Even though I'm a big lever gun fan and own several, one even being a stainless Rossi in .357, that seems like quite a bit of barrel for a .45 colt. Ballistics by the inch only tested .45 colt up to 18" and the velocity was higher than the 17" barrel but that round can only produce so much gas and at a certain point, the bullet will stop accelerating. The octagonal barrel does have a huge cool factor but 20" might work better in that caliber. I have an 1895CB in 45-70 with a 26" octagonal barrel and even with just three rounds in it, it gets real heavy real fast. A lever in .45 colt is also on my short list but I'm looking at around 18" to 20" of barrel.
I really liked the looks and feel / weight of the IMI Timberwolf pump action rifle in .357 magnum, I know it is totally unrelated to the intent of the original post, and for that I apologize, but for pure koolness and as a youngsters rifle, I think it is unbeatable.
"There is some evil in all of us, Doctor, even you, the Valeyard is an amalgamation of the darker sides of your nature, somewhere between your twelfth and final incarnation, and I may say, you do not improve with age. Founding member of the G&A forum since 1996
I have the Rossi 92 in .44 Magnum. It's not a tack driver, but it does alright and would be an easy 75 yard deer killer or a good stalking carbine in thick stuff. I don't see where it offers that much over a 7" Ruger Super for its purpose. The action is slick and as you've noted the trigger is good. It's light and handy and in .44 it smacks the shoulder with its buttplate. It won't be part of my heirloom collection in all likelihood.
It's a source of great pride for me, that when my name is googled, one finds book titles and not mug shots. Daniel C. Chamberlain
Even though I'm a big lever gun fan and own several, one even being a stainless Rossi in .357, that seems like quite a bit of barrel for a .45 colt. Ballistics by the inch only tested .45 colt up to 18" and the velocity was higher than the 17" barrel but that round can only produce so much gas and at a certain point, the bullet will stop accelerating. The octagonal barrel does have a huge cool factor but 20" might work better in that caliber. I have an 1895CB in 45-70 with a 26" octagonal barrel and even with just three rounds in it, it gets real heavy real fast. A lever in .45 colt is also on my short list but I'm looking at around 18" to 20" of barrel.
Hopefully, by using H110......a slow-er pistol powder.........it'll help make use of that longer barrel than other fast powders.
"To Hell with efficiency, it's performance we want!" - Elmer Keith
Even though I'm a big lever gun fan and own several, one even being a stainless Rossi in .357, that seems like quite a bit of barrel for a .45 colt. Ballistics by the inch only tested .45 colt up to 18" and the velocity was higher than the 17" barrel but that round can only produce so much gas and at a certain point, the bullet will stop accelerating. The octagonal barrel does have a huge cool factor but 20" might work better in that caliber. I have an 1895CB in 45-70 with a 26" octagonal barrel and even with just three rounds in it, it gets real heavy real fast. A lever in .45 colt is also on my short list but I'm looking at around 18" to 20" of barrel.
This is my thinking as well. The way I see it, it's not going to be used for any shots over 150 yds in any case, so any barrel length in excess of ~16" does not yield a substantial enough gain in velocity to outweigh the convenience of a short handy carbine. Thus why I have been collecting ~16" barrelled carbines in various calibers (.357 mag, .44 mag, .45 Colt). Even my .45-70 only has an 18" barrel.
Luis
Wielding the Hammer of Thor first requires you to lift and carry the Hammer of Thor. - Bigslug
Is rossi the same basic company as Puma/etc? I looked at a similar version in 454 Casull and the fit/finish was below par.
Rossi is the Brazilian maker of these Winchester '92 "copies", and Puma was the commercial model. Don't know if they were always connected to Taurus, but they've been in the market for quite a while, and are also known down here for making revolvers for a while. In fact earlier versions that bored the "Puma" name had a brass disc showing a roaring puma's head in the left side of the receiver, close to where the saddle ring is located.
I have an old one, apparently made for the Brazilian market since it's a .38 Special-only '92 S.R.C.-alike model (Over there it's a cartridge banned or at least severely restricted for civilian use) that was recovered from a local farm and handed to me as an incomplete rusted puzzle in a plastic bag. Original parts are locally made of unobtanium, so had to scratch-built a few and even use some loose Winchester 92 bits to make it serviceable (Some fitting here & there was required but they worked, including front & rear sights); wood was also heavily damaged but could finally save it and after a matte refinishing job ended up with a boringly accurate lever gun that would render excellent performance even with the worst possible ammo I was able to find here (That is local reloads and the dreaded American Ammunition).
I'd also say "get it"; a blued 24" octagon barrel .357 model haunts my sleep, but unfortunately they're no longer (And probably won't ever be) imported here. Only thing I don't like from the newer Rossi but can be quickly dealt with is the idiotic bolt safety (Fortunately there's a kit to eliminate it).
Is rossi the same basic company as Puma/etc? I looked at a similar version in 454 Casull and the fit/finish was below par.
Their designs are a little different as the Rossi has a loading gate and the Puma has to be loaded through the mag tube. The fit and finish of my Rossi was a little rough as all the metal had kinda sharp, squared edges but it was nothing that I couldn't fix with some oil, oxide cloth, and a dremmel tool. With stainless, there was no bluing to redo. Considering that I bought it for a "truck gun" and it was about half the cost of a Marlin or Winchester, I didn't mind having to tinker with it a little.
