Rossi 38/357 rifle
- Thread starter rebs
- Start date
I have one of the older Interarms models and it is fun to shoot. The 38's feel like a 22 out of a rifle and my wife can shoot it all day with out complaint (and that says alot if you knew her). I have heard some do not like the shorter cases of the 38 so alot of reloaders just use 357 cases loaded slower to keep feeding reliable. I have found the gun does not like to be slowly levered, you need to do it firmly to keep the gun happy but thats ok with me. If looking to mount a scope or something the 92 can be a little tough and the Marlin is easier to mount.
stagpanther
New member
I have a rossi in 44 mag and a Henry in 41 mag--so my impressions are just tangentially related to your question. The finish and workmanship on the Henry is far superior IMO to the Rossi--BUT if you're willing to work on it and smooth the action, the rossi can be made into one heck of a fine working gun. I actually prefer the lever action and lighter trigger pull of the rossi over the Henry's, plus my rossi weighs just under 5 lbs vs Henry's 7 ish--but to be fair the Henry has a 20" barrel vs the rossi's 16"
My rossi likes hot loads around max charges and can do MOA at 100 with them and really tones down the recoil--these same loads pound the tar out of my wrists with my 7.5" SBH.
I'm still getting to know my Henry--but because of the slightly stiffer trigger it's more challenging for me to get good shots off--that said--it produces perfectly hunting-acceptable groupings with most ammo I've put through it so far--my feeling is that with some work on the action/trigger I could probably tighten things up. I'm taking a wild guess--but I suspect rossi gives you (want I think is) a slightly lighter trigger pull because you can both set a dinky little safety and return the hammer easily to half and uncocked positions while a round is chambered.
You'll likely hear feedback downing Henry's tube feed magazine--to me that is totally irrelevant in any qualitative comparison between the too--but I guess it just bothers some more than others.
My bottom line on rossi is that the workmanship and materials can be sketchy--but if you don't mind working on them a bit--and find one in the same price bracket as a Marlin (I would not pay much above $500 for the level of workmanship) it can be a nice. Otherwise, I'd go with the more expensive alternatives.
My less than 2 cents. : )
My rossi likes hot loads around max charges and can do MOA at 100 with them and really tones down the recoil--these same loads pound the tar out of my wrists with my 7.5" SBH.
I'm still getting to know my Henry--but because of the slightly stiffer trigger it's more challenging for me to get good shots off--that said--it produces perfectly hunting-acceptable groupings with most ammo I've put through it so far--my feeling is that with some work on the action/trigger I could probably tighten things up. I'm taking a wild guess--but I suspect rossi gives you (want I think is) a slightly lighter trigger pull because you can both set a dinky little safety and return the hammer easily to half and uncocked positions while a round is chambered.
You'll likely hear feedback downing Henry's tube feed magazine--to me that is totally irrelevant in any qualitative comparison between the too--but I guess it just bothers some more than others.
My bottom line on rossi is that the workmanship and materials can be sketchy--but if you don't mind working on them a bit--and find one in the same price bracket as a Marlin (I would not pay much above $500 for the level of workmanship) it can be a nice. Otherwise, I'd go with the more expensive alternatives.
My less than 2 cents. : )
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I also have an older Rossi (pre-Taurus) 357 / 38. While it wont feed full wadcutter 38spl it works just fine with semi-wadcutter 38spl. It is truely one of my favorite guns to shoot. Using a starting load of Clays (IIRC) with a 158gr semi-wadcutter 38spl - it's suppressor quiet.
Accuracy is decent. I got a pretty good deal on mine 2nd hand off gunbroker. The previous owner had painted the stock black.
These days though, I'd have no problem buying a Taurus ownership Rossi. Especially knowing that they are easy to work on and having experts like: stevesgunz.com out there.
Accuracy is decent. I got a pretty good deal on mine 2nd hand off gunbroker. The previous owner had painted the stock black.
These days though, I'd have no problem buying a Taurus ownership Rossi. Especially knowing that they are easy to work on and having experts like: stevesgunz.com out there.
