Teach y'all to ask what I've been doing...

by Sarge , Central Misery, Saturday, April 05, 2014, 21:28 (3827 days ago)

I recently traded into a NIB Rossi Model 92 ‘Trapper’ in .357 Magnum. These come with a 16” barrel and weigh under five pounds and measure 33” overall. The photo is of the 92 with a 4” Colt Lawman, for comparison.

The 16” model was not my first choice. I hunted around for a 20” version, which my dealer's distributor said they had- but could not deliver. The only example I found locally was retail and then some. My preference for the longer barrel was based solely on ballistics and my opinion that the longer rifle might be a little more accurate. 2000 fps was the velocity threshold I hoped to achieve. After some research I settled on a maximum load of 19.0 grains of Winchester 296 using the 140 grain XTP bullet, CCI Magnum Small Pistol primers and the menagerie of cases in my brass pile. So it was time to see how much I’d lost by settling for the 16” barrel. I set up the BetaMaster and checked a few loads from the Rossi and Colt Lawman.

Results were better than expected.

The aforementioned XTP load generated 2000 fps, +/- 5 fps depending on the brand of case used. The Colt averaged 1240 fps with this load.

Federal’s old 158 grain 357 jacketed softpoint averaged 1729 fps from the 16” Rossi and 1173 fps from the Colt.

Remington’s 125 grain Magnum JHP averaged 2101 fps from the Rossi and 1418 fps from the Colt.

My current cast bullet 38 load uses a Missouri Bullet cast 125 grain RNFP and 5.3 grains of HP38, with a CCI standard small pistol primer. The Rossi 92 averaged 1065 fps with this load and the old Lawman spits them out at 815 fps. They are essentially a 36 caliber version of the 22 LR. Recoil with these loads was barely noticeable end even the hottest loads were a cake-walk in the Model 92.

Does it shoot? The first three shots of the 140 grain XTP load went into ¾ inch at 25 yards.

I kept shooting on this target while chronographing and there were several 3-shot clover-leaves by the various loads tested. My glasses are trashed and using my ‘good’ left eye I was able to print several 100 meter, three shot groups with the XTP load measuring 2 ½”. Considering uncorrected vision, a huge bead front sight and 20 mph gusts… I’d say the rifle will shoot.

How hard does it shoot? Everybody has fought a contrary stapler at one time or another. I execute the SOB’s.. This one took a 140 grain XTP at about 2000 fps. You are looking through exit hole at the entrance.

The Trapper is not perfect. It all but refused to feed any Remington semi-jacketed load. Success with the 38 RNFP load is dependent on a light hand on the lever. Thankfully, my XTP hunting load fed perfectly but any 357 load must be cycled with authority. The Trapper’s sights are too coarse for serious accuracy and its trigger pulls is over six pounds. Still, I like it. I will sort out its gremlins, kill some things with it enjoy its versatility. I have coffee cans of reloads to feed it from. This one is going to be fun.

Rossi 92 Sight Redux

The issue sights on 16” Rossi 92’s consist of an odd semi-buckhorn rear and a large brass bead front sight. With the gun’s 12 ½” sight radius, the bead looks like a brass hubcap. At 0.650” high, it’s just waiting to get hooked on something. The rear sight’s ‘horns’ interfere with your peripheral vision of the target. In short, they unnecessarily complicate precise shooting.



I’ve always liked the flat-top sights on pre-64, ‘94 Winchesters. Coupled with a fine bead, I shoot them better than any other iron sight. So I decided to modify the Rossi’s OEM rear sight with three goals in mind-

1. Simulate the Winchester sight picture
2. Lower the sighting plane substantially
3. Field unobtrusive sights, with no sharp edges.

Armed with a belt sander, files and a Dremel tool, I was a force to be reckoned with! I lowered the rear sight enough that it was necessary to cut a new notch with a cutoff wheel. After little dehorning and baptism in cold blue, it looks like this:

I had a spare Marbles 450W with the 1/16” white bead, which fits Rossi’s oddball dovetail and is infinitely sturdier (and .200 shorter) than the factory offering.

The end result (alignment notwithstanding) looks something like this.

These sights were essentially ‘on’ where I centered them and using the 140 XTP 357 load, anything you put the bead on at 100 meters grows a 35 caliber hole through it. Low-effort, rested 3 shot groups hovered at two inches, a half inch better than I was doing with the OEM sights. Shooting unsupported at 25 paces, two of my 125 grain RNFP 38 loads made that many holes in an empty 12 gauge hull. This is a substantial improvement and I didn't have to Send Money to anybody.

And finally today, I pulled it down and narrowed the trigger return spring by about 40%. Resulting trigger finished at 2 3/4 pounds and that won't hurt the way it shoots at all.