.357 Rossi 24” Octagonal Lever

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  • Darkemp

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 18, 2009
    7,808
    Marylandistan
    Been looking casually for awhile for another one, had an R92 .357 Stainless short barrel about ten years ago that I regretted selling as the .357 lever guns don’t seem to sit on the shelf much in shops. Found one today at one of the first shops I ever patronized- The Gun Shop in Essex. They never have disappointed me there, but hadn’t stopped by there in 8yrs, and they didn’t disappoint today. .357 R92 24” Octagonal barrel. They also had the blued Henry short barrel .357 lever and about 10 in various other calibers if anyone else is looking.
     

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    Darkemp

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 18, 2009
    7,808
    Marylandistan
    And my new acquisition with its brothers...who can resist Lever porn?
     

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    Darkemp

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 18, 2009
    7,808
    Marylandistan
    Nice! Is .357 a good choice if I only want one lever gun?

    Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

    IMHO .357 is an outstanding choice- fun to shoot, almost no recoil, can shoot .38 specials also to save on ammo cost, can use for hunting as well of course, and can be compatible with any .38/.357 revolvers you may own. I could go on and on...

    As for having one, not sure one of any style is ever enough, mine are .22, .357, and .30-30.
     

    Darkemp

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 18, 2009
    7,808
    Marylandistan
    Nice pick up and that's got to be like shooting a .22 out of that barrel.

    Guessing it will be- believe it’s about 8lbs. Definitely feels much more substantial than the stainless carbine R92 I had years ago, and the fit and finish is much better also. This one doesn’t seem to have the rough edges around the loading gate, and Brazilian hardwood stock set seems much nicer.
     

    Virgil Co.C

    Active Member
    Aug 10, 2018
    615
    Almost bought a Henry 22 octagon, literally ready to put out the money when a 1903 came to me . I didn’t get the Henry . Bought a Uberti 357 few months back , all slicked up . Love it . 22 or a 44 lever next .question is which one is coming home first.
     

    jimbobborg

    Oddball caliber fan
    Aug 2, 2010
    17,112
    Northern Virginia
    IMHO .357 is an outstanding choice- fun to shoot, almost no recoil, can shoot .38 specials also to save on ammo cost, can use for hunting as well of course, and can be compatible with any .38/.357 revolvers you may own. I could go on and on...

    Not completely accurate. I had to get longer .38 Specials to run in my 92 clone otherwise it wouldn't feed properly.
     

    Darkemp

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 18, 2009
    7,808
    Marylandistan
    Not completely accurate. I had to get longer .38 Specials to run in my 92 clone otherwise it wouldn't feed properly.

    Really? I used to shoot different types of .38’s through my old R92 - even handloaded wadcutters fed with no issue and those are probably the shortest length rounds there are in the caliber. Maybe it was that example due to fit and finish for you?
     

    Neutron

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Nov 20, 2014
    1,532
    severna park
    I'll jump in and add my praise to the chorus of .357 lever gun sycophants. My Marlin 1894 is the most enjoyable gun to shoot that I own. Just enough recoil to let you know you've got some power going down range. I'm glad I reload because it's easy to burn up a lot of ammo.
     

    JoeRinMD

    Rifleman
    Jul 18, 2008
    2,014
    AA County
    Really? I used to shoot different types of .38’s through my old R92 - even handloaded wadcutters fed with no issue and those are probably the shortest length rounds there are in the caliber. Maybe it was that example due to fit and finish for you?

    It's a very common issue in the Cowboy Action shooting world...some lever guns won't feed .38 Special reliably, and specifically with the Rossi. Basically the .38 Spl round is short enough that the base of a second cartridge moves far enough to the rear that it locks up the action. It's common enough that the problem has a term of art "letting two in." When I handloaded for my son's Rossi '92, I used flat-tip bullets that made up for the C.O.L difference between .38 Spl and .357 Magnum. IIRC, they were 147 grain. Those would always feed with no issues.

    JoeR
     

    Jimbob2.0

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 20, 2008
    16,600
    Really? I used to shoot different types of .38’s through my old R92 - even handloaded wadcutters fed with no issue and those are probably the shortest length rounds there are in the caliber. Maybe it was that example due to fit and finish for you?

    Seems like the bullet guides are a little inconsistent, I had to go in and shim mine slightly and they feed .38 and .357 fine. Still trying to get my .454/.45 dialed in.
     

    Darkemp

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 18, 2009
    7,808
    Marylandistan
    Seems like the bullet guides are a little inconsistent, I had to go in and shim mine slightly and they feed .38 and .357 fine. Still trying to get my .454/.45 dialed in.

    I agree on that- the build quality in the past was inconsistent in many respects. One of the reasons I got rid of the old 16” stainless carbine was the wood fit and finish, and the sharp edges in the feed gate (I know I could have deburred), and the action was almost what I would describe as loose. This new one is light years ahead in quality, maybe they’ve gotten better. Feels much more substantial too with the octagon barrel and 8 more inches. I’ll take it out next weekend- picked up couple of boxes of .38 and .357 rounds at Gettysburg today for a decent price, definitely will be handloading those calibers again going forward.
     

    Darkemp

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 18, 2009
    7,808
    Marylandistan
    And will have to take the Golden Boy out as well- almost forgot I had it still, bought it 10 or 11 years ago and shot it once I think.
     

    Jimbob2.0

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 20, 2008
    16,600
    And will have to take the Golden Boy out as well- almost forgot I had it still, bought it 10 or 11 years ago and shot it once I think.

    Its Rossi they are highly variable, I have a couple fo them and they shoot really well once you get them dialed in. Once polished up they are not bad. I sort of view them as tools, am I going to take a JM stamped Marlin camping or other field use when I can get a Rossi that will be 100% functional once tweaked. Never abuse any gun but not going to shed a tear if I scratch a Rossi.
     

    Trumpet

    SCSC/NRA life member. MSI member
    Oct 29, 2005
    2,077
    It's a very common issue in the Cowboy Action shooting world...some lever guns won't feed .38 Special reliably, and specifically with the Rossi. Basically the .38 Spl round is short enough that the base of a second cartridge moves far enough to the rear that it locks up the action. It's common enough that the problem has a term of art "letting two in." When I handloaded for my son's Rossi '92, I used flat-tip bullets that made up for the C.O.L difference between .38 Spl and .357 Magnum. IIRC, they were 147 grain. Those would always feed with no issues.

    JoeR


    Steve Young ("Nate Kiowa Jones") is a SASS gunsmith. I've often thought of getting a Rossi and sending it to him. He's known for his work on them...

    https://store.stevesgunz.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=5&zenid=8jsnvtfkc7n351d3mbir13gri6
     

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