Rossi Rifleman

You may be thinking I'm smoking something, but here's my thought process:
I currently have a S&W 29-2 .44 mag 8 3/8" barrel. I have paired it up with a Rossi 92 .44 mag 16" carbine, both blued.
My desire is to add a stainless semi-auto .44 mag (hunting) handgun to that family. (I cant get enough of the .44 magnum) This has lead me to that brick called a Desert Eagle - not a good fit for my hands. The only other option is the out-of-production LAR Grizzly. I'm partial to the 1911 platform in the long slide (6") configuration, which connected me to the .460 Rowland conversion kit. Now, if I head down this rabbit hole it eventually leads me to matching-up a Kimber stainless 1911 .460 Rowland with a Rossi 20" stainless M92 and having it reamed to accept the .460 Rowland. I know I can get a 10mm 6" 1911, but I’ve already gone through the 10mm vs .460 Rowland and the .460 comes out on top.
So…do you think it would it be possible to have a M92 reamed to accept the .460 and if so, which caliber?
Bullet diameters:
.460 Rowland - .451
.45 Colt - .451
.454 Casull - .452
.44 Mag - .429

I don't know of any rimless cartridge used in a 92. I could see how the the chamber might be reamed to headspace on the leading edge of the case, although this might force your selection of starting calibers. I imagine the extractor would need some vicious modification to deal with a rimless case.

You would, no doubt, be the first kid on your block with a Rossi 92 in 460 Rowland. Like my sister likes to say, "Bad idea! What time?"

Yeah, the rimless thing is an issue as is the short cartridge OAL. Going to need new guts inside the receiver and somebody that can design and make them.

HarryAlonzo wrote:I don't know of any rimless cartridge used in a 92. I could see how the the chamber might be reamed to headspace on the leading edge of the case, although this might force your selection of starting calibers. I imagine the extractor would need some vicious modification to deal with a rimless case.
You would, no doubt, be the first kid on your block with a Rossi 92 in 460 Rowland. Like my sister likes to say, "Bad idea! What time?"

That was one of the first things that I thought of: the extractor. Screwing with that truly gets into a labor-intensive trial & error. Having a stainless long slide 1911 & a stainless lever both in .460 really had me going.

It has been done, ie.. the rimless cart in a lever gun. Rossi did a prototype back in the 1980's of a .45ACP 92. They even supposedly sold several to the Police force of either Bolivia or Brazil. They announced that they would be introducing it in the US through a Guns and Ammo magazine article in 1981 or 1982. It may have even been in the NRA Rifleman magazine as well. The gun never appeared except as a prototype that was circulated to gun writers and seen at gun shows all over the US that year and the next.

Several custom gun makers have over the years made rimless cartridge leverguns. My dad made more than one and it was likely one of his guns that inspired the Rossi of the early 1980's.
There are still some makers doing them today but you would be looking at a $2000-$3000 dollar cost. for the gun and likely a year or longer wait time.

Get yourself a .454 revolver and a .454 Rossi 92 and be happy man cause that is a sweet combo as well.

Or go for the .500 S&W and the Model 89 from Bighorn Armory that's a combo right there!

dionesius3 wrote:It has been done, ie.. the rimless cart in a lever gun. Rossi did a prototype back in the 1980's of a .45ACP 92. They even supposedly sold several to the Police force of either Bolivia or Brazil. They announced that they would be introducing it in the US through a Guns and Ammo magazine article in 1981 or 1982. It may have even been in the NRA Rifleman magazine as well. The gun never appeared except as a prototype that was circulated to gun writers and seen at gun shows all over the US that year and the next.

Several custom gun makers have over the years made rimless cartridge leverguns. My dad made more than one and it was likely one of his guns that inspired the Rossi of the early 1980's.
There are still some makers doing them today but you would be looking at a $2000-$3000 dollar cost. for the gun and likely a year or longer wait time.

Get yourself a .454 revolver and a .454 Rossi 92 and be happy man cause that is a sweet combo as well.

Or go for the .500 S&W and the Model 89 from Bighorn Armory that's a combo right there!

Oh man, talk about a Holy Grail gun! I could have some fun with a .45acp levergun! Oh baby, I've got LOTS of .45acp ammo and brass......

dionesius3 wrote:It has been done, ie.. the rimless cart in a lever gun. Rossi did a prototype back in the 1980's of a .45ACP 92. They even supposedly sold several to the Police force of either Bolivia or Brazil. They announced that they would be introducing it in the US through a Guns and Ammo magazine article in 1981 or 1982. It may have even been in the NRA Rifleman magazine as well. The gun never appeared except as a prototype that was circulated to gun writers and seen at gun shows all over the US that year and the next.

Several custom gun makers have over the years made rimless cartridge leverguns. My dad made more than one and it was likely one of his guns that inspired the Rossi of the early 1980's.
There are still some makers doing them today but you would be looking at a $2000-$3000 dollar cost. for the gun and likely a year or longer wait time.

Get yourself a .454 revolver and a .454 Rossi 92 and be happy man cause that is a sweet combo as well.

Or go for the .500 S&W and the Model 89 from Bighorn Armory that's a combo right there!

Thanks dionesius3 for this info. I can see that working a 92 for rimless could easily tip $2K. Too rich for my wallet. I already have a 44 mag revolver & lever, just jones'n for a semi auto in .44 mag for which there are very few candidates.

If Coonan arms comes out of "restructuring" (their words) they intend to expand their offerings to include the .44mag in the 1911 format.
I have a .357 Mag version of theirs and it's a sweet shooter.

Rangerpoint Precision in Houston converts Marlin leverguns to 9mm and 45 ACP.

Warhawk wrote:Rangerpoint Precision in Houston converts Marlin leverguns to 9mm and 45 ACP.

At what I call a very high price. You can have nearly anything you want if you can pay for it.