Why does Rossi M92 shoot so low when barrel gets warm?

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David Sinko

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I just grabbed a new Rossi Model 92 .44 Magnum with 16" barrel at a price I couldn't pass up. At the end of my range sessions I realized that the rifle was starting to shoot way low, as in off the bottom of the target at 100 yards. So I loaded it up with nine rounds and shot one more group at 100 yards. I had seven in the bull, one down about 8" lower and one off the paper altogether. Can anybody explain what would cause this? Is it normal behavior for this type of rifle? Can it be corrected? The load I'm using is a 240 gr. SWC with 7.5 grs. of 231, not a hot load by any means.
 
Was this benched or on a rest or offhand?
Reloads or factory ammo

Could be a lot of different things including some fouling (especially where the rim seats) or barrel bands that are too tight or simple shooter fatigue (personally when I start wandering to the left I know it's time to take a break.) I have also seen this behavior to a small degree when the headspacing wasn't quite right in a levergun.
 
The groups are shot standing braced against a pillar. The hold is consistent for each shot. I'm pretty sure it's not fatigue. I'm wondering if it could be the barrel bands or the way the magazine tube is installed? I'm using my own cast bullets which make for cheap and plentiful shooting so I'll take more detailed notes at the next range session, starting with a cold barrel.
 
The rear sight wandering would show a windage problem rather than an elevation problem (assuming lateral movement).... unless the elevation wedge took a hike and your rear sight was allowed to go all the way down flush with the barrel? I know that even at 50 yards the rear sight on my .44 Mag carbine (a Browning) is raised 2 notches, so if yours was close to that, if it flew off you'd be hitting way low.

I can't think of any other logical reason.
 
Well, if it's like my own then there's a pin at the front band that passes through the front figure 8 band, the magazine plug and pins into a small blind hole in the barrel. So if things are locked so that the magazine can't float a little it would be at the rear where it goes into the receiver or at the band at the front of the fore stock. And perhaps check that the hole in the wood is a nice but not tight fit while you're tearing things down and checking all this. It may be just a very splintery sort of drilled hole that is binding from the forestock clamp. Simply cleaning it out and smoothing it with some light sanding from a dowel wrapped with sandpaper may clean it up enough to help out.
 
The sight elevator's what I was referring to.
Obviously if windage wandered it wouldn't affect elevation.
Denis
 
My research indicates that most of these rifles tend to shoot too high. Mine is no exception. I don't need to completely remove the elevator like some need to do, but I do use the bottom step. It does not move under recoil. It's surprising that a rifle that wants to shoot so high can end up shooting so low near the end of a range session.

So then the pin at the front of the barrel band should not be too tight? I'll have to investigate this. I have two Savage 99 rifles that have their own distinct personalities but this is the first lever action I own that has a tubular magazine. I'm still trying to learn its quirks. It's an awesome little rifle and an awesome cartridge.
 
Do yourself a favor. Replace the mag follower with a metal one if it's a later build rifle, put new sights on it, and get the mag tube spot welded into the receiver. I love my 92. When it works right.
 
I had issues with my magazine tube wandering in the front which caused all manner of problems. I attached it to the front barrel ring and it solved the issue. It is still removable it just has to be removed with the ring.
 
I'm going with the shooter.

Sights wandering are not going to "wander" back when it cools.

Barrel drooping for whatever reason - pins, bands, metallurgy - will draw the front sight with the barrel causing the shooter to raise elevation.

Nah, it's you shooter. Don't go changing anything until you shoot it rested with consistent ammo and if possible, have a trusted shooter confirm under the same circumstances.
 
Just be happy it shoots, I know of many that had multitudes of problems out of the box (mine included). Steve's repair service is always backed up on repairs but if it breaks he can fix it.
 
I can't imagine barrel heat causing that much of a drop.
I have a 16-inch Rossi in .45 Colt, it's never done anything remotely like that.
Denis
 
Heat could remotely be a cause if the barrel/magazine band is too tight and binding against the barrel. Does seem remote. Used to have to keep the target muzzle loading rifles out of the sun between shots because the sun would warm them unevenly and cause "walking", away from the side warmed by the sun.
 
I shot this again yesterday, putting a bunch of rounds through it from prone. Rapid fire it would chew out the center of the bull at 50 yards but there was still vertical stringing low at 100 yards, though not as bad as fliers off the bottom of the paper. I admit that I don't like that rear sight and it could cause vertical dispersion. I'd be willing to have the receiver drilled and tapped for a good aperture sight. This rifle is perfectly reliable and has a great trigger. Getting rid of that rear sight would tell me a lot more. My SKS has a horrendous trigger but the clean, squared off sight picture enables me to shoot it much better than I can shoot this Rossi.

One more thing. What's the best way to attach a sling to this rifle? Should it be attached to the forend or the magazine tube? Is any one way likely to further interfere with accuracy or shouldn't it matter?
 
David Sinko said:
One more thing. What's the best way to attach a sling to this rifle? Should it be attached to the forend or the magazine tube? Is any one way likely to further interfere with accuracy or shouldn't it matter?
Click to expand...
Seems to me that first you need to get a horse, then a scabbard, then.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Djyx9wPoDOU

But seriously, if you have the saddle ring you could just hook a single point sling to it and call it good. Or if you MUST put sling studs into it then I don't think you have much choice but to put a stud of some sort into the foregrip unless you just wanted to have a loop of some-sort around the barrel and ammo tube.

I know Henry makes/sells a forward sling stud that clamps on the ammo tube...but it's not something I'd do with a '92 because I'd HATE to bend or crimp that tube.
 
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For a sling I just use a long piece of rawhide lacing. I double it in half, make a loop around the barrel, and then tie off the ends to the stock. It's not a great sling but it works for me when I want my hands free. It looks like something Geromimo might have improvised.
 
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