Recent Rossi 92

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ethang
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Recent Rossi 92

Post by ethang »

In light of the lack of lever gun posts might I share my newest rifle.

Picked it up from Buds last month. I wanted a stainless 16" but waited too long and ended with a blued 20. It was rough out of the box as Rossi's tend to be, wouldn't feed more than 2 rounds in the magazine tube, but shot to point of aim and very well with my aging eyesight. These are Federal 158 grain 357 soft points, the first 10 shots out of her.

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the dye came off with any amount of moisture so I wiped it down with many wet paper towels.

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I removed the stock and hosed it out with break cleaner, then cycled it about 1500 times over the next week. Removed the stock and soaked it in hot water to prepare it for a hand rubbed oil finish.

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numerous hand rubbed coats of 25 year old boiled linseed oil later

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and finally

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It has had a few teething issues but feeds even my semi wadcutter 38 specials, is fun as hell and cheap to shoot, fits in my hand and carries like it was made just for me. There is just something about the feel of a good lever gun in your hand. Other rifles just don't carry like these do. Now to find the perfect deer load for Michigan whitetails as we can now shoot pistol caliber rifles in the former shotgun zone I live in.
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ollogger
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Re: Recent Rossi 92

Post by ollogger »

Looks like you did a fine job on the wood & got a good shooter to boot!!
after 6 years & thousands of cast bullets later I can still say I like my Rossi in 45 colt



ollogger
ethang
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Re: Recent Rossi 92

Post by ethang »

ollogger wrote:Looks like you did a fine job on the wood & got a good shooter to boot!!
after 6 years & thousands of cast bullets later I can still say I like my Rossi in 45 colt



ollogger

I have a 24" older 45 Colt also. I like it, except for the unregulated metric sights. That one I bought Steve's video and took it apart and smoothed it up. It is slick as heck. This new Rossi I want to just shoot the heck out of it and see how well it breaks in. I have 1500-2000 cycles now and it is nearly as slick as my 45 that I trimmed up the ejector and loading gate springs.
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plowboy 45
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Re: Recent Rossi 92

Post by plowboy 45 »

I've got one in 45LC and it's the one I tote the most, I did basically the same thing you've done
Believe it or not the hardware store I work at occasionally had some linseed oil that was made in N.O., LA. in the teens
I did one other little thing, I put a touch of British tan dye in my last wiping, I think it looks good myself
Mine was also dead on outa the box
jd45
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Re: Recent Rossi 92

Post by jd45 »

ethang, that's a great lookin rifle with your magic touch applied to it. I've got a blue 20" LSI Puma in .45COLT, & which BTW, I also slicked up using Steve's DVD, now that Michigan's opened their shotgun zones to my rifle, I'll use it this season. My brother's work buddy bought 35 acres in Hartford, (Zone#80) when they retired. Up til now, I've been using my Lyman Great Plains Hunter .50 caliber frontloader. Thanx for the heads up. And thanx for FINALLY posting a thread about a lever action rifle. Jeez, don't these guys know the name of this website??? (grin) jd45
ethang
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Re: Recent Rossi 92

Post by ethang »

jd45 wrote:ethang, that's a great lookin rifle with your magic touch applied to it. I've got a blue 20" LSI Puma in .45COLT, & which BTW, I also slicked up using Steve's DVD, now that Michigan's opened their shotgun zones to my rifle, I'll use it this season. My brother's work buddy bought 35 acres in Hartford, (Zone#80) when they retired. Up til now, I've been using my Lyman Great Plains Hunter .50 caliber frontloader. Thanx for the heads up. And thanx for FINALLY posting a thread about a lever action rifle. Jeez, don't these guys know the name of this website??? (grin) jd45
We are in the same Zone. I have been hunting my whole life down here. I never really cared for using a shotgun and switched to ML exclusively about 15 years ago. Hopefully this rifle experiment will become permanent after the trial period.
Pete44ru
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Re: Recent Rossi 92

Post by Pete44ru »

.


I like that nice fiddleback figure in the buttstock; but I've never heard of pre-soaking a wood stock in hot water before applying a finish - could you please expand on the why & wherefores ?


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ethang
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Re: Recent Rossi 92

Post by ethang »

Pete44ru wrote:.


