Rossi 357 lever action with lead cast reloads

T

TennJed

New member
Anybody have any issues using reloads in a Rossi 357 lever action. I am looking to pick up one. It is a 24" with an octagon barrel. I reload 357 with lead cast RN, SWC, & wad cutters. I assume the wad cutters and semi wad cutters may give me feeding issues.

Also it says 12 rd capacity. Will it hold more 38sp since they are shorter?
 
My Marlin feeds .357 cast full wadcutters just fine if they are crimped in the crimp groove instead of over the top (about 1.35" OAL) It does not feed SWC's easily but they don't jam.

It jams with .38 Special wadcutters unless I load them out at 1.35 or 1.36" OAL like a .357 -- with the bullet hanging halfway our the case.
 
I've had no luck feeding with home cast WCs or SWCs. I cast some RFNs using the Lee mold. My Rossi will feed the RFN .38 hand loads, but not the .357s. I haven't experimented with various OALs yet. My action is unaltered, and happily feeds factory .357s.
 
My rossi .357 is best with LRNFP. It will feed SWC too but the LRNFP feed smoother. Mine feeds .357's just fine but can be finicky with .38 specials. The majority of the rounds I shoot through my 16" trapper carbine are lead that I reload. And yes she holds more .38 specials than .357 magnums.
 
Thanks guys. I will be meeting the guy in a couple of days to look it over. It is stainless (high polish) but it has had the barrel bead blasted. He had a gun smith do it to keep the glare down. Sounds like a good idea, but the pics he sent me were crappy cell phone pics. Has anyone seen one done that way? I am afraid the high polished body may not look right with the bead blasted barrels.
 
Cowboy action shooters use lead bullets and most of us handload. Lever action rifles tend to be sensitive to bullet shape and overall length. Some of the '92s do better with .357s than with .38s.

I would suggest a RNFP (round nose flat point) or TCFP (truncated cone flat point) bullet.
 
Thanks for all the responses. I have a question about scopes on the Rossi 92. After reading a bit it seems like you can remove the rear sight and put in a scope mount. I like the option of being able to add a scope without having to alter the gun (drill tap). But I read somewhere that the scope mount is only for the round barrels.

The one I am looking at is a octagon barrel. Is it correct that I cannot add the scope mount to the octagon barrel? If so is there any option for a scope without having a gunsmith drill holes in it?
 
I hand casted the Lyman 155 grain Cowboy bullet and sized at .359" for a Marlin and it worked very well indeed. No leading and sufficient accuracy for my uses.

I used a home made bullet lube which worked very well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top