Rossi Lever Action Rifles

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22-rimfire

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Anyone have any experience with them? I have been looking at their catalog and they have quite an assortment of rifles in different calibers offered.

Are they reliable? Are the actions smooth? Reasonably accurate? Maybe somebody could compare one to the Marlin 1894 series as I don't have a reference point other than what I read.

Your comments are welcomed. Thank you.
 
Rossis have gotten better in recent years, still come oversprung & now have the wingnut safety on top of the bolt.
Denis
 
I have a rossi .38/.357. It's one of my favorites but I haven't seen it since I let my dad borrow it. it was flawless with .38 sp, but he reports feeding problems with .357 mag.
 
Marlin vs Rossi...Are ya serious? LOL Marlin for all the obvious reasons..Have you ever looked at the internal machining of a Rossi?No offense to those who own them if thats what you like..I looked at a Rossi .357 stainless just the other day and their actions are horrible compared to the other lever action companies such as Marlin, Browning and so on..You could always look for a Uberti as well..
 
I've had a Rossi model 92 in 44mag for about ten years. No problems so far. It compares to a Winchester closer than a Marlin. They are popular in the Cowboy Action Shooting circuit, so they apparently can handle a high round count in their lifetime. It's not as smooth as My Marlin 336 and probably never will be. I consider it to be a good reliable gun I've had no feeding issues with .44mag or .44 spcl cartridges. Keep in mind that if you ever want to scope it or put a peep sight on it you will have to involve a gunsmith most likely. The curved steel buttplate is a bit hard on the shoulder with hot rounds. I would love to have a Marlin 1894 to go with my 336 and 1895 but I can't justify the expenditure while the Rossi is filling the billet so well. try 'em both and buy the one you like most
 
You could always look for a Uberti as well..

I know. I just have zero experience with the Rossi lever rifles. When Puma (I believe) introduced their lever action in 480 Ruger, I was both curious and mildly interested until reading product reviews. The bottom line on a 480 rifle (or a 454 for that matter) was that I simply didn't need such a beast and ammunition cost would really get trying after a while. The 454 is a bit different situation since you can shoot 45LC in one.

I fully expect Marlin to make a better product, but that doesn't stop me from comparing them. Uberti does make some pretty good reproductions.

Since I was younger and had almost zero money at that time, I have not bought a no-name rifle of any kind. But I am always curious. I would love to have a Marlin 1894 in 41 mag, but I was hesitant when they were around and now you seldom see them. But frankly, the 357 mag would serve me just as well which is why I didn't pull the trigger on the 41 mag version.
 
I went with Rossi over Marlin. I wanted a 16"bbl .357mag, and Marlin simply didn't make one. The 1894c has an 18" bbl, and is heavier than the Rossi.

I still haven't shot the Rossi, but from handling it a lot I can say that I can see where the cost cutting measures came in. The wood fit is not as perfect as I'd expect it to be on a Marlin. BUT the action is smooth, trigger is crisp, and overall it seems to be a very nicely made little rifle. Once I can put some rounds downrange to confirm reliability it's actually going to become my HD rifle.
 
I have a Rossi 62sac pump action .22 ... its fun to shoot however it was originally nickel plated and that started to look like a mess so I stripped it down and blued it. It shoots really good, but it feels like a toy.

I am seriously looking into buying a 16" bbl 44 mag rossi model 94 or 92 or whatever ... its basically a winchester 1894 clone.
 
I have several Marlin lever actions, two of which(308 and 338 mxlr's) have been returned to Marlin twice for repairs, and are still there. I recently bought a Rossi 92, a 16" in .45 Colt with the big loop lever. It is not quite as smooth as the Marlins, true, but it is very accurate and quick-handling, and just plain cool and fun to shoot. It will handle the hot Buffalo Bore loads with very mild recoil, and I think it would make a dandy pig rifle or short distance deer rifle.
 
I have one of the Rossi '92's with the 24" octagon barrel in 38/357. The action was a little stiff at first, but smoothed up real nice with a little use. It was dead-on with 38's right out of the box and hasn't hung up once. I feel like I definitely got my money's worth.

I wanted the Marlin Cowboy model, but they are very difficult to find and run about twice the price of the Rossi. Now that I have it, I'm glad I got the Rossi since it does what it was designed to do for a lot less money and I won't feel guilty when it gets beat up a bit over the next few years.
 
Puma, until about two years ago, WAS a Rossi.

Puma is nothing but a brand name owned originally by Interarms, after they left the biz Legacy Sports used Puma as a trademark/brand for their Rossi imports till switching to Italian leverguns, since then the current Puma 92s are made for Legacy in Italy.
Denis
 
I really want to get a lever gun, in either 357, 44mag, or 45LC (I already reload for 357 so thats leading the way). I keep looking and Marlins and Winchesters are just expensive for a total fun gun, Rossi's are more in line, but can never seem to commit to buying a Rossi.
 
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