Specifically a blued round barrel Short Rifle in Winchester speak, meaning it has a 20 inch barrel. Yeah I've seen the issues posted on the net and YouTube but for 529.00 out the door I felt it was a reasonable buy even if it did need a bit of work. However, I did take 3 dummy rounds with me to test for feed function before putting my money down.

First the positives.

While the finish isn't flawless it's still a rather good looking rifle with the defects being minor. Mainly 2 small areas where the bluing wasn't perfectly even. The wood appears to be Philippine Mahogany, otherwise known as Luan and while it's supposed to be oil finished someone was really stingy with the oil.

Second positive is that it feeds BOTH 357 Magnum and 38 specials flawlessly as long as you don't short stroke the lever.

Third positive is the fundamental accuracy seems quite good. I was able to produce one 5 shot group spanning 1.75 inch vertically and .75 inch horizontally at 50 yards and with 60 year old eyes the target was just a blur when using readers to see the sights. With a scope I believe it's likely capable of 1 inch or smaller groups at 50 yards.

Fourth positive is that it comes pre-drilled for a Scout Rail forward of the receiver. Note, a Scout Rail can be purchased from Stevesgunz.com for 34.95. I may order a rail tonight just to try it out with my 2.5-8x28 Nikon handgun scope just to see what it can do. For field carry I would probably go with my much lighter Nikon 2x20 EER scope.

Fifth positive is that the 1892 is a John Browning design and he used lessons learned on the earlier 1886 Winchester. This means that it is actually pretty easy to detail strip this rifle to a bare receiver. BTW, the M92 follows the original design quite closely with the only notable difference is the original uses a leaf type mainspring and the Rossi uses a coll mainspring.

Now the negatives.

First, the interior of the receiver was not de-burred at all. While everything functions properly those burrs did create a rather rough feel. If you have the skills plan on using a 1/4 x 1/2 inch stone to flat file the interior surfaces and remove the burrs created by the broaches used to cut the various channels. Doing this will make the action much much smoother.

Second, Rossi dropped the ball on sighting. Possibly a result of using the same sights for the 357 Magnum, 44 Magnum, 454 Cassull, and 45 LC versions of this rifle. Whatever the reason the 357 Magnum shoots about 4-5 inches high at 50 yards with the elevator all the way down. Plan on ordering a 5/8 inch tall front sight from Midway or Brownell's or using a Dremel to re-cut a deeper notch in the rear sight. Of just remove the sights, mount a rail and use a handgun scope.

Third issue is first time detail strip. I had to use a brass punch to pry the lower tang loose from the receiver due to the burrs mentioned earlier. After stoning the receiver the lower tang now slides into place easily.

The fourth issue falls into picking nits to some extent. That is the ejector spring is a LOT stronger than it needs to be. Pop the lever open quickly after firing a shot and "to the moon" comes to mind with the way the brass is launched. That super strong ejector spring also causes a noticeable amount of drag when closing the lever slowly. So, a weaker ejector spring is part of tuning the M92 to match the smoothness of the original Winchester.

Next nit to pick is the finger lever detent, IMO it locks the lever closed with more force than necessary. I'll be spending a bit of time re-shaping the lower tang to reduce the effort required to open and close the lever. That will be a bit trial and error but some small ramps should make a big difference.

Final nit is the firing pin safety on top of the breech bolt, it's not really needed and a bit of an abomination on an 1892. However it does provide another layer of protection if you are using the lever to cycle loaded rounds out of the rifle. Right now I am undecided on whether to remove it and install a plug.

Summing it all up the M92 really isn't a bad buy for the money. Yeah, it has some warts and the quality issues posted on the net likely have a foundation in fact. However the Japanese made Winchester retails at around 1400 bucks and the Chiappa reproduction imported by Taylor's is about 1100 bucks. One way or another you just have to pay the piper.

