Just discovered about 500 .44 mag empties. I now need to get some dies to reload for my Ruger Super Black Hawk. I figure a .44 Mag rifle ought to be in my future. Never cared for my Marlin in .44 mag but a model 92 would be a different kettle of fish. Rossi now makes a Model 92 with a 24" barrel in .44 mag.

Anybody got a Rossi in .44 mag? Give me the good, the bad, and the ugly on the rifle if you have one.

Thanks.

Out of curiosity, what don't you like about the marlin? Myself, I prefer the Marlin greatly over the 92 and 94 action guns. In every caliber.

The Marlin shot it's screws lose all the time and nothing I did or the gunsmith did could stop the screws from shooting lose. It was not as accurate as I would have liked. One would have been hard press to keep all of one's shots in a 5 to 6" circle even at 50 yards. In all fairness to the rifle it was a Cowboy Action rifle probably designed for a lower velocity than I was using and lead bullets. I was shooting PMC factory ammo truncated 240 grain bullets at about 2,000 feet per second. Probably if I was hand loading and used lead bullets around 1,000 FPS it would have shot better. The screws still would have shot lose eventually but probably not as quickly as they did using the faster loads.

I think you had one bum rifle in your hands. Try a different one. Nothing wrong with the 92 action, I simply prefer the Marlin by a large margin. Everything about them, for me, is better.

My friend had one . He traded it off because of feeding issues.

Glenn

Another option is a used Browning 1892 lever action or if you can swing it a New Winchester 1892. Look on Gun Broker, etc.

I bought a Rossi 92 in .357, and have been quite happy with it. It did take quite a bit of tweaking to get it to where I wanted it, but the end result was worth it.

I would have preferred an American made rifle, but the good Marlins and Winchesters are scarce and pricey in certain calibers and configurations, and I didn't want to pay collector prices for a shooter. The Rossis are available, and a decent value, IMO. Fit and finish, at least on their higher end models, seems to be on par with many new rifles, which is faint praise, I'm sad to admit. These days I would want to see and handle any rifle I'm contemplating purchasing.

In my limited experience and from what I have read, feeding can be problematic in pistol caliber lever rifles. May be fussy about ammo too. It's a basic design issue. They are like semiauto pistols in that regard.

Paul

A new Winchester 92 might be a possibility if there are any still left. I talked to Winchester and there rifles are being produced in limited quantities.

Another possibility is a Cimarron Arms 92. I had thought about a Cimarron 1860 Henry but a 92 with the .44 mag brass I have makes more sense.

I've got a stainless Rossi with a 20" tube. As others have mentioned, there can be feeding issues with certain bullet shapes. XTPs and WWB softpoints feed very well, so that's what I use. Used the softpoints to take a nice doe this year, actually.

The Rossi is considerably lighter than the Marlin. Mine is a little over 5 lbs. I'm using the bolt peep from Steves Gunz (it replaces that terrible safety) along with a gold bead. My trigger is actually pretty good. It makes for a super handy little package.

I find the recoil to be significant with heavy loads due to the light weight. And I'm just learning to use the aperture sights so my effective range is pretty short, but that's more of a "me" problem obviously. New rifles are drilled and tapped for a scout mount if that's to your liking. Fun little rifles.

Before Taurus bought Rossi out, the 92�s were hit and miss. When you found a good one, they worked perfectly and were sweet. When you got a bad one, it took a LOT of work to make it work.

Now they�re every bit as good as the Winchesters, just not as pretty. I�ve shot a bunch of them, and did a T&E for Guns Magazine of the .480 Rossi and I haven�t been able to induce a feed malfunction on ANY of the new ones; I can�t say that for a Marlin. The actions are butter smooth, they shoot very straight, and they feed flawlessly. If it were me, I�d take the Rossi over the Marlin. In my experience the newer Rossi�s are more reliable.

Every Rossi I have seen (no newer models) were first rate POS.

You'd have just as good a chance at killing something with a Rossi if you just threw the whole rig at it......

Rossi may build a good solid M92 but their C/S sucks

I have a nice collection of 'JM' stamped Marlin levers...

which I much more prefer...

Have pretty extensive experience with a pre-safety Rossi 92 in 357, and a newer, bolt safety version. The newer gun has better fit and finish than the old, but both work well with 357 softpoints. The pre-safety model needs a taller front sight, as it is impossible to get her to shoot to point of aim at distances inside 40 yards, even with the rear sight adjusted all the way down. The newer gun seems better regulated, but for me, if I wanted to do more than shoot at targets for fun, I'd have to look into better sight options. For serious work, I prefer to rely on true rifle cartridges, rather than pistol cartridges-just my personal preference, and my personal opinion.
With all 92s, Rossi included, you have to be very conscious of OAL to get proper feeding.
All in all, for the price range, which is less than half of most Winchesters, and maybe 2/3 of Marlin, the Rossi offers a good value. Still, if I was intending on a serious working tool, rather than an entertaining plinker, and I could afford it, I would take a long look at the new Miroku 92s sold by Winchester.

