I am in search of a 357 / 38 lever gun, one I'm not afraid to use and use frequently. The Rossi 92 seems to fit the bill. I have been looking at a couple of different models and need some input. I think I want a 20" but cant decide on the round vs octagon barrel? On the Rossi website it says the Octagon "improves accuracy". Also on finish options how does the case hardened finish hold up? I didn't see an option for a regular plain blued non case hardened 20" Octagon. I could only find it in 24"

From the specs it looks like the Octagon barrel adds 1.5lbs

I went with a 16"

It's light and handy

I like it

also....this makes the action, very nice and slick

http://store.stevesgunz.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=6&products_id=7

I went 16 too.  I like it alot.  

Only thing I don't like on the Rossi is the factory rear sight.  

Right now I have a Marbles bulls eye and so far I like it but haven't shot it much.

I think the octagon barrel has the rear tang tapped for a tang sight.  

Check out the Rossi rifleman forum.

I went with a 16" as well. Only regret is I got the large lever loop.  I've been thinking of replacing it with the normal size one if that's an option.

I have the 16, has the large loop and really would rather the standard lever.  I did have it threaded for suppressor.  Really like it.

I sort of like the light compact feel of the shorter guns but in the end I find I hold the longer heavier rifles more steady and shoot them quite a bit better .

For me I refuse to make a choice and have some of both so I can shoot whatever seems to match the mood I am in on any particular day .

I guess if I was forced I would pick the type with a bit of length/weight .

I have old time eyes (age mostly) so some type of aperture sight is more or less a given on my lever guns

+1

I have an older one 16" I dont think the accuracy thing for a heavier octagon barrel will be much different on a 357 pistol round.

I have the sixteen inch and it's perfect for walking the woods.  Feels like a Red Ryder.  That said I wouldn't mind a twenty if I could find one for a decent price.

I have 2, a 20" rd bbl carbine and 24" case hardened receiver, oct bbl, rifle; both in 357mag. I got both NIB in 2009 and both now have over 4K rds through them.  I handload and shoot only full power, 158grn 357mag using H110 powder through both.  Contrary to what's on the web, my rifle produces over 30fps higher velocities than my carbine so the idea of a longer barrel reducing velocities in full power, magnum loads is bull. (At 38spl loads with fast pistol powders, the carbine produces higher velocities than the rifle but that's because of the smaller powder loads of the 38spl.)
While both fed 38spl and 357mag when new, I've done a Steve's Gunz action/trigger job using his DvD on both and replaced the stupid bolt safety with his bolt safety plug on them to slick up the action and lighten up the trigger.  Both are accurate and with the tang sight and globe front giving me a 30" sight radius, I use my rifle for shooting steel as far out as 300yds . . . . . with a pistol bullet!  
Both are extremely accurate for leverguns so an 8" steel plate at 200yds is an easy target from the bench.  All around, they are some of my most favorite rifles.  Everyone should have a 357mag levergun and handload for them as they are cheaper to shoot than something using 22mag.  From a 90grn mouse fart load to a 158 or 180grn heavy magnum load, the 357mag in a rifle can work for very light plinking all the way up to a decent deer rifle for up to 100yds.





Light, compact, slick action, fun to shoot, light recoil even with full power loads; what's not to like?  And with that classic American West look and feel, you can't go wrong.















Note: While I've only shot 357mag brass loads for years, when I first
got them I had some 38spl brass and I found that some short OAL 38spl
loads don't feed perfectly.  Leverguns in general are OAL sensitive so
if you load 38spl ammo, set the OAL a bit long at 1.500" (vs a 357mag
OAL of 1.580") and your 38spl loads will feed through your Rossi slick
as snot.




 
 

I too found that .38's don't feed as well.  You really have to work the action like you mean it or they'll hand up.  .357's feed like greased lightning so no big deal.  I can load them down to .38 levels if I want.  Nice gun BTW.