PS: for those wondering about why a 357 Magnum lever rifle is such a big deal you just have to shoot one sometime. You'll have look hard to find a more enjoyable balance of power, accuracy, and simple fun factor for just shooting. If you happen to load your own ammo they are also rather cheap rifles to shoot.

I have one I couldn't be happier with. It's the blued model, 16" barrel with the large loop lever. I got the plug for the safety and the steel follower from Steve. I also had my local gunsmith mount a Williams peep sight. With the right ammo it'll group under 2" at 50 yards.

I got it used, and I have no idea how many rounds were fired before I got it, but it operates as slick as a 92 could be expected to.

Nice write-up, BTW!

I too have a Rossi M92 in .357, have had it for several years. Mine has been flawless in operation, sights are dead on and deadly accurate at 50 yards. Here's a pic of it and my Model 66:

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Shoots good with cast lead or jacketed bullets. I really like it, it's lightweight and handy, packs a punch, it's my "Go to" rifle for carrying around the property.....

Mine is the 16" model. I think 18" would be about perfect. I was a little nervous about buying one (too much internet reading), but couldn't be happier with it. I also noticed the .357s shooting a bit high on the lowest sight setting. I thought maybe it was just my rifle.

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Because of the metric system?

I own two Rossi R92's one in .357 and the other in .44 and would like to buy one in .45 next. For the price you can't go wrong. Some may need a little love but again for what you are paying they are still very much worth it. The "finish" on the wood is about worthless but is very easy to remedy with just a few evenings of rubbing in some Tru Oil or something similar. I use Watco's Danish Oil on the second one and that worked rather well.

I too had my doubts about buying a Rossi. A couple years ago I purchased a 16" .38 /.357. The action was a little rough. The DVD video from Steve's Gunz was a big help with that. Sanded and refinished the stock. Put on a Williams peep for my old eyes ( drill & tap required). It's a fun little gun.. Shooting .38 spl. out of it, is like shooting a .22. And I'm getting 1600 fps out of my .357, 158 gr. reloads.

A buddy purchased a 20" model. The action was smooth as silk out of the box. Guess it's just the luck of the draw. But they are not that hard to clean up.

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I have a Rossi 92 rifle with an octagon barrel. The factory sights were soon replaced with a Marbles tang sight and a Lyman 17 front sight. Sure it has some warts, and it's not a real 92. But, it's a heckuva lot of fun. Definitely it's a work in process.

I have the bigger brotherS. I have a Rossi and a S&W 25 in .45Colt. I rather enjoy shooting both guns and while I vacillated a lot before I bought the Rossi I must say that it was well put together and shoots rather well.

I might just consider getting a .357 Rossi as I have a few revolvers in that caliber and room in the safe for another long gun.

FWIW I also have a couple .44 Revolvers and a Ruger Deerslayer (circa mid 70s) carbine so I’m good to go there!

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

I like the model 92.

I have 5 of the Rossi levers right now.

My first one was a engraved Saddle Ring Carbine chambered in 357 Magnum. It is not hand engraved, it roll marked in or something, but it looks nice. Even though Rossi called this one a carbine, it has a 20" barrel. This one has been with me about a quarter of a century now.



I have a 16" 357 magnum to go with it. Plus I have a 20" in 45 Long Colt.

Then there are a pair of Rossi Ranch Hands, one in 357 Mag and the other in 45 LC.

Yes I like lever guns. I have 4 Marlins, two Winchesters, two Henrys, and a Browning. Two are 41 Magnums, two 22LRs, two more 45 LCs, a 45-70, a 30-30 and even a .308. I was going to stop at a dozen since that is all my oak gun cabinet holds, but deals keep appearing and I am weak

I got mine last year from gunbroker. It is from when Interarms was importing them. No "safety". Fun little 20 inch rifle. Mine has the PUMA head on the left side of the receiver. There is also a forum devoted to the rossi-rifles that has a lot of good info....

