Worth getting?

If you're going to put a scope on it you should probably take a look at a Marlin, ideally a pre Remington JM model.

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look at a Marlin,

Mine shoots into 3 inches at 150 killed several deer with it.

I have an older Interarms branded Rossi 92 and love it. Shoots extremely well. I only shoot it with open sights.

If I was wanting to scope a lever gun, I'd probably look to a Marlin. But if scout type mounts work for you, have a look at the Rossi.

I want one in .44 cal.

I looked at the marlin but only 20" barrels.

I definitely say go for it, I have an M92 Rossi in 45 Colt, 44 Mag, and .454 Casull and am going to get one in 357 Mag sometime soon and of course if I find one in 480 Ruger that I can afford I will get it too.

Steve......

My Marlin 1894C 357mag with the 18.5" barrel length is just right getting in and out of truck. This is my truck and John Deere Gator gun. Took several muskrats along the irrigation canal bank with it. And pesky squirrel robbing camp food. I reload 158gr. bullets and that is all I use. Tried to get close enough this last year to use it on a damage control mule deer hunt, but didn't happen because the deer were further out so used a 243win instead. My Marlin has the XS Ghost ring sights sighted in at 50yds and have the XS Scout Scope rail with a Leupold M8 2.5x IER scope with Warne Quick detach rings. Scope is sighted in at 100yds.

I have an older Rossi 92 in 357, slick as snot to operate.
Safe in my rifle, 16 grns of Lil'gun and a 180 grn Rem JHP will cut a ragged hole at 50 yds.
It seems to prefer the heavyer bullets.

is there any accuracy to be had with light loads of powder, cast bullets and subsonic velocities?

Karl, I have shot hundreds of 38 spl with 125-158 grn with light bullseye and Unique loads. But, they were all shot while going for a walk, shots at rocks, stumps etc. They do have a different POI, from my "heavy" loads, but I don't know about actual grouping.

The 125gr 357 loads group good out of my carbines but they also shoot to a different point of aim.

I can tell you a 125gr Remington jacketed hollow point at 2500fps out of my 357 max well not exit a 1 gallon jug of water.

Blows the crap out of rabbits I would love to shoot a coyote with it.

Then my standard 158gr sp loads.

I load a sub sonic 800fps 158swc with I believe 3 grs of red dot that is very quite out of a 22 inch barrel Rossi single shot.

Add a 20 inch bloop tube barrel extensions onto it and one can barley hear it.

She well place them into one hole at 50 yards.

Very fun to shoot very accurate.

I have a Win Mod 92 in .44 Mag that is really fun to shoot; I put a peep sight on it (my Marlin 45/70 has one too). I don't like long barrels on lever guns; 20 inches seems perfect. And if you want a truck gun, the shorter the better. My favorite coyote gun is my M77 .243 with a full stock; I can pile in and out of the truck no problem.

Thanks fellas. I'd like to spend some time plinking with the subsonics to 50 yards. if I can get a 1.5-2" grouping for fun I'll be happy.

As to barrels, 24 is just for my ears(less blast) and stature. A bit more annoying to get out of the truck but being 6'3 with 6'8" wingspan( my ancestors took a little longer to come down out of the trees I guess) I like longer guns to hang onto.

also this will seem like blasphemy to the purists but is it a major operation for gunsmith to drill and tap these for mounting a scope or rail?
Rossi does this already for their 20" cylindrical barrels( and can supply a rail ) but not the 24" octagonals, which I am after`.

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but not the 24" octagonals, which I am after

A long barrel with a sub sonic load is very quite and they hang very nice for off hand shots

A octagonal barrel is very easy to find a mount for the reviver mount for the marlin works well drill and tap the top flat and mount.

Should be a easy job for any good smith even a gun plumber like me can do it.

A round barrel I take to a professional one needs to know ones limits.

I been thinking a 30 inch or so with a heavy hard cast at 900 or so would be a very quite load with a fair amount of smack when it hits.

I shot one bear with a .430 315gr wfn hard cast at 920fps or so and drove that bullet completely through a 250 pound bear bear side to side

I concur that a longer barrel would be safer for you guys with longer wing span, as my 16" carbine might trim your fingers for you. NOE in Salt Lake City is making a solid scout mount that uses the tapped holes under the new production carbine rear barrel sights. My 357 16" will hold 3" at 100 yds with mouse fart cast loads. A 24" octagon should do better.

