Smoothing a Rossi 92

[Archer]

Are lever actions project guns?
Do Chicom (ComBlock) Surplus guns have better condition and consistency than lever actions?

I have generally not found either of those statements to match my reality but YMMV. I'm not afraid to do some smoothing but I'm also of the opinion that a new gun shouldn't need much of that sort of thing.

I rarely take ANY firearm on faith without at least a minimal inspection. Doesn't matter if it is new or used or what manufacturer produced it I look it over with a fine toothed comb.

The Miroku Winchesters are IMO excellent but often have a price that matches the level of quality.

Henry makes excellent guns. Henry stands behind them fully. They tend to be pretty and tend to work. Some of them can be a bit heavy.

Current production Marlin guns, if you can find them, tend to be well constructed and Remington has largely worked most of the bugs out of the production at this point.

Rossi model 92s have been produced over the course of about 50 years or so and Rossi has been owned by a couple companies and worn several import labels. All of those are factors that mean the guns can and do vary over time and depending on who was importing/buying them and what kinds of inspection they required. Machinery has worn out, been replaced and current production guns have mostly been given good reports here by recent buyers. You are however completely correct that Rossi has from time to time allowed quality to slip when the customers have not demanded otherwise. (Some would say the same of Marlin (both before and after they were purchased) and Remington (both Remington proper and as the new owners of Marlin).

I can't really comment on the Mossberg lever actions as I've looked at a couple but never shot any or worked with them.

With ANY used gun it pays to look it over twice with that fine toothed comb I mentioned. It doesn't mean you will catch everything but at least you tried. Sometimes you are looking at a problem child and sometimes you are looking at a great deal.

[trekker]

Thanks Archer, I edited my post as it was just a rant, probably a mixture of having to do some work on the gun and the covid situation. Well time to get busy and learn to smooth it up a little. If you cant get something done for you, you learn to do it yourself. As to the gun itself I gave it a quick once over, mostly was after one that fed 38 specials the best, and this one even cycled my 1.42" FP loads like a dream. However the sales rep wouldnt let me feed or cycle it in the store, so he did it. I guess he had a lot tougher , younger and skinner fingers that poked the rounds in better

[trekker]

It sounds like one of the Japanese Miroku Winchester rifles would be more to your liking. I've heard very good things about their fit, function, and aesthetics. They'll cost more than the Rossi 92s, but that's the trade-off.

Good points. The deal was I waa after any 1892 that feeds 38 specials the best as thats what it will do most of its work with.All I had locally was Rossi 1892 to test. Took a few dummy cases in( real short FP designs) and this one managed them like a dream the bullets are almost wadcutters loaded out a fraction, so it got the vote. I believe the miroku's, browning 1892's and original 1892 are a bit finickier with short cases. Steve Gunz the 1892 expert smith is of this opinion too, that the Rossi 1892 is the most forgiving. I didnt have any of these other gun types to test and didnt want to order without being able to test.

[trekker]

You mention this is your 2nd Rossi and that this one was rough out of the box. Can you give us more details on the gun in question? Is it new production or is it new old stock or was it preowned but 'never fired' or 'LNIB'?

First gun was a 2000's manufacture stainless 24" barrel with no safety. Which I was told was pretty rare for the time( being no safety on it)

This one is a brand new CBC manufactured 20" round barrel blued, never owned, new in box.

Im having to backtrack on my earlier whining, I am actually happy with the gun, it feeds everything from the magazine to the chamber like a champion and just need to smooth up loading the magazine.

[Archer]

Polite rants are ok, as long as they aren't against the board rules.
Lord knows I've been known to have my share, possibly even bring my soapbox with me to have something to stand on.

[dbur525]

Wow! About a month ago i purchased a new rossi stainless steel 357 16 inch barrel
I love this gun! I was worried about all the complaints about rough actions jammjng and in general poor operation of these rifles.
Mjne was manufactured in 2019 fit and finish are superb, thats why i bought it.
The action is pretty smooth, but i want it very slick, so i will work on it
Trigger pull is 3.5 maybe slightly heavier but not near 4 pounds according to my cheapy trigger gage
Ive shot 50 rounds thru it with no jams or problems

[trekker]

Well I identified some of the resistance in the magazine tube, there feels to be catch point I have to push through and checking the noses of some softpoints there must be a bevel in there or something?

Or is this damage normal for softpoints cycling in a lever action?

[Ohio3Wheels]

I would say not normal. I've run cast through all my lever guns and have not seen that kind of deformation. Granted they aren't all Rossi rifles.

Stay well, be safe, make smoke,

[trekker]

I guess I need to break the gun down and see whats happening at the point they enter the magazine.

[Archer]

Not Normal.
Looks like there is either a burr entering the tube or you have something rough or burred abrading the nose as the round is fed into the system.

Before you break the gun down, you might try to identify the clocking of the damage if you haven't already. That should help determine what/where to try and smooth.

IF you are certain the damage is occurring as it enters the mag tube it might be that the end of the tube is somehow deformed, maybe somebody dropped it at the factory for example and didn't notice or didn't bother to straighten it out or replace it before installation.