If you were going to buy one of the Rossi 92 lever guns, which caliber would you pick for hunting deer and pigs at short range?

Thanks

With cast bullets "wider is better" and the 480 will be more pleasant to shoot than the 454. $0.02

In effect, it looks like you trade 200 fps for 0.023 of bullet diameter ...

quote:

In effect, it looks like you trade 200 fps for 0.023 of bullet diameter

Or 0.638 square inches of cross section for 0.704. I said wider is better, I didn't say it was a lot better... And if you get a 454 you can shoot 45 Colt ammo in it when your shoulder gets sore.

454 ammo's also, slightly, more common.

It's a tough choice ...

quote:

Originally posted by analog_peninsula:
It's a tough choice ...

But what you really want is a .375 or 9.3...

I have tried to justify a number of rifles under the "it'll be perfect for pigs" heading myself.

Personally, I'd take the .454 in a heart-beat. It's just too nice a deal to be able to use the .45 colt too, for me to take the .480 though I do like both cartridges. (And if really in a pinch, there are a couple of other, even shorter, .45 rounds which will work in the .454 chamber.)

I have to admit, Charles, that I've thought about one of the new .375 Rugers and also about rebarreling my .30/06 FN action to 9.3.

I used to have a BLR in .308 which I liked quite well; every once in a while the lever gun bug bites me although I'm usually a bolt action kinda guy.

My birthday is in a couple of months, and my wife will be asking for suggestions soon. I'd rather guide her in the direction of a new rifle than end up with a new coffee table.

I understand. As I was driving in this morning I realized I had made a strategic error in telling my wife I did not want anything particular for Christmas this year...normally I point her in the specific direction.

We need to go shoot some rifles in the new year. I have some cheap .375 ammo coming in and hope to do the basic sighting in soon.

I will confess that at times I think a lever gun in .44 or .357 would be great for pigs, but I have so many others to fill that role now that I have not picked one up. I do have the basic Marlin 336 in 30-30.

Sorry for the hijack -- my experience is that almost all new guns are a joy, the exception being ones that arrive incapable of functioning. So go for whichever you like!

Let's absolutely go shooting after the New Year. I went to the indoor range and shot pistols this past Sunday, but I'm not a great fan of indoor ranges; they're better than nothing ...

quote:

Originally posted by analog_peninsula:
Let's absolutely go shooting after the New Year. I went to the indoor range and shot pistols this past Sunday, but I'm not a great fan of indoor ranges; they're better than nothing ...

It's a deal.

I've been thinking .480 because I don't have one and because the .454 is duplicated on one end by my .45 Colt and on the other by my .45-70 1886 Browning SRC.

Does anybody know the max cartridge length that will feed in the Rossi 480 or 454?

What about takeing the 480 and ream the chamber for 475 Linebaugh?
I think I rather like the look of their Stainless with Octagon barrel.

454 is my choice of the two. It would compliment my Ruger blackhawk in 45 colt and the carbine could share it's ammo. Does anyone know if a 500s&w is or will be offered in a 92 rifle or carbine? R.

analog_peninsula

I have a 454 Puma as far as which to get? I go with the 454 as you'll get better range-it's a true 200+ gun with 240 gr XTP at 2300 fps! Or 300 gr WFNGC cast at 1995 fps! Where as the 480
400 gr will get you maybe 1700 fps and is maybe good for 125 yds! Bigger bullet sure, but you will not have the range of the 454!

A year ago I swapped at a gunshow for a NIB SS Rossi 480 carbine - neat little gun w/lot's of wallop in a small package! Then the companion handgun mental debate started, do I save for a .475/480 5-shot Ruger Blackhawk conversion or a Freedom Arms 83? After 40 yrs of casting 45 cal bullets, along with many smaller calibers and still lusting for a 50 cal, did I want to split the difference and add the "inbetween" .475 dia, plus new molds and dies? I loved the firesights, also the thd'd mag tube and SS finish, figured I could refinish the stock, but never did fire any of the box of ammo that came with it. I looked into deepening the chamber to 475 Linebaugh and though anything is possible, the logistics of getting the longer cartridge to feed was too much of an engineering feat! I already had both a Ruger Blackhawk and a SS Rossi lever in 45 Colt, and looked for a Rossi 454 briefly ... and sold the 480 at the next show! Now only a fond memory, but sometimes I wonder?

First ... where can I get one in 480?

We have a 480 in a Super Blackhawk… It is a VERY nice round.
It’s a bit much for me in the handgun but I would take it in a heartbeat in a rifle.
They are easy to reload also.

I chose between those two cartridges when selecting a pistol to use on mountain lion. I went with the .454 because of the flexibility in also using .45 Colt.

If faced with that choice today, I would still go with the .454. BTW, it was certainly effective on a really nice Tom in Colorado.