I own one of the Rossi 38/357 models that I purchased in 2010. It's the blued model with the 24" octagon barrel. It was a little stiff out of the box, but smoothed up real nice after working the action a bit. It has a wonderful trigger and while I haven't shot it for groups, it has always hit what we aim it at out to 50 yards or so. I can feed it 38 or 357 slow or fast and it eats it all like candy. Have yet to ever have a malfunction of any sort. Although the finish isn't top notch, I'm perfectly satisfied with it since it was better than I was expecting. It was just a tad over $400 new and I'd spend it again in a heartbeat because it is among my favorite rifles to take out for an afternoon of shooting.
I have the Rossi M92 in both .38/.357 and in .44 Special/Magnum. They are both very good rifles and very accurate. Both of mine have the 24" octagonal barrels.
When shooting Specials out of either one of them you have to have the OAL right if you want to run them fast. If you're not trying to go fast, the OAL is not as critical. I shoot mine for CAS so it matters for me. I have found that both of them feed Specials reliably if the cartridge OAL is 1.56" or thereabouts. Too much shorter than that and you will jack the live round out with the empty. If you are not trying to shoot it as fast as you can that doesn't happen.
For shooting .38 reloads in mine, I really like the Badman Bullets Badlands Bud 127 grain bullet. Feeds and shoots well.
http://www.badmanbullets.com/OnlineStore/products.php?cat=38+127+Grain+RNFP+Badlands+Bud+Bullet
When shooting Specials out of either one of them you have to have the OAL right if you want to run them fast. If you're not trying to go fast, the OAL is not as critical. I shoot mine for CAS so it matters for me. I have found that both of them feed Specials reliably if the cartridge OAL is 1.56" or thereabouts. Too much shorter than that and you will jack the live round out with the empty. If you are not trying to shoot it as fast as you can that doesn't happen.
For shooting .38 reloads in mine, I really like the Badman Bullets Badlands Bud 127 grain bullet. Feeds and shoots well.
http://www.badmanbullets.com/OnlineStore/products.php?cat=38+127+Grain+RNFP+Badlands+Bud+Bullet
stagpanther
New member
Keeps meat in the freezer.
I have a new Rossi 38/.357, blued, with 16" round barrel. I love it.
It's eaten everything I've fed it without a single problem. In 38's, that's included 110gr Silvertips, 125gr Hornady XTP, and 158gr Hornady XTP. In .357, 125gr Hornady XTP, 158gr JSP by Federal & PMC, 158gr HSM Cowboy Hardcast SWC, and 180gr HSM Bear Load Hardcast RFN.
I've not shot it in paper for groups, but was busting clays lined up on a bank, standing off-hand from about 35 yards, without really trying. From about 120-130 yards, from sitting position on the ground, I was able to keep most shots in about a 6-8" circle centered on the target clay. This was with the Federal JSP, HSM Cowboy SWC, and HSM Bear Load.
The action isn't buttery smooth, but it's not bad at all, and I'm sure will be even better after a few hundred more rounds. The trigger is crisp and just about right for a field gun, IMO -- not too heavy & not too light. The only mechanical issue I've had is that the front sight was a little loose in its dovetail when I got the rifle. It appeared that whoever fitted the sight ground it down a little too far. I shimmed it with a piece of brown paper napkin until I could get another sight. That worked so well, I haven't gotten around to replacing it.
I don't consider myself a great rifleman. I'm more of a pistol and shotgun shooter, but this little carbine is now my favorite gun.
It's eaten everything I've fed it without a single problem. In 38's, that's included 110gr Silvertips, 125gr Hornady XTP, and 158gr Hornady XTP. In .357, 125gr Hornady XTP, 158gr JSP by Federal & PMC, 158gr HSM Cowboy Hardcast SWC, and 180gr HSM Bear Load Hardcast RFN.
I've not shot it in paper for groups, but was busting clays lined up on a bank, standing off-hand from about 35 yards, without really trying. From about 120-130 yards, from sitting position on the ground, I was able to keep most shots in about a 6-8" circle centered on the target clay. This was with the Federal JSP, HSM Cowboy SWC, and HSM Bear Load.
