[Montana Cowboy]

Howdy Folks
Just can't make up my mind which one to get. I like the Marlin since you can mount a scope on it ( only plan to do so if my eye's get to where open sights don't work for me any longer ) if need be. The new Marlins have moved the serial number to the side of the receiver so you can mount a tang sight, I like that . Are the new Marlins drilled and tapped for a receiver sight? I don't care for the safety on the Marlin but I can live with it. At the gun show today a fella had one for sale for $450. used and in very nice condition. Couldn't mount a tang sight on it as the S/N is on the tang unless the drilled hole did not remove part of the S/N. What kind of accuracy at 100 yds do you get with your Marlin?

Looked at a Rossi at the show and it was a model 92 made in Brazill, fella wanted $429. + tax. It is a used rifle but in very good shap but I didn't think $429. was a good price. Didn't make an offer on it as I wasn't ready to buy. What are your likes and dislikes between the two? I know accuracy depends on many things but I'd like to hear what you folks get with your Rossi. Thanks MC

 

[curiousgb]

I have a Marlin and a Rossi. I like both but I would have to go with the Marlin. You can get support for it.

 

[Montana Cowboy]

Hi Curiousgb
Thanks for your reply. I was thinking the same thing about customer support. Marlin has been around for a long time and I rarely here anyone complain about them. You can get a lemon no matter how good a reputation a company has but like I said you just don't here many complaints about Marlin.
Which ever one I do get I mostly plan to use it for plinking and maybe a little varmit hunting. How does your Marlin and Rossi handel .38 special loads as far as feeding and accuracy go's?

 

[nimrod375]

Most Marlins will handle 38 specials without difficulty. I haven't seen a Rossi yet that will feed them alright, but if you seated the bullet out to keep the cartridge OAL the same as .357 they should work.

People often ask me which would be a better gun to get started shooting single action comp, and I'll tell them the Marlin every time. Some Marlins do give trouble out of the box (like the one I bought, with a faulty extractor) but they are easy to work on and for cowboy shooting, can be made to run lightning fast with no hiccups. Rossis and even the Browning made 92's, which I owned one of, will give trouble feeding when pushed very fast. It won't worry the majority of shooters, just the ones who want to get really quick. (Less than 4 seconds for 10 rifle shots.)

So for SASS shooting, it's Marlin hands down. But for plinking or hunting, there's not too much in it really. I would get the one that you like the looks and feel of the best. I wouldn't worry about parts/service for the rossis, they are everywhere and spares should be available if you need them. I doubt you ever will.

Some of the older rossis have the front sight mounted on the front barrel band. This couldn't be good for accuracy, and it has been fixed on the later models.

 

[Montana Cowboy]

Thanks for the reply Nimrod. I'm going to see if I can find an older Marlin without the cross bolt safety. When was it that Marlin added the safety? If I don't find one in the next month or so I'll get a new Marlin. I'm already thinking of getting a lever action in .45 Long Colt too. MC

 

[Clem]

I have one of the older Marlin 1894 Cowboy in .357. It has a 24” barrel. The newer ones have a 20” barrel. It weighs 7 lb. 2 oz. I also have a 1894C, which is the little 18 ½” .357. It is much more compact and swings much faster and weighs 6 lb. 9 oz. It is also much cheaper than the Cowboy, but these things are a matter of personal preference.

 

[COSteve]

Most Marlins will handle 38 specials without difficulty. I haven't seen a Rossi yet that will feed them alright,

I own 2 Rossi's that will load anything with an OAL of from 1.455" (std 38spl) to 1.590" (357mag) with not a single issue. It's a non-issue for most people like me who don't do CASS. In CASS you're likely looking for a model '73 because of the shorter stroke kit you can add to greatly enhance your speed.

 

[Rangr44]

[Are the new Marlins drilled and tapped for a receiver sight?]

Yes/No - Marlin no longer drills the side prep for a peep, but Williams now makes Two different FoolProof(FP) and two different 5D peeps - the older version fits the receiver side prep, while the new versions fit the rear two factory prep scope mount holes.
The bad news is, Marlin doesn't do scope prep on the Cowboy models AFAIK.


[ I don't care for the safety on the Marlin but I can live with it. At the gun show today a fella had one for sale for $450. used and in very nice condition. Couldn't mount a tang sight on it as the S/N is on the tang unless the drilled hole did not remove part of the S/N.]

As a matter of course, Lyman provides a special sub-base with their #2 Tang sights meant for Marlins, that takes care of that very problem.
Lyman supplies a tang screw longer than their normal "longer" tang screw, so it can pass through both the tang sight base and the sub-base, yet still reach the threads of the lower tang.
The sub-base has three holes - A rear one for the tang screw to pass through, a forward D/T'd hole to secure the front of the tang sight base, and a third hole between the two, close enough to the tang screw to miss the SN, where the tang will need to be D/T'd.


$500 used to be a decent price, for a new .357 Rossi M92 - until Bud's dropped the price to clearance out all the NOS (New Old Stock).
Once they're gone - and they going very fast, indeed - I fear the new pricing will range skyward, near the italian M92's made by Chiappa.

