoots great now. Mine also has a slight cant between the barrel and mag tube, but that doesn’t seem to affect accuracy.
I’d still buy a Rossi even with the mentioned issues, as they are more cost effective vs. Marlin/Henry. I use mine in the woods, which means it will have scratches, dings, and dents. I’d hate to do that to something that is +$1000.
