I really want a 16" stainless .357 levergun...

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Macchina

Macchina

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I always keep my eye out for one of these, but never see then around here. I'd like one as light as possible. The Marlin 1894CSS carbines pop up every now and again but are $1200+! I would get a Puma/Rossi but I've never held one and would not be comfortable buying one without seeing specific pictures of it. Any recommendations of different models I should look at?
 
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The older Rossi, before Taurus took over, were OK for their price. I've read that many people who have bought the latest versions, by Taurus, consider them junk. Others say they are OK. It seems as though quality control is non existent in the newer ones.
 
@ Macchina
I would live to have a .357 lever in Stainless also, but I want a 20" barrel.
I have the Marlin 1894 carbine Old Model with the short barrel, And I want something just a little longer now that I shot a friends New Model with the longer barrel.
The Marlin is going for $1200.00 now ???
I think I paid $249.00 for mine 25 years ago, and thought it was high priced then.

I would love to find an old Winchester 1892 rifle that someone has Butched up , and build it into a .357 Maximum.
But I cant afford what they want for them in any condition, just to build a Project gun out of.
And I ain't going to Butch up a rifle that is worth restoring.
But I might be able to find an old model Rossi for that one, and have the receiver Hard Chromed.
 
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I wanted one too. Ended up finding what I think ($400 NIB with 2 boxes of ammo) was a good deal on a 20" Rossi stainless 92. I love the thing. Shoot it very regularly. Im glad I got the 20" it feels perfect. But the heart wants what it wants...
 
I bought a new Rossi blued 16" 357 unseen off of Gunbroker last Spring and was pleasantly surprised. Beautiful gun that works great with 38 or 357.
 
Machinna, for the cost of them I'd suggest that a Rossi is you best option. The gun WILL WORK out of the box. The only gamble will be in terms of just how smooth it works and just how well the wood fits the metal. And even with some money spent on getting some of the issues trued up by a gunsmith you will likely still be dollars ahead of a $1000 Marlin or similar.

I suspect that much of the issue is that folks expect Miroku like quality out of the box for the Rossi price point. And that is just not realistic these days. To meet the price point SOMETHING has to give. And that has turned out to be mostly in the wood to metal fit and on the quality of the exterior finish for both wood and metal. The insides of the new one I re-worked recently for cowboy action shooting was actually excellent for fit and finish. The exterior looked dull and poorly detailed. But if they have to take shortcuts on anything then I'd rather it was on the outsides which can be addressed by the owner more easily and with home remedies than the insides.

Chiappa is the opposite. All glitz and polish on the outside with the shortcuts on the inside. A local smith has found a number of issues that make this brand more of a gamble than the Rossi option. That and my own personal case with Chiappa/Armi Sport has put me right off this brand.

A Rossi will function as it comes out of the box. That's a given or it's time for warranty work. From there you can spend a little more on it depending on your findings and feelings to turn it from a basic shooter into a slick and pretty one. The extent will depend on how much you want to spend or can do on your own.

With a stainless gun, which you are wanting, if the exterior metal is not up to par for a finish you can work the surfaces yourself or have a variety of blasting options done to produce a finish you can enjoy. That part is simply decoration and there's no blueing in the way to worry about. Similarly it's not a big deal for the owner to strip the wood, smoothen out the edges a little and re-finish.

Any minor issues with the stock to metal fit can be tuned until the two join as if they were grown together. But for many folks that would involve a little quality time with a good wood worker or a gunsmith.

The one "upgrade" that I highly recommend is a spring kit and basic slicking up work to the action. It makes a smooth enough but notchy lever feel turn into as slick a feel as anyone could want. "Greased lightning" is a phrase that comes to mind.

Now if you did all of this and had it done by a smith the final cost will be up as high as a Marlin. But if you're reasonably handy at doing small jobs of this sort you can do some of it yourself.

The next question I often see is "why should I NEED to pay that much for mods? Why doesn't the rifle come that way?". To that I can only offer the old credo "you get what you pay for". Don't like it? Then pay the cost for a Miroku made Winchester 1892 and have a great gun right out of the box. But even then there's no guarantee that the lever would feel as slick as a "cowboy'ed up" Rossi. However it would certainly LOOK and fit nicer.
 
