.357/38 lever guns. What are your favorites?

torontogungal said:
Like Remlins most of the Rossi rifles can be made into real nice guns if you're handy with tools.
You're best to deal with a lgs that will take let you check the gun from butt plate to barrel crown before buying it.
That will screen out the most outrageously bad lemons right at the point of purchase.
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I'm not afraid to tweek I'm afraid of scrap guns. Only lgs is crappy tire. My last one would double feed, had a pitted barrel, peened bolt face, etc.
Would love to find a well used one that works but everyone wants retail for used...
 
torontogungal said:
Like Remlins most of the Rossi rifles can be made into real nice guns if you're handy with tools.
You're best to deal with a lgs that will take let you check the gun from butt plate to barrel crown before buying it.
That will screen out the most outrageously bad lemons right at the point of purchase.
Click to expand...

Good fookin' thing I'm handy with tools. Ain't had a bad Rossi yet, 'cept the wood on these could use improvement.
View attachment 48893
 
torontogungal said:
Unless one was thinking about taking up cowboy action shooting why would they bother getting an ultra expensive 1873 that was a inferior strength action by design?
A Rossi 92 albeit a kit (you're buying a project) gun that might need fixing and smoothing for 1/4 the money is a much better buy for plinking and hunting.
The 3 Rossi 92s that our family owns are superb.
The hubby looks on a new Rossi like most people look on a crossword puzzle or a paint by number kit ... a winter project to chase away the doldrums.
The guns are made of good steel and decent Brazilian jungle hardwood.
The fit and finish and polishing are lacking and a few evenings shop work will make these diamonds in the rough into jewels.
The hubbies hand loads are quite vigorous and he has taken plenty of deer with his Rossi 92 in 357 mag.
Mostly 1-shot kills.
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73s are easy to take apart and clean, slick action out of the box. its fun to shoot with it fast action. and i had a rossi for a little while and there ok but the safety bothers me for some reason. and the fit and finish on the rossi is sub par like norinco guns, in my opinion its like a "finish it yourself" gun with all the smoothing out and polishing you need to do. plus the 73 just plain looks ###y. i don't need the 92 action i don't plan on shooting over pressured buffalo rounds. to each there own, i sold my original 92 to buy a 73 and i haven't looked back for a second
 
James1873 said:
73s are easy to take apart and clean, slick action out of the box. its fun to shoot with it fast action. and i had a rossi for a little while and there ok but the safety bothers me for some reason. and the fit and finish on the rossi is sub par like norinco guns, in my opinion its like a "finish it yourself" gun with all the smoothing out and polishing you need to do. plus the 73 just plain looks ###y. i don't need the 92 action i don't plan on shooting over pressured buffalo rounds. to each there own, i sold my original 92 to buy a 73 and i haven't looked back for a second
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The Rossi guns are definitely kit guns.
The hubby calls them "projects in a box".
If the safety bothers you remove it.
The hubby has developed a new method of filling the safety hole using that glue (forget the name) you mix from 2 tubes that gets as hard as steel.
The glue dries black and just needs to be smoothed with fine emery paper and polished and it looks like there was never a safety on the gun.
His tru oil refinished stocks look absolutely fantastic.
 
torontogungal said:
The Rossi guns are definitely kit guns.
The hubby calls them "projects in a box".
If the safety bothers you remove it.
The hubby has developed a new method of filling the safety hole using that glue (forget the name) you mix from 2 tubes that gets as hard as steel.
The glue dries black and just needs to be smoothed with fine emery paper and polished and it looks like there was never a safety on the gun.
His tru oil refinished stocks look absolutely fantastic.
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right on thats cool. i think i have seen a youtube video where he epoxied in a 32 acp case in the hole were the safety was and it looked ok. your methods probably better if it looks like it wasn't ever there lol
 
My stainless 357 SRC Rossi came from Steves Gunz in Texas. Amazing smooth action, and very, and I mean VERY, accurate. This is my 'never sell' rifle. The only minor flaw is that it won't feed 38's unless I load to 357 OAL. (And I have thousands of 38 cases). However, my scrounging from non reloaders is bearing fruit and my stash of 357 cases is growing. It feeds the 357 SWC bullets as smooth as silk.

Got it for cowboy action originally, but now it's a general purpose farm gun. Wearing a few knocks and scrapes, and the annoying saddle ring is long gone. My son asked me to knock off a mistletoe laden branch which was on a tree he couldn't get to. Offhand at 60 feet, the 357 158r SWC took the two inch branch clean off at the trunk, one shot.

Looking for a 45 Colt Rossi now as he has visitors at night more troublesome than mistletoe, and the 357 is a bit light for them.

TJ
 
Talljoe said:
My stainless 357 SRC Rossi came from Steves Gunz in Texas. Amazing smooth action, and very, and I mean VERY, accurate. This is my 'never sell' rifle. The only minor flaw is that it won't feed 38's unless I load to 357 OAL. (And I have thousands of 38 cases). However, my scrounging from non reloaders is bearing fruit and my stash of 357 cases is growing. It feeds the 357 SWC bullets as smooth as silk.

