Rossi M92 owners-any regrets?

the possum said:
I wish mine didn't have a canted barrel. But it was either take it or leave it, so overall I'm still glad I bought it. If you have the choice though, look over the hammer (while the hammer is down) and make sure it's lined up with the sights.

Have you handled a 16" model in person yet? The sight radius is terribly short. Shorter than a long barreled revolver. Feels more like a pistol with a buttstock. I went with a 20" and don't regret it.
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No, but whether I were to get the 16 or 20 inch barrel I was going to replace the rear sight. So far the two options available are a bolt mounted peep sight that replaces the safety or a tang mounted sight. Either increases the sight radius and this isn't a rifle I'm looking to shoot more than 200 yards away with.
 
These are all companies that offer reciiever mounted peep sights. I can't say if they require drilling and tapping.

Williams Sights
Marbles sights
Lyman's Sights
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Also:
Skinner Sights
XS Sighting Systems
Ranger Point Precision (RPP)

Old, used Weaver sights show up in classifieds / auctions occasionally.
 
the possum said:
Have you handled a 16" model in person yet? The sight radius is terribly short. Shorter than a long barreled revolver. Feels more like a pistol with a buttstock. I went with a 20" and don't regret it.
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I'll 2nd that about the feel. A 16" barreled levergun feels poorly balanced to me. There isn't enough weight on the barrel to keep it from wandering so it's harder to aim with. And yes, the sight radius is really short; 14½" on a 16" carbine.
 
I'll 2nd that about the feel. A 16" barreled levergun feels poorly balanced to me. There isn't enough weight on the barrel (...)
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That's pretty much the point: Short, light, and handy.
There is no free lunch. It means that people that prefer muzzle-heavy rifles for stability won't like them. But short, light, and handy are the primary driving forces behind 16" lever guns.

My 20" and 22" barrel lever guns feel good. But, sometimes... I want something shorter and lighter.

And yes, the sight radius is really short; 14½" on a 16" carbine.
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As mentioned earlier, sight radius can be extended with a receiver-mounted sight. (or tang sight)
Carefully choosing sights can also provide more precision, which can negate the 'loss of precision' that comes with a short sight radius.

I spent about a year (maybe more), on and off, refining a receiver sight design, and figuring out what front sight to pair with it, for a .30-30 Marlin 336 with a 16.125" barrel.
Sight radius is now just shy of 16".
Everyone that tries that sight combination loves it.
The first time tested in the current (almost certainly final) configuration, it quickly progressed from sight verification at about 60 yards, to head shots on an "IPSC" steel target at 390 yards, for everyone but the guys that "can't see anything without a scope any more". ...But, of course, it was already proven to be a very accurate rifle. Changing sights or scoping a "shotgun pattern" rifle won't make it shoot any better. Ya gotsta have good bones ta build off'a.

No, not everyone needs to design a bespoke sight for their rifle. There are plenty of good options on the market. I just prefer drawing outside the lines.

This is the sight's profile. One would think that the semi-buckhorn shape would be less than ideal, and that it would reduce field of view too much and become a handicap; but it pairs very well with a fine brass bead front sight blade. (5/64" bead, I believe)

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Perspective view. Orthographic makes it look funky.
 

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I bought a used Interarms Puma in 357 quite a few years ago. It is a fun gun and my wife likes it a lot. No regrerts on this one.
 
Rossi M92

I have one bought in early 90's in 38 spl /357mag. If I have one gripe it is the fact that it doesn't feed 38's very well. I have to load them out long but they are a hoot to shoot, not much more kick than a 22. Later production guns have better front sights but it's not that big of a deal I can hit with mine out to 100 yards easy.
 
Not a regret, just an observation...

My wife's M92 .44mag is an early import--no safety on the top.

So, WOO-HOO, no stupid lawyer-safety.

But that means I can not remove the sucker and replace it with that nifty aperture sight somebody made to fit in that hole.

And it seems a bit pretentious to install a tang aperture sight on a .44mag.
 
I have a Marbles full buckhorn on mine. I use it as a ghost ring and it works really well with my 62 year old eyesight but not everybody likes them.
 