The action isn't buttery smooth, but it's not bad at all, and I'm sure will be even better after a few hundred more rounds. The trigger is crisp and just about right for a field gun, IMO -- not too heavy & not too light. The only mechanical issue I've had is that the front sight was a little loose in its dovetail when I got the rifle. It appeared that whoever fitted the sight ground it down a little too far. I shimmed it with a piece of brown paper napkin until I could get another sight. That worked so well, I haven't gotten around to replacing it.
I don't consider myself a great rifleman. I'm more of a pistol and shotgun shooter, but this little carbine is now my favorite gun.
I concur with stagpanther completely and drobs regarding stevesgunz and Rossi 92s.
Case in point, my 454. I had Steve replace the worthless safety with a peep sight and fiber optic front. It was shooting low and Steve had to replace it with a front sight of a different height. He said some Rossis have bent barrels and mine might be bent down.
Also upon test firing prior to glass bedding it the forearm split on the first shot.
I'd go with Henry unless you want a 454 and / or a possible project. Build quality is poor on the Rossi 92 these days.
Case in point, my 454. I had Steve replace the worthless safety with a peep sight and fiber optic front. It was shooting low and Steve had to replace it with a front sight of a different height. He said some Rossis have bent barrels and mine might be bent down.
Also upon test firing prior to glass bedding it the forearm split on the first shot. I'd go with Henry unless you want a 454 and / or a possible project. Build quality is poor on the Rossi 92 these days.
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My 16" .44mag Rossi is certainly one of my favorite range toys, shoots well with mag loads but very high with special rounds. I dont fuss over it quite like I do with my pristine condition 78' 94 Winchester which means the Rossi gets used quite a bit. Out of the box the actions are a bit rough but they do smooth out nicely with use. I am confident enough to say there more satisfied Rossi owners than dissatisfied.
Of course it is your money and if you don't mind dropping the coin for a Winchester or Henry by all means have at it, you will most likely be very satisfied with either of those as well. I will say that the slickest action I have ever worked out of the box was on my dad's Heny.
Of course it is your money and if you don't mind dropping the coin for a Winchester or Henry by all means have at it, you will most likely be very satisfied with either of those as well. I will say that the slickest action I have ever worked out of the box was on my dad's Heny.
stagpanther
New member
Ahhh...my favorite "problems" with my rossi when I first bought it--it couldn't shoot under 7" group at 25 yds!
It wasn't that the barrel was literally bent--though it was in fact being bent out of alignment--the magazine/barrel band down near the muzzle was machined just enough out of tolerance that it was pushing up on the barrel--this was further compounded by the mag cap screw which engages a small divot in the bottom of the barrel also over-pressuring the barrel. You can easily see this when sight-aligning the gap between the barrel and magazine tube and the gap is not symmetrically parallel. I widened the barrel band and loosened the pressure from the mag cap screw and things immediately improved--except one day while shooting some hot loads the entire magazine tube parted company with the receiver and went down range a little ways spreading parts and cartridges. LOL. That's the moment I figured out that the mag cap screw was really the only thing holding the mag tube to the receiver. The fore-end on mine is really nothing more than a glorified piece of soft balsa-wood, and the channel for the barrel makes it virtually worthless for any strength -bearing, structurally the cross-bolt in the fore-end is the strongest component connecting holding the mag tube to the barrel. My solution was to simply epoxy the mag tube into the fore-end--a bit drastic but finally rigidly holding the mag tube while eliminating any pressure from either the front band or mag cap screw. The gun now can out-shoot some bolt-action rifles with more powerful scopes at the range.
