Lever Action Recommendation/Rossi Questions

p.Rundle

p.Rundle

CGN frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
24   0   0
Location
I dunno where I am but I know where you can stick
Howdy folks,

I genuinely have no idea if this should go here or in the pistol caliber rifles thread. Probably both tbh. Please move if I guessed wrong.

I was planning on doing some hunting from a ridge with a .308 long gun, really good glass, and tripod this coming November. Great view of some swamp and a field.

Last year while on this ridge I got pushed at close range by a buck of some sort. Never saw if he was a whitetail, mule, or elk - spooked him on a probing push. Bad calls on my end.

Was thinking about a handy little rifle to tote up there in case I got pushed like that again. Was thinking about a .357 or .44 lever action, as they're so handy and light. Would be easy to carry in addition to the other crap I bring up there. I really like the looks of the R92, and I really, really like the features of stainless.

Is the Rossi R92 stainless a good rifle for winter in Alberta? I see they're generally regarded as reliable (could be wrong) and a decent price. But a lot of people reviewing them live where palm trees grow naturally...

.357 or .44? This is for deer. Inside of 75m.

16 inches or 20"? I lean towards 16" for carryability. But if 20" is just bonkers better than 16" for the caliber that makes more sense I'll tote the extra weight up the hill.

Thanks for any thoughts on the matter.
 
Packing two guns is a bit overkill. Its best to have your scope on the minimum magnification power for the upclose stuff should you need it. I've lost deer that way as have thousands of other hunters that don't tell anyone about it. It's really just another notch of experience in learning how to hunt.
 
So here's the deal on that one - and I normally agree with you 100% on the low mag preference - the rifle in this case is a bigass Savage FCP 10 in an HS Precision stock with a 6-30x Primary Arms Platinum FFP scope. And I was planning on having it locked in my tripod. It's really more of a long-range setup that I'm using for hunting than it is a traditional hunting rifle.

My spot on the hill is kinda funny. Where I sit is a clear blowdown area, probably 400 ft above the valley floor. There's mild timber 30 m further up the hill from the sitting position, and incredibly heavy timber on the other sides around it. Game trail through it. It overlooks like 1200m (obviously I will not shoot a deer at this sort of range) of swamp and willow-bush field, mixed with heavy timber on the hills on the sides of the valley. I like hunting this area as I've had equal opportunity to shoot a deer at long range from the many vantage points as I have at close range when stalking the fields below.

The particular patch of timber where the deer pushed from (at least last year) was a very inopportune spot. My line of thought on the levergun is it's better to be able to scoot out of the tripod with a handy brush gun than it is to either bring the rifle in the tripod with me, or get the rifle out of the tripod and then stalk.

Does this sound like a reasonable rationale for the levergun or does it really just seem like a waste of time and thought and I should just get comfortable doing some stalking with the Savage?
 
12" mares leg with the full stock in 44 mag would just about fix your problems there. At 75M you would have plenty of gun to bring down a deer in 44 even with that short 12" barrel.

Chiappa makes a lighter one, in the short stock, and you can source a full stock for it. Lighter I mean thinner barrel, and I think even take down that takes a minute to put together when you get up there.

12" version, non take down, with open sight: https://g4cgunstore.com/product/chiappa-1892-nsr-carbine-44-mag-12-black/

in wood: https://g4cgunstore.com/product/chiappa-1892-mares-leg-44mag-12-brl-wood/

12" take down version, but this one is a heavy oct barrel. https://g4cgunstore.com/product/chiappa-1892-alaskan-take-down-44mag-12-brl-black/

They do also make the 357 in those versions if you decide that is enough gun.

Another option might be the CVA scout II, take down. Comes in a few different calibers, 44, 35 wheel, 243, 6.5 CM among a few others I don't recall at this time. Same thing, takes less than a min to put together when you get up there and set up. They are a 20" barrel for the most part, but as a single shot there is no action so they are a fair bit shorter than a standard bolt rifle in the same 20" barrel. They have a newer version scout out now, but not all are take down, so be weary of that. I think the 44 mag is still TD.
 
Alberta regulations prohibit the use of cartridges with an empty case length of less than 32mm for big game hunting - 357 mag is specifically prohibited by calibre. 44 mag however is legal.

Decide your range and big game you want to be able to cover off with a lever gun. I use a Rossi 92 stainless in 454 Casull: range up to 100 yds, and I needed to cover off deer, elk, moose, bears + hitting power for both hunting + photography. R92 is fairly lightweight, has a Skinner Peep Sight + one holes at 50yds ... fast, easy, fairly lightweight, recoil less than a 45-70 but almost as effective. Shoot what is good for you + your purpose. Its my defensive bush / close range gun. 2nd up is a short barreled 12 gauge pump mostly for photography - easy to carry, access + easy to load up with bangers, rubber bullets, buck or slugs ...
 
Got this Rossi M 92 lately, didn't fire it, but I am very impressed with the fit and finish.
44 Mag., 16"
 

Attachments

  • IMG_7684.JPG
    IMG_7684.JPG
    164.9 KB · Views: 6
  • IMG_7690.JPG
    IMG_7690.JPG
    109.9 KB · Views: 6
I had a Rossi in 454 Casull that had lots of knock down power. I still have one in 45 colt. With full loads it to has a lot of energy. The Rossi is a strong action and can take full house reloads. Runs smooth.
 
For a backup rifle that's not chewing through box after box of ammo but needs to knock down whatever needs being hit, the Rossi 454 would be my choice too, although for reliability I'd still want to reach for a Miroku Winchester.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom