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  1. #1
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    Rossi 92 16" .38/.357 lever action rifle / 1st impressions.

    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.

  2. #2
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    .." 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. "

    Hornadys # 35750 has no exposed lead, with jacket extending to the (small) HP tip.
    I loaded some dummy rds (no primer/powder) and they loaded a bit easier than
    the HP's I was shooting on my initial range trip.Those had short jkt's w/ a small amount of exposed lead on the ogive
    above the jacket. This area is what I believe that was causing the rds. to "hang up" when trying to load the rifle.

    Plan is to leave the dummy rds in the mag tube & see if the spring relaxes a bit, making loading easier.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by joepistol View Post
    .." 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. "

    Hornadys # 35750 has no exposed lead, with jacket extending to the (small) HP tip.
    I loaded some dummy rds (no primer/powder) and they loaded a bit easier than
    the HP's I was shooting on my initial range trip.Those had short jkt's w/ a small amount of exposed lead on the ogive
    above the jacket. This area is what I believe that was causing the rds. to "hang up" when trying to load the rifle.

    Plan is to leave the dummy rds in the mag tube & see if the spring relaxes a bit, making loading easier.
    You do use bullet 2 to push bullet 1 into mag ... right?
    And 3 to push 2 & so on?

  4. #4
    MGO Member Pond Scum's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Leader View Post
    You do use bullet 2 to push bullet 1 into mag ... right?
    And 3 to push 2 & so on?
    I have a Rossi 44 Mag, 16" and that technique really helps when loading. I have never shot more than 25 or 30 rounds at one sitting.

  5. #5
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    " You do use bullet 2 to push bullet 1 into mag ... right ? "..
    well, I tried.
    Didn't work.
    Reason ?
    bullet #1 wouldn't get past the loading gate..unless I used my thumb to press the rim inward,
    toward the rifle, so the front of the bullet would be slightly turned outward..so it wouldn't hang up against whatever it was rubbing against.
    Have to push the rim forward at the same time, to get it past the edge of the loading gate, & into the magazine.

    " I have never shot more than 25 or 30 rounds at one sitting..."
    Really ? why ? ....I realize the .44 mag has more power than a .357 mag., ..is it because of the expense of factory loads ? I can understand that.
    but I've had a Marlin 1894 (44 mag ) since the 90's & I'd shoot a box of hot loads thru it (or more) almost every time I took it out.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by joepistol View Post
    " You do use bullet 2 to push bullet 1 into mag ... right ? "..
    well, I tried.
    Didn't work.
    Reason ?
    bullet #1 wouldn't get past the loading gate..unless I used my thumb to press the rim inward,
    toward the rifle, so the front of the bullet would be slightly turned outward..so it wouldn't hang up against whatever it was rubbing against.
    Have to push the rim forward at the same time, to get it past the edge of the loading gate, & into the magazine.
    Not something I have encountered and I gave away my lever gun to my Grandson so I can't offer any other suggestions
    Good luck, lever guns are classic and I miss mine.

  7. #7
    MGO Member MCPO_SOCM_RET's Avatar
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    Stiff loading gates, mag tubes, and way to stiff tube springs are the most common complaints for new Rossi 92's. Sometimes people complain about the plastic follower.
    I think you can get kits on the interwebs to fix/replace everything for like $30 or $35. Not including the load gate issues though, if that's what's causing this.
    I have read that these leverguns all have their own preference for bullet shapes and a unique feeding "sweet spot" between min and max COL on the longer 357's and don't usually like the shorter 38 rounds - I don't own one, so I can't speak from experience.

    Any burrs/rough spots that you can find/feel anywhere on the gate (including inner side), feed ramp to the tube, burrs/rough spots/inside and outside mag tube? I'm sure you probably already checked the ogives before trying to load again once you found this quirk. [edit] of course you did - duh. Just found your post in the middle of the thread.
    Last edited by MCPO_SOCM_RET; 08-05-2022 at 04:58 PM. Reason: I can't read

  8. #8
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    well, I loaded the dummy rds. with the Hornady bullets described above & tried loading them into the rifle.
    They (all 8 rds) loaded without hang up or difficulty. Slid in, just like they're supposed to.. no stress on my thumb @ all.
    Mag spring resistance didn't seem excessive. Plan on leaving them in the rifle for a few days/ weeks/ until I take it to the range again.
    After sitting with dummy rds, will try and load the same short jacket bullets again..because most, if not all the .357 rds in my ammo stash all already loaded with them! ( I may have to load some .357's with the Hornady bullets in the future,& mark them "for Rossi rifle only" )
    I will update this thread after next range trip..

  9. #9
    MGO Member Pond Scum's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by joepistol View Post
    " I have never shot more than 25 or 30 rounds at one sitting..."
    Really ? why ? ....
    I guess that never should be "almost never!" It is mostly because I'm not much of a rifle guy. If I am at the range shooting a rifle I have a reason. Initial break in, sighting in, friends. I think we put close to 100 rounds thru the Rossi when we were helping my grandson's buddy decide if he wanted to take the Rossi or the Ruger 44 carbine deer hunting. He picked the Ruger and got 2 deer in his first season of hunting!

    On my first range trip I probably shot close to 70 rounds. I was shooting LAX re-manufactured ammo and they were spraying all over the place. I know I'm not a good shot but I didn't think I was totally worthless. My second trip I shot Hornady Leverevolution and getting good groups.

  10. #10
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    .. " because I'm not much of a rifle guy." well, I'm joepistol so I can relate..

    after I retired, I noticed the rifles I'd purchased, most purely out of interest for 1 reason or another, had seen very little use.
    I could tell my shooting skill I had when younger ( what little I had) were declining as I was getting older.
    Worsening eyesight, declining strength, increased (?) shakiness.. decided since I had the rifles, I should start shooting them.

    So I have. Got a trigger job on a Mini 30 I had & now, I could shoot a group with it. Put together a kit AR & started "accessorizing"..
    found I like the platform, esp. ease of modification & plentiful, inexpensive, mods available for them. Been shooting rifles more, weather permitting.
    Shoot handguns in winter, indoors a lot more now..since I'm a reloader I don't have to trust others work, and since I learned to stockpile components, I can shoot as much as I want, as often as I want. A real plus , for retirement... otherwise, I'd probably have to take up golf...

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