As posted in this forum, and also some pics of it in the "newest firearm" forum, here's where I
actually review my first range trip, mention what I believe are the + and - things I've found.
AS mentioned in my newest firearm post, I was impressed with the appearance of the rifle.
Nicely blued receiver & barrel, smooth, wood stock & forend, the rifle feels good in my hands.
Took it to my club the day after I picked it up at my FFL dealer. Before heading out, I
wiped off the "storage oil" did a quick clean with Hoppes #9 & decided it was range-ready.
Arrived @ the outdoor range around 10am, when it opens. Had range to myself. Set up targets @ 25 yds & 50 yds.
Decided since it has iron sights (buckhorn rear, blade with brass bead on the front ) precise aiming with my old eyes would be a challenge.
This is the reason I started @ 25 yds..wanted to be sure I was hitting the target @ that distance.
Easy to pick up the sights, but the bead covers too much of the target, even @ 25yds. IMO
As I prepared to shoot, I ran into what I'd say is the only issue (problem) I had with the rifle.
That is..loading it. Using the side loading gate, I discovered difficulty getting rounds to fit in the magazine..
i.e.. getting a round PAST the loading gate & into the tubular magazine. Seemed like rounds were hitting against something,
just past the loading gate,as they tried to enter the tubular magazine.
I was loading my .357 hand loads, which have never been a problem in my pistols. They chamber perfectly.
I examined my cartridges, they had a nice roll crimp on the 158 gr short jacket, hollow point bullets.
I could see scrape marks on the exposed lead surface of the bullet, like it was scraping against a sharp edge.
After many frustrating attempts, I got 2 rounds loaded. Well, it was a start.
Shot the 2 rounds, they chambered easily , fired as expected..even with .357 loads, recoil was minimal, IMO.
Checked the box..was loaded to an (estimated from manual) 1200 fps.
I'd brought along another box of ammo, loaded with same bullets, ( different powder ) loaded to an estimated 1250 fps.
Had same difficulty trying to load these rounds. I have long thumb nails, (as I use 'em for tweezers ) and I was trying
to vary the angle the bullets were pushed into the loading gate. This helped a little,was able to get 4 rds chambered,
shot them, functioned as other rounds did (chambered, fired ,ejected w/o problem. I could see rds were hitting
about 2 " above the bullseye on the target. in a vertical string. I managed to get 5 rds loaded,
but noticed my thumbnail had started to crack from the effort.
Not to drag this out, but as I was able to get rds. loaded, it either got a little easier, or I became more skilled at getting them
past the loading gate. Think I got as many as 7 rds loaded in my attempts, my thumb was paying the price though.
It's gonna be sore. I found once the rnd. was in the gate, if I pushed the rnd. hard,using extra force,
it seemed to slip past the loading gate & into the magazine. Too stiff a magazine spring ? That's my 1st thought.
May need to disassemble & look to see if I can find the sharp edge the bullet seems to catch against.
Another issue I discovered was if you work the lever quickly, to eject the fired case & chamber the next round,
the ejector would send the fired case quite a distance. Working the lever slowly caused the new round not to chamber well,
it rolled off the cartridge lifter & wouldn't chamber. I tried positioning my hand over the ejection port ,while working the lever quickly.
This mostly worked, but it's something I'll need to practice. Not an issue if you like / don't mind chasing after fired cases.
I can see why accessory springs are a common purchase for the Rossi model 92, and I'll probably do that in the future.
I managed to fire about 60 rds thru the rifle,before my thumb had enough. it seems to shoot fine, & is pretty accurate for iron sights & me shooting it, ..
@ 50 yds..where most my shooting took place, all the rds fired could be covered by my 1 hand..not bad accuracy,for me, with iron sites.
My plan is : load some unprimed cases with bullets ( also no powder) and load them in the magazine,
letting them sit there for a few days ? weeks ? to see if the mag spring relaxes & it becomes easier to load.
Will probably take it & go visit Doug Jones, and see what he thinks..he's my answer guy.
I like the rifle's appearance & feel, . it chambers , fires & ejects (too well). I'm disappointed in the loading issue I'm having.
Doesn't look (from reading the warranty) that Rossi does much for customer support.
Returning it for warranty work, the customer must pay shipping & insurance fees.
I'll write an updated report , as issues are addressed,& hopefully solved.
I did check my bullet stash & found a different shaped 158 gr JHP bullet, that has a different ogive, & no exposed lead.
May make some loads with those bullets & see if the problem vanishes or improves.