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Re: 44 mag sent off for a fixin

Posted: 22 Jan 2016 20:38
by Wyowind
A quick update to my factory repair thread.

I really hoped this would be a positive report about Rossi but, as of now it looks very, very disappointing. Got my rifle back today, probably in record time (18 days).

I put it through a quick review. The original problem was poor cycling/ chambering a cartridge. The repaired rifle now has the problem of cycling/chambering a cartridge.

They may have improved it slightly, but it's difficult to tell. The action definitely feels "different" and the cartridge approaches the chamber at a better angle. It probably successfully cycles 2 in 10 cartridges now. I will have to get to the range and give it a better test before I place a final grade on this whole experience.

This is what the tech says he / she did to fix my rifle:
- - leave 2 blemishes on the gun that weren't there when I sent it for repair ( oop's, that wasn't on the repair slip).

- - work on the carrier. (NPF). Not sure if that means new part or something else.
- - loading gate. (NPF)
- - barrel chamber. (adjusted)
- - cartridge guides. (adjusted)
Ammo tested. 10 rounds of Federal 44 mag, 180 gr. JHP

So there it is. I will reserve my final assessment after a range day but right now it looks bad. Certainly not what I hoped a quality company would provide, to back their consumer warranty.

Re: 44 mag sent off for a fixin

Posted: 22 Jan 2016 22:05
by klr
Thanks for the report. Sorry it didn't work out as you hoped. If you don't sell it in disgust, try RD's cartridge guide fitting procedure.

Re: 44 mag sent off for a fixin

Posted: 22 Jan 2016 22:34
by GasGuzzler
NPF is commonly known as No Problem Found in the repair industry. NTF is No Trouble Found. UTD is Unable to Duplicate.

I'm not surprised.

I'll just keep the rest to myself for now.

Re: 44 mag sent off for a fixin

Posted: 23 Jan 2016 08:00
by Ranch Dog
The repair note that would spell the death of the rifle for me is "barrel chamber. (adjusted)"

You don't "adjust" the chamber on a rifle and this is the reason I would never send Rossi a rifle that has a cartridge feed problem. The guys that work on these things spend a lot more time on the Taurus pistols so they are versed in feed ramps and unsupported chambers and don't have a problem doing just that to a R92. They don't understand the timing of a leveraction and how the cartridge guides are supposed to get the cartridge up and level before it enters the chamber. You don't relieve a chamber wall! I'd give them an "F".

Re: 44 mag sent off for a fixin

Posted: 23 Jan 2016 13:39
by Archer
Depends a little on 'adjusted' that could be as little as a polish/break edge to carving off the lip of the chamber with a grinder. Breaking a knife edge on the chamber would be ok but putting an unsupported feed ramp setup on a magnum pressure gun is pure dee stupid.

The real issue IMO is that the rifle showed back up with the problem worsened rather than functional.
I suppose you might try the ammo they used but that's really not much of an option locking in to a single load even if it did work on a fun plinker. For a hunting round a single load might work ok.
GasGuzzler wrote:NPF is commonly known as No Problem Found in the repair industry. NTF is No Trouble Found. UTD is Unable to Duplicate.

I'm not surprised.

I'll just keep the rest to myself for now.
Yeah, you are thinking about some combination of G N F... but I'm not going to say which.

Re: 44 mag sent off for a fixin

Posted: 23 Jan 2016 17:57
by Wyowind
Gentlemen, thanks for co-miserating with me. I'm very disappointed with this situation (Rossi) in general. It will be a few days before I can get to the range.
One thing they did to the chamber was grind a small metal tab (approx. 1mm x1mm) off the 6 o'clock position. It almost appeared to be some type of ramp. I haven't noticed that ramp in other pics of chambers but no experience with other lever guns in 44 cal. They didn't even get that flush. There's still a very rough, slight, lip at that position.
It seems like they delayed the loading ramp so it rises up a little later and less forceful than the original configuration. The bullet itself appears to approach the chamber with a better angle. It actually starts into the chamber and very nearly slides into place except something still causes a tremendous binding situation. If I let pressure off with the bolt and touch the back of the cartridge with my finger, it slides into the chamber fairly easy.
If someone has any factory 44 mag Federal JHP 180 gr. Bullets, I would love to know their "overall length."
I will be loading some ammo a little shorter and additional crimping to see how it works.

It seems like the last 1/3 of the action is more rough than when I sent it to them. I originally did some cleaning and very minor slick -up stoning, prior to shipping to them. Overall the action was feeling acceptable. Now, it's coarse when the "locking bolts" are elevating into lock position. Can't be sure yet bit, I think they may have replaced one or both of those locking bolts.

I plan to write a handwritten letter(s) to Rossi and anyone else that sounds important in their hierarchy and or Taurus. It probably won't produce much fruit but, I can get a load off my chest.

After an acceptable time with the letter campaign I'll be doing some gumsmithing, no doubt. New gun -- it just PIS#@$ ME OFF ! :evil:

Re: 44 mag sent off for a fixin

Posted: 23 Jan 2016 18:44
by zippy
Sorry to hear it went so poorly.

I bought a Mossberg Rifle that cycled poorly the day I bought it. The in-house gunsmith at the LGS tried to fix it the next day, unsuccessfully. I told the owner I wanted to trade it in for an upgrade. 24 hours after buying it, it was just a distant memory.

Maybe your retailer will take it in trade, and you can put this aggravation behind you. Good luck with whatever you try.

I re-read your first post, and saw that you barely used it before sending it back. My 92 was also problematic at first, with trouble loading the mag tube, hard cambering, and double feeds. After cycling the action a few thousand times and putting about 400 rounds through it, the failures disappeared. I knew to expect some of these teething pains during break-in based on what others have posted on this forum.

Re: 44 mag sent off for a fixin

Posted: 24 Jan 2016 09:31
by Ranch Dog
Man oh man. The chamber should never see a grinder only a throating reamer. They did exactly what I described, made an attempt to "ramp" the chamber which a rifle doesn't use. Just because other Rossi's have it doesn't make it right either!

I bet whatever was ground off the chamber mouth ended up in the down in the action as I doubt they cleaned it. That is probably why the last 1/3 of action movement is worse.

I stand behind my comments that I would never send TaurusUSA (same folks as RossiUSA) a levergun to work on. All they understand are handguns. My experience has taught me they don't know diddly about Single Shots either.

Re: 44 mag sent off for a fixin

Posted: 24 Jan 2016 11:51
by Wyowind
Yeah, I'm not sure what they did with the rest of the chamber, it looks untouched as far as I can tell. That tab at the 6 o'clock position never looked right from the beginning. It almost appeared to be a poor milling job with a leftover chunk of steel in that spot. If it was supposed to be a ramp, it was a poor excuse for one. I just need to gather some info @working on this gun and get it shaped up. I want to enjoy this toy, not fight with it every time at the range.

Re: 44 mag sent off for a fixin

Posted: 24 Jan 2016 14:06
by Archer
I'm afraid RD is on the money with this one down to the filings being left in the action.

If you can get some pictures posted that would probably be a good thing.
There's a lot of .44 owners here who could reciprocate with pics of working unmodified guns.