Rossi Rifleman

My 44 mag 16” carbine had them salivating at deer camp this year. I fitted it with an NOE scope mount and topped it with a Leupold fixed 2.5x28 scope. I tried the marbles bulleye, which I liked, but my eyes really felt more comfortable with some magnification. As a bonus, the scope is super light and has very good (both eyes open) eye relief. I highly recommend this setup for those tired (read “older”) eyes. I needed a sling because some of my favorite hunting areas require navigating some steep inclines. I didn’t want to drill into the stock, so I outfitted the stock with a leather butt cover from Kirpatick Leather. I took off the metal butt plate and before putting on the cover I inserted 2 layers of 1/8” thick silicone rubber to help a little with recoil. The rear of the sling is held on with 2 pieces of rawhide under the butt cover and knotted in the cover stitching. Hey, I didn’t get a deer this year, but had more than a few notice and comment about my new hunting rig. Couldn't be happier.

That's the definition of a "handy rifle".

As much as I don't like the idea of a scope on any of my lever guns, my eyes are telling me differently. On the range in good light, ok. In the woods it's a totally different story.

good choice of scope. A nice simple setup with just enough magnification to get the job done.

Thank you for sharing. That is a mighty fine rig.

Just curious, but what do you use for a case?

Very nice setup!

ethang wrote:As much as I don't like the idea of a scope on any of my lever guns, my eyes are telling me differently. On the range in good light, ok. In the woods it's a totally different story.

good choice of scope. A nice simple setup with just enough magnification to get the job done.

I really didn’t want to ruin the lines if the 92 and installed a Marbles Bullseye sight, but I found that in low light situations I need more. I also didn’t want to add any weight to the lightest deer rifle I’ve ever owned. This scope is very light and about as simple as you can get when it comes to glass. I also like to beat the bushes for deer, so lugging a 6+ pound fire stick through heavily wooded areas all day wasn’t at the top of my list.

HarryAlonzo wrote:Thank you for sharing. That is a mighty fine rig.
Just curious, but what do you use for a case?

Funny you should ask HarryAlonzo - I didnt have one small enough, so for the time-being, I used one of those canvas zipped WWII rifle sacks (for my Garand) and then threw that into my sons baseball bat bag. It worked in a pinch. Amazon has a few that will fit the bill for that 34" overall length handy rifle. Allen has a 36" one that will probably do just fine without too much extra interior space:

I use a rectangular tactical case, and it does have a fair bit of wasted space. The wedge shaped tactical looks great, thanks! I'm going to take a look at baseball bat bags, too.

Looks great! But it's a shame these can't be scoped farther back.

Could be worse. Could be a Garand that spews hot gases all over the ocular.