I've had two .44s, one of the 20", and another in 16". I didn't like the shorty much, too muzzle light for me, but the 20" was the cat's azz. It would only shoot about a 4" group at 100 yards with 240 XTPs, but that's good enough for a deer. The rifle packed light and handy, and feed well, AS LONG AS YOU KEPT THE BULLET PROFILE SIMILAR TO THE XTP. Those round flatnose bullets you see for cowboy shooting worked well enough.
You COULD shoot SWC bullets, from Special cases, but they were too long for the Magnum cases.

Some lowlife SOBs stole mine, or I'd still have it. FUN with a capital "F" describes them well. I did have to shim the magazine tube into the receiver, as it would slide out from recoil without the shims (I used duct tape d:^) ) Great little guns, as long as you don't expect them to shoot like a benchrest rifle.

Shhhhhh, don't tell the three deer my brother killed with my rifle, about that, I'd hate to have them haunting him for the rest of his days.

One of my buddies has the Rossi Rio Grande in 45-70. Very well made and balances just like a Marlin.

Sherwood

Mine is a 454. It will feed colts as well as the intended fodder just fine. It shoots groups I would hope for with its ghost ring rear and red front sight at 50 yards with 240 XTP mag bullets. It shoulders quick and the felt recoil isn't bad at all. It's easy to carry and fun to shoot. I can't wait to get it bloody!

I really like them.

I have several thousand rounds through my .357 without a single malfunction of any kind.

Not quite as many through my .44, but again, not a single malfuction.

I've owned and fired others, no complaints.

I like my Marlins too, but you can pretty near double the price these days. And they are heavy by comparison - good or bad.

4" groups @ 100yds = "the cat's a$$"?? Really?

I guess we have different standards, cuz every levergun I own will shoot far better than that.

I hear all Rossis will shoot moa, providing the muzzle is touching the target......

A couple years ago I bought a 92 with the short barrel. I wanted it mostly as a saddle gun and, maybe, to have over a bear bait. I've tried 240 gr jacketed Noslers and 265 gr Hornadys. If I cycle the action slowly and carefully I'll get a "stovepipe" almost every time. If I operate the lever sharply and quickly it works pretty well. I'll try some other bullet profiles. Has anyone used the bullets I mentioned with good success? If so, at what case length?

Thank you!

I received a Rossi 92 24 inch .44-40 stainless as a gift in 2011.
We really like it and my kids have shot the snot out of it with no problems.

Quality is very good and it smoothed up after shooting a couple of boxes of factory loads.

It seems that small frame lever actions seem to work the best with 44-40. If I decide to get another small frame lever action I think it will most definitely be in 44-40.

I just don't know how I missed this...

I have a Rossi 92 in 45Colt and it is fantastic.

I have yet to shoot it over 50yrds but at 50 I can keep a 1.5-1.75inch group from the bench with the Steve's semi-buckhorn sights.

Keep in mind this is the first rifle I have ever used any type of "V" sight.

I shoot Speer 250g bullets with Ruger loads no problem.

All the said, I did have Steve from "Steve's Gunz" put on his standard package before I even saw it.

It is a 24inch, Octagon bbl setup.

I did have to finish the stock... and I can't see why they sell them that way.

All in all it is a great little rifle

I�m thinken I may get a 20inch round BBL too

Snake

I had the Rossi 92 in .357 Magnum. Never gave me any trouble, and was accurate with a good trigger. Wood to metal fit left something to be desired, though.

Do yourself a favor and spend the extra cash for a Browning B92 44 Mag. It might take awhile to find one and you will have to pay at leat $600 for a nice one, but they are SOOOO much nicer than any Rossi 92 clone. The only tweaking they usually require is a little work to lighten the trigger. Other than that, they are as smooth as butter and every bit the equal of the orignal 1892 Winchesters in terms of workmanship.

Ruger 96/44, my favorite lever of them all.
No hammer, short 60 degree lever throw, side eject for low scope mounting, and detachable magazine (no tube!).

All in a small compact package that carries like a bb gun.

I had a rossi .357, and traded it off fairly quickly. this was quite a few years ago, and the gun was rough. I have a had a mess of Marlins, and they all went downthe road, too. I currently have a Browning B92, and it's found a permanent home. Smooth, accurate with cast and jacketed, and just all round nice. And no tang safety.

The thing you need to keep in mind when asking about these rifles is that they have been around a lot longer than most people realize. They come out of South America. You can find early special order models back into the 70s. The reports back then were very rough, but still had enough following to eventually become a common feature in the store. People want and like the 92 action. The choices are limited. The ROSSI is an acheivable goal for the working man.

There were a number of changes in their manufacturing over the years that reflect perceived quality. Generally getting better as we move along.

By the late 90s, they became a much better rifle, by most standards, eventually adopting the PUMA name for import.

The PUMA label has now moved to an Italian company. But, Rossi's are still available and affordable when compared with the competitors.

Though I don't like additional safeties on lever rifles, I have never had a problem with a ROSSI that has the safety, or marked with PUMA. Rifles manufactured before that period generate a lot of the horror stories - real or imagined.

You can find the same mixed reviews with our other favorite brands as well.