- Five models in .357 Magnum, in polished black or stainless. Octagonal barrel available.
- Six models in .44 Magnum in the same finishes.
- Four models in .45 Colt in the same finishes.
- One model in .454 Casull, polished stainless.
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A Bit Of History
Rossi has been making guns since 1889, when Amadeo Rossi founded the company. Located now in Sao Leopoldo, Brazil, the company has been building guns for 132 years and is a large maker of lever action rifles. In 1997, BrazTech International was created in order to be the exclusive importer of Rossi guns in North America. Before that, their guns were distributed by Interarms, located in Alexandria, Virginia. Rossi is now owned by Taurus, and distribution is handled by the parent company. The Rossi company is still run by family members and is dedicated to producing the best firearms it can. I’ve also owned a couple of Rossi revolvers - a snub-nosed .357 and one with a six-inch barrel. They both had highly-polished metal areas and rubber grips. The longer one was a tack driver. It’s too bad that Rossi doesn’t make handguns any more. They were a good buy for the money. The company has shown, in my opinion, a marked increase in production quality since Taurus bought them. Mating edges are straighter, finishes more even, metal-to-metal fit is very nice… I like the newer product a lot. You get a lot of gun for your money with the R92.| SPECS | |
|---|---|
| Overall Length: | 42.5" |
| Weight: | 6 lbs., 2 oz. (weighed on my digital scale) |
| Barrel Length: | 20" |
| Finish: | Stainless Steel |
| Capacity: | 12 Rounds |
| Action Type: | Lever Action |
| Trigger Pull: | 3 lbs., 12 oz. (average of 10 pulls) |
| Caliber: | 357 MAG / 38 SPECIAL +P |
| Sights: | Buckhorn |
| Safety: | Receiver-mounted safety |
| MSRP: | $876 |
| "Real-World" Price: | $650 |
If you must have a safety, at least make it unobtrusive. This one works well.
Traditional buckhorn rear sight
Stainless barrel band
The brass-beaded front sight post
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Range Time with the R92
Factory 125-grain JHP ... not sure what happened here!
Handload: 160-grain cast SWC over 7.1 grains of Long Shot
I ventured out to my backyard range on a blustery, cold day recently with the shiny R92. I set up a few targets at about 45 yards and went back to my bench. I managed to put some holes in the targets, but did nothing really notable. It wasn’t the gun, for sure - I owned another Rossi R92 that was more than accurate enough, and (as I described above) had taken deer. But, the ammo shortage put a definite crimp on the shooting activities. I just didn’t have enough factory .357 (or even .38 Special) on hand to give the gun a fair trial. It is fairly obvious that more exploration would need to be done in order to find a load that was accurate enough to hunt deer or other similar-sized game with. That would entail trying several different factory loads. But, with ammo in such short supply these days, I resorted to shooting just two loads - first, the only factory .357 load I had - a Fiocchi 125-grain JHP load and my tried-and-true handload listed above. I knew from the get-go that I was probably not going to shoot stellar groups with the small amount of ammo that I had. I also would probably not have readers (after looking at my wonderful, one-hole-targets) run to their cars to head out to buy this rifle simply because of its accuracy that I so proficiently demonstrated. Truth be told, I just wanted to shoot this rifle for two reasons: first, to see if all that “shiny-ness” might put me off my aim, and also to compare it to the other R92 I owned in .45 Colt. It did very well in both categories.
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17 Responses
I have the rossi 92 in blue, love it especially the safety features
Frank, glad to hear it and glad you like it. Thanks for writing!
Good review Mike. I too, have fired the .45 Colt version of Rossi’s Lever Action stable, and I agree, it’s a well designed and well made gun. Back when I still hunted, I often toyed with the idea of a .357 Mag/.38 Spec lever gun. What best to compliment the .357 Mag model 66 I carried as a sidearm. Just seems real logical IMO, and I imagine the old cowpokes felt the same way riding the range (though 44-40 and .45 LC were THE cartridges of that era).
Never bought one though, and I dropped Deer season for Elk, and that required something that had a bit farther of a reach.
I agree with you too, that it’s too bad Rossi dropped out of the handgun business. They put out a really good product at affordable pricing. Nothing fancy, just well made and reliable.