I would be happy as well with a 20" (I'd rather have a 16"). I'm looking for something stainless and light...

Every few years I find myself in a hunting situation involving A LOT of walking, camping in the elements for a few days to a week, and usually plenty of rain or snow (we sometimes hunt on islands). These hunts are always sub-100 yard shot forests for shall deer, a perfect opportunity for a .357 stainless carbine...
 
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A 20" stainless .357 is at the top of my "Next Rifle List," too. I'll probably end up going with the Rossi as well...availability and price are probably the prime factors there, for me anyway.

Good luck in your quest, Macchina.
 
My dad just bought a stainless Rossi 92 357 and it's really nice. Smooth action, decent fit and finish but not nearly as nice as a Winchester. Haven't got to shoot it as he just bought it and it's been cold. I like it but I want a side eject lever for myself in 357 for when Ohio legalized hunting with pistol caliber rifles.
 
Macchina said:
Every few years I find myself in a hunting situation involving A LOT of walking, camping in the elements for a few days to a week, and usually plenty of rain or snow (we sometimes hunt on islands). These hunts are always sub-100 yard shot forests for shall deer, a perfect opportunity for a .357 stainless carbine...
Click to expand...

That sounds like a tailor made job for the 16" stainless model in either .357 or .44Mag. The .44 might be more gun than you need by the sounds of it but assuming you reload for your Magnum needs you can tone it done to around .44Spl or something in between so it punches through from side to side or even end to end without a whole lot of extra that wants to knock down a tree behind the deer.....:D

Rossi USA lists both of these carbine sizes in stainless. So be patient, put out inquiries and basically beat the bushes. One should turn up someplace.
 
I own Winchester, Marlin and recently, Rossi. The Rossi is not the same in terms of fit and finish, but I tend to shoot it more as I do not worry about reducing it's value. It functions and shoots very nice and has no problem with the loads I feed it. If you are looking for a working gun that will get abused, I don't think you can go wrong with Rossi.
 
I'll buy a Rossi as soon as they start shipping with a useable (flat) buttplate - that crescent monstrosity may be historically correct but it's not my cup of tea... Until then, I'll soldier on with a (blued) Marlin.
 
After waiting for more than a year I found myself "Settling" on the Rossi 92M .357. It has been one of my best purchases to date. It has a smooth action, cycles well with almost anything except wadcutters (semi waddcutters are good) and it is a lot of fun to shoot.

Mine is the 16" like in the photo. This is a stock picture but mine looks exactly like it.

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Local shop has a bunch of Rossi 92's and I'd not hesitate to buy one or two or five. Been wanting a 16" stainless .44 myself. As I recall, the stainless carbines are ~$450.

The 16 and 20" carbines don't have a crescent buttplate, the have a carbine buttplate and they work fine for the cartridges they chamber.

The 20" and 24" rifles have crescent buttplates and they also work fine if you shoulder them correctly. I think the problem lies in that most shooters tend to plant them into the pocket of the shoulder like any other long gun. They should be planted further out onto the top of the arm, so that the butt curves in towards the armpit.
 
The stock on mine was not sealed when I got it. Its was only stained. I buffed it with some synthetic steel wool, rubbed in 8 coats of tru-oil and 2 coats of wax and now its presentable. The forend however is not the same color. I really didnt care thet much, just wanted the wood sealed.
I didnt dothe spring kit to mine, I figgured I'd shoot it awhile and see how it worked. After about 300 rounds, its really starting to smooth out.
Ill post a pic later
 
I like my Rossi 92 in .45 Colt very well. Mine was good to go right from the factory. I put A few coats of wipe on polly on the furniture to seal it and it looks good. And it's well under 5 lbs. unloaded. May spring for A .357 soon.
I love my Marlins but I am not paying going prices for one in .357. They are out of hand.
 
I too have been very happy with my Rossi 92. I got a 20" blued model. Disasembled it completely when I got it, cleaned, degreased etc, knocked off any obvious burrs and put it back together. Its smooth as silk, and shoots everything i've put through it. Its also very pleasant to shoot 38s, almost like shooting a .22. If I had to do it again, I'd probably get it in stainless, and in .44mag. My only real complaint about it is the sights, they aren't great, although they are servicable as is. I've been thinking about swapping them out for a better set, but haven't got around to it yet.
 
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