How has the case hardened finish held up? Better or worse than bluing?

Do you like the octagon or round barrels better?

Mine feeds 38special very smoothly

357 also

I've migrated to 38 because the brass is cheaper/ easier to find


.

Got one for my wife .357 in 16" , will be here tomorrow, cant wait to shoot it!

After hours of searching online and going to multiple gun shops in town along with calling Rossi I finally found a 20" with octagon barrel in stock in a gun store about an hour and a half away, gonna go by and get her tomorrow.

I don't have a Chrono, I'm planning on getting one soon for the guys that hand load what kind of velocity are you seeing? I ask because I have a bunch of 158gr plated Swc extremes. I think they are good to 1500fps.

COsteve where did you get the saddle ring for that 20" ? That looks nice as does the leather wrapped lever.

The 45LC model balances better with a 20" barrel and the .357 model balances better with a 16" barrel. I can confirm it since I own a 20" 45LC and my dad owns the 16" .357 model.

The octagon barrel could be more accurate, but my 20" round barrel 45LC is scary accurate with any ammo.

I have the 16" (large loop) & a 20" standard loop.
While I am really happy with both I find that I enjoy shooting the 16" a little bit more.
I find the large loop a better fit for me.
So much so that when I saw a rossi 92 in 45 colt with a large loop.
I jumped on it.

.45/.454 20” round barrel, blued here.  I love that gun.  The round barrel is more accurate than me.  The octagon would be extra weight with no benefit IMHO.

I have the 16" also. Picked it up on the EE here. It is one of my favorite boom  sticks to range with. It is pure sex fun!

What is the effective range of a .357 lever gun?  100 yards maybe 150?  Does it run out of steam quickly?  A local shop has one of those Rossi 92s in .357 and I am tempted too.

If any of you have stock Rossi sights, front or rear, I am a buyer. I could use up to three sets.

The 357 really comes to life from a rifle barrel.  Most loads pick up around 500 fps.

I prefer 16 inch barrels for the handling.  A 16 inch Rossi 92 weighs just over 5 pounds, and in 357 has almost no recoil. I have stainless Rossi 92 trappers in 357 and 44.  Both are excellent Shooters.

I am wanting to change the sights on mine. Not sure what to go with, those marble bullseye sights look intriguing

How do you like that marble bullseyse?
I notice there are two sizes do you know how long it is or how many notches of elevation it has?

Effective range for what? Plenty of long range handgunners shoot to 150.

In my experience, the octagon barrel Model 92 rifles are more accurate than the round barrel Model 92 carbines.

I have both 20" and 24" Model 92 rifles in .357 Magnum and with good ammunition they are capable of 2.0 MOA accuracy at 100 yards.

I get this level of accuracy with both 158 gr Federal JSP factory loads and 125 gr XTP hand loads.  

The 158 gr Federal load produces an average velocity of 1810 fps in the 24" rifle and the 20" is only about 20 fps slower.  In both cases the standard deviation is 13 fps.

If you zero it so it is 4" high at 100 yards,  it will be zeroed at 150 yards and 5" low at 190 yards. At 190 yards it will still have 1250 fps velocity and 550 ft points of energy - slightly more than you get with a 6" revolver at the muzzle.   In that regard, it is just as effective at 190 yards as if you shot a deer point blank with a 158 gr JSP in a 6" revolver.

I launch the same 125 gr XTP load at 2210 fps in the 24" and 2180 fps in the 20" Model 92, and the SD is between 14 and 15 fps.  This compares to about 1440 fps in a 6" revolver.

I zero it for 170 yards which leaves it 3 3/4" high at 100 yards and 4" low at 200 yards.  At 170 yards it still has a velocity equal to the same load at the muzzle in a 6' revolver, and at 200 yards it still has 1313 fps and 479 ft pounds of energy.

