The R92 carbine from Rossi is a faithful, if slightly updated, reproduction of John Browning’s 1892 Winchester. It’s a tribute to Browning’s genius that the 92’s simple, robust design is still in use 132 years later. The Winchester got the most from black powder pistol cartridges back then. Likewise, the Rossi does the same with rimmed revolver cartridges today.
The Rossi R92 Carbine
After handling R92s a few times at the local gun shop, I decided to procure a stainless one in .357 Magnum. As luck would have it, the store was sold out of stainless .357s. However, an oversized lever stuck out from the others on the rack.
It was leather-wrapped and attached to a receiver that appeared to be OD green in color. I picked it up and was pleased to discover it was indeed a Rossi R92, chambered in .357 Magnum.
The wood was painted black, and the frame and barrel were finished in a striking OD green Cerakote (Rossi calls it Mossy Green). The knurled cap at the end of the short barrel indicated that it was threaded. In addition, there was a section of Picatinny rail atop the barrel with a peep sight affixed at its rear. Finally, the stock had a rubber recoil pad and was fitted with sling swivels.
It cost $130.00 more than a stainless one, but a quick inventory of the added features made it a bargain. I hadn’t cared for the stainless gun’s shine or crescent-shaped steel buttplate anyway. So, I purchased the green “Triple Black” Rossi.
Down to the Details
The 92’s lean dimensions and light weight (6 pounds. 2 ounces) made me understand why it gained favor way back when.
The barrel measured 16.5-inches long with 1:30 RH twist 6 groove rifling, and the front sight was topped with a round brass bead. In addition, the eight-round magazine had a blue anodized aluminum follower. The metal/wood fitting was good—except for a small gap where the wood met the receiver above the trigger.
Rossi adds a small manual safety on top of the bolt just aft of the locking lugs. It’s a simple lever that can be rotated 90 degrees to block the firing pin when engaged. A small red painted circle shows in front of the safety when it’s disengaged.
It may offend purists, but using it provides an additional layer of “Murphy insurance” when unloading the gun (which can only be accomplished by levering rounds through the action) and manually lowering the hammer.
Replacing the Front Sight
At the range, the 92 proved capable of exceptional accuracy with the iron sights. The bad news was it shot 3-6 inches high at 25 yards and 7-10 inches high at 50 yards. That was with 125, and 158-grain bullets with the rear aperture bottomed out.
The front sight measured .530-inch high, and a taller one was needed. So, I ordered the tallest (.750-inch) solid brass front sight made for Rossi rifles from Skinner Sights. A few file strokes were applied to fit the new sight snugly in the dovetail. I shaved its top until a 50-yard zero was achieved with 158-grain Federal Hydra-Shok.
Hopefully, Rossi will correct this soon—a .635-.650-inch height front sight worked with mine. I painted the shiny brass sight flat black except for the top ¼ inch of the rear face. The square serrated brass surface worked like a gold bead and gave an excellent sight picture with the rear aperture.
The R92 Carbine On the Range
Once zeroed, the sights made getting good hits fast and easy from up close to around 80 yards. The trigger contributed to this. It measured a pleasing 4.5 pounds with just a touch of consistent creep.
I thought the oversized lever might be too much of a good thing and batter my hand when running it rapidly. That didn’t happen, and I found it preferable to a standard lever. It operated smoothly and fed jacketed bullets cleanly when operated with purpose.
The stock developed a slight wiggle after firing about 60 rounds. Tightening the screw on the pistol grip tang eliminated the looseness, and it hasn’t reoccurred.
Like most lever actions, the loading gate was stiff. I achieved the best results by pushing rounds most of the way in the gate with my thumb and using the next round to load them fully. Finally, a simple nylon carrying strap with QD swivels was attached to it, and it can be easily removed.
Adding Accessories
The next time out, I mounted a first-generation Trijicon red dot optic on the rail. A working zero was achieved with the first ten rounds. Red dot group sizes at 25 yards were basically identical to those fired with iron sights. I hadn’t planned on keeping an optic mounted, but it’s nice to have the option.
