The 44 Mag Puma from Buds Guns arrived...

[O.S.O.K.]

Here's a couple pics that I shot quick after cleaning it up and installing a Marbles tang sight:


(the discoloration on the lever is just oil)

Overall, I'm happy with it. It feels good in my hands.

Observations:
- it was pretty dirty - had rusty grease inside and the bore was dirty dirty
- the sights are cheap - but the sight picture is good
- the wood is nice - I'm not sure what kind of walnut but its a vast improvement over the stuff they used to use
- the cressant butplate feels good on my shoulder - its tall and wide enough so it doesn't dig in to the flesh
- the action is pretty smooth and the trigger ain't bad at all
- I'm glad I have the safety button replacment cause the safety wing has to go

I cycled some dummy rounds through it and everything fed without a hitch. I noticed that the chamber is throated a bit... haven't tried any long-nose keith swc's yet, but I think it might be fine.

I need to call Steve and get his sight blank and I think I'll go with a fiber optic front from him too - I have the safety replacement and steel mag cap coming already - I'd of ordered the blank and front sight too but I didn't realize the Rossi's doevtails are non-standard - skinny.

Can't really tell you much more until it goes to the range!

But I'm very pleased so far. Especially for the price. ($365 delivered).

[TedH]

Sweet! That was a heck of a good price.

[COSteve]

So where's the range report already!?!?!?

[Pete44ru]

Inquiring minds NEED to know: Is it marked "Rossi"/Brazil, or is it an Italian Chiappa ?

.

[Chas.]

Inquiring minds NEED to know: Is it marked "Rossi"/Brazil, or is it an Italian Chiappa ?

.

I'm sure it's a Rossi. You can see the safety on top of the bolt.

[Pete44ru]

Hey, I even HEARD about thet safety - all the way from Texas !

.

[O.S.O.K.]

Yep, its a Rossi. And the range report will be coming - but may have to wait a week or so

[Hanzerik]

Did you strip the stock or something? That wood looks nicer then mine; you can see the grain on yours. Mine is basically a solid brown and I don't think it is walnut.

[O.S.O.K.]

No, I didn't do anything to the stock. I did remove the buttplate and noticed that the wood was kinda waxy... or they dipped it in some kind of preservative? I wonder if its some kind of Brazilian rainforest hardwood?

[Chuck 100 yd]

"I wonder if its some kind of Brazilian rainforest hardwood?"

Looks like mine. Not Walnut but a wood very close.
Enjoy!!
Oh, by the way, the rear sight elevator would not hold it`s setting on mine. It is very accurate(.45 Colt 20")
but after 2 shots it would start to string them up. I scratched my head and then saw the elevator was not where it was to start with. That sight is in the junk box in case I sell that rifle and keep my Marbles tang sight.

[O.S.O.K.]

Yeah, the stock rear sight is junk - mine will shift left and right and it won't stay on the lowest setting as there isn't enough spring pressure down. That's why its going. I like aperture sights better anyway. And as stated, while I'm at it, I'm going to try the Marbles fiber optic sight - I've already contacted Steve to see about getting the front sight and sight blank.

[Chas.]

What we commonly refer to as walnut is actually Eastern Black Walnut which is actually a type of hickory. The stocks on the Rossi's may very well be what is commonly called Brazilian Walnut. Although not related to the Eastern Black Walnut, the wood is similar. If the Rossi's actually used Eastern Black Walnut stocks/forends, it would first have to be exported to Brazil as it doesn't grow there.

[meanc]

OSOK,

If you have the time and/or inclination... Could you slug the bore and let me know your results.

I had one in hand a few months ago where the slug mic'd at .432"

It was one with no safety, so an earlier model. Hopefully they've addressed that issue. Because at that kind of price I may just pick one up.

[AJMD429]

If you wanted to go with a Lyman globe front sight they do have 'European' dovetail widths available (probably many other sight makers to, too). Otherwise, a thin aluminum shim under the sight you use should work to snug it up.

[Warhawk]

She's a beauty! Is it an LSI or a Braztech?

[olyinaz]

Looks nice! Whatever Brazilian wood they're using does indeed seem to be a bit better these days. If you go over that wood with some oil your rag will probably come back all red (that's what they used to do anyhow).

I had a Rossi .44 Mag recently that was bulging the cases (not horribly, but more than I was comfortable with) and also had a pretty badly scratched bolt face so make sure you give your cases a good look over when you take it to the range.

Best,
Oly

[gak]

Regarding the overbore issue on the .44s, I don't know my Rossi serial numbers but Steve Young (aka Nate Kiowa Jones) recently reported that around Oct '06, I believe, the first corrected ones started appearing on the market after being off for awhile (the last few words are mine; don't know how for how long--all of my pre safety Interarms and EMF 44s are fine).

[O.S.O.K.]

OK guys.

The barrel is simply marked ".44 Magnum". Under the bottom tang its marked A. Rossi S.A., Made in Brazil.

Meanc, I slugged the barrel for you I was wanting to do this anyway - used a soft .44 Caliber (.454") ball. The grooves are .429 exactly. I didn't measure the lands - but the ball is sitting there and I'll check that later. Its the groove diameter that's the thing anyway.

This should be a shooter.

Oh and the wood under the buttplate is yellowish and waxy - and the drill holes kicked up feathering that seemed to hold together rather than break off - if that means anything. Again, I couldn't tell if this waxy substance was leaching from the wood or was just left from a dipping...?

Regardless, the wood seems to be of a medium density - similar to walnut. Maybe even a little more dense. Also doesn't seem to be brittle at all - more "plastic" than brittle. Should prove to be good stock wood.