This is my thinking as well. The way I see it, it's not going to be used for any shots over 150 yds in any case, so any barrel length in excess of ~16" does not yield a substantial enough gain in velocity to outweigh the convenience of a short handy carbine. Thus why I have been collecting ~16" barrelled carbines in various calibers (.357 mag, .44 mag, .45 Colt). Even my .45-70 only has an 18" barrel.
Luis
For me, the longer barrel is the actual only allure. A carbine lever gun don't lift my kilt. I prefer the longer sight plain, personally.
"To Hell with efficiency, it's performance we want!" - Elmer Keith
I agree with you for the most part, however, think on this, a long version, and a short carbine version !!!! You can always deny the existence of the later..... LoL!!
"There is some evil in all of us, Doctor, even you, the Valeyard is an amalgamation of the darker sides of your nature, somewhere between your twelfth and final incarnation, and I may say, you do not improve with age. Founding member of the G&A forum since 1996
If you want to increase the thump a little, there's always the Lee 300 grain gas checked cast bullet option. That would make an awesome handgun/rifle combination load if the Jurassic Park fauna ever goes on a rampage.
Jerry
I had one in .357 magnum that was one of the most accurate carbines I had ever shot. When Indiana made it legal to hunt white tails with any pistol cartridge, I gave it to my grandson. I like the idea of having a rifle and pistol that shoots the same cartridges. I still have an 1804 Marlin in .44 magnum and an 1894 Winchester AE in .45 Colt. I have two loads for the Colt, a 255 grain LRNFP with some mild loads to around 800fps and a 300 grain Speer SP with max loads of W296 or H-110 to around 1200fps.....,,Robin
I don't often talk to people that voted for Obama, but when I do I order large fries!
Life member of the American Legion, the VFW, the NRA and the Masonic Lodge, retired LEO
Replies
But, he's a handy one!
;-)
Hopefully, by using H110......a slow-er pistol powder.........it'll help make use of that longer barrel than other fast powders.
-Mikhail Kalashnikov
Darn right.
Oh, it says handy, not handsy. Never mind.
NRA Life Member
There is your answer, you MUST get the rifle for science purposes.
You're good at this.
Ha!
That is in addition to it being a WAY KOOL looking gun
This is my thinking as well. The way I see it, it's not going to be used for any shots over 150 yds in any case, so any barrel length in excess of ~16" does not yield a substantial enough gain in velocity to outweigh the convenience of a short handy carbine. Thus why I have been collecting ~16" barrelled carbines in various calibers (.357 mag, .44 mag, .45 Colt). Even my .45-70 only has an 18" barrel.
Luis
:devil::beer:
“When guns are outlawed, only patriots will have guns.”
Rossi is the Brazilian maker of these Winchester '92 "copies", and Puma was the commercial model. Don't know if they were always connected to Taurus, but they've been in the market for quite a while, and are also known down here for making revolvers for a while. In fact earlier versions that bored the "Puma" name had a brass disc showing a roaring puma's head in the left side of the receiver, close to where the saddle ring is located.
I have an old one, apparently made for the Brazilian market since it's a .38 Special-only '92 S.R.C.-alike model (Over there it's a cartridge banned or at least severely restricted for civilian use) that was recovered from a local farm and handed to me as an incomplete rusted puzzle in a plastic bag. Original parts are locally made of unobtanium, so had to scratch-built a few and even use some loose Winchester 92 bits to make it serviceable (Some fitting here & there was required but they worked, including front & rear sights); wood was also heavily damaged but could finally save it and after a matte refinishing job ended up with a boringly accurate lever gun that would render excellent performance even with the worst possible ammo I was able to find here (That is local reloads and the dreaded American Ammunition).
I'd also say "get it"; a blued 24" octagon barrel .357 model haunts my sleep, but unfortunately they're no longer (And probably won't ever be) imported here. Only thing I don't like from the newer Rossi but can be quickly dealt with is the idiotic bolt safety (Fortunately there's a kit to eliminate it).
Their designs are a little different as the Rossi has a loading gate and the Puma has to be loaded through the mag tube. The fit and finish of my Rossi was a little rough as all the metal had kinda sharp, squared edges but it was nothing that I couldn't fix with some oil, oxide cloth, and a dremmel tool. With stainless, there was no bluing to redo. Considering that I bought it for a "truck gun" and it was about half the cost of a Marlin or Winchester, I didn't mind having to tinker with it a little.
For me, the longer barrel is the actual only allure. A carbine lever gun don't lift my kilt. I prefer the longer sight plain, personally.
I had one in .357 magnum that was one of the most accurate carbines I had ever shot. When Indiana made it legal to hunt white tails with any pistol cartridge, I gave it to my grandson. I like the idea of having a rifle and pistol that shoots the same cartridges. I still have an 1804 Marlin in .44 magnum and an 1894 Winchester AE in .45 Colt. I have two loads for the Colt, a 255 grain LRNFP with some mild loads to around 800fps and a 300 grain Speer SP with max loads of W296 or H-110 to around 1200fps.....,,Robin
Life member of the American Legion, the VFW, the NRA and the Masonic Lodge, retired LEO
Mine has the loading gate; side by side with a Winchester 92 you wouldn't notice the difference if the Puma face brass disk wasn't there....
Dad 5-31-13
Just buy the darn thing already
-Mikhail Kalashnikov
Well. A partial "boom". Put one on Lay-Away.