I've had both, but have recently sold my Marlin - favoring the Model 92. YMMV.

.

 

[Montana Cowboy]

Ranger the info you provided gives some options that I wasn't aware of. Do all the lever action Rossi rifles come with the safety on top of the receiver? The one I looked at at the gun show had the safety on top and I didn't care for that. Is there any after market mod for that safety?

Steve, $396 delivered is very tempting.

 

[Rangr44]

AKAIK, all the new Brazillian Rossi M92's have the bolt top safety.

Older Rossi's do not, and neither do the Browning/Miroku b92's.

I'm unsure if & what sort of safties the Italian Model 92's made by Chiappa have, and the new Winchester/Miroku Model 92's have a tang safety.

The lawyer/boltop safety is easily removeable - it's held in the bolt via a simple crosspin thorigh the locking lug recess area of the bolt.

If someone's reasonably "homeowner handy", it's fairlyeasy to fashion a replacement plig from a round metal rod using an electric drill as a lathe and a file to turn the rod to size.

Here's a photo tutorial, for anyone interested in making their own safety replacement plug:

http://www.go2gbo.com/forums/index.php/topic,173576.0.html

For someone not handy, or who'd rather buy one for a drop-in DIY, the plugs are $20 at www.stevesgunz.com , as is a metal replacement for the plastic magazine followers (which are also fairly EZ to make)

Here's another photo tutorial, showing the principle behind making a replacement magazine plug ( a fired brass cartridge case can also be used):

http://www.go2gbo.com/forums/index.php/topic,173608.0.html

FWIW, the bolt top safety can also be easily replaced by a peep sight:

I made mine by installing a Skinner Lo-Pro peep in my handmade replacement plug, but Steve's Gunz sells a similar setup as a DIY part.
My Rossi's zeroed handily with only a miniscule front sight windage adjustment.

.

 

[MMichaelAK]

I've got a Marlin 1894 carbine in .357 and a Puma Model 92 carbine in .45 Colt. Those are the newer Rossi if I recall correctly. The safety on top of the bolt on the Puma is unsightly but a non issue as to function. My Marlin is an older model without a crossbolt safety. I put Lyman peep on it. That is the one mod I want to do to my Puma. Otherwise, both are great little rifles.

 

[Montana Cowboy]

Ranger your peep sight looks great. Making the replacement plug would be easy to make thanks for the link. I looked on the Marlin web site and according to them both the 1894 and 1894C come drilled and ready for an optic sight. Nice feature to have but I want to use iron / peep sights on my rifle.

 

[nimrod375]

CO Steve that's good to hear that your rifles will feed .38 specials. Perhaps the newer Rossis are better in that department? I know and have used 4 older ones that won't feed the .38's reliably, if at all, and at least a couple of others that had such strong lifter springs they would throw the live round off the lifter on the downstroke of the lever.

That said, these were older production rifles and they were rough. But the Browning B92 is an exceptionally well made copy of the Winchester, and the 2 examples of that rifle that I've used in .357 wouldn't feed .38's either. Obviosuly, some Rossis and 92's will interchange between .38 and .357 without problems but as I said, I haven't seen one for myself yet. I still stand by my statement, for CAS, get the marlin, for plinking and hunting - it doesn't matter, get the one you prefer!

 

[joecool911]

AKAIK, all the new Brazillian Rossi M92's have the bolt top safety.

Older Rossi's do not, and neither do the Browning/Miroku b92's.

I'm unsure if & what sort of safties the Italian Model 92's made by Chiappa have, and the new Winchester/Miroku Model 92's have a tang safety.

The lawyer/boltop safety is easily removeable - it's held in the bolt via a simple crosspin thorigh the locking lug recess area of the bolt.

If someone's reasonably "homeowner handy", it's fairlyeasy to fashion a replacement plig from a round metal rod using an electric drill as a lathe and a file to turn the rod to size.

Here's a photo tutorial, for anyone interested in making their own safety replacement plug:

http://www.go2gbo.com/forums/index.php/topic,173576.0.html

For someone not handy, or who'd rather buy one for a drop-in DIY, the plugs are $20 at www.stevesgunz.com , as is a metal replacement for the plastic magazine followers (which are also fairly EZ to make)

Here's another photo tutorial, showing the principle behind making a replacement magazine plug ( a fired brass cartridge case can also be used):

http://www.go2gbo.com/forums/index.php/topic,173608.0.html

FWIW, the bolt top safety can also be easily replaced by a peep sight:

I made mine by installing a Skinner Lo-Pro peep in my handmade replacement plug, but Steve's Gunz sells a similar setup as a DIY part.
My Rossi's zeroed handily with only a miniscule front sight windage adjustment.

.

This kind of skinner sight is lower than his other style, right? Might not require a higher front. Do you know where to get front sights for these guns? The barrel band makes for a tight fit. The one that is on my 454 has the dovetail forward of center so that it fits close to the band.

How far did you have to disassemble the gun to install the safety plug?