Got it for cowboy action originally, but now it's a general purpose farm gun. Wearing a few knocks and scrapes, and the annoying saddle ring is long gone. My son asked me to knock off a mistletoe laden branch which was on a tree he couldn't get to. Offhand at 60 feet, the 357 158r SWC took the two inch branch clean off at the trunk, one shot.

Looking for a 45 Colt Rossi now as he has visitors at night more troublesome than mistletoe, and the 357 is a bit light for them.

TJ
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As a Canadian you can buy the Steves Gunz kit from his website with a credit card and duplicate the tune up process Steve Young uses on the Rossi 92s.
The accompanying dvd shows Steve actually doing the work and explaining what he does step by step so clearly a 6 year old could do it.
The Lee Gunslinger spring kit (if you can find a Canadian source - Brownells for whatever reason won't ship them to Canada) makes the Rossi 92s purr like a kitten.
Our 92s are so slick they come when we whistle ... just kidding. ;)
 
wbaad said:
How does that beauty feed .38 special?
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I've not used .38 specials in any of my .357 rifles as I got plenty of .357 brass to use. There have been issues with the shorter round not feeding well in lever guns chambered for .357, but I found in the past that .38's loaded with 180-200 gr. roundnose cast boolits, seated out a tad to give the same overall cartridge length as the .357 functioned fine in Model 92's & my Model 94 Legacy.

This rifle is my .357 & the one 1st. shown is my .45 Colt .;)
View attachment 48988
 
SHELL SHUCKER said:
I've not used .38 specials in any of my .357 rifles as I got plenty of .357 brass to use. There have been issues with the shorter round not feeding well in lever guns chambered for .357, but I found in the past that .38's loaded with 180-200 gr. roundnose cast boolits, seated out a tad to give the same overall cartridge length as the .357 functioned fine in Model 92's & my Model 94 Legacy.

This rifle is my .357 & the one 1st. shown is my .45 Colt .;)
View attachment 48988
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Well I picked up another ranch hand at crappy tire for a decent price since it was the display gun. Pretty slick right out of the box and the receiver even looks to have flat sides too.
Thing that scares me a little is that it is literally the sister to the one I had that was scrap. This one is serial ###x737 and my old one was ###x736! Already looks like this one is a world better than the turd but time will tell.

Needs a real buttstock off the bat.
 
wbaad said:
Well I picked up another ranch hand at crappy tire for a decent price since it was the display gun. Pretty slick right out of the box and the receiver even looks to have flat sides too.
Thing that scares me a little is that it is literally the sister to the one I had that was scrap. This one is serial ###x737 and my old one was ###x736! Already looks like this one is a world better than the turd but time will tell.

Needs a real buttstock off the bat.
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rustywood.ca sells 92 stocks for 119$ if you didn't already know
 
As a Canadian you can buy the Steves Gunz kit from his website with a credit card and duplicate the tune up process Steve Young uses on the Rossi 92s.
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Thanks, didn't know that. When I get that 45 I'll get the kit too.

TJ
 
Talljoe said:
Thanks, didn't know that. When I get that 45 I'll get the kit too.

TJ
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You're going to take a bit of an exchange hit because of the low CDN $ but if you want a super smooth cycling gun the SG kit is the ticket.
The DVD itself is worth the money.
It'll help a lot for the first couple of 92 reassemblies ... any dummy can take things apart. ;)
I also see a couple of reallyw good Rossi 92 tune up videos on YouTube.
I heartily recommend the Lee Gunslinger spring kit ... they're hard to get in Canada and Brownells for some reason won't ship them up here.
 
James1873 said:
73s are easy to take apart and clean, slick action out of the box. its fun to shoot with it fast action. and i had a rossi for a little while and there ok but the safety bothers me for some reason. and the fit and finish on the rossi is sub par like norinco guns, in my opinion its like a "finish it yourself" gun with all the smoothing out and polishing you need to do. plus the 73 just plain looks ###y. i don't need the 92 action i don't plan on shooting over pressured buffalo rounds. to each there own, i sold my original 92 to buy a 73 and i haven't looked back for a second
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I'm planning on picking up a Cimmaron in 1873. Like yourself, I'll only be throwing lower power/cowboy action loads down the tube. There's just something about the '73 that screams ###y!!
 
The Steve's Gunz kit is a must have for Rossi M92s. Stainless steel mag tube follower replacing the plastic one, an improved ejector spring and the tune-up DVD. Also grab the safety plug and de-lawyer it if you have a newer model.

 
Tan said:
The Steve's Gunz kit is a must have for Rossi M92s. Stainless steel mag tube follower replacing the plastic one, an improved ejector spring and the tune-up DVD. Also grab the safety plug and de-lawyer it if you have a newer model.

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For my Rossi's, I just reshaped, polished & blued the bolt safety and put a drop of Loctite 545 hydraulic sealant into the hammer safety mechanism as well to hold it fast.
View attachment 49357

As for the magazine follower, I turned out my own using C360 brass stock on the lathe. I've used Steve's ejector springs & they work well to keep the brass from flying far.
View attachment 49358

Tinker,tinker.:)
 
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