Rossi Rifleman

I have an R92 in .45LC I bought a year ago and the level closes almost flush with the stock.

I recently bought another R92 in .357/.38. On this rifle, while parallel to the stock, it has a noticeable gap between stock and lever.

In looking at photos online, this apparently is not uncommon.

My questions are:

Why the inconsistency?

Should I be concerned?

Is it an easy fix to make the .357 lever flush with stock?

Short answer is not really. Have to relocate the hole in the lever for the breech bolt pin. With concern for the final positioning (rise) of the left & right locking bolts. Also have to pay attention to the friction stud. I'm of the opinion they were drilled "freehand" at the factory (or a very loose jig by a guy who didn't really care.)

Those are two different stocks.

And two different levers as well.

by 10 year old girls?

Blue,

I'm not sure of your point.

I'm probably to blame for not being more clear.

It seems to me there is (or should be) somewhat of a standard for how close a lever is to the stock when closed. Within a model of a gun (i.e. R92), somewhere at Rossi there must be SOME spec deviance allowable, I guess.

But - "It's too close if the lever is completely against the stock but the action isn't closed" to "Ah hell, it's an inch away from the stock when closed, but the gun still goes bang" seems like it's probably not the allowable range... Or maybe it is.

I'd think the top gun, with the lever parallel to and almost touching would be the preferred setting. (rather than parallel to, but 1/2" away)

I've been seeing a lot of the newer guns with the lever a little bit away from the stock.
my stainless 44 mag I bought in the early 2-K's is like this, I don't mind it a bit, and actually kind of like it like that, it makes the grip diameter a bit better for me.

The lever does not rest flush with the grip because Rossi did not position the lever/breech block pin hole correctly. Besides aesthetics the result is the lever and pin are actually holding the bolt closed against the breech and cartridge head when you grip the lever tightly. The locking bolts (lugs) are not in contact with the bolt. I don’t think this is good.

To correct this situation on my R92 I elongated the lever/breech block pin hole to the rear. It’s important that an equal amount is removed from both sides of the lever. This can be done with a thin abrasive stone (used for sharpening a chainsaw) in a drill press. I prefer to use a mini router table setup with a Dremel tool.

Once the hole has been elongated to where there is no pressure of the locking pin on the bolt when the lever is flush against the stock, the locking bolts (lugs) will rise to where they secure the bolt against the breech as John Browning intended.

Dildister makes an excellent point. But I would caution against using the drill press. Too much sideways pressure could loosen (even drop) your Jacob’s chuck from its seat in the drill press’s spindle. One should always remember that a drill press is designed specifically (only ???) to exert downward pressure against the work. I do like his router table idea…with some type of guide to control direction of the cut.

Thank you both!