In both cases, I'm comfortable shooting deer out to 200 yards where the terminal ballistics are comparable to what you'd see at 50 yards in a 6" revolver.    







I've found the color case hardened finish on the Rossi to be just as durable as a blued finish, and after owning several color case hardened rifles over the last 20 years, I can tell you that a color case hardened finish will hide any minor imperfections and damage much better than a blued finish anyway.  I also prefer the look of a color case hardened receiver.





The Rossi Model 92 is cap[abel of good accuracy and it's worth investing in a decent tang sight to fully take advantage of that accuracy potential. The Marbles sight allows for .5 MOA windage and elevation adjustment and the sight adjustments are very repeatable and consistent. It will allow far better accuracy than the standard barrel mounted sight and won;t ruin the lines or handling of the rifle.

I found that adding the Lyman 17 AHB globe front sight improved accuracy by about .5 MOA.  





The 24" rifle offers only a very slight velocity increase with no increase in SD and no increase in accuracy compared to the 20" rifle, and in general I've found that the 20" rifle handles better.  Whether you have a carbine or a rifle, 20" is the ideal length for a Model 92 from a handling perspective, and it seems to be very close to the ballistic sweet spot for the .357 magnum.

The saddle rings are an aftermarket hammer screw that allows for take down without tools.

Sorry I haven't replied to your questions, I was on a lengthy trip and only just now saw this thread. 

The case hardened finish is surprisingly durable as I've now had my rifle almost 8 years, put well over 5,000rds through it and it looks just the same as in the picture. My bluing is holding up well too, however, I do try to keep it clean, oiled, and avoid as many scratches as possible. I'm pretty easy on the finish of all my weapons.

As to which I like better, it depends upon what I'm doing with it.   My first Rossi was my 24" rifle and I got it to make it my long range steel and target rifle.  I shoot it mostly between 200 and 300 yds with my 158grn full power handloads at steel, bowling pins, and clay pigeons.  Yep, that far with a pistol bullet!!  It's surprisingly accurate with the tang sight giving me a whopping 30" sight radius.  Some of my favorite shooting is at 8" steel plates at 200yds ass they are pretty easy if I'm on that day, even with my 69yr old eyes.

My rd bbl carbine is almost as accurate, however, with the difference in sight types and the fact that it's sight radius is only 16", it's much harder to shoot at small targets over 200yds with it.  That said, 8" plates at 100-150yds are quite fun with it as well and 4" clay pigeons at 100yds give me a bit of a challenge.Quoted:
I added a model 1894 screwed in saddle ring vs the correct 2 hole staple saddle ring found on the 1892 that I picked up at Numrich's back in 2010.  I went with the '94 version because I had both the drill and tap already to mount it so it was an easier job for me.  The leather lace I picked up at a saddle shop for a quarter and cut it to use with both the saddle ring and lever. The wrap on the ring is there so it doesn't mar the receiver as it flops back and forth and the wrap on the lever is there just for the heck of it.

I like it so far,  I have the long tang rear sight because I just bought one and it worked,  

It was one of those things were the stars aligned.  Tapped it even and stuck the elevator on, went to the range and it was dead nuts at 50yds.

Need more 357 ammo and have negative freetime to do any reloading.

The round barrel should be easier to find and should be lighter.  

I have had several 92 Rossis that feed .38 special like a house on fire.  I have shot them in competition, so they run fast too. Only one of the group would not feed .357 until I filed down a bit of flashing that was where it shouldn't be.  

Even the new one runs great:

<possible thread hijack>

Any up to speed on what Rossi actually has available?

Do they actually make a color case hardened model with a 20" round barrel?  All the case hardened ones I found had octagonal barrels.

Mine is a color case hardened 20" octagon
Although it's been back at Rossi for repair for the last 6 weeks they have had it longer than I have owned it
If it's not in the mail by Friday I'm going to be ticked I was quoted 6 weeks and I thought even that was outrageous

Why did you send it back ?