Rossi lever gun

I got my Rossi M92 in .45 Colt at a local gun show some years back. It was marked as being used but appeared to be like new in the box with all of the paperwork included. The asking price was reasonable so I didn't even bother haggling about it! This was the first one I had seen in a very long time and I wasn't taking a chance of losing it to someone else!

Tried the action out and it was as smooth as silk with a fairly light trigger. No need for any YT video on how to slick up this lever action because it was already done for me! I have to say that it handles smartly with the shorter 16" barrel. It swings on target really fast and I can pick up the iron sights up fairly quick too!

Overall the fit and finish are excellent with first rate bluing and a decent metal to wood assembly. Have thought about refinishing the wood but for the time being I'm just going to leave it as is.

All in all I would say my Rossi M92 was a very good buy for the money!

bannockburn said:

I got my Rossi M92 in .45 Colt at a local gun show some years back. It was marked as being used but appeared to be like new in the box with all of the paperwork included. The asking price was reasonable so I didn't even bother haggling about it! This was the first one I had seen in a very long time and I wasn't taking a chance of losing it to someone else!

Tried the action out and it was as smooth as silk with a fairly light trigger. No need for any YT video on how to slick up this lever action because it was already done for me! I have to say that it handles smartly with the shorter 16" barrel. It swings on target really fast and I can pick up the iron sights up fairly quick too!

Overall the fit and finish are excellent with first rate bluing and a decent metal to wood assembly. Have thought about refinishing the wood but for the time being I'm just going to leave it as is.

All in all I would say my Rossi M92 was a very good buy for the money!
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Looks like a really nice one. Am I seeing correctly that it has a flat rear sight (non-buckhorn) and a patridge front sight instead of a bead?

Looks like an earlier one from before Rossi stopped making them for awhile a few years ago. In my experience, those earlier ones were nicer than current production. I really regret selling my older ones.

See me first if you ever plan to sell that one.

Tallinar

Looks like a really nice one. Am I seeing correctly that it has a flat rear sight (non-buckhorn) and a patridge front sight instead of a bead?

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Indeed sir, you are correct about the sights! You have a keen eye for detail, as I had to get it out of the safe to see if it was the flat target rear sight along with the patridge front sight. I bought the carbine about ten or eleven years ago from a dealer. I believe at the time Rossi was being imported by Legacy Sports International.

The gun itself was pristine but the action was so nice and smooth and the trigger was so clean and light, I figured since it was used that the previous owner had some work done to it before they sold it or traded it in. In any case it's one of the best fun guns to play with and keep my three .45 Colt single actions company at the range!

Brother has a R92 16” in .357 nothing but happy with it. The finish on the forearm is starting to get worn down by the oils on your hands but otherwise it’s done just fine. It’ll manage 3 in groups with a 3MOA dot at 100 yards. I’m so jealous I want one.

I just picked up a Rossi Stainless 357 about six weeks ago. Great rifle for the money. I like the fit and finish. Mine seems well engineered and manufactured, and it shoots very well. I am a huge Westerns fan, and have always liked lever action rifles because of my appreciation for the old West. I spent a lot of time at a large gun store comparing the Rossi to the Henry. These were the only two 357 levers in the store. The Henry I looked at in 357 was heavier. Much heavier, and larger with brass finish on the action and an octagonal barrel that I presonally do not care for.

The Rossi Stainless Carbine would not have been my first choice because I wanted a rifle that looked authentically Western. But the sales guy agreed with me that it was the best rifle in the store for 357 lever VS price, so I bought it. At first I had a bit of buyers remorse because of the stainless finish. I told a friend that cowboys would not carry a stainless rifle. He said, "Well, they WOULD have carried a stainless rifle if they COULD have carried one." That's true I think. Stainless has advantages. I had a Taurus 9mm that was stainless, and it's one of the guns that I sold that I wish I had not sold. I'm holding on to this Rossi.

3sport said:

The Rossi Stainless Carbine would not have been my first choice because I wanted a rifle that looked authentically Western.

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You know, it's funny. The stainless vs. blued thing has been the main source of my buying and selling of Rossi 92's.

The first one I bought was a 16" stainless in .44 magnum, circa 2010. I was getting into cowboy action shooting at the time, but was a younger man with a growing family and limited funds. I had it in my head to go ahead and shoot .44 magnum/special so I could handload light loads for plinking and cowboy action and warmer loads for other shooting disciplines I might pursue. So I had a .44 magnum Rossi 92 and a 7.5" Super Blackhawk as essentially my first cowboy guns.

