Point of fact, the Ross sporting rifles eclipsed pretty much everything pre-WW1 in terms of quality/reputation for building rifles for competition and sporters, and were literally almost-unavailable due to such high demand and regard at the time. As far as the actual killing users, that happened eight times according to record, and if I remember the report right, three were due to cracked bolt lugs letting go or the like. Quality control during wartime was mediocre at best, rifle AND ammunition. But dirt tolerance was simply not there, and that's the main reason it was pulled.