How are Rossi .22 rifles?

[TTv2]

My focus is on their manual action rifles, but I figure this is as good a topic to also discuss their semi auto .22 rifles too. So feel free to talk about them if you wish.

I've been considering getting a manual action .22, something that can run even garbage quality ammo or stuff that my autos just don't like and I don't want to blast away in revolvers. I had a bolt action Marlin tube mag .22 I didn't like, big, heavy, and not accurate, so it got sold. Rossi makes a very inexpensive bolt action, so I'm wondering if it's worth considering.

What I have thought of over the years is Rossi's pump action Gallery .22 rifle. Not many pump rifles out there and the Henry I've not seen positive remarks on. At $200, the Rossi seems like a better deal.

Then there's the lever action, Rossi's Rio Bravo rifle. This is their most costly .22 rifle coming in at around $275 and nobody ever seems to talk about them, even tho I believe they're the lowest priced lever action .22 on the market.

 

[LoonWulf]

I had a Mossberg 802, which i believe is just a Rossi rb22 with a wood stock and heavy barrel. That little rifle was accurate and reliable. Id never call it a NICE rifle, but it was a really great working gun.

 

[gotboostvr]

A buddy has their recently manufactured winchester pump 22 clone and likes it alot. He has plenty of much nicer guns, but thinks pretty highly of that little 22.

 

[Hillbilly Hydrographics]

I had my littlest sisters rossi rs22 up at my house awhile back to give it a custom hydrographic finish and if the there bolt guns shoot as good as the semi auto i dont think youll be disappointed. Specially for the cost of them. She had a little cheap tasco scope on it and i figured id run a few rounds just because. Heres the rifle when i got done with the custom finish and it still had the tasco scope on it. Before i sent it back i put a better scope on it for her.
Heres target i shot 5 rounds before swapping the scope. Thats at 50 yards using sandbags on my bench

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Their vintage Winchester clones are fantastic. New production is serviceable, but definitely cheapened up in finish and trim- plastic bands/sights/trigger units, less polishing, etc.

 

[doubleh]

My focus is on their manual action rifles, but I figure this is as good a topic to also discuss their semi auto .22 rifles too. So feel free to talk about them if you wish.

I've been considering getting a manual action .22, something that can run even garbage quality ammo or stuff that my autos just don't like and I don't want to blast away in revolvers. I had a bolt action Marlin tube mag .22 I didn't like, big, heavy, and not accurate, so it got sold. Rossi makes a very inexpensive bolt action, so I'm wondering if it's worth considering.

What I have thought of over the years is Rossi's pump action Gallery .22 rifle. Not many pump rifles out there and the Henry I've not seen positive remarks on. At $200, the Rossi seems like a better deal.

Then there's the lever action, Rossi's Rio Bravo rifle. This is their most costly .22 rifle coming in at around $275 and nobody ever seems to talk about them, even tho I believe they're the lowest priced lever action .22 on the market.

I am with NIGHTLORD on their vintage Winchester clones. They have instituted quicker out the door manufacturing methods on the newer offering rendering them slightly less than attractive in my eyes. I have no ideas if the quality has changed and have no desire for an ugly rifle. Until quite recently I owned one of their 62 A rifles and it never had any problems at all and pretty accurate. When I bought it it shot low and I ran out of adjustment on the sights. instead of replacing the front sight I welded on some additional metal, filed it into shape. and headed to the range taking my file. When I filed it down to be on target at 25 yards I quit, Applying oxpho-blue took care of the shiny.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

I have one of their galley guns. Take it on hikes often. My son has a semi-auto. He likes it too.

 

[I6turbo]

Their vintage Winchester clones are fantastic. New production is serviceable, but definitely cheapened up in finish and trim- plastic bands/sights/trigger units, less polishing, etc.

If one wanted to get one of the best examples of their vintage clones, how would you identify it amongst their overall offerings through the years?

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

If one wanted to get one of the best examples of their vintage clones, how would you identify it amongst their overall offerings through the years?

I had a couple of mid-'80s Rossi pumps and one of their Winchester Self-Loading clones (early oughts?). The pumps were pretty much indistinguishable from the original Winchesters except for the markings. Deep blue, no chatter or rough machining marks, nice wood- no plastic parts. The SL clone was nickel plated and slightly less refined. It also had obvious laser engraving and a machine-readable code on the receiver. It wasn't a perfect feeder, either- but then neither were the Winchesters, lol.
I dont miss the SL, but never should have sold the pumps.

 

[Riomouse911]

If one wanted to get one of the best examples of their vintage clones, how would you identify it amongst their overall offerings through the years?

A Rossi 62A is a great pump rifle that has the look and feel of the model 62 and 1890 octagon .22 rifle (I cut my teeth on a 1890 in years past).



You can’t scope them with the open top receiver but the fit-finish-feel of the Rossi 62A is much nicer than the modern ones.



Stay safe.

 

[Mosin Bubba]

I have one of their Plinkster semi-autos. Shoots just as well as my Marlin it's copied from. The cheap plastic stock feels like a BB gun, but on that rifle, it just adds to the charm.

