Home Forums Lever Action Central Lever Actions - General How close is a Rossi R92 to a Winchester 1892?

Quality, accuracy, clone, etc. Anyone own one?

Not that close, but it does function and shoot. It looks the same as the gun is built off the '92 dimensions, but the fit, finish and action is like a sack of Chinese pliers, all clanky and loose...

Thanks Shrapnel. Then I guess I'll stick with Winchester and pre-Rem Marlins.

Agreed. Have an early 1900s M92 in 38WCF, once had a Legacy clone in 44 mag.

Placed next to each other, noticeable differences in dimensions, fit and finish, etc. Function-wise, the Legacy shot and handled very well, but not in the same league with the original.

OTOH, if one wants something close to a Win. M92 at a fraction of the price, the "Puma" will probably suit most people?

Plinker;

I have a Rossi 92 in 45 Colt. I've found mine to be shooter. No the wood is not walnut, the polishing and bluing is not on par with current Winchesters, it accurate, never jams. It's tight, functions smoothly. What else do you want?
My every day load is 20 grains of H110, 300 grain cast SWC, gas checked.
Eventually I'm getting the 357 variety for the grand sons.

Jim

arkpete is right My 92 Taurus Rossi 44 mag is not loose an shoot great ,nice sights an mount for a long eye releaf scope Dont care much for that but its the only thing I don't like. If u get your winchester to shoot like mine does you would be doing something . As for the 1894 Marlin Jm serries a nother great gun an I would say the same thing about the chester I had all 3 would not even think about a chester again

I have a 20" SS Rossi 92 in 454. It is a beautiful rifle. Getting the action cleaned up and a steel follower is worth every penny. My 454 was a great rifle before I had it worked on and now it is perfect IMO. Shoots about 1.5" groups at 50 yards.

If you find yourself into one send it to Steve's Gunz. He specializes in tuning and customizing these rifles.

Steve's Guns - Rossi 92 GOD!

They are a pretty good deal for the money. Mine shoots great, fit and finish is great, but it is an older one. Take them apart and clean up all the burrs ,etc and you have a great gun

Me too

Snake

FYI: The "Puma" name is a copyrighted name owned by Legacy (LSI). The older "Puma" IS a Rossi M92; the newer "Puma" is an Italian M92 clone by Chiappa.

LSI reassigned the "Puma" name from Rossi to Chiappa after LSI's Rossi contract expired - neither is the same as an original Winchester Model 1892/92.


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I would think the Chiappa (Italian) made "Pumas" would be of better quality than the Rossis? What do you think?

After owning and shooting original 1892 and Browning B92s, I would never seek out a Rossi. The ones I have seen and handled are very rough in comparison.

I think there's a difference between quality & eye appeal.

The Chiappa's are made on different machines than the Rossi's, and Chiappa (Armi Sport) has had their own production problems.

The Chiappa's, being produced with better wood, and somewhat better metany al finish, certainly are more attractive to a prospective buyer's eye, though, than the Rossi's.

That bling, however, comes at a cost, reflected in their price - 2x that of a Rossi.

When a Rossi's treated to some simple work ( see: www.stevesgunz.com ), they can operate the same as a gennie Winchester Model 1892/92.

The Rossi's have apparently been simply assembled, w/o a lot of fitting, which is reflected in their lower initial (new) purchase price.

A Rossi buyer could easily do their own fitting ( Steve has a DIY DVD available), ending up with a smooth, well-functioning rifle at much less total cost than other brands.

IOW - Pay your money & take your choice.

Since I'm not particularly into bling (preferring a plainer hunting rifle), I chose a Rossi (several times) - even after owning a couple of Browning/Miroku B92's. YMMV, of course.

I chose the Rossi over the Browning, simply due to the Rossi's easily changeable front sight vs the Browning's (and the gennie Winchester's) hard-soldered (in/on the bbl) front sights.



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I have a Rossi stainless pre-safety .45, a Browning 92 in .44, and an original 92 (well, its a takedwon model 53) Winchester .25-20, and the Rossi is just fine in comparison in my opinion.

I have a s.s. Rossi .45 and its OK. Has some sharp edges and waves. Sixteen inch trapper model with the large loop lever. Fun gun that shoots where it looks but I think I wish it had a standard lever. Not the quality of the two B-92 Brownings that I've had though.

If I had to have a Rossi, or other off shore made '92 clone, I'd get one from Steve Jones. He's the '92 guru and sells those guns direct after he's worked them over. He removed that stupid safety and slicks them up. Out of the box, they leave a lot to be desired.

I have a 1910 vintage '92 and it's slick. I sent it to Steve to be checked out and he made some timing adjustments on it. That gun, a .38-40 will shoot tighter groups than my .45 Colt Marlin Cowboy.

The Miroku made Jap '92's are the best clones ever made, IMHO.

'92's are pretty complicated the way they're designed. Not everyone understands that gun.

http://stevesgunz.com/

DF

I don't know how my Rossi 92 compares to a Win. 92 cuz I don't have a Win. 92. I will say it's smoother in operation than either of my Win. 94's {circa 1949 and 1979} and equal to my 336 and 1894C Marlins. It's also pretty accurate for a 16" trapper, giving 1.5" groups {iron sights} at 50 yds. with several different .38 and .357 loads. So far, everything I've fed it goes through like schit through a goose too. The steel is nicely polished/blued on mine. Better than recent Remlins I've examined. The one shortcoming is the woodwork. It's left pretty rough and stained only {no finish}from the factory. I spent a day sanding and also doing a bit of slimming on the forearm, restained to a shade more to my liking, gave it a few coats of tru-oil and now it looks as good or better than my Win's and Marlins.

The Rossis are not al that hard to take apart and smooth up.

I love statements like this. It's what, half the cost? Of course it ain't gonna be a Browning.

When they are both copies of the same gun, comparisons are bound to be made.