Rossi® Model 92 Stainless 44 Magnum Carbine, Available EXCLUSIVELY from Davidson's Gallery of Guns

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16-inch barrel is threaded for a suppressor or muzzle brake, and a knurled blued-steel thread protector is included.

Green fiber optic front sight (top) and fully-adjustable rear "peep" sight (bottom).

The following story is one of my favorite bits of firearms lore, as it showcases both the design genius and the business acumen of America's greatest firearms designer, John Moses Browning:

In 1892, Winchester felt the need to replace their revolutionary but outdated Model 1873 lever-action rifle with something a little more robust. John Browning had developed the very popular Model 1886 lever-action rifle for Winchester just a few years previously, so Winchester's vice president, T.G. Bennett, offered Browning a unique opportunity: if Browning could complete the design and deliver a working prototype within 90 days, Winchester would pay him $10,000; if Browning could deliver within 60 days, Winchester would pay $15,000. Browning countered that he would deliver within 30 days for $20,000, or he would do it for nothing. Bennett readily agreed, and Browning delivered the prototype to Winchester within two weeks, completing an amazing engineering feat by designing and delivering a working prototype in so short a time. Bennett probably thought his $20,000 was safe, as surely the task could not be completed within 30 days, much less two weeks; but Browning received what would equate to almost $700,000 in today's dollars, and Winchester received exclusive production of one of the iconic rifle designs of history.

Scaled down from the earlier Model 1886, the Winchester Model 1892 replaced the Model 1873 as Winchester's pistol-caliber carbine. It was produced by Winchester from 1892 until 1941, when Winchester stopped production in order to re-tool for the War effort, and production was not resumed after the War. With over a million units produced in various calibers, the Winchester Model 1892 achieved Legendary status; the Model 1892 was very highly visible to kids like me, who grew up watching TV and Silver Screen Cowboys conquering the West with the handy Winchester carbine, but original Model 1892 became very hard, and very expensive, to acquire.

Rossi Firearms (formally Amadeo Rossi) was founded in the late 19th century in Sao Leopoldo, Brazil. They began making Model 92 rifles in the mid-1970s, initially in 38 Special/357 Magnum, and later in a variety of calibers including 44 Magnum, 45 Colt, 454 Casull, and 480 Ruger. I have been a great proponent of Rossi's Model 92s for many years, and currently own a good selection. In the not-too-distant past, Rossi Model 92s could be had on the used market for $300-400, and I seldom passed up on an opportunity to snap them up at those late lamented prices; current prices on the used market can easily double those amounts, but the Rossi Model 92 remains a fine carbine at a great value. Currently imported by BrazTech International in Bainbridge, GA, Rossi continues building excellent Model 92 rifles and carbines to this day, and one of their top-of-the line Model 92 offerings is the subject of this review.

This BrazTech/Rossi Model 92 is available exclusively through Davidson's Wholesale in Arizona; Davidson's leverages their buying power to allow them to offer unique variations of many different types and brands of firearms, which allows the individual buyer to own limited-run editions of many firearms at very reasonable prices. This Model 92 offers many custom features desired by modern levergunners, at the same price point as standard-production models.

Crafted from stainless steel for resistance to the elements, this carbine is very nicely and evenly matte polished, making the metal more scratch-resistant while reducing sun glare in the field. Chambered in the wonderful 44 Magnum cartridge, which also allows it to function using the shorter 44 Special cartridge, the tubular magazine holds eight 44 Magnum or nine 44 Special rounds, offering a maximum capacity of nine or ten rounds, respectively. The sixteen-inch round-profiled barrel is threaded at the muzzle for attaching a muzzle brake or suppressor, and a knurled blued-steel thread protector is included.

For many years now, Rossi Model 92s have featured a rotating manual safety on the top rear of the bolt, which blocks the hammer from contacting the frame-mounted firing pin when in the ON position, and this model is no exception to that. Many 1892 traditionalists despise the added safety, and I cannot say that I am a fan of it, but I am able to leave it in the OFF position and ALMOST forget that it is there. There are aftermarket, easy to install safety-delete kits available for the Rossi Model 92s, but neither BrazTech nor I recommend deleting a safety device, no matter how useless is may be.

