Gunsmith action jobs on lever action rifles

[peacebutready]

The thread below led to me asking the following: Can a gunsmith that does action jobs to lever action rifles make a Rossi smooth and highly reliable?


https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/rossi-r92-lever-action-357-is-back.856187/

 

[Bfh_auto]

Steve's gunz is the first one that comes to mind.
If you're a stickler for detail and aren't ham handed, you can do it with some research.

 

[LoonWulf]

The basics of an action job on a lever are the same as on any other gun.
I've used Steve's parts, and my own elbow grease on a couple 92s now. If you don't want to do the work, I've heard nothing but good about his action jobs.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Videos galore all across the Internet on disassembly, smoothing, polishing, stoning, and reassembly of the great Rossi 92 rifles.

Even if you don’t want to attempt the work they are worth watching just so you will know what is going to be done.

The Rossi’s can be slicked up to run smoother than Marlins or Winnie 94s. It is one of the slickest action designs out there and the only possible exception as one that is better is the Winchester 71.

 

[peacebutready]

...I've used Steve's parts, and my own elbow grease on a couple 92s now...

How did they come out? Are they more reliable?

 

[peacebutready]

...The Rossi’s can be slicked up to run smoother than Marlins or Winnie 94s. It is one of the slickest action designs out there and the only possible exception as one that is better is the Winchester 71.

But do they become as reliable as Marlins and Winchesters?

 

[gotboostvr]

My R92 is already very reliable as-is. Triggers as good as I'd want on a hunting carbine. Very crisp, little over travel and of moderate pull weight. The action isn't slick, but it is smooth.

I bought it fully expecting a project that I'd get really tuned up, but it's beyond satisfactory and I'm almost afraid to mess with a good thing. I've got little to gain by tinkering with it I feel.

The wood to metal fitment though, I could pretty easily improve.

 

[LoonWulf]

How did they come out? Are they more reliable?

there are certain things to look for on the r92s, especially the .357s
A recurring issue with some of the .357s is that shorter .38s will get tossed out of the action when the litter comes up. shimming in the cartridge guides slightly fixes that.
The mag follower is plastic, and while neither of the ones I had cracked, they have been known to.
Other than that, there's nothing inherently less reliable than any other leverfun.
Giving them an action job may make them more reliable, but only because you don't need to run them as hard.

 

[Speedo66]

My 4 year old Rossi 92 worked perfectly with both .357 and .38Spl. right out of the box, no changes were necessary.

I made a new follower out of .40 and .44Mag cases, changed the ejector spring to lighten action and lessen distance empty cases traveled, and refinished the wood, but none of that was actually required for reliability.

Just continuously working the action while watching TV for an hour or so smoothed it out considerably.

Followers, spring kits, etc., are available here: http://www.thesmithshop.com/magfollow.html

 

[ColtPythonElite]

I bought Steve's video and a part or two. I did a table top action job on one of my 92s. It turned out slick with a great trigger.

 

[greyling22]

I've worked on 1 Rossi and about a dozen Marlin's. The Rossi will get slicker, but the Marlin's were SO much easier.

 

[peacebutready]

Thanks for the posts, all.

 

[Sistema1927]

I had Kiowa Nate Jones (Steve Young of Steve's Gunz) do an action job on my Rossi 1892 in .45 Colt.

It came out slicker than snot. Well worth the money, he is a true craftsman. Prior to the action job ist was gritty and awkward. Now it runs great.

 

[phil dirt]

I have a Rossi 92 that is next to impossible to load through the loading gate. I'm able to get a few rounds into the mag tube by pushing a round with another round until I get the first round in. But, the only way I can get it fully loaded is to use a dowel or some such tool, and then only with great effort. I've read that in order to correct this problem you have to very carefully, emphases on carefully, bend the loading gate spring, but if you aren't careful you will wind up with a broken spring. I want to send it to Steve's gunz, but he is booked out at least 10 months. I don't really want to do the work myself since I have zero experience with lever actions and don't trust myself to do the job done right. To sum all this up, I can live with a somewhat stiff action since it will likely loosen up, but the incredibly difficult procedure to load the mag tube is enough to make a preacher cuss. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Steve in Allentown]

I have a Rossi 92 that is next to impossible to load through the loading gate. . . . the incredibly difficult procedure to load the mag tube is enough to make a preacher cuss. Any advice would be appreciated.

You can thin the narrow end of the loading gate to reduce its resistance to bending. Don't thin the immediate area around where the retaining screw holds it to the receiver. Concentrate on the area forward of the screw and behind the cover. How much to thin is unknown.

I would file a little, reinstall the part, and try loading the magazine. Rinse and repeat as necessary. Be advised, there may come a point past which the part will no longer function as designed so proceed slowly and be prepared to buy a replacement part if you ruin this one.

One piece of advice. Once you've achieved perfection and are installing the piece for the last time, use a drop of blue loctite on the retaining screw to prevent it from unscrewing itself from all the vibration associated with firing the rifle.

 

[dh1633pm]

I took my Rossi apart the day I brought it home. Added some of Steve's parts and recommendations. Did a nice matt blast on the thing to dull the shine. Its my wife's go to gun to home protection. 10 rounds of 45 colt goodness. It became noticeably smoother. I also added a ghost ring site just to the front of the locking lugs. I did notice a problem with extraction when testing at 10 below. No problems at higher temps.