Rossi Rifleman

Not after exact dates, i assume it would be very difficult. Just hoping to get a general before/after date going off the following details if anyone has an idea? Pre-safety, Rossi 1892 stainless octagonal 24" barrel 357 mag, seriel number Sk114 XXXX, stamped on top tang Amadeo Rossi, Made in brazil, no other markings. Removed stock and buttplate and found "125 8" stamped and also 125 by itself a couple places on both wood and metal. Thanks for any info you might have. My guesses are this is somewhere between mid 1990's and 2009, after which Chiappa took over? or could it be earlier?

Contact Rossi CS and ask them yourself.

trekker wrote:. . . after which Chiappa took over? . . .

I was not aware that Chiappa was involved with making Rossi 92s. I have a Chiappa 1892 (imported and marketed by Cimarron) but this is a completely different animal from a Rossi 92. The receiver, like that on the Browning, has the same contours as the original Winchester '92. It also has a flat spring which differs from the coil spring in my Rossi R92 and Browning B92.

FWIW, the Chiappa 1892 is an elegant rifle. The wood-to-metal fit is right up there with Italian shotguns. Metal finish is excellent, the color case hardening and bluing are first rate, and the screw heads have the narrow slots that the Italians have always been so proud of. Mine is a .44/40 and it's very accurate with 200 gr RNFP cast bullets.

New, this rifle costs a lot more than a Rossi. I lucked out with a pristine pre-owned one for $550.

Thanks fellas, I probably got my wires crossed on the chiappa involvement with Rossi.

I contacted Rossi CS. The girl just plugged the seriel number into the same seriel number search page you can do so online on Rossi's website, which came up with nothing. According to her the gun is too old to verify. How old this cut off is though is the info Id actually be after. What is the last date the seriels go back to etc. that would be a good starting point. Unfortunately they didn't have further information.

RossiUSA doesn't have any serial number info prior to 2008. As far as I know, there are no records of what the previous Rossi brand owners produced. GasGuzzler has made an effort in this regard, indicating that there might be coded date stamped on the stock (if it is original). Maybe he will join the conversation.

Rossi could not care less about you or your pre-safety R92. There is no good way to tell from the serial number when it was made or shipped.

My guess is the 125th day of either 1988 or 1998. Look into which models were made in which years and maybe you can narrow it down if yours was offered one decade but not the other.

GasGuzzler wrote:Rossi could not care less about you or your pre-safety R92. There is no good way to tell from the serial number when it was made or shipped.

My guess is the 125th day of either 1988 or 1998. Look into which models were made in which years and maybe you can narrow it down if yours was offered one decade but not the other.

I'm betting that the 125 stamp refers not to the date but rather the inspector of the rifle.

Thanks all. I had read elsewhere Rossi used Julian dates on the guns. 125 would be may 5th. Mine has got that number inside one of the stock tangs on the metal work, inside the wood of the buttplate and also on the stock. Would it be unlikely for an inspector to stamp three individual pieces like that? Maybe its more likely they would do so, could go either way, who knows.

It's a date. Mine has the same number on about seven pieces.

Thanks Gas Guzzler, so maybe 1988 or 1998. I am assuming being pre-safety then a date of 2008 would not be in the running. btw anyone know what the bores slug at exactly for these guns?