During that time, I decided I didn't care for stainless long guns. They just look wrong to me. So I bought the 16" Rossi 92 again, but this time blued. I then sold the stainless one.

As time went on, I decided I didn't like the beefiness of the Super Blackhawk, and wanted something more classically western. Besides, I decided I wasn't ever going to be a silhouette shooter with that Super Blackhawk, so what purpose is it really serving for me? Never could get that SBH to agree with lead bullets anyway. Chamber throats were out of spec, I was convinced. So I switched to .45 Colt, splurged on a New Vaquero, and sold the Super Blackhawk. This meant that I needed to buy another Rossi, this time in .45 Colt.

So I did my homework, and managed to buy a brand new, beautiful 24", octagonal barrel EMF Hartford model Rossi 92 in .45 Colt. Decided I wanted to take a break from the Trapper carbines. This thing was excellent. Loved it. My father also started shooting it at matches, as the longer LOP agreed with him more than the .357 Rossi 92 20" carbine he had been shooting (Dad was 6'6").

Time went on, and I ended up getting more involved in church, which meant I wasn't compelled to make it a habit of going to Sunday cowboy shoots anymore. So I sort of fell out of cowboy action. Ended up pursing some other guns for awhile. Sold the EMF Rossi to my dad. He kept using it until he passed away.

Somewhere in there, I had bought another .45 Colt 16" Rossi -- this time blued, of course. But then I ended up selling it. I don't even recall why. I think I decided at the time that I wasn't going to have time to handload for the foreseeable future, and had consolidated my guns to calibers that I was content to buy factory ammo for (.22 LR, 9mm, shotgun).

After pursuing some other guns for awhile, I ultimately decided that cowboy guns were my real interest. Dad passed away, and we had sold off the EMF gun (wish I had kept it). I inherited my dad's reloading press and gear, and got back into reloading, so .45 Colt started to look attractive again. Meanwhile, my wife also commented that she liked that little .44 stainless one I had, and she wished I hadn't sold it. I laughed, since I don't shoot .44 anymore, but took that as my impetus to buy another Rossi 92, 16", stainless, this time in .45 Colt (the one I am working on refinishing the stock for).

But it's stainless, and I don't like it.

Then I got brave and bought a Henry to go with it.

Tallinar said:

You know, it's funny. The stainless vs. blued thing has been the main source of my buying and selling of Rossi 92's.......

......Then I got brave and bought a Henry to go with it.

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If I were going to own a presentation lever action to put on display, I'd go for blued. Or if I were going to some cowboy shoot or authentic Western gun show. Definitely blued. But for every day use, and I do plan on using my Rossi frequently, I prefer stainless. I have become used to the look of stainless, just like I did with my first 9mm, a Taurus stainless (that I wish I still had). I no longer have any issue with my lever gun being stainless.

I may yet get a Henry at some point. Great firearms. I just don't like octagonal barrels nor brass finish on my guns, so I'd have to find a standard round barrel and blued steel on the entire firearm. My local gun store typically has had only the octagonal/brass Henry levers in stock for the past year or two.

I owned a Rossi 92 .45 Colt with the octagon barrel that I bought used from a fellow SASS member Cowboy Action Shooter via the forum “Classifieds”. Never met the guy.
“Only shot one match with less than a hundred rounds through it. Put it in the safe and left there a few years. I did some minor ‘slicking up’ on it.”
That cowboy was a liar. I am not sure what damage that guy caused or if Rossi’s assemblers caused the internal issues, but I have seem higher quality from Chinese SKS’s on the internal parts and inside the receiver. I am pretty sure my Rossi was made around 2005.
To keep a clear conscience I got it all fixed up then I sold that thing.
I would probably steer clear of older Rossi 92’s.

LoonWulf said:

Usually good solid rifles that need some rough edges (literally) cleaned up.....
least that was my general assumption untill seeing my buddies new one. That things got all the sharp or rough spots taken out of the action, and with the addition of spring kit probably wont need any ither work to spiff it up.
Its a really nice gun!

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Exactly. However, I bought one (R92-357 mag) new in June and it absolutely has the smoothest action out of the box of any lever I have ever owned. That includes multiple Rossis, Winchesters, Marlins and Ubertis. To say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement.

I have a 16" 357 and a 24" 44mag. Both made in 2015. Actions work very well, feed mags and specials without issues. Metal work is really nice. The stock's aren't very well fitted but work. I wiped the stain off with acetone and finished them with uv resistant poly varnish.

