Heritage 92 Lever Action 38/357 Review

[@gravesclayton3604]

Thank you for this review! If I may, I would like to share some things discovered through my own experience. Firstly, I have been shooting for 50+ years, and I have owned 2 original 100+ year-old Winchester rifles. One was an 1876 40-60 that I did not shoot more than a half-dozen times due to lack of ammo. The second was an early production 1892 32-20 that I did shoot a bit more as ammo was still available at that time. So I do have experience with originals in addition to this reproduction. Recently I had a desire for another lever action, but not the funds for an original Winchester. I also wanted one that shared my pistol ammo of .38 Special & .357 Magnum, so I went with the new Heritage 92 16" 38/357 you are showcasing here. I have had mine for 2 months and am still waiting for shipment of the free Rough Rider revolver, but that takes time and patience. I have watched reviews on this and mainly the Rossi R92, and thought I would address a few points. I hope that by sharing my observations, you, and others that have not yet bought it, may gain some measure of confidence in this firearm. 1. This rifle is manufactured by CBC, in Brazil, and has been for a decade or more. It has been imported to the U.S. by Rossi as the R92. CBC has recently started manufacturing the 92 series for Heritage. There are minor differences between the Rossi R92 and Heritage 92, all of which are cosmetic, such as metal & wood finishes, and also brand-name engravings. 2. The 16" .38/.357 is advertised as having an 8-round capacity. To be more precise, I have found that the magazine tube will hold 8 rounds of .357 , a ninth round in the receiver, and a tenth in the chamber. The loading gate is actually alongside the elevator and the first round loaded only enters the tube magazine when the 2nd round is loaded, and so on. To the best of my recollection, my original 1892 was the same, only it had a longer octagonal barrel and held 12 rounds of 32-20. 3. Many people seem to struggle with the shells and the stiff loading gate. This is in part to being new, and not 50-100 years old yet, and also due to modern materials and manufacturing. What I can tell you is that the 1892 has a small loading gate, like the original, and the .357 shell is a long, straight-wall cartridge that takes a bit of finesse' to load smoothly. The rim of each shell can hang a bit on the outside of the receiver, as well as can the non-tapered end of the round at the front on the inside of the receiver. When loading each round, it helps immensely to push it down at a 45 degree angle as it enters the receiver, fully depressing the loading gate and the rim of the prior cartridge. Round #9 can be fully loaded with the assistance of #10, the round you can chamber by hand up top. I prefer to use the handle end of my plastic 'cleaning toothbrush' as it will not scar or damage anything, including the shell primer. ( most shooters always have a used toothbrush as a gun tool as it is handy for a lot of things) Round #10 can be hand loaded from the top by drawing back the lever and bolt by about 90%, just short of the elevator lifting the round below it. The extractor will engage the shell rim when you fully close the bolt & lever into battery. This is the part, btw, that most people complain about being 'rough' or 'crude' in the rifle's action. Trust me, you want to feel a good positive lock going into battery, otherwise, you may not have engaged the shell extractor or worse, end up firing a round out of battery. 4. The 'unattractive' safety switch on the rear top of the bolt is to meet Federal import regulations. I have seen examples where this switch has been removed and substituted with a bypass plug to better replicate the original 1892. Having owned an 1876 and an 1892, I kind of like the additional firing pin safety for several reasons. The originals have the very good potential to fire out of battery if mishandled by beginners, learners, or even seasoned shooters that get distracted. The original Winchester 1894 model even incorporated a transfer bar on the back of the bolt to prevent firing out of battery, which required a substantial remodeling of the bolt & lever action, from the 1892. So user safety was just as much a concern in the 19th century as it is now, but innovations for such were in its infancy. My recommendation is to leave it be, and you may come to appreciate it. 5. Unloading the 1892 does not require chambering each round and launching it with the ejector, as entertaining as it may be. Eject the 1st round that is already chambered, and then invert the rifle with the port facing downward toward you open hand. The round already on the elevator will fall out into your hand. Close the bolt and lever into battery so the magazine tube-gate will release another round into the receiver & elevator. Open the bolt and the next round falls out; repeat until the rifle is empty. This procedure also takes a little finesse', so don't get wild crazy trying to 'rapid dump' the rounds, or you will just jamb and damage the rounds. 6. Bulging/rupturing .357 brass is not something I have experience with my CBC/Heritage 92, although I have only shot about 50 rounds thus far. However, I have seen this mentioned by several Rossi R92 owners. Maybe it is the result of a batch of poorly machined barrel stock. If that is the case, I would recommend immediate warranty re-fit of a replacement barrel under warranty, if possible. 7. Making your Rossi or Heritage 92 'tacticool' with all of the current 'mods' makes no sense to me. There are already other lever-action reproductions that are built that way and made for the modern add-ons, such as the G-Force Huckleberry, and some Henry models, I think. Often an amateur 'customizing job' will compromise or even damage a perfectly safe & functional firearm in its original form. 8. Although this rifle will chamber and fire a .38 long colt, that round is too short to properly feed from the tube or elevator without jamming or multi-feeding. Yes, I know this from experience, lol! 9. Get a set of dummy rounds or 'snap caps' and practice the loading and unloading procedures until you can do them blindfolded. Even with all my years of experience, I still practice ammo handling and functionality with all my firearms. The best time is on rainy night while watching classic Westerns, lol! 10. Read the damn book that came with the rifle! You might accidentally learn something and keep all your fingers and toes! Just my 50 cents worth, lol! P.S. Octagon barrels are much heavier than round barrels. My octagon barrel 1892 32-20 was equal in length to my 1876 40-60, and it was way more end-heavy to boot. Just like the modern repros, the originals were also available in almost countless variations depending on the buyer. That much hasn't really changed in over 100 years, lol! P.P.S. CBC is also the manufacturer of Magtech ammunition, which I have used frequently in 9mm, .38 Special & .357 Magnum. In my experience it has been excellent in my revolvers, semi-autos, and this lever-action carbine, as well, with no misfires, or any other failures of any kind, ever.