By far the biggest negatives with rossi are these: 1) they manufacture everything including the screws and bolts--which naturally have their own odd-ball proprietary thread pitch; an 2) Braztech (which brings them into the country) as far as I know won't sell direct to owners any replacement parts--so if anything goes wrong you have to box it up and send it to the factory in Brazil, hoping that it gets back to you before your 1 year old daughter graduates from Harvard. : )
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Definitely a negative but you can have replacement parts sent directly to you. I had a cartridge guide screw back out on me at the range. I used Rossi's chat feature on their website to contact a customer service rep (you have to use this feature, they will not pick up the phone when you call) anyway, $7.00 and a week later they had the screw mailed to me.
stagpanther
New member
Maybe they have changed their policy to cover minimal parts availibility, but AFAIK, if you want anything beyond a few extra screws and general accessories--you gotta box her up and send her to Brazil for a long vacation. ; ) That was their policy at least up until a couple years ago.
LOVE My Rossi 92
I have a 20" blued .38/.357 bought new in 2014 - absolutely love this gun. Zero problems and quite nice fit/finish. Even the un-named Brazilian hardwood stock looks pretty good. Feeds everything except flush wadcutter ammo. Very accurate. I am getting old, but with the right loads I can still get 3" groups at 100 yds with the stock buckhorn sights.
Action was good out of the box, but a little bit of internal polishing really slicked it up. Steve's Gunz video is absolutely worth getting - makes opening it up and slicking it very easy. I did not make any of the modifications that he recommends except the lighter ejector spring, and I didn't even think I needed that (I did find that the spring change makes a huge difference in the smoothness of the bolt at lockup, even without any other polishing).
Do know that these guns have a very slow twist rate (ALL Rossi 92s have 30" twist), so they shoot best with either lighter bullet weights or full tilt magnums to get the speed up.
I have a 20" blued .38/.357 bought new in 2014 - absolutely love this gun. Zero problems and quite nice fit/finish. Even the un-named Brazilian hardwood stock looks pretty good. Feeds everything except flush wadcutter ammo. Very accurate. I am getting old, but with the right loads I can still get 3" groups at 100 yds with the stock buckhorn sights.
Action was good out of the box, but a little bit of internal polishing really slicked it up. Steve's Gunz video is absolutely worth getting - makes opening it up and slicking it very easy. I did not make any of the modifications that he recommends except the lighter ejector spring, and I didn't even think I needed that (I did find that the spring change makes a huge difference in the smoothness of the bolt at lockup, even without any other polishing).
Do know that these guns have a very slow twist rate (ALL Rossi 92s have 30" twist), so they shoot best with either lighter bullet weights or full tilt magnums to get the speed up.
I have two. One in 357 and one in 454. Both have been great. Took the 357 cougar hunting this year and will take the 454 bear hunting later this year. I hunt with dogs so both are short shots. If you want to get out past 100 yards I recommend a scout scope. Both have been accurate.
I have two Rossi 357mag leverguns made in 2009, bought NIB, and imported by Braztech. They are a 20" round barreled carbine and a case hardened, 24" octagon barreled rifle. When new, they both were a bit stiff but both fed my 158grn JSP Zero bullet tipped 357mag and 38spl handloads the same. That said, their actions weren't as smooth as a Henry but they functioned fine. With time they actions do smooth somewhat.
However, Rossis are grossly over sprung and benefit greatly from a simple, easy to follow DvD explanation of how to slick up the actions. The kit and DvD is available from Steve's Gun's for $58 and it gives easy step by step instructions to really make your Rossi sweet. While you're at it, also consider Steve's plug kit to remove the stupid bolt top safety that's more of a pain than useful.
I have north of 4,000rds through each of my Rossis and they are great. I added a tang sight and globe front sight to my rifle and found it's surprisingly accurate at as far as 300yds with my 158grn handloaded full power 357mag loads.
However, Rossis are grossly over sprung and benefit greatly from a simple, easy to follow DvD explanation of how to slick up the actions. The kit and DvD is available from Steve's Gun's for $58 and it gives easy step by step instructions to really make your Rossi sweet. While you're at it, also consider Steve's plug kit to remove the stupid bolt top safety that's more of a pain than useful.
I have north of 4,000rds through each of my Rossis and they are great. I added a tang sight and globe front sight to my rifle and found it's surprisingly accurate at as far as 300yds with my 158grn handloaded full power 357mag loads.