A white light on a long gun for home or camp defense is a good idea. I tried a few DIY setups with mediocre results. Skinner Sights sells a handy light mount for the R92—it runs $79.00 plus shipping. The fact that it also works on Marlin and Winchester guns compelled me to surrender my credit card digits.
On arrival, it proved to be solidly built and easy to install. It looked right on the Rossi and provided a sturdy, lightweight mount for a pistol-style WML.
Attaching a Streamlight TLR HL1 gave great results and was easy to remove/remount as needed. Its 1,000 Lumens allowed for clear target ID and illuminated the iron sights for effective low-light use.
Feeding the R92
The .357 Magnum has long owned a reputation as an effective self-defense handgun round. Firing it from a 16.5-inch barrel takes the cartridge to another level.
The Rossi produced huge velocity increases from what we expect with handguns. It launched Speer’s 125 gr. Gold Dot at 2202 fps, and Remington’s 125 SJHP at an average of 2142 fps. That’s on par with a 300 Blackout 125 gr. load from a 16-inch barrel.
The rifle bullet’s superior ballistic coefficient allows it to reach further. However, within 100 yards, the additional diameter of the pistol bullet gives it the edge. The .357 Lever Gun offers mild recoil and blast and significantly increases the hit potential over a handgun for most shooters.
Lightly constructed bullets like 110 gr JHP’s or Corbon’s 100 gr. PowerBall (2118 fps) are nearly frangible at carbine velocities. Correspondingly, penetration is reduced to 9-11 inches in clear ballistics gel. The carbine minimizes overpenetration hazards in densely populated urban areas with these rounds.
Remington’s .38 +P 125 gr. Golden Sabre averaged 1351 fps—50 fps faster than the .357 version reached from the 4.25-inch Python. It was long enough to feed reliably from the R92; recoil was poofy, and it was amazingly accurate. It would make a perfect home defense load, especially for the recoil sensitive.
The little carbine is natural for riding behind the seat on a road trip. A humble lever gun will be less frowned upon in many places than a modern sporting rifle.
The 140-158 grain JHPs would be fully adequate for harvesting deer-sized game at reasonable ranges. My sample was finicky with long, heavy caliber cast bullets, both loading in the magazine and chambering. I would opt for 158 gr TMJ bullets if deep penetration was desired.
A Handy Carbine with Cool Features
While it may not be as logistically crucial now as it was in the late 1800s, the ability to feed your long gun and handgun(s) from the same box of ammo still makes sense. The Rossi Triple Black series strikes a good balance between traditional guns and the modern modular lever actions being produced.
The .357 R92 is an extremely handy carbine with some cool features (It has me pondering a suppressor). I think John Browning would approve—even of the color!
For more information, please visit RossiUSA.com.
Head-to-Head Comparisons
125 gr. CORBON DPX | |
Rossi R92 16.5-inch | 1898 fps |
Colt Python 4.25-inch | 1342 fps |
Kimber K6 2-inch | 1198 fps |
125 gr. Remington GSHP | |
Rossi R92 16.5-inch | 1666 fps |
Colt Python 4.25-inch | 1299 fps |
Kimber K6 2-inch | 1068 fps |
140 gr. Barnes | |
Rossi R92 16.5-inch | 1777 fps |
Colt Python 4.25-inch | 1344 fps |
Kimber K6 2-inch | 1133 fps |
145 gr. Winchester STHP | |
Rossi R92 16.5-inch | 1917 fps |
Colt Python 4.25-inch | 1358 fps |
Kimber K6 2-inch | 1109 fps |
158 gr. Federal Hydra-Shok | |
Rossi R92 16.5-inch | 1745 fps |
Colt Python 4.25-inch | 1198 fps |
Kimber K6 2-inch | 1089 fps |
185 gr. BTB WFN-GC handload | |
Rossi R92 16.5-inch | 1436 fps |
Colt Python 4.25-inch | 1193 fps |
Kimber K6 2-inch | 1014 fps |
125 gr. Rem GSHP (.38+P) | |
Rossi R92 16.5-inch | 1351 fps |
Colt Python 4.25-inch | 1041 fps |
Kimber K6 2-inch | 874 fps |