ROSSI PUMA SS 20" lever gun in 357mag (92 model)

[petemacsydney]

Anyone got one of these?
Interested to know what u think of it, what u use it for and thoughts on largest ethical kill with a 357 mag round.
I don't have a "need" for one, just want a nice lever gun. May use on small varmint and some plinking fun.
Cheers p

[bigpete]

I have the 44 mag version and love it ! Can't comment on the 357 except that a mate runs 200gn cast lead subsonics through his single shot and absolutely loves them for evrything up to and including goats. I'd happily use mine on fallow and maybe even reds but so far I've only shot rabbits and foxes with it and 225 gn lead subsonics

[brett1868]

Pete, I've been chasing a .357 Lever for ages and I know HPGS have the Rossi available. Nice looking rifle, I had one back in the late 80's and loved it. Good on smaller targets and even pigs under 100m. I'd buy a Rossi today except they are top eject and scope options are limited, open sights are not comfortable for me with my aging eyes. I've been keeping an eye out for a Marlin 1894c .357 Mag cause I can mount a scope. If anyone ever finds a lever in .460 S&W Magnum then let me know cause I'd buy one in a heartbeat.
You can borrow my Marlin 44 Mag lever action anytime you like, similar to the .357 but just a fraction more punch.

[petemacsydney]

I was tossing up the 44, but thought it might be fun to be able to run specials as well as the mags in a 357. I like the idea of having a pure open sights rifle as well so the top eject is ok 4 me.
I'm assuming the 357 mag is about a 223 in terms of felt recoil? And 44 similar to 308?

[bigpete]

Honestly the 44 has bugger all recoil even with factory ammo its kinda like shooting a 22 I reckon sorta

[pomemax]

I have a Rossi in .357 My M rs calls it the fun gun
I fitted a Lyman s peep sight to mine, recoil is sfa .22 has more I feel, its hard to describe the recoil it not like the .223 is softer than more of a thud than a crack have shot the 44 mag at the range it was the same may get one down the track a bit its the sort of gun you can have in one hand all day .

[petemacsydney]

Ok thx guys. I had no idea these were so low recoil. Im not experienced in these rounds at all... and it obviously shows. What about a 45.70, whats that kick like?

Still keen on the 357 mag for some reason, but maybe ill think of bigger over next few weeks. Still got to put in the pta.

All i know for now is, i want a nice lever gun ☺ that is not too expensive..

Cheers fellas, and thx for the input and feedback!! It really helps.

[petemacsydney]

I can't speak to the rossi but I have a chiapa 92 in 357mag and it's possibly the most unless and most fun gun I own at the same time.
I load cheap rounds with cast pills and trail boss and while I have shot rabbits with it its really not suited, makes a mess of them.
Hell just buy it, but get a progressive press as well coz you're gunna blaze a ****** load of ammo!

Already got the dillon progressive so will defs reload ☺

[petemacsydney]

Pete, I've been chasing a .357 Lever for ages and I know HPGS have the Rossi available. Nice looking rifle, I had one back in the late 80's and loved it. Good on smaller targets and even pigs under 100m. I'd buy a Rossi today except they are top eject and scope options are limited, open sights are not comfortable for me with my aging eyes. I've been keeping an eye out for a Marlin 1894c .357 Mag cause I can mount a scope. If anyone ever finds a lever in .460 S&W Magnum then let me know cause I'd buy one in a heartbeat.
You can borrow my Marlin 44 Mag lever action anytime you like, similar to the .357 but just a fraction more punch.

Yeah i would love to try yhat 44. Let me know when u r going to the range next!
Thx mate, cheers p

[petemacsydney]

Honestly the 44 has bugger all recoil even with factory ammo its kinda like shooting a 22 I reckon sorta

22! Wow, had no idea!

[brett1868]

Pete, I'll catch up with you during the week when I'm in Market St. I can bring the 45-70 to the range as well so you can get a side by side comparison....as others say the 357 & 44 is fairly mild, more a push but the 45-70 kicks.