Bemused, sounds like we have a lot in common where these lever guns are concerned. I really enjoyed shooting mine when I owned it, and it really did a number on deer under 100 yards. As usual, I appreciate your comments!
A classy and practical rifle. You did it justice in your review. I want one.
Bert, I don’t blame you – it is both those things. Thanks for writing again.
I have wanted one in 357 for some time now! The last time i was in my local gun shop i saw two Marlin’s in 357 for 599.99 and i did want one! my problem is i walked in with 1200.00 in my pocket and saw a 9mm Carbine i also wanted and as you know these new pistol caliber ARs aint cheap! And i wanted one of those for even longer then the lever in 357 so i bought it.I went back a couple of weeks later to buy one of the lever guns and they were both gone :>( So since i have walked into that same store ,every friday since in hopes they had one come in? Hasnt happened yet and no matter how much i pray and hope, im not seeing any new ones show up? :>/ I already have a 38Spcl handgun and of course i wanted to get a level gun in 357 because i could shoot the 38 in it as well. But i ended up with a Marlin chambered in 45/70 and man…… its a cannon! LOL i just love it and want one in 357 even more now??? LOL
Michael, yeah, the .357 rifle makes a great companion gun to (with?) a revolver. Shooting .38 Spl out of both of them makes sense. The old .38, out of a rifle barrel, pushed .357 velocities out of a handgun. Hopefully you’ll be able to find one soon. Thanks for writing! (P.S. – I agree with you about the 9mm AR – I have one and they are fun!!)
I just bought my today .Rossi 357/38 stainless still. From the,
Lever Action Hunter. Very nice young man, knolagable on the lever action rifles. I am waiting for pick up.
He is from TX.
I paid total shipping and insurance ,949 . You think it is a fair price?
Thanks John
Hi Mike; I have this exact rifle and enjoy it tremendously. It did break the little steel cylinder that holds the extractor, but I found a less brittle aftermarket part from https://store.stevesgunz.com, and it was easily replaced.
Real world price for me in 2Q2020 was about $800, because availability was very poor at the time.
Being a clone of the Winchester, it’s a bit finicky to disassemble and reassemble, but there are good instructional vids on YouTube for that.
I love it. It’s much lighter and handier than my Marlin 336 in 30-30 (also SS). It is also kinda cool that it’s effectively a PCC, and I can carry my S&W R8 together with it and only need one ammo.
That said, it has been a long time since I shot it because of the ridiculous price for .38 Special and .357 Magnum. However, I still pull it out of the safe every now and then, and in the words of my wife “fondle it” and action the lever with dummy rounds!
Marc, I get it on the lack of ammo but you make a good point – two guns, one ammo source. That was not lost on the pioneers out west in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Thanks for writing!
O/A, well written. Is the capacity based on .38SPL or .357MAG? Seems out of place compared to a 24″ BBL. And, please use a different, if not “darker” text/font; your articles are difficult to read as printed. THX! J
John J, I think that’s based on the magnum-length cases. I’ll pass on the text color issue – thanks for writing!
Shoots as good (bad) as the Marlin 1894C I got rid of. Switched to a Ruger 77/357 that would have put ALL shots in the red. That Ruger bolt gun is just dead nuts accurate; in fact it will shoot six different loads to same POI with no adjustments (in .357). 38 Spl is a different story, shoots low and left, but can be compensated for if I wanted to. The Rossi Rio Bravo .22LR that I have is a great shooter; really like that gun. My Ruger 77/357 is matte stainless’ I think that Rossi should offer that finish for the R92. Way too shiny for me.
Just Me, those Ruger 77s in pistol calibers were great guns. Friend Duane has, in his shop, a camo one in .44 Mag now – nice deer rifle. Appreciate you writing again!
Really liked hearing about the “pistol” caliber lever action rifles. I bought my first one, a carbine, from a J.C. Penney’s store 1969. I have a revolver in the same caliber. They are a sweet pair. With the new hornady lever action bullets in 44 magnum and 357 magnum there are new receipes for reloading. The 44 can reach out further, effectively.
I have had a number Marlin’s and Rossi’s 357’s. Marlin wins hands down. Fit, Finish, Action, Accuracy, Safety all better on a Marlin. The only thing the Rossi’s have going for them, once they are tuned right, is that they are have the 92 cowboy action.