I like that nice fiddleback figure in the buttstock; but I've never heard of pre-soaking a wood stock in hot water before applying a finish - could you please expand on the why & wherefores ?


.
The dye that Rossi uses in the stocks appears to be water based and not very durable. Just with perspiration on my hands or cheek in the hot weather caused it to come off the stock. As I plan to hunt with this rifle, red dye leaching out in a rainstorm did not sound fun. Most of it came off with just the wet paper towel, however I read on another forum that soaking in hot water will remove most of it. The dye was an ugly reddish orange color anyway.

I have always liked the feel and warmth that a hand rubbed oil finish has. Factory varnish just does not feel the same. This will get sealed with a homemade beeswax/deer tallow/ neatsfoot oil mixture I made back when I was heavy into muzzle loaders. It seals the wood well, works good for a rust preventative under the stocks, patch lube, lip balm you name it, it works.
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gamekeeper
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Re: Recent Rossi 92

Post by gamekeeper »

I used to have a Rossi .357 s/s 20" . The only thing I could complain about was the mis-matched wood, I never did get round to stripping the stock and forearm. Great rifle though, wish I still had it.
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stew71
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Re: Recent Rossi 92

Post by stew71 »

I love my Rossi 45LC, especially after removing that stupid bolt-mounted safety lever. Shoots like a dream. One of these days it's going deer hunting.
Some people just need a sympathetic pat on the head.....with a hammer. Repeatedly.
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Griff
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Re: Recent Rossi 92

Post by Griff »

ollogger wrote:Looks like you did a fine job on the wood & got a good shooter to boot!!
+1.
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Re: Recent Rossi 92

Post by Nate Kiowa Jones »

Good job,

I'm convinced Rossi uses an alcohol based stain because it will dry almost instantly. So, the production isn't held up waiting on them to dry. I'm also convinced the only finish is the oil they use on the whole gun when it's boxed up to ship. As you have found once it dries out then gets wet the stain bleeds out.

Sadly this process doesn't do the wood justice. Some have interesting wood.
This one got Tru-oil.
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AJMD429
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Re: Recent Rossi 92

Post by AJMD429 »

ethang wrote:Image
I really like your target................!

........the gun too.... :wink:

The little Rossi's are great 'shooters' and some of them have beautiful wood, even if the finish isn't great.
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ethang
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Re: Recent Rossi 92

Post by ethang »

Some years ago at an AR15 site was a shooting challenge by a gunsmith for all the people who post one great group off a bench, but really can't shoot. I am not by any means claiming to be one of those who can shoot, but the challenge was holding 10 rounds off hand at 50 yards on a grapefruit. Hence this target. I found out that it's actually a pretty darn good target size for pistols at 25 and rifles at 50 and have used it ever since. The target is an easy google search away. I just run off 50 or so when I get low.

And thanks everybody for the compliments. This refinish took almost no talent and just a bit of elbow grease. Linseed oil has a wonderful smell that brought back many found memories of my youth. The other great thing is adding another coat whenever the mood hits you. I rubbed another coat on yesterday while watching college football.
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Ysabel Kid
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Re: Recent Rossi 92

Post by Ysabel Kid »

Very nice! 8) My Rossi in .45 Colt is one of my favorites, but I cheated, and shipped mine off to NJK for treatment! :D
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ethang
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Re: Recent Rossi 92

Post by ethang »

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Over the very warm weekend I put a few more coats on. This is nothing but removing the stock Rossi dye, and numerous coats of 20+ year old boiled linseed oil. The first few were thinned with mineral spirits, the last just straight oil. I did leave both my rifle and the oil out in the sun before rubbing on those last few coats.
JerryB
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Re: Recent Rossi 92

Post by JerryB »

ethang, I do like your stocks they came out real good. I have thought of doing that to my Rossi .357 but it is an Interarms and has a nice looking set of wood with a good finish on it.

What part of mid Michigan are you in? I used to live a little northeast of Mount Pleasant in the woods.
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ethang
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Re: Recent Rossi 92

Post by ethang »

Lansing area Jerry. I have heard Interarms are a better finished rifle than the Rossi's. I still just like an oil finish.
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Re: Recent Rossi 92

Post by JerryB »

Someday I'll get around to strip the wood and put the boiled linseed oil to it, it just looks and feel better on a levergun.
JerryB II Corinthians 3:17, Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

JOSHUA 24:15
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