What's the better .44 mag levergun option: Braztech or Chiappa

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Jason_W

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I've decided I want to get back into the lever action game, hopefully before year's end. I'm eyeing the .44 mag since it's more than powerful to hunt medium/large game with (assuming I ever get to do that again), but can also be loaded with .44 specials or .44 spcl. equivalent rounds for shoulder saving plinking.

I'm wondering if the better option is to buy a Rossi '92 clone and send it away for work, or to save the extra money for this:
http://grabagun.com/chiappa-firearms-mks-1892-trapper-carb-44mag.html

I'm shying away from the Marlin 1894 due to their ultra slow twist rate and what I feel is too high a price on the used market. I'm staying away from the Henry .44 mag due to its lack of a loading gate.
 
I have had just about every mag revolver caliber long gun made.

The rossi that I had in 357 was my least favorite. Very rough and crudely made internally. Mine was a "U finish it" kit gun at best.

The marlin speaks for itself

Winchester was ok

I really like the ruger 77's and they're my favs of the lot.

No experience with the somewhat new chiappia
 
The rossi that I had in 357 was my least favorite. Very rough and crudely made internally. Mine was a "U finish it" kit gun at best.
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That's what I've heard from a number of sources. I've also heard a lot of people say they're happy with what an outfit like Steve's Gunz can do to tune up a Rossi.
 
I'm very fond of my Rossi M92. It handles everything from 180 to 305 grs. whether cast, jacketed or plated. Fit and finish are excellent, trigger is great and it functions flawlessly. I paid $320 for mine used (it had never been fired) and I don't regret it one bit. Fantastic little rifle.
 
A local gunsmith that does a lot of cowboy action work on guns for the local group has said to me that he cringes when someone brings in a Chiappa. In some cases he's had to give them back with the statement that it would cost more to fix them to work well than the cost of the rifle.

I also had my own issue with the Armi Sport side of Chiappa. A flintlock that has such a poorly made lock work that it's useless.

I also have three shooting buddies that have had major breakdown or function issues with their Chiappa handguns and one of the shotguns.

I REALLY want to like Chiappa guns. But until I hear that things are better with the insides I will continue to view them as problematic eye candy. Which is a real shame since they make some very nice LOOKING and interesting guns.
 
Just try to get your hands on a Rossi and check one out before you buy either.

Rossi gets a lot of bad rap for no reason, and Chiappa has been known to drop a few rotten eggs too.

If you want to go for a little more quality try checking out the Ubertis from Cimmaron.
 
If you are considering the Chiappa, why not just buy the new Winchester 1892? It is the nicest of the new lever guns, and price is within a few bucks of the Chiappa.
 
rule303 said:
If you are considering the Chiappa, why not just buy the new Winchester 1892? It is the nicest of the new lever guns, and price is within a few bucks of the Chiappa.
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Best advice so far. Rossi is hit and often miss. Chiappa, has a proven record of form over function. I dislike the weight of the Henry but they are well made guns with excellent customer service. Unless you plan on being in a range war and having to reload under fire, the load gate issue is a non-issue to me. Winchester or Henry are better bets than Rossi or Chiappa.
 
I've read nothing but great things about the Winchesters made by Miroku. So yeah, that's an excellent option if you don't want to deal with smoothing out the "kit gun" roughness with the Rossi.

Mind you if you're somewhat handy and can do the basic de-burring and smoothening and swap the springs out then you'll have a slick handling rifle in the end. But I fully agree with reports of recent Rossis that suggest that the fit and finish of the wood and the finish on the exterior metal is less than pleasant.
 
Jason_W said:
I wasn't aware Winchester still made lever actions.

Very cool.
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Winchester branded guns are certainly being made and are for sale new today. They are made by Miroku in Japan, the company that made/makes many fine Browning arms over the decades. Miroku guns are exceptionally well made...with a corresponding price. I would love either a Miroku or Uberti made Winchester...and hope to own one of same some day.
 
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Beware Rossi. They will sell no replacement parts. Nothing Nada!
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I just read that they shifted to this policy here in Canada too. No parts sales. The guns need to be sent in to the repair depot exclusively.

I'll have to check with my local gunsmith to see how this will affect me. I can't really see them cutting off all the gunsmiths as well.
 
BCRider said:
I just read that they shifted to this policy here in Canada too. No parts sales. The guns need to be sent in to the repair depot exclusively.

I'll have to check with my local gunsmith to see how this will affect me. I can't really see them cutting off all the gunsmiths as well.
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This is an issue that is being resolved . Go over to Ranch Dogs Rossi Rifleman's forum and check out the communication he has been having with BrazTech.
 
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Been very pleased with the ovetall quality and workmanship of my Rossi Model 92. I also like the price of it versus what the Chiappa and the Winchester go for. Check them out before you buy.
 
I have a rossi m92 in 44 magnum 16in barrel and I love mine its nice and powerful shoots good and I am going to take it hog hunting this fall :D
 
I have a Browning '92 in .44 mag and it's a beautiful rifle with never a problem yet.
 
When I bought my 20" Rossi M92 44 mag and brought it home (new), it wouldn't feed rounds. I was profoundly depressed, but after checking out the Rossi Rifleman forum (http://www.rossi-rifleman.com/index.php ), I simply blasted the action with brake/carburetor cleaner, let it dry, then blasted it with an aerosol similar to WD, but a better lube, let it dry, and it worked like a charm. Sure the innards were a little rough around the edges, but it did not affect functioning after the cleaning. A few months after getting it I did take it down and stone/emery cloth the moving parts and it is much slicker. All in all, I am very pleased with it, and would buy a 357 if could find one...
 
This is from the Rossirifleman forum.



Rossi has a restricted parts policy in place that will not allow you or your gunsmith to purchase the simplest of parts for your firearm. Any parts that you need can only be replaced by shipping your firearm back to Rossi. If the product is outside of the warranty period or has been disassembled inside the warranty period, it must be shipped back at your expense.

Until this policy is rescinded and parts are once again made available to customers, you should carefully consider the purchase of the Rossi with this fact in mind.

This warning is posted based on the issues reported in the topics and posts on this forum. Please remember that this forum provides a method for the owner-enthusiast to exchange information and is not associated in any way with RossiUSA/Braztech
 
If you happen to find a Browning B-92 out there, you can't go wrong. I have one in .44 Mag and it's a very nice gun - very well made by Miroku. Light and easy handling, but the trade-off is, full power magnum loads definitely have a bit of recoil. Nice rifles though... but you have to pay for them when you do find them.
 
Regardless of which brand you end up with I can say that you will want to use the full length brass for whichever gun you get. This obviously applies to the use of Special length casings in the .357 and .44Mag models and not for the .45Colt models.

The Special length casings do work. But you'll find that if you start cycling the lever in a sporty manner that you'll end up with the shorter cartridges pointed up and jammed. But as long as you pause for even a 1/10 of a second with the lever forward that's all it takes for the round to settle back down.

I ran into all this using my own Rossi for cowboy action shooting. Switching to the full length cases fixed the issue.
 
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