Which to choose: Rossi 92 in 44 mag or 357 in 20" barrel?

[tkdguy]

Remote hiking with dogs in Eastern, Oregon. I have side arms in 357 and 44 mag as well. Which should I buy? thx

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[RVTECH]

.357

 

[TTSX]

Whichever revolver you carry more, get the accompanying lever

 

[BlindedByScience]

I've got a Redhawk and a Winchester lever in .44 Mag. Love it; .44 Mag is no joke in a short carbine....

 

[The Heretic]

Both

Why not both?

That said, I only have carbines in .44 mag

 

[titsonritz]

Whichever revolver you carry more, get the accompanying lever

This

 

[Andy54Hawken]

I also would agree on getting the carbine to match your revolver's caliber.

Something to consider is ammo availability.
Just went to the local gun shop....
Lots of .357 Magnum and .38 Special....not as much .44 Magnum and no .44 Special.
Might be wise to see what is around in your area......
Andy

 

[Spring1898]

Both, but that said, you lose little with 44 mag and gain a lot of power, (and an appropriate amount of recoil). With handloads the 158's and the 240gr's of each caliber respectively are doing about the same velocity (1700).

If you are never going to shoot it at anything but paper or steel, than it doesn't matter. If you are dealing with anything 4 legged, I would go 44.
If you are going to be carrying regularly however, a 16" will do the same velocity as 20" and weigh sub 6lbs in either caliber, and with Rossi you still have 8 rounds vs 10.

Ammo adds weight, so regardless of length I would probably have a max of 5 in the rifle. If it takes more than 1-3 to deal with the problem, you probably have time to reload.

 

[Nosferatu]

Of the two, I prefer the .44, but either will get the job done.

Get whichever twists your nipples when you break out the wallet.

.41 Mag is the REAL answer though!

 

[CountryGent]

I'd have to go with the .44 Magnum, but the .357 sure ain't bad either. Compatibility with wheelgun would be important factor.

Enjoy your trip.

 

[bionic knees]

.327 federal mag!!

 

[drstrangelove]

357 out of a lever gun is darn near 30-30 in energy and has negligible recoil. 38's run ridiculous quiet with a can. Have a 44 as well but full house recoil is a thump, and like other guy said, good luck finding 44spl. 44-45cal does not quiet down as much as 357cal if you have a can.

 

[Spring1898]

I wouldn't say it is near 3030, 150grs doing 2400, and 170s doing 2200, in factory loadings. But certainly adequate for deer and smaller for quick clean kills.
38's are definitely mild and quiet.

Full house recoil is a thump on the 44, but I don't consider it generally much more than a full load 30 30.

 

[CountryGent]

38's run ridiculous quiet with a can.

That's what I've found too with one of our leverguns. With some loads it is very quiet indeed.

 

[tkdguy]

I have Ruger 44 Deerslayer Carbine with an 18" barrel and am thinking of the 357 with a 20". Which would be a flatter shooting round? Th 44 good for 100 yards with a 20 " barrel? Both have similar trajectory to 75 yards?

 

[drstrangelove]

I have Ruger 44 Deerslayer Carbine with an 18" barrel and am thinking of the 357 with a 20". Which would be a flatter shooting round? Th 44 good for 100 yards with a 20 " barrel? Both have similar trajectory to 75 yards?

Both are point of aim to 100yds. The 44 will drop a little faster beyond that. I wouldn't shoot large game past 100yds, and the 44 is the better choice for deep penetration. The 357 is great on plinking, HD, and suppressor use.

 

[Spring1898]

I have Ruger 44 Deerslayer Carbine with an 18" barrel and am thinking of the 357 with a 20". Which would be a flatter shooting round? Th 44 good for 100 yards with a 20 " barrel? Both have similar trajectory to 75 yards?

They are almost identical, and 'flat' is probably not the best way to describe them. The 357 might have a slight edge in velocity at the 158gr vs the 44's 240gr. But it is only going to be about 100fps at best, and more like 50fps, in real world terms which is within standard deviation from round to round. A 180gr is a little under.

Generally you are looking at 1700-1850fps at best. At these velocities BC doesn't really have time to be a factor, and you are limited to about 150yds effective point blank range, with a 125yd zero.

1700fps 125yd zero (2" high at 100yds) MPT of 2.5" at 75 yds. -3" drop at 150yds, 8" drop at 175yds, and 14" drop at 200yds, -22.75" at 225yds, - 33" at 250yds


Both rounds will achieve maximum velocity in a barrel less than 16," the result of limited powder capacity. So the increased barrel length only adds additional sight plane and round count, and the former is not all that significant at the ranges the round can perform. But some like the balance of the 20" over 16".

 

[Hooyah DeepSea]

For a slightly differen kind of answer; "It depends on how much you shoot the rifle / carbine". My reasoning is that if you shoot it alot (as in cowboy action shooting) the Rossi, like its parent design, the Winchester, can wear at the shell detent and at the worst time fail. The worn detent allows a cartridge to slide back under the carrier and jam the whole works. This is why I chose a Marlin lever gun instead. But if you don't shoot it that much, the wear is negligble.
As for the caliber, I agree with the person who said to use the same as your pistol. That was the whole idea behind the pistol / rifle or carbine set up; you only need carry one caliber cartridge.

 

[Member 34319]

Since it is for hunting, hiking and nothing else, and it doesn't sound like a suppressor is in the mix. I would pick the 44.

I bought the 1st lever action in 38/357 for an inexpensive plinker with 38s. Bought the second lever gun to use with a can as it had a threaded barrel. Only one I would hunt or hike with is neither. When I go hiking it's usually with a 22lr. If I can head shot a squirrel or grouse with it I'm a happy camper.

 

[oremike]

I would say since you've got the 44 Mag covered with the Ruger, I'd get the .357 Rossi, but I'm cheap like that. For what it's worth I've got the Rossi 44 Mag carbine and like it just fine.