My LGS has a new Rossi 20" stainless 357 and the stocks are a nicer quality wood and very well fitted. A bargain at $750 in today's market.

I purchased a new R92 stainless 20" in .44 Mag recently. I've only put about 100 rounds through it thus far. I've shot 240gr Win SP factory, 200 gr XTP loaded with H110 as well as Missouri Bullet 240 gr TCFP using Unique. My observations are the following:

1) Well built gun that has a pretty smooth action out of the box
2) The chamber is generously oversized at the case head which I've read is from over-zealous polishing of the chamber. They will size down to fit in my 629 S&W. However, I do worry that this will reduce case life longevity.
3) The trigger breaks at 4.25 lbs
4) Accuracy has been excellent at 50 yards once you find the right load
5) If shooting full house H110 loads from a bench, the steel butt plate hurts. Get a slip-on recoil pad

P89DCSS said:

I have a 16" 357 and a 24" 44mag. Both made in 2015. Actions work very well, feed mags and specials without issues. Metal work is really nice. The stock's aren't very well fitted but work. I wiped the stain off with acetone and finished them with uv resistant poly varnish.

My LGS has a new Rossi 20" stainless 357 and the stocks are a nicer quality wood and very well fitted. A bargain at $750 in today's market.

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Wow, wasn't long ago they were 400 while the Chiappa was about 1000. I don't think the Chiappa are that much higher, I'd pay an extra 400 or so for a Chiappa any day of the week. My family has some of both and the Rossi are hit and miss but even the best Rossi aren't in the same class as a Chiappa 92.

Mars5l said:

My LGS got one in recently, looked nice, it was an 1892 style. Safety or whatever it was looked stupid and ruined the looks to me but everything else looked good. I want a .357/.38 lever gun, this was $750, kinda have my heart set on a Henry but they are hard to get and about $300 more. I pretty much only have Henry lever guns and wondering if should give into the variety is the spice of life

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You can get a plug for the safety and remove it. I really like having it for unloading purposes. It really isn't that obtrusive.

A friend of mine bought a new stainless 20" R92 in .357 a couple months ago. Based on that sample of one, Rossi has really stepped up their quality compared to their older, pre-CNC rifles. Fit and finish is excellent and the action was very smooth right out of the box.

I have a 1990s-vintage Interarms 65 (R92) in .44-40 which was very stiff and didn't feed well until I worked on it. It's now one of my favorite rifles. I also have a 20" blued R92 in .357 that's about 10 years old. It too required some work but is now a good, reliable rifle.

Had a terrible jones for a Winchester/Miroku 16" '92 in .45 Colt, and found they were made of unobtanium. Finally settled for the '73 version with a 20" barrel, and put on a Marble tang sight (it was tapped).
Couldn't shake the '92 thing, and finally tracked down a Rossi. Really pretty happy with the result; it's short and handy, and light. Feed them both cowboy RNL, and can generally whack an 85 yard clanger offhand.
The Rossi has a tang sight as well; one hole had to be drilled and tapped....not one of my favorite jobs.
Blanked off the doofus safety with a replacement. The trigger has a bit of creep, but isn't terribly heavy.
Actually, have a history with Rossi, with their Winchester gallery gun replica, also 16", and with a tang sight.
Moon

They are far from "garbage guns" but they've been made for so many decades that you can say they are hit or miss.

I've got a pre-Braztech, pre-button safety 20" blued Model 92SRC in 357 Magnum that I bought new in the early 1990s. Imported by Interarms Great carbine! Very well made. The safety is half-cock as God intended.

In my younger days in high school I had a Marlin 1970s era 1894C in 357 Magnum. It was a sweet lever gun. Wish I still had it. I sold it like the impetuous teenager I was.

But if I had to choose between that Marlin and the Rossi 92 I have now, I prefer the Rossi.

Not to say that every Rossi is better than a Marlin, but my Rossi is. It took a little smoothing up and breaking in, but what firearm doesn't? The fit and finish is excellent. The wood stock is beautiful. The carbine looks like I paid a lot more for it than I did.

I understand Rossi varied the furniture, some earlier importers spec'd better wood.

@Beck, you certainly have one of the nicer ones.

