My lever action defensive rife or "Cowboy assault rifle" if you will...

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  • daddyusmaximus

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 98.8%
    82   1   0
    Aug 21, 2013
    8,508
    113
    Remington
    First off, I love lever guns. They have an old school John Wayne type coolness that is absolutely undeniable. True, they are outclassed by today's AR when it comes to being the modern self defense rifle, but they are still functional, and very fun. I depend on my .300 Blackout SBR as my home defense, gun, my SHTF gun, and I'd like take it everywhere, but being an SBR it comes with a bunch of pesky federal rules... the most PITA is having to get a permission slip to travel across state lines with it, so I will be building a pistol lower for it in the future, but there are some places where every AR is frowned upon.

    Enter the good old cowboy lever gun. It was designed as a fighting gun. No reason to think they couldn't still function as one. I do like them, and most idiot liberals aren't so scared of them that they are as yet being vilified in the press. I decided I needed to build one up that could serve as a defensive weapon. I call it the "Cowboy assault rifle" sometimes just to **** off the liberals. Of course, this is not intended to do any "assaulting" on any others rights. I may do some hunting with it, but it will primarily be a self defense gun against any man or beast that intends me or mine harm. It will be a travel gun that I will have with me in the Jeep for my camping (overlanding) trips, because it should be much less hassle in more restrictive states, and in Canada. Being purely defensive in nature, I only need a close range, but powerful weapon, so I chose a Rossi 92 in .44 mag.

    I wanted the accuracy (and cool factor) of a heavy octagon barrel, however I wanted a short little carbine, but nobody made a carbine with the octagon barrel. The 24" barrel was way too long for a defensive weapon, and you'd have to hand load to get the best use out of that barrel anyway with a pistol cartridge. I ended up starting with a 24" rifle (in order to get the heavy octagon barrel) then had it shortened to 17" by AllenM, who also replaced the front sight with a white bead sight that's much easier to pick up for my tired old eyes. It still holds 9 rounds, and ballistics is very good out of this length. Side note: I got lucky, and it balances very well. The action was very smooth on the Rossi, but the lever was a finger crusher, and the stupid curved metal butplate hurt my shoulder, so I didn't shoot it very often. AllenM lost interest in my project, and I had to find another gunsmith.

    Then I found Iroquois Guns & Repair in Rensselaer, IN
    [FONT=Roboto, arial, sans-serif][COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588235294118)]. [/COLOR][/FONT]The rest of the project was finished there. A larger loop from Steve's guns was put on, and no more crushed fingers. I'm not a fan of buckhorn sights, so I went with Steve's guns again for their rear peep sight that replaces the stupid bolt safety. It matches up well with a white bead sight I had AllenM put on the front. The dovetail in the barrel from the old rear sight was filled, and a section of picatinny from an AR rail system was mounted on the flat portion of the barrel over it for a Sig Romeo 5 red dot sight. I really love red dot sights. Being right handed, yet left eye dominant, a red dot is the fastest most accurate way I can engage a target. Now, I can see the rail in the bottom of the peep if I take off the red dot, but I can still get a good sight picture, and they are still useable as back up. I keep the allen key to it under the leather ammo cuff made by a guy I met on a lever gun facebook page. That stupid curved metal butstock was that last thing to go. It was cut straight, and a Hogue recoil pad added, making this gun shoot much nicer to an old retired cripple.

    Overall I am very happy with the resulting gun. There were problems. I couldn't find what I wanted in a factory gun. Then Things had to be changed, finger lever too small, curved butplates suck, I hate buckhorn sights, barrel too long, I want a red dot... It was not as easy to piece together as an AR, but it came together. It shoots point of aim, (with Hornady Leverevolution) and does so very quickly. It doesn't mount a light, or have a 30 round magazine, but it is legal in every municipality I can think of, and has a cool factor all its own... I'll always be an AR guy. It's hard to undo a lifetime of living with one, but short of going up against the kind of stuff I did while deployed overseas, I would not feel undergunned with this little Rossi as my back up. I know I'm showing off, but I just love the way this little thing turned out. It just shoots so nice.

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    snorko

    Grandmaster
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    361   0   0
    Apr 3, 2008
    8,294
    113
    Evansville, IN
    Very good description. I too love the idea.



    I still plan on painting the stock with a textured truck bed liner paint and may switch the optic out for a Vortex Spitfirre. I like the idea of having a reticle I can see w/o batteries for a rough and tumble rifle.
     

    Kirk Freeman

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    8   0   0
    Mar 9, 2008
    47,969
    113
    Lafayette, Indiana
    No reason to think they couldn't still function as one.

    There is such a reason. I have taken lever guns to gun school, carbine classes. They do not function long before they fall apart.

    They will "work" within a limited scope. As long as you keep this in mind, have fun and get trained up.
     

    ru44mag

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Feb 6, 2013
    2,369
    48
    Beautiful! I was sooo afraid I was going to see a bunch of black plastic and folding stock.
     

    teddy12b

    Grandmaster
    Trainer Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    40   0   0
    Nov 25, 2008
    7,661
    113
    I bought legacy/puma 92 in 44mag back when the pistol caliber rifles became legal to hunt with in Indiana and I've got no regrets. My 92 has probably got just shy of 2,000 rounds through it and if all semi auto's were banned today you bet that'd be my go to gunwithout question. Your rifle is a work of art.
     

    Herr Vogel

    Marksman
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jun 10, 2018
    180
    18
    Rossburg
    Glad you're happy with it. It's always an ordeal to get something just the way you want it; most of us have to compromise with the closest off-the-shelf alternative.
    Out of curiosity, how much did this project end up costing, when all was said and done?
     

    natdscott

    User Unknown
    Trainer Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    5   0   0
    Jul 20, 2015
    2,797
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    .
    Do you really feel safe with a tube of .44 Mag?

    It's kinda weak compared to .500 S&W.
     

    daddyusmaximus

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 98.8%
    82   1   0
    Aug 21, 2013
    8,508
    113
    Remington
    Glad you're happy with it. It's always an ordeal to get something just the way you want it; most of us have to compromise with the closest off-the-shelf alternative.
    Out of curiosity, how much did this project end up costing, when all was said and done?

    Don't want to think a out what I spent, and I don't want it getting back to the wife either... Hell that Steve's Guns lever was almost $200.
     

    two70

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    19   0   0
    Feb 5, 2016
    3,725
    113
    Johnson
    Do you really feel safe with a tube of .44 Mag?

    It's kinda weak compared to .500 S&W.

    Big Horn Armory makes one for those that want to be extra prepared.:D Rather pricey though and I would hate to think of packing a significant quantity of the ammo.
     

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