Glad to see others are finding they are good rifles for the money. Just dropped in a spare ejector spring I had ordered from Homestead Parts for my Winchester 1892 and the spring rate is a LOT less than the factory Rossi spring. It does result in ejection that some may call a bit "lazy" but it's strong enough to clear the top of my head with a dummy 158 grain 357 Magnum. With an empty case they land about 3-4 feet to the rear. So, IMO the ejection is just fine and HOWDY DOODY does it really reduce the effort needed to close the lever. The only remaining tweak needed is a bit of hand fitting of the edge that engages the lever detent.

Tonight I think I'll order that Scout Rail from Stevesgunz.com. Because I am really curious what this rifle can do with a scope and I have a 2.5-8x28 Nikon EER for my Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle.

I've got two Rossi 92's, both in .45 Colt. One has the 24-inch octagonal barrel, and the other (my absolute favorite) has the 16-inch barrel.

Both have been slicked up by Steve Young. The carbine is my truck gun. I bought it from Steve. It's stainless steel, but I had him bead-blast it for me. Personally, I don't know how I could improve on it.

Like others have said, these guns are a heckuva good deal for the price.

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Pack light and cinch tight.

my $175.00 rossi on the right shoot as well as my $600.00 marlin and I love it really I love both

On you sight hight issue, try different ammo or no elevator before messing with the front sight. On both my blue 45 Colt and Stainless 357 I had to remove the elevator completely then they were dead on.

The lever retaining detente is often a pain! Use a C-clamp and depress it all the way. Then drive the retaining pin out (otherwise it flies across the room). I cut almost 50% of the coils off both of mine (and about 6 others), start with half a coil and work up to it. There is gunk in the spring hole quite often also.

The locking lugs (that slide up and down) are often warped a few 100ths of an inch. I use a very fine diamond stone and work the inside points down a little to take the stress of and that lets the action slide smother. Often the sides of the bolt need stoned a small amount . IMPORTANT: don't stone the side rails, just the flats above and below those rails. 1/1000 per side goes a long way!

The ejector spring may need trimmed or it may have gunk also.

Both of my Rossi 92's were bought used and had lots of rounds through them and hadn't "worn in" yet. Even foreign steel is better than what John Moses had to work with and design around. So your gun is VERY strong, many people run the Ruger Only loads through their 45 Colt versions. Enjoy and have Fun! Ivan

I was fortunate to trade into a Navy Arms imported Rossi 92 short rifle in .357 that had already had all the bugs worked out by a previous owner. Love it.

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Now go make God proud...

I'm glad all of ya'll have had good luck with your Rossi's. I, to have one, and it is with out doubt the biggest P-O-S, that I've ever owned. It will not feed,......period. It's been worked over numerous times, but no success. Like I said, I'm glad that ya'll are happy.

I do have a newer Braztech R-92 in .45 Colt, that is the polar opposite of the old Rossi. It feeds everything feed to it and shoots great. The Rossi would be good as a "trot-line weight", but that is about all. I really hate that .357 Rossi........

So tell us how you really feel, and please don't hold back your emotions I've got to ask who you had do the work, since there are very reputable gunsmiths who specialize in working on Rossi lever actions. Everybody who had their Rossi worked over by an experienced Rossi gunsmith seems happy.

I have a .44 mag. 92 that I recently took in a horse trade with a friend. It's my first Rossi, and I doubt my friend dumped a lemon on me. Guess I'll find out when I get the chance to take it to the range.

To those who have levers chambers in 357, how well does the 38's feed?

James

mine is a interarms rossi and it loves both .38 & .357

My Rossi 92SS 16" barrel 44mag came with a rough action too. First round would not eject. Tried several different facory loads of 44mag, none ejected. I brought it back to my LGS he sent it back to the factory in Florida I believe.
It came back feeling almost as smooth as my Winchester 94. They wrote on the work tag "adjustments made". Feels like they polished the internals. It came back with a much smoother action and also the trigger.

