Rossi 92 - wood question

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RainDodger

RainDodger

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I've been considering picking up a Rossi carbine in .357 magnum just for fun.

One thing that has stopped me in my tracks is the wood I've seen on these rifles. It looks like something someone cut out of a nice 2X6 and stained some kind of off-red color.

Has anyone seen nice wood on these rifles? I'm going to start looking around for either different stocks or consider pulling the wood off right away and refinishing it somehow.

Some of you Rossi owners out there - any thoughts on the stocks you have or the ones you've seen?

Thanks.
 
The wood on the 92 is not great, but the gun itself is pretty good. I have one in .357 with 20 inch barrel, and I love it. Functions well, and is just plain fun! I have given some thought to refinishing the wood, just to make it a bit less dull.
 
Being Brazilian (the gun not me), I suspect the wood is a tropical hardwood not subjected to seasonal changes, thus no distinctive grain. Some folks refinish theirs. I have just accepted mine. However, walnut stocks would be tempting.
 
Wood...

I have a Puma 92 in .44 Mag. I've never been able to check its age as there seems to be no good serial # reference records that I can find. It actually has some figure to it in the butt and part of the forearm, although not like walnut. It is dark and seems very hard, and I also assumed it's some kind of Brazilian species. I rather like it. BTW, I once had a Winchester Legacy in .357, and this Puma's metalwork is far better and the action tighter.
 
I just bought a new one about a month ago (44 mag) and the factory finish is a joke. BUT the wood itself is a hardwood approximating walnut and, once refinished looks very good indeed.
 
Thanks, guys. That's about what I figured. I'll bet if someone made custom stocks for those rifles, they'd be able to sell a few. Maybe I'll consider refinishing it to see if there's any grain to be brought out... if I buy one, that is.

I do think they'd be a lot of fun though, and would probably be worth the trouble. Any Browning 92 is going to be much more $$$.
 
I got lucky and found one a few years ago, and it has a nice dark brown color to the wood. It has decent grain, albeit somewhat straight. I am happy with mine, at first glance you would be hard pressed to not think it was an old Winchester.
 
My Rossi Model 92 has very good wood to metal fit and a few decent looking grain patterns in and around the forearm and the rear tang. Other than that it would require a major refinishing of the buttstock to bring out any other figure in the wood. The wood itself sort of resembles walnut, though I would think it's some sort of indigenous Brazilian hardwood, with a walnut stain having been applied to it.

I would also add that the metal polishing and bluing on this particular carbine are truly first rate.
 
Carl is dead right. There is no legal definition of "mahogany", and many similarly colored wood from around the world are so named. Brazilian "mahogany" does not undergo seasonal hot / cold growth cycles and so has little discernable grain (the tree grows continuously and so has no noticable rings). It's a good strong wood, though.
 
I too have a Rossi M92 with "Brazilian hardwood" stock. Having traveled several times to Brazil I observed their use of "Tabebuia" for a lot of their "hardwood" woodworking projects. It is hard, rot-resistant, dense, and does not shrink or crack with age. Actually it may be as good or even better than walnut. Looking closely at my gun, I am pretty sure that is what the butt stock is made from.
 
My Rossi 92 in .357mag. had a bad finish so I refinished. It looks a lot better. I also put Marble sight's on It and a gunslinger spring kit. It's very smooth, works with any ammo I've tried.
DSCN0439_zps9a3f19eb.gif
DSCN0437_zps5a8ada13.gif
 
As a kind of clone of the Winchester 92, I wonder if the wood from an original Winchester would fit, or could be fitted? I've seen some nice walnut Winchester stocks for sale, from time to time.
 
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Mine is 25 years old, bought it in the 80s. While the wood is not well figured, it appears to be walnut and linseed oil rubbed to boot. It's a handsome rifle and shoots really well. It's a .357 magnum, a very versatile rifle. I have shot small game and deer with the same rifle, just change the ammo and sight elevation.
 
Wow, steveo452, that's a purty rifle! Nice job! If I can find a rifle I like, I think that's what I'll do.

Just out of curiosity, what did you use for finish? It looks to be a hard finish like a Birchwood Casey and not an oil finish. Yes?

Great looking rifle!

Roger
 
Thanks Roger, the finish is nothing fancy. The factory finish was so bad, I figured I had no place to go but up. So I used some spray stripper to strip off what Rossi calls a finish. I did very little sanding, then I hit it with some Minwax stain & sealer (special walnut #224). After about three coats I topped it off with Minwax polyurethane semi-gloss spray. I just didnt have the time for a hand rubbed finish, but it worked out well. If you pick one of these up you wont regret it. They're very versitile little carbines, and the fun factor is off the charts.
 
I have a stainless one in 357. Don't know what wood it is but it fits well. It was sanded and stained and not sealed. Used about 3 coats of linseed oil to seal leaving it with a glossy shine. If you want the grain to stand out use some steel wool #0000.

Thinking of staining it ebony some day. Now if I could find ammo for it I might be able to shoot it.
 
I have a stainless one in 357. Don't know what wood it is but it fits well. It was sanded and stained and not sealed. Used about 3 coats of linseed oil to seal leaving it with a glossy shine. If you want the grain to stand out use some steel wool #0000.

Thinking of staining it ebony some day. Now if I could find ammo for it I might be able to shoot it.
 
This is for for you Rossi guys. Neat little rifles and if you haven't seen this site before you might want to give it a veiw.

http://www.leverguns.com/articles/taylor/rossi.htm

There is a gunsmith named "Steves Guns" that does a lot of work on Rossis for the cowboy guys. IIRC he also has DIY videos if you want to rework your gun yourself.

Leverguns in 357 are just plain cool. My Marlin lever action in 357 is my favorite gun of all the guns I own.
 
I just received a Rossi stainless 357 yesterday which I bought from Buds, I'm delighted with the appearance and fit of the wood. Maybe my expectations weren't too high for a <$500 rifle. Hope to shoot it tomorrow.
 
I thought about buying one, as well, the wood is pretty plain, also, by me the only store that has it is charging $600 out the door. i dont know if its worth 600.00 to me. if it had nicer wood with checkering like the marlin 1984 i would consider it more. does anyone here think its worth 600.00 ?
 
goldie said:
I thought about buying one, as well, the wood is pretty plain, also, by me the only store that has it is charging $600 out the door. i dont know if its worth 600.00 to me. if it had nicer wood with checkering like the marlin 1984 i would consider it more. does anyone here think its worth 600.00 ?
Click to expand...
I paid $470 including s&h, plus $20 transfer for a stainless 92, probably would not have paid $600.

Considering a "real" Marlin stainless SS .357 is now fetching $2000, the Rossi strikes me as a bargain.
 
I gave just over $400 for mine out the door a couple of years ago. I wouldn't pay $600 for one. It is a great little rifle though. Mine has fed everything I have put through it, both .357 and .38 spl. Fmg, SJHP, SJSP, LRN, SWC....the onlyh thing I have not put through it are actual wadcutters. I don't think it would feed those.
 
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