Pre-1995 Rossi Puma 92 Carbine Questions

The Rossi Model R92, a lightweight carbine for Cowboy Action, hunting, or plinking! Includes Rossi manufactured Interarms, Navy Arms, and Puma trade names.
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aether_Tech
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Pre-1995 Rossi Puma 92 Carbine Questions

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I recently picked up a Rossi Puma 92 carbine, and Taurus/Rossi can't help me identify the rear it was made. For some reason I can't fathom no one kept any records from before 1995? Is there a guide or serial range scale out there that can help me in identifying the year my rifle was produced?

According to a few of the individuals online selling accessories for the Rossi 92, mine most likely uses the 10mm dovetail rear sight? Is the measurement for that supposed to be 10mm, or ~9.6? In either case, were can I source replacements - or better yet, a picatinny rail section with a dovetail that'll work, since it's not the standard 3/8".

Lastly, is it supposed to have 3 #15 (8-40) holes drilled and tapped from the factory, or is it modified?


Thanks.
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Re: Pre-1995 Rossi Puma 92 Carbine Questions

Post by Reese-Mo »

Pictures!

And I think the records thing is due to changes on both manufacturing business and import business over the years/decades, and at times, more than one US importer at the same time.
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Re: Pre-1995 Rossi Puma 92 Carbine Questions

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Reese-Mo wrote:Pictures!

And I think the records thing is due to changes on both manufacturing business and import business over the years/decades, and at times, more than one US importer at the same time.





(added lever loop strap, first time sewing.)
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Re: Pre-1995 Rossi Puma 92 Carbine Questions

Post by Archer »

Reese-Mo wrote:Pictures!

And I think the records thing is due to changes on both manufacturing business and import business over the years/decades, and at times, more than one US importer at the same time.
With Rossi making them for multiple 'manufacturers' and importers with multiple serial number series, brand markings and so forth. (Navy Arms, Interarms who I think trademarked the Puma label, one of the other crews who used Rossi for a while and then switched back to Italian manufacture.) With Rossi changing hands a time or two not counting all the internal changes of what holding company or internal export/import division/LLC/'company' was acting to get them into the U.S..) It is quite possible that those records were 'ditched' or perhaps turned over to whatever Brazil calls their ATF equivalent. I've heard of similar situations in the U.S.. I know of at least one semi major 'manufactuere' and one who was a major impact on the HK clone market here in the U.S. who went through 3-5 names each and each name change was essentially a new company that had no real obligation to maintain any of the records for the previous FFL entities and could have simply turned those records over to the ATF.

The Rossi serial thing is not quite as bad as the current situation with ARs where several manufacturers put out various models at the drop of a hat or can be commissioned to put out custom imprints. I know I have 3 or 4 Aero Precision ARs that don't have any Aero Precision labels on them because they were put out as a custom run for a friend's attempt at manufacturing ARs as a business. At the time Aero was doing small runs of a several hundred. Last I heard their minimum buy was 1000. Of course those require ATF paperwork for the run.
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Re: Pre-1995 Rossi Puma 92 Carbine Questions

Post by aether_Tech »

Well, it is an Interarms Rossi.
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Re: Pre-1995 Rossi Puma 92 Carbine Questions

Post by Reese-Mo »

Nice wood on that '92.

Dunno what three screws you mean.

Usually the importer doesn't specify serial number ranges, but only has to mark its name/address on the barrel or receiver. But... not to say it can't happen. The Cassi imported Browning High Power pistols come to mind, There are instances of Stoeger, FIE, Interarms all importing the same firearm, sometimes marked with a different "model" name, which may or may not have overlapping numbers. Its not really a mess... ATF seems to be ok with it. But for historical... then it gets interesting. One more bug-bear too. An importer may receive numbers all over the place on any shipment, and... get earlier numbers on later shipments. ATF only wants a unique number per model, they don't care any further than that.
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Re: Pre-1995 Rossi Puma 92 Carbine Questions

Post by Archer »

Another potential for confusion, Not sure what manufacturers it might apply to but for one example:
Smith & Wesson manufacturing dates vs. shipping dates used to be a real rat's nest.
Seems Smith had absolutely zero concept of first in first out so items were shoved in the vault as they were completed and pulled out more or less in reverse order for shipping rather than oldest items first. Depending on what they were manufacturing and what might have gotten covered up in an out of sight out of mind sort of way stuff could more or less get lost in the vault for extended periods of time. Maybe years, maybe decades.
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Re: Pre-1995 Rossi Puma 92 Carbine Questions

Post by Reese-Mo »

True!

One reason for S&W (or Ruger even) doing that, is the manufacturing process itself. Its helpful to remember that core items - frames - are made in large quantity, to cover all models of a certain frame size. But firearm models are completed per jobber orders. In addition to any "distributor requests/exclusives", factories produce cataloged items based on the jobber orders that it receives. If jobber A, B and E all order 1500 of whatever, they make up 4500, and that's that. Few, if any, jobbers order all catalog models. Its sort of a game really, with manufacturers plying jobbers off each other's orders to keep the factory production even, and continuous.

So what's that all mean? It means that frames - which are serialized at manufacture - may get mated to components at any ol' time to make certain models. My Ruger .44 SP101 is a shining example, having been made in 2021, even though they're not a current production model. How'd that happen? More than likely they either found extra barrels, or decided to reduce inventory of spares on hand, so completed a few more revolvers. It's number surpassed that of my 3" 357 GP100, made in 2020, but by rights, it ought not do that.
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Re: Pre-1995 Rossi Puma 92 Carbine Questions

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So, being an Interams can norrow it down to....?
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Re: Pre-1995 Rossi Puma 92 Carbine Questions

Post by Reese-Mo »

Not a very narrow window. Put another way, you could easily pass Cass Elliot's tush thru that window and not disturb the dust! Interarms imported Rossi for quite a spell....
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