[@emergencynurse02]

thank you for the review....Looking at one of these right now!

[@t4texastom587]

WoW.... what a fine-looking rifle. Definitely on my bucket list.

[@esquad5406]

Rossi has made "92's for years. I have one in 5000S&W.

[@matthewrutherford6164]

What was the revolver on the table?

[@lawrencebecht660]

Also what about 4570

[@case2050]

Thats funny i just bought a new rossi r 95 they are still in business

[@pennsyltuckyden9823]

Rossi not making guns anymore?

[@raymondsimpson7433]

Taurus got the right to make rossi Revolvers in 1997, then got heritage in 2012. They still use their names under the parent company Taurus.

[@pennsyltuckyden9823]

@@raymondsimpson7433 So taurus is making the guns not rossi

[@raymondsimpson7433]

@pennsyltuckyden9823 I got that info off of Google. I know Taurus owns them, but I don't know why they don't put their name on the guns. It also said that they bought only the revolver part of rossi, so maybe the rifles are still rossi. I would like to get one, but I don't want to take the chance on getting a bad one.

[@yup-x4v]

Good video bud

[@jamesschneider3828]

I sure wouldn’t get one with a big loop lever.

[@god-gunsmerica9043]

Heritage, like the .22 hand gun?

[@philwilson8617]

Heritage is venturing into larger calibers. Check out their "Rosco" .38 Special.

[@Rob-cq9hq]

Dude there is no “formerly Rossi” they are Rossi firearms rebranded as heritage by Taurus who owns both. Rossi still operates and produces the m92 along with a lot of other guns. They are just a different trim level combined with an attempt to market the Rossi to heritage fans

[@lawrencebecht660]

Did you say a plastic butt plate

[@paulkopacz5051]

I want you to examine your .357 empty brass and see if there is a bulge near the head of the case. I have the Rossi Saddle Ring Carbine (essentially the same gun) that I bought about two years ago. With my handloads (Not near max) I get bulged cases with .357 Mag. This did not happen with .38 Special or +P. This is of no concern if you do not reload but if you do this is something to be concerned about. The only fix I was able to come up with was to take some material off my shell holder to force the brass deeper into the sizing die to remove the bulge in the case but this will still shorten case life. This is something that has been occurring with the Rossi .357 and I have also read in their .45 Colt versions and should be known to people BEFORE they purchase the gun. So, if you would be so kind, look at your spent brass and report back. Thank you.

[@tedpfenninger4972]

I have one of the Rossi manufactured for Navy Arms that I've owned for about 20 year and hand loaded for and shot fairly extensively. I haven't encountered the problem you describe but, like you, i would find it concerning. I can't imagine how it could be corrected short of rechambering the barrel. Perhaps you could continue using the rifle strictly as a .38.

[@paulkopacz5051]

@@tedpfenninger4972 I do, however I bought this to be a .357 Mag carbine not .38. Honestly I would still have bought it even if I knew of the brass bulge problem because this thing is just so much fun. I reply to all the Rossi lever gun vids because people should know this before a purchase.

[@crissylynn176]

That's the downfall the loading port make it like Henry. Tube fed at the other end

[@leroymorris6036]

Rossi by another name is still Rossi, they have much to prove before I buy any...

[@user-oz1fd1hz9d]

Okay.

[@BigRooster616]

Where did you come up with the opinion that Heritage was formerly known as Rossi I couldn't be further from the truth at all

[@redforbes]

Taurus, Rossi and Heritage are all under the same umbrella. It seems they're rebranding some of the old Rossi guns under the name.

[@robertwalker8453]

Yep. Rossi and Heritage are just divisions of Taurus. Don’t quite understand why there is a duplication of products but Rossi lever action rifles are still available under the Rossi name. Essentially the same firearm. Wouldn’t be surprised if eventually Rossi lever/guns will be phased out. I own both and I have to say the workmanship on the Heritage lever actions are slightly better than Rossi IMHO.

[@vinceperry7133]

I asked "heritage" if I could get a large loop for the 92 ( on different video) they said ALL parts were exchangeable with Rossi which I thought was odd.