[Rifle realist]

GDay Petemac
I have a 1895 Marlin in 45/70 bought it when I was 16 more than 30 years ago, it's still one of my favourites. I load 405 Grain hard cast bullets over 53 grains of AR 2207. I use it for close range,90 yards or less. Everything I point it at dies. The recoil shakes a bit but isn't that bad.I don't consider it to be excessive.

[<<Genesis93>>]

everyone want a lever (sorry, needs to be gun law compliant!!)

They are heaps of fun, quick repeat shots, sheer plinkin fun, with a peep sight the 92 puts your eye on the target very quickly...

357Mag in now Sambar legal in Vic, would you use it? I'm sure its enough if your 'close' enough, but there are many other chambering I'd use instead, including the 44RemMag. 357Mag equiv generally energywise to 44-40win...


Recoil of the 357 in a rifle is 2 to 6 ft.lb of free recoil energy, compared to 44RemMag at 2 to 15ft.lb, but 44 has around 2 to 2.5 time the muzzle energy load dependent...

Comparing to 223Rem, recoil is up to 5 or 6 ft.lb, maybe a little more while the 308win max a bit over 20ft.lb, mid twenties for a very light setup....

So yes, the 357 produces very little, while the 44RemMag, does produce more but off hand it is barely noticeable, its more noise than recoil....

[petemacsydney]

Pete, I've been chasing a .357 Lever for ages and I know HPGS have the Rossi available. Nice looking rifle, I had one back in the late 80's and loved it. Good on smaller targets and even pigs under 100m. I'd buy a Rossi today except they are top eject and scope options are limited, open sights are not comfortable for me with my aging eyes. I've been keeping an eye out for a Marlin 1894c .357 Mag cause I can mount a scope. If anyone ever finds a lever in .460 S&W Magnum then let me know cause I'd buy one in a heartbeat.
You can borrow my Marlin 44 Mag lever action anytime you like, similar to the .357 but just a fraction more punch.

Hey Brett, just been drolling on some more firearms sites, looking at the MARLIN 1894C 357MAG and also has some 1895's which are also side eject. little bit more expensive that the rossi's but after further thought the side eject may be a better idea for lifetime longevity (incase my eye's go south as well !). i have a feeling that safari firearms will have your 1894c. think i may go have a look at them next week.

[petemacsydney]

well, ive been researching all day and decided that subject to Brett's kind off to try the 44, i think i am now primarily looking at the Marlin 1894c in 357 mag. low recoil plinking fun and still has the ability to take out small varmints. think i'll start a Marlin 1894c 357 mag thread to see if i can extract more feedback on it! thanks all, gotta love forums, great way to get honest info form actual owners in Aus.

[GLS_1956]

Pete, I've been chasing a .357 Lever for ages and I know HPGS have the Rossi available. Nice looking rifle, I had one back in the late 80's and loved it. Good on smaller targets and even pigs under 100m. I'd buy a Rossi today except they are top eject and scope options are limited, open sights are not comfortable for me with my aging eyes. I've been keeping an eye out for a Marlin 1894c .357 Mag cause I can mount a scope. If anyone ever finds a lever in .460 S&W Magnum then let me know cause I'd buy one in a heartbeat.
You can borrow my Marlin 44 Mag lever action anytime you like, similar to the .357 but just a fraction more punch.

Seek and ye shall find. Pay and ye shall receive: http://www.bighornarmory.com/catalog/bi ... -casull-6/

[petemacsydney]

http://m.usedguns.com.au/Product_Desc.aspx?Pid=81853
Winchester 94 in 44mag for $400.

nice price, but i'll stick with the t3 308 for little piggies. the 357 will be more for plinking fun and smaller varmints. thx for the link tho!