Thanks again fellas.

Les can I ask what bullet weight are your mouse fart loads?

I'd like to stick with 158 gain bullets but with the rossi slow twist of 1:30 I am wondering if they will stabilise at low( subsonic) velocities...

Karl, pm me your phone # and I will text you a pic of rifle, target and all load data including chrono readings . 158 gr cast, 4.2 gr Trailboss shot at 100 yds. You may post pic if you know how.

Thanks all for the replies and Les for sending a great target

I have a Rossi in .480 Ruger drilled and tapped for the scout rail. It is a stainless barrel, so tapping it was a bitch!!! It kept wanting to chip as the tap started. I had JJ Perodeau do the work for me.

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Originally posted by Karl:
also this will seem like blasphemy to the purists but is it a major operation for gunsmith to drill and tap these for mounting a scope or rail?
Rossi does this already for their 20" cylindrical barrels( and can supply a rail ) but not the 24" octagonals, which I am after`.

I don't know why people feel the need to scope 92s, 94s, or 71/86s but it's your rifle. It always looks goofy to me.

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Originally posted by MickinColo:
I don't know why people feel the need to scope 92s, 94s, or 71/86s but it's your rifle. It always looks goofy to me.

Not so good of eyes

Yes because with my eyes how the target looks is more important than how the rifle looks.

This thread is a little old but for the record the rifle ended up wearing a weaver rail and red dot.

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Originally posted by Karl:
Yes because with my eyes how the target looks is more important than how the rifle looks.

This thread is a little old but for the record the rifle ended up wearing a weaver rail and red dot.

Old heck we have had people bring to life 15 yoa threads or older.

quote:

Originally posted by MickinColo:
I don't know why people feel the need to scope 92s, 94s, or 71/86s but it's your rifle. It always looks goofy to me.

Well said. If you want a scope then get a Marlin or at least a Win 94 AE.

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Originally posted by moosemike:

quote:

Originally posted by MickinColo:
I don't know why people feel the need to scope 92s, 94s, or 71/86s but it's your rifle. It always looks goofy to me.

Well said. If you want a scope then get a Marlin or at least a Win 94 AE.

You agreed with the fella saying no point scoping a 94 by next suggesting scoping a 94.

Some reading and comprehension lessons are in order I think.

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Originally posted by Karl:

quote:

Originally posted by moosemike:

quote:

Originally posted by MickinColo:
I don't know why people feel the need to scope 92s, 94s, or 71/86s but it's your rifle. It always looks goofy to me.

Well said. If you want a scope then get a Marlin or at least a Win 94 AE.

You agreed with the fella saying no point scoping a 94 by next suggesting scoping a 94.

Some reading and comprehension lessons are in order I think.

No. You just need to understand 94's which you clearly don't. 94 AE's are drilled and tapped and eject at an angle so they're convenient to scope. Older 94's are rather impractical to scope and require a side mount with an offset scope.

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.No. You just need to understand 94's which you clearly don't. 94 AE's are drilled and tapped and eject at an angle so they're convenient to scope. Older 94's are rather impractical to scope and require a side mount with an offset scope.

Right so I was mixed up between those who are upset at offset or forward mounted scopes, but still dont mind other scopes on levers.

Only one thing worse than having a thread hijacked by purists, is when semi-purists turn up.

The 94AE and am aware what it is, was out of the running by the first post if you had read it- expense.Also availability here is a problem, as with quality marlins at the time, none of which I could find anyway with 24" barrel, also stated.

The decision was about what I could obtain and shoot effectively with bad eyesight. It doesn't depend on its looks, opinion of appearances or anything else.

More importantly the thread is near 18 months old, so for the second time, the gun is bought, its scoped, and regardless how it looks to 'bubba on the internet' it is has been serving its purposes.

I have a Rossi 45 Colt 24" octogan barrel and a Marlin trapper 357/38spl along with several other lever guns. The Marlin has killed a bunch of groundhogsand porupines also 1 nice whitetail buck. The deer was shot thru the lungs with open sights at 75 yds 158gr bullet it killed the buck but glad I saw it go down not much blood at all.My eyes are poor an I wear trifocals so I have my lever guns scoped these days but IMO a scoped lever gun is as odd looking as plastic tits. Give me the natural stuff any day.