The sights on this Model 92 are excellent. The front sight consists of a dovetail-mounted blued steel front sight base with green fiber-optic tube. The rear aperture (AKA "peep") sight is fully adjustable for windage and elevation, as well as being adjustable for focal length by unscrewing the aperture eye piece; additionally, the rear sight's aperture eye piece can be removed to allow a "Ghost Ring" sight picture. These sights are very quick to acquire and easy to shoot with great precision, while the green fiber optic assures high visibility in a great variety of lighting conditions; if you've never used peep sights before, you will be amazed how well they work. Additionally, for those who prefer optical sights, the rear sight is integrated into a Picatinny-spec optic rail, so this Model 92 comes fully ready for optics mounting.

This Model 92 also sports a "Big Loop" lever. Popularized in some Western movies and "The Rifleman" TV series of the late-1950s to early-1960s, the Big Loop lever remains very favored among today's Cowboy Action Shooters, largely because they look "cool". It may be because I grew up shooting standard-sized levers, but I do not really favor the Big Loop; to me, they leave too much room inside the loop for the shooter's fingers to bang around, making it more difficult to smoothly operate the lever, but to each his own. I cannot deny that the Big Loop adds a touch of visual distinction, and a great many shooters these days do prefer the Big Loop. A nice touch to this Davidson's-Exclusive model 92 is that the lower side of the lever is very nicely leather-wrapped in the manner preferred by many Cowboy Action Shooters; this leather wrapping is visually appealing, as well as having the practical function of cushioning the lever loop from rapping the shooter's knuckles.

The stock and forend are uncheckered gray laminated wood, offering toughness, weather resistance, and an attractive appearance. The straight-grip stock also sports a generous ventilated rubber recoil pad, making the recoil of even heavily-loaded 44 Magnum rounds quite manageable.

Specifications - Davidson's-Exclusive Rossi® Model 92 Stainless 44 Magnum Carbine

Shooting the Davidson's -Exclusive Rossi® Model 92 Stainless 44 Magnum Carbine was a pleasure. The longer carbine-length barrel adds a new dimension ballistically, compared to revolver-length barrels; using either 44 Special or 44 Magnum ammunition, the sixteen-inch barrel yield an additional 100 to 200 feet per second (fps), allowing less bullet drop and more retained velocity at longer ranges, as well as enhanced bullet expansion. Recoil is very manageable; the action is smooth and easy to operate; and the trigger is crisp and light, releasing at a creep-free 2 Pounds, 4.1 Ounces, contributing to the fine accuracy achieved.

This Davidson's-Exclusive Rossi Model 92 is a dandy rifle for a wide variety of uses, allowing for a great range of power from light 44 Special defense loads to the heaviest 44 Magnum hunting loads. Whether used for protection against two-legged or four-legged predators, or for deer-sized game out to 100 yards and beyond, this Model 92 is well-suited for carrying in the field, leaning behind the front door, or stashed in the truck. At an MSRP of $1,089.99 US, and typically selling for substantially less, this Model 92 is readily available through Davidson's-affiliated dealers nationwide, and covered by Davidson's GuaranteeD Lifetime Replacement Plan.

Rossi USA: https://rossiusa.com/

To Buy Rossi Products Online, Click on the GUN GENIE at Davidson's Gallery of Guns: http://www.galleryofguns.com/?WT.mc_id=GunBlast

Order Ammo Online at Lucky Gunner: https://www.luckygunner.com/handgun/44-magnum-ammo

Buffalo Bore Ammunition: https://www.buffalobore.com/

Double Tap Ammunition: https://doubletapammo.com/

Grizzly Cartridge Co.: https://grizzlycartridge.com/

Boge Quinn

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Boge shoots the Davidson's-Exclusive Rossi Model 92.

Gray laminated wood stock & forend with rubber recoil pad.