[petemacsydney]

Pete, I've been chasing a .357 Lever for ages and I know HPGS have the Rossi available. Nice looking rifle, I had one back in the late 80's and loved it. Good on smaller targets and even pigs under 100m. I'd buy a Rossi today except they are top eject and scope options are limited, open sights are not comfortable for me with my aging eyes. I've been keeping an eye out for a Marlin 1894c .357 Mag cause I can mount a scope. If anyone ever finds a lever in .460 S&W Magnum then let me know cause I'd buy one in a heartbeat.
You can borrow my Marlin 44 Mag lever action anytime you like, similar to the .357 but just a fraction more punch.

Seek and ye shall find. Pay and ye shall receive: http://www.bighornarmory.com/catalog/bi ... -casull-6/

wow, that walnut looks amazing!!!

[inventurkey]

Honestly the 44 has bugger all recoil even with factory ammo its kinda like shooting a 22 I reckon sorta

22! Wow, had no idea!

Hang on, we're getting carried away here

It's not like a .22, c'mon.... It's a centrefire cartridge chucking pills 5-6 times the weight, of course it's not the same.

But it is mild.

[petemacsydney]

Honestly the 44 has bugger all recoil even with factory ammo its kinda like shooting a 22 I reckon sorta

22! Wow, had no idea!

Hang on, we're getting carried away here

It's not like a .22, c'mon.... It's a centrefire cartridge chucking pills 5-6 times the weight, of course it's not the same.

But it is mild.

yeah i had a look at comparison tables on google over the weekend. the 44 looked like it was around a 6ft lbs, where as .223 3-4.

[Tiger650]

Once read that the Win 94 chambered for pistol cals can be problematic re feeding and ejection, having been designed for the long 30.30 round.

I have owned a Rossi '92 20"SS in .357 for a few years now, a good rifle after a bit of tuning [springs] and stock finishing etc.
Also fitted a skinner aperture [peep] sight which is a lot quicker to use than the std arrangement, be aware that the Rossi front sight dovetail is an odd width, front sight blades are available ex the US
The stock benefited from several coats of Tru-Oil, ex factory finish is not particularly weather resistant, especially in the inlet area where moisture can accumulate.
Ejector spring in std configuration spits cases almost as high as the range overhead at Little River, PITA to collect and folks can tend to step on them.
A lively load in mine is 15gn AR2205 behind a 158gn Hornady XTP, someday I will sort a milder cast bullet load to reduce costs.
The Yanks swear by Hogdons Lil Gun in the .357 but in mine I get significant powder fouling.
An excellent website is The Rossi Rifleman out of the US, good blokes with much knowledge.

[bigpete]

IMG_20160717_105115.jpg (226.41 KiB) Viewed 5764 times

Love my Rossi 44 , 1 shot at 50m using handloaded 210gn cast lead subsonics and factory iron sights

[brett1868]

Pete, I might be onto a possible winner for the both of us. Henry .357 level, side eject are apparently in stock with the importer. I'll double check on Monday and find out which model and let you know.

[Jamesb570]

If you can source cheap once-fired .38 brass then these things are unbeatable as a run & gun number for bike/quad/ute use on pigs etc. More punch than a .22 (obviously) but you can still let the brass fall and move on - which a cheapskate like me won't do with a .30-30. Angle eject certainly helps re scope optics but you can run a red dot and the foward mounting is no problem on a top eject. Have fun whatever you choose.....

[Sydor]

My local gunshops have Marlins in 357 on pre order from 18 months ago
So I am looking to get Chiappa with pre-installed Skinner sight.

[petemacsydney]

Pete, I might be onto a possible winner for the both of us. Henry .357 level, side eject are apparently in stock with the importer. I'll double check on Monday and find out which model and let you know.

Is that the tube loader? (Load from top of tube, not loading gate?)

Let me know how you go. I'd be keen know the deets.

[petemacsydney]

I think they will be the "big boy steel". Very nice looking rifle. Nice looking furniture as well. I'll b interested to see how much. I have a feeling they won't be cheap.

[petemacsydney]

of course, the real question is... will it be cowboy action legal and will i have to buy pointy heeled shoes with spurs and a cowboy hat after i get it?