Just bought SS Rossi M92 in .357Mag

G

Gaz_in_NZ

New member
Just got the cash together and bought (1/2 hr ago) the SS Rossi M92 16" in .357 Mag that I have been lusting after for months since I first saw it.:D

Old Thread on this rifle when I was asking for info on them... http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=534154

Won't be able to live fire it 'till next Sunday at the club range.
It seems to cycle well with .38Spec A-Zoom Snap Caps but they are a pain to get to lock through the gate, probably I got "big thumb" syndrome or something as my 14 year old can get 'em in without too much problem.

OK, so does or will this gun need any recommended modifications, the sights are a bit basic but I'm not going down the "fitting any kind of scope" route with it as I think that would spoil the looks of this very pretty gun.

Any and all suggestions are most welcome.
I believe a guy called Steve Young is the Rossi M92 guru.

Cheers gentlemen and thanks in advance
Gaz.
 
Don't worry about modifications until you find out how well your rifle works. And the first thing you should do -before going to the range- is disassemble (instructions here and here) and clean your new gun.

Cleaning a new firearm is standard advice, but it is particularly appropriate for Rossi rifles because the company uses shipping grease with a consistency between cosmoline and asphalt. Most people report a marked improvement in the operation of their Rossi rifles after a good cleaning. The first cleaning also gives you an opportunity to look for burrs or other manufacturing defects.
 
the 357's are definitely harder to load than the 45 Colts ( at least for me with big fingers ) mine had a burr on the receiver or on the gate it's self ( been a while since I fixed it ) in the load gate area that scratched cases when I loaded them... mine is an older ( pre safety ) engraved saddle ring carbine, with extra grade wood ( still holds at least 10 rounds ) that may have been unfired when I bought it as used, just a couple years ago now... one season of cowboy shooting, & mine slicked up just fine, from use... it was just a bit stiff when I got it
 
i have had mine for a little over a year and a half and I love it. Try the sights a few times before you dismiss them. A skinnier front sight post is about all I would do to change the sights personally. My action actually got a little worse with time so I had the action honed and a spring kit put in it. Almost as slick as the Henry .22 now;)

The wood is the only thing I have found to be of low quality on the gun. The wood itself is fine but barely finished and not so carefully fitted.

Over all this is a great gun and it isn't that hard to refinish a stock.
 
.

I bought a lawyer bolt-top safety 16" BigLoop .357 Rossi M92 several years ago, swapped out the big loop for a standard loop, and installed a peep sight after replacing the safety with a hand/self- made plug (so the peep sight could sit very low, virtually touching the bolt).


I used a "set-n-forget" Williams 5D-94AE peep (I don't need the 2x more expensive FP), made originally for the Winchester 94AE (angle eject) via D/T one 6-48 hole atop the rear section of each receiver sidewall, just ahead of the locking lugs's recess' - which allowed easy zeroing using the issue height front sight blade.

DSCN0384.jpg
DSCN0385.jpg


If you disassemble the rifle, be sure to insert an empty cartridge case in the boltface (It should slide partially into the chamber when installing the lever/lever pin) prior to installing the lever/etc - to hold internal parts from interferring with the assembly.



.
 
Thanks guys, appreciate the replies.

One thing I've been warned of is...
Don't use round nose ammo and most deffo don't use plated or jacketed ammo flat nose or otherwise as I could have an explosion in the mag with round nose or plated ammo setting off a primer (under recoil shock) and so the bullet in the mag goes off causing a cascade explosion in the mag....???

Fact, fiction, remote possibility or just people making crap up???

Cheers people
Gaz
 
Here is the ammunition warning from Marlin's Model 1894 lever-action rifle's manual:

WARNING: Some pointed and full metal jacket round nose bullets are on the market which can chainfire other cartridges in a tubular magazine during recoil, causing severe injury and damage. If you are uncertain about the safety of using a particular cartridge in your Marlin, contact the ammunition or bullet manufacturer.
Click to expand...
 
I have to say I love mine! I put a gunslinger spring in mine and that really slicked it up! Also, check out Steve's gunz website...good stuff for a rossi :D
 
Don't use round nose ammo and most deffo don't use plated or jacketed ammo flat nose or otherwise as I could have an explosion in the mag with round nose or plated ammo setting off a primer (under recoil shock) and so the bullet in the mag goes off causing a cascade explosion in the mag....???
Click to expand...

Me thinks anyhting other than spire point ammo would be fine in your rifle. I haven't seen any .357 or .38's with very pointy pointy ends. I have the Winchester 94 Trapper and I've yet to have a cycling worry with any of the ammo I've.

If you look at a spire point rifle bullet (really pointy kind) you'll see where the ends are not much different in size than the pointy end of the firing pin. That's where things have the potential to get ugly and loud in a hurry. As far as jacketed or plated ammo- no worries.
 
So Jacketed/plated stuff like this
Copperplated38cal_zps5365ee31.jpg


And this
5d8d5096-592a-4749-83a9-1cb750645723_zps282b397a.jpg

Should be OK and pure lead in the same profiles isn't a problem?

I've never seen actually "pointed" (boat tail like(?)) pistol ammo... Didn't know they made any, or is it all in reference to calibers that are made in "rifle" calibers and not pistol caliber?

Thanks all
Gareth
 
Sure, all those pictured should be fine. When you mention "pure lead"- you mean standard lead ammo as you would find in a sporting goods store? Those would be good as well. There may be the very small chance you could encounter pure lead projectiles that would be marketed towards those who reload their own ammo, but typically, what we call "lead ammo, lead ball, lead SWC, etc are different mixtures of lead, linotype, tin, antimony. So they aren't really pure lead.

Around the early to mid '90's there was a good bit of pointy pistol ammo for sale and in use around Ft. Knox, KY where I was stationed. I believe it came from Israel, and I can't remember if it was called conical something-er-others, or a truncated cone bullet- but either way, the point was about the same size as a small pistol primer's diameter. Anything along the lines of what you showed in the photos will be fine.
 
Just to let you know the M92 shot beautifully this morning at the club.
Sights from out of the box were set slightly high but still well capable of putting clover-leaves in at 50yds. It seemed to shoot better groups with Factory (S&B) .357Mag but it was still very respectable with Factory (cci) .38Spec.
A few people thought the stock was too short but most people loved it and thought it looked quite stunning in Stainless.
M92357-38_zpsa687b904.jpg


I like it more now than I did before I shot it and it took ages to get it from my 14 year old's grip with his "just another 10 357's then you can have it back"
We put around 150+ rounds through it this morning, a mixture of Factory .38's and Factory .357's.

Now I need to work out a decent reload for 158gn plated flat point in .357Mag using AP70N powder, Frontier plated bullets, CCI primers and Starline brass.

Thanks to all
Cheers
Gaz
 
It looks like you got a good one - and pretty.
Glad you, your family and friends had fun with it at the range.
You will absolutely need to reload to shoot it as much as you will want to.
Congratulations!
 
Thanks, it is a fine gun and the action is smooth and positive and the trigger is light enough not to need any work doing on it.
A friend of mine at the club today who tried it said it felt a lot better in all respects than his Marlin.

Cheers
Gaz
 
I've got the stainless carbine in .45

Love this gun. Never was in love with the concept of leverguns, but my demeanor changed soon as I uncrated it.
 
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