I have a .357 carbine. I replaced the font sight with a fiber optic nice bright red one. It’s dead on at 50 yards and I love it. No regrets at all.
 
No regrets. Not sure what they are selling for now, but I think I paid $375 for my last 45 LC. Then whatever the Steve's Gunz tuning kit cost. They need a little work. The wood is rather underwhelming. But for a working gun, they offer value for money. My .357 had feeding issues .38 AND .357, but I understand that is not the norm. My 45LC 16" is the handiest little carbine and plenty accurate. Buy with a view to spending a liitle more to tune and smooth.
 
Steve sells his action and trigger tuning kit for $58 which includes his DvD that clearly explains how to do everything you need to know to both do the work and take care of your Rossi. Following the DvD, it's simple to do with just basic tools. You'll love both the finished product and the fact that you understand your Rossi much better when you're done.

Add the bolt safety plug or peep sight to his tune up kit (each sold separately) and you'll have a great shooting, slick action and trigger on your Rossi. I did both my carbine and my rifle and my neighbor liked them so much, he bought a rifle for himself, the parts to tune it, and I did the action / trigger job for him just like I did on my two. All three are .357 Mag and all three will feed both our .38 Spl and .357 Mag handloads just fine. I should note that we load the .38 Spl a bit long at 1.500" OAL to ensure that they feed smoothly.

My only regrets are that I don't have a couple more in 44-40, I don't get out with them as much as I'd like, and my son and I don't get to shoot them together as much as I'd like either. (Honey dos get in the way and his work 'interferes' with our shooting fun time. :p )
 
I've had mine (a 16" 357) for a bunch of years and have no regrets. It was an impulse buy at a LGS back when the prices of all the tactical stuff and ammo got crazy. I figured I'd shoot a lot of cheap 38 Special through it (which I have done).

I did get Steve's DVD, spring kit, upgraded the tube follower and generally slicked up the action. It's been reliable, accurate and has a very nice (though very light) trigger. Mine feeds both 38 Special and 357 with no drama.

My only issue with the gun is the loading gate is kind of rough. I can't really get smooth with shoot one, load one drills. The round seems to hang up and I have to push it in hard with my finger, then the gate tries to trap my finger. Maybe it's me, maybe it's the gate.

Other than that, I love the little carbine.
 
I have a stainless 20" 357. Bought it to have fun with at our range.
Did a spring kit, load gate mod, magazine follower and a Skinner rear sight.
Of those my only regret so far is the Skinner sight. It took a lot of filing to get it to fit. Per Skinner it was supposed to be made for the Rossi dovetail size. I just put a Ranger Point clover leaf on another lever and like that much better.
I was also bored one winter and decided to refinish the wood. I wanted a darker color to show off the bright stainless. Didn't come out like I wanted. Seems like the wood even after stripping and washing did not absorb much stain. It just stayed on the surface. So if I find some cash I will likely look for better/replacement wood and try my black walnut stain again. Other than that it is a great shooter.
 
This thread made me wanna dig mine out and get the sights fixed. The dovetails were milled off center so i stuck it in the safe and it hardly makes it out.
 
I bought a 16" 357 Mag model, new, about 3 years ago.

I found the action to be plenty slick, and it's gotten better with use. I'm not a Cowboy Action shooter, so maybe I'm not as demanding as some, but I find it very easy to cycle the action without lowering the rifle from my shoulder or anything.

I've put several makes and models of .357 and .38 cartridges through it with absolutely no feeding problems.

Fit and finish of the stock is average, but I'm not real picky in this area, anyway.

The only problem I've had is that the front sight was loose when I bought it. It literally fell out in my hand. It looked like someone had ground it down on a bench grinder to make it fit into the dovetail, and ground it too far. I temporarily shimmed it with paper so it'd stay put, and ordered a replacement sight from Steve's Guns (mentioned and linked above) rather than futzing with a warranty repair. The replacement sight fit perfectly. I also bought a steel magazine follower from Steve's to replace the factory plastic one while I was at it, just because.

This is now my favorite long gun to shoot, just inching out my M1 Garand for the title.
 
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