 

[TTv2]

OP, sorry for the thread revival, but with the shortage of 5.56 ammo now happening and concerns about civil unrest next year I've been brainstorming a cheap alternative that I can stock up on ammo now and remembered that Rossi makes a semi auto .22 Mag.

Does anyone have any experience with that? There's a couple videos on youtube, but I haven't watched them yet.

 

[E1957T]

I picked up a Rio Bravo this year. It's a good sbooter. The trigger was a little harsh but a little bit of polishing corrected that. The action is smooth and the fit and finish is reasonable.

 

[Col. Plink]

I can only speak to the Rossi WS-22 semi auto .22wmr: avoid it. Design flaw ejects the charging handle and Rossi has no fix. Shame on them.

 

[wesmonster]

I have a newer Rossi Gallery gun .22 pump. Picked it up a few years ago, just before prices jumped up.
Great little gun, runs as reliably as my Henry .22 mag pump. Good accuracy with lots of crap ammo. Although the manual doesn't recommend it, mine feeds .22 shorts just fine. MUCH shorter & lighter than the Henry but with a full LOP.

Now I just wanted a truck gun and this little pump does what I need. Hot loads, std loads, Quiets, shorts, it runs em all. Mine's the ugly black plastic furniture version with the fully adjustable fiber optic sights. Much more useable than the buckhorns on the wood version. The receiver looks like it was painted with a brush so if you want pretty, buy an older Rossi, or a Henry.

Pump action is lighter than my Henry but nothing as nice as an older vintage pump. The Rossi also has the pump lock in front of the trigger guard to keep someone from modifying it into a 'slam fire' but in regular shooting it's not noticeable and keeps you from cycling the action if there's a live round in the chamber.

Yes there's better quality guns. For the price their pump is hard to beat and I've had no issues with feeding, ignition or ejection. Only thing I haven't tried are Stingers, and based on previous experience with lifter fed tube magazine rifles I won't try it. With a tube of CB shorts or Quiets it sounds like a pellet gun.

 

[SG1]

I've been looking at these hard lately. Thanks for the write up! I'd been wavering over the Henry being better looking but for the price, I'll probably go the Rossi route.

 

[kerreckt]

I have one of the Rossi 62A pump 22's from the 1970's. Bought it for $29.95 at the post exchange. Both my sons learned to shoot using this rifle. Great little gun. Best wishes!

 

[The Happy Kaboomer]

The older Rossi pump .22's were good rifles.......................NOW TAURUS OWNS ROSSI.......That pump they offer now is a cheap lots of plastic abomination...........Plus it's butt ugly too,....I wouldn't have one if it was free.
For a long time I have wanted a .2 pump with exposed hammer. Never for a Win 62 or Rossi copy. never came across one. So I bought the Henry pump-. 16 in. octagon bbl.. Walnut wood. I've shooting it for over a year and never had a problem.............I like it.................Also comes with lifetime warranty to the original owner.

 

[montanaoffroader]

I currently own a Rossi 62sa and an RS22M. The 62 functions perfectly and is reasonably accurate, it is actually smoother than my Winchester 1890 in 22 WRF. The RS22M seems to shoot well, but I don't have enough rounds downrange to assess long term reliability. My brother's RS22M did lose the charging handle however.

I did get a chance to shoot one of the newer Rossi Gallery pumps and I was thoroughly unimpressed, the action seemed very clunky to me. All the semi auto RS22 (non-magnum) rifles I have shot seemed to be fine, and you can't really beat the price, IMO.

 

[fishermen0105]

A Rossi 62A is a great pump rifle that has the look and feel of the model 62 and 1890 octagon .22 rifle (I cut my teeth on a 1890 in years past).

View attachment 1173874View attachment 1173875

You can’t scope them with the open top receiver but the fit-finish-feel of the Rossi 62A is much nicer than the modern ones.

View attachment 1173876

Stay safe.

I’m running one of those as well, nice and compact, fun to shoot.

 

[fishermen0105]

 

[BlackHand1917]

That .22 Rio Bravo also comes in .22 Magnum and have been contemplating buying one. I already have a Henry in .22LR and I think the magnum might be fun to have.

 

[footwart]

My focus is on their manual action rifles, but I figure this is as good a topic to also discuss their semi auto .22 rifles too. So feel free to talk about them if you wish.

I've been considering getting a manual action .22, something that can run even garbage quality ammo or stuff that my autos just don't like and I don't want to blast away in revolvers. I had a bolt action Marlin tube mag .22 I didn't like, big, heavy, and not accurate, so it got sold. Rossi makes a very inexpensive bolt action, so I'm wondering if it's worth considering.

What I have thought of over the years is Rossi's pump action Gallery .22 rifle. Not many pump rifles out there and the Henry I've not seen positive remarks on. At $200, the Rossi seems like a better deal.

Then there's the lever action, Rossi's Rio Bravo rifle. This is their most costly .22 rifle coming in at around $275 and nobody ever seems to talk about them, even tho I believe they're the lowest priced lever action .22 on the market.

I have the Rio Bravo and love it. One of my favorites.