I like levers. I really find them attractive and fun to shoot. I only own 3. I have not had the opportunity to own a Rossi yet but would not hesitate is the right deal we’re available.
Jeff

I've had mine for 20+ years, and not a single hiccup in all that time. Mine is a pre-safety 44-40, had an action job shortly after purchase. The day I bought it, just got it out of the box, leaned it against the counter, and damned if it didn't fall over, right on a heat duct. Foul words were spoke, loudly. really only a small ding bu the rear sight. The wood itself was finished in a near black color. Stayed like that for maybe 10 years before I sanded it off, very thin. Re-stained in a Walnut finish and I'm pretty happy with it. I used it as my main CAS rifle for years before getting my 73. Replaced the rear sight with a full buckhorn and had a bead welded on the front sight. That's about the only thing I don't care for, is the front sight is part of the barrel band. Otherwise it's been a joy to have.

Got one in 357 too, for my wife for CAS, but she didn't stick with it, and thats fine. It shoots 38's mostly, but doesn't see the light of day very much.

As others have said, Rossi's are rough diamonds, sometimes the roughness is pretty rough though. Generally most things can be ironed out, there are a lot of threads and even a DVD or two on the best ways to smooth them out. Usualy issues are tight springs, load gate being sharp, scratching cases and extractors nicking rims.. The Rossi gunsmith expert is Steve off steve gunz website, also posts around the net as Nate Kiowa Jones. I have seen him say about 1/3 of a guns cost is final fit and polish and this where Rossi saves dollars. The 1892 action is one of the strongest of all actions, they will digest any loads in a load manual including top handgun loads. Rossi is possibly the strongest of the lot due to how it is made.

I only shoot Rossi's these days myself, owned 3 x 357( 1 x stainless 24" octagonal 2000's vintage, 2 x blued 20" round barrels, recent models) then, upgraded to a 44 mag( stainless 20" barrel) recently. All were able to cycle both the full length magnum and the shorter predecessor( 38 special and 44 special). I would have considered a browning if I could find them, the browning 1892 being probably the smoothest and highest grade 1892's ever made, but they went out of production in the 80's and command a premium. Other options are Winchester/miroku 1892, expensive and limited numbers also, and chiappa 1892. Some love chiappas, some hate their quality control.

I also put aftermarket rails, red dots and scout positioned scopes on 1892's. Its not as convenient as doing so on a marlin 1894 for example but still works.

i'm not as knowledgeable as most on here, but i've had a winchester, a marlin, and now a rossi.
the rossi is actually smoother than the other 2, and i prefer it. i really like my .44, so i just got one in .357, but haven't had a chance to shoot it yet.
both stainless. i don't intend to ever be far enough east that humidity is a serious problem again, but i've been down that road and i only get stainless when i can.
and you never know when circumstances may change.

i finally learned why they say - "never say never".

Tallinar said:

Looks like a really nice one. Am I seeing correctly that it has a flat rear sight (non-buckhorn) and a patridge front sight instead of a bead?

Looks like an earlier one from before Rossi stopped making them for awhile a few years ago. In my experience, those earlier ones were nicer than current production. I really regret selling my older ones.

See me first if you ever plan to sell that one.

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I have a brand new R92 (357 mag). I have owned multiple Rossis, Winchesters, Ubertis and Marlins (yuck). This newest Rossi absolutely has the smoothest action out of the box of any lever gun I have ever owned. It's amazing.

What's also amazing is I just repeated myself from a prior post.

Mars5l said:

My LGS got one in recently, looked nice, it was an 1892 style. Safety or whatever it was looked stupid and ruined the looks to me but everything else looked good. I want a .357/.38 lever gun, this was $750, kinda have my heart set on a Henry but they are hard to get and about $300 more. I pretty much only have Henry lever guns and wondering if should give into the variety is the spice of life

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A decade ago, I bought a lightly used Rossi 92 in .357 with the stainless 24" octagonal barrel. Cycles and shoots pretty well, but too long and heavy.

Back when they were still readily available in .43 Mag and .357 for around $500, I couldn't decide which caliber, blued vs stainless, and whether to go 20" or 16" round barrel for my second Rossi. Been kicking myself for several years for not just drawing one out of a hat and buying it then!

Do it now. They're got getting any cheaper. Just sayin'

Got mine put back together today. Refinished the stock using just a Purple Power clean, some sanding, and then 6 coats of BLO, followed by a coat of Tom’s 1/3 wax.

I chose not to use any stain just because I was curious how well I’d come out using just BLO. I can see that staining would have been necessary to color match, but I’m happy with the result nonetheless. The wood looks a lot more “grown up” now, and the poor finish on the forearm is taken care of.

Before and after.