My 45 Colt 92 will feed 45 Schofield rounds also, as does my Marlin Cowboy 1894. Takes them up one or two rounds in the tube. Ivan

My .357 Rossi is a full-length rifle (octagon barrel) and is about 2 years old. Certainly it's not a finely finished rifle, but I can't say I'm unhappy with its performance. It's quite accurate and happily feeds both .357 and 38 Special cartridges, provided I don't use SWC slugs. With those, it hangs up on the sharp driving band nearest the meplat. No such trouble with FPs or RNFPs. It also tends to ding up the case mouth as it feeds. I suspect there's a ridge "in there somewhere" that needs some judicious smoothing. Attending to that might just cure the SWC and case ding issues in "one swell foop."

Round nose ammo goes through the action like corn through a goose. Wadcutters; not so much.



It isn't exactly a display of finest craftsmanship, but it is among my favorites for a "fun gun".

I bought a Winchester 94AE 11-12 years ago, and the rifle works flawlessly, except for the occasional problem, almost always a .38, popping up to high on the feed ramp, when operating the lever. This will lead to the round being pushed at the wrong angle, with the full loaded cartridge stove piping, instead of feeding into the chamber. This problem has gotten better with time, as the rifle wears in, but its still an issue. Of course, this is a 94, not the 92 in question, but the problem does indicate that there could always be some sort of unforeseen problems with shorter rounds.

I have the 16" stainless Rossi/Braztech M92. Got it a few years ago.

I haven't made any modifications at all. It shoots fine. It feeds just fine. It feeds both .38 and .357 just fine. I agree with all the comments about it being a bit tight and launching the brass, springs, etc. all over creation.

I'm shooting 158gr LSWC, both .38 and .357, reloads out of mine. The POI = POA at 50 yards with the rear sight on the first 'bump'. Of course at 50 yards, with my eyes, the target is just a tiny blur. So I do not attribute the inherent couple inches of grouping accuracy at 50 yards to the gun at all. Out to 100 yards I stay in the 10 ring of a B27 target, but again, I'm not blaming the gun for that.

The only time I ever had an issue was when I tried to shoot wadcutters in it. Now THOSE will NOT feed. Taking it apart to unload/unjam it did launch the feed spring and all those other little parts all over the planet. And I was using a table in fairly tall grass. My luck held out though and all the little parts landed on the table while the spring, later found, went into the stratosphere.

My only 'complaint' is that all those burrs in the action create rough edges (burrs ?) on the mouths of all my cases. So when I reload those, I have to use the deburring/chamfer tool on them first.

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But then, what do I know?

Had a 20" model about 30 years ago....... really liked it.... but after about 10 years got a Winchester Trapper (16") and sold/traded the Rossi..

A lever action .357 makes a great utility/ATV gun at the cabin; backing up my 3" 66 or 60-10 .357s.


My Trapper now wears a Skinner Barrel peep sight (replaces the existing rear sight)...... which has been a great improvement for my 61year old eyes...... check them out!

M3-Stuart's and BAM-BAM's comments about the sights and "mature" eyes are spot-on. My eyes aren't what they used to be. In my mind, I'm in my 30's, but the rest of my body disagrees.

I put a Marbles tang sight and a Lyman 17 front sight on my R92. They suit the rifle's character and enable me to hit more accurately.

I hear, often, about "seller's remorse". Ever hear of "giver's remorse"? When you give something to someone, but really REALLY wish you still had it?

When I got my Rossi 357, I did it because of Jeff Cooper. He said that one of those little lever action 357 or 44 carbines would make an excellent Goblin Gun.

So I bought one. 20-inch blue. Shot it a lot. Finally sent it to Steve Young, to have it made smoother. He got rid of the burrs. Drilled and tapped the receiver for a peep sight. I loved that little gun. 38 or 357. Did not matter. Fast as I could work the lever, they went in.



Top one.

Now, I still got levers. Just ain't got a 357 any more. Gived it to my little girl.



Figgered if the goblins come, she needed more than a five-shot J frame.

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I always take precautions