ETA: I did a pic search and found this:

Labeled as Brazilian walnut. Looks like that's exactly what they're using - at least on mine.

[O.S.O.K.]

Well, solved the sight problem. I discovered that simply peening the edges of the dovetails down a bit allows you to use standard 3/8" sights and blanks. It only took just a little bit. Not perfect - there's a little "air" under the front blade but its seated snuggly in the dovetail which is the most important thing. Ditto on the sight blank - fits fine. So, I've got the sights set up.

[Chas.]

I got one of Bud's .44 mag Rossi/Puma's a couple of weeks ago. The barrel slugs .428 for the groove and .424 for the lands which makes for some shallow rifling. Anyway, I replaced the front sight with no mods and the rear sight with a thin piece of paper label stuck to the bottom of the sight dovetail. I used the same sights that COSteve used on his and in his photos here http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... si#p272921 .

[O.S.O.K.]

Here you go Steve!

Range results:

Preliminary, 25 yards (is cold 42 degrees - cold for Texas! and windy) shot with arms supported on bench.



Here's the brass - you can see that there's no bulge and that with the hot loads that I was shooting, the ejector does make a mark on the primer.



The loads (you may be able to read the load label above) are 25 grains of H110 under Hornady 240 gr. XTP's - book velocity is 1900 fps from a 20" carbine. So these aren't exactly target loads and they are the hardest kicking loads that I've tried out of my Marlin - more so than the 310 gr/1550 fps loads.

I'm happy to report that the cressant buttplate was easy on the shoulder given its dimensions - and the rifle function perfectly. And the bonus was that it was sighted in perfectly right from the get go - just a little high. I adjusted the sight down a bit and shot the above group and packed up!

Next time, I'll be shooting at 100 yards and trying some other loads. But for now - I'm about as pleased as I can be with the Puma.

[J Miller]

O.S.O.K.,

I'd say you got you a good rifle there. I kind of like it.

As for the marks left on the primer by the ejector that's par for the course. My Rossi .45 Colt did that too.

Joe

[O.S.O.K.]

Yeah, those marks don't bother me. They don't affect anything. With the ejector in that spot, I can't see how it wouldn't leave an impression -unless it was fitted so close that it didn't leave enough of a gap...

[COSteve]

Good shooting! I'm happy that it's running sweet for ya. Now, you've got to lose that dumb safety!!

[O.S.O.K.]

Good shooting! I'm happy that it's running sweet for ya. Now, you've got to lose that dumb safety!!

It's on it way! Along with the steel mag tube plug...

[meanc]

Outstanding report and results. Great shooting.

Thanks for slugging the barrel, too. That will be my next levergun for certain. Hopefully everything works as yours.

Thanks again.

[Ysabel Kid]

Fantastic! Looks like a heck of a buy!!!

[Hanzerik]

OK guys.

The barrel is simply marked ".44 Magnum". Under the bottom tang its marked A. Rossi S.A., Made in Brazil.

Meanc, I slugged the barrel for you I was wanting to do this anyway - used a soft .44 Caliber (.454") ball. The grooves are .429 exactly. I didn't measure the lands - but the ball is sitting there and I'll check that later. Its the groove diameter that's the thing anyway.

How did you slug the barrel using that size of a ball? I have some Speer .454 BP round balls from when I had a .44 C&B pistol...these should do ok for slugging my bore? I haven't done it yet because it seemed an awful big ball to squeeze down small enough. Did you pull the bolt and go in from the chamber, or did you pound it in through the muzzle? Any help, step by step, would be appreciated.

I picked up some Alliant 2400 yesterday at Sportmans Warehouse when I was down in Loveland, and have a box of 240gr XTPs I have been wanting to try out. I'm going to try 18grs first, that should put me in the 1400-1500 fps range according to the Hornady Manual. Man has that store sprung back; last time I went there the shelves were pretty dang bare. I had no luck finding the powder I wanted up here.

[Chas.]

I normally use a fishing sinker a bit larger than the bore, but I had none that would work with .44 caliber. So I took a .44 180gr cast, stood it on end, and pounded it with a hammer which enlarged the diameter. Then I lubed it good and drove it through from the muzzle using a wooden dowel. It was large enough that when started in the muzzle, it sheared off a bit of lead going in.

This method will only show the most narrow point in the bore. It's possible there are sections with larger diameter than what the slug will indicate.

[O.S.O.K.]

Hanz - you will find that the pure lead round balls are quite soft. I just tapped the ball into the end of the muzzle (I applied a little oil to it) with a brass hammer - gently starting it. It shaved-off a ring - just like when you seat them into a cap and ball's cylinder - only more. Then, I used a wooden dowel to tap it through the bore. The pressure was consistent until about half way down the bore when it got just a leetle bit easier to push... (to Charles' point). Once it was through the bore and into the action, I retreived it and measured with my caliper guage.

[O.S.O.K.]

Well, I was out in the shop loading some more ammo for the .44 (240 swc gc Lee boolits over 10 grains of Power Pistol).

Anyway, while I was there, I checked the lands on the slug for this rifle - .425"

So the rifling is .004" deep in this rifle. FWIIW

[AJMD429]

Nice to see that .44 Mags are once again being produced that aren't just .45 Colts (as far as chamber and bore) with ".44 Mag" stamped on them...

[Warhawk]

I ordered one just like it, is the buttplate on your color case or blued?

[COSteve]

While I have the std rifle version (24"), my but plate has the same 'case hardened' look that the receiver does. You know that they just apply a coating to the metal to give it a 'case hardened' look don't you? It's not truly case hardened.

[Mokwaw]

Anybody have an I-net addy for Bud's...??? That's a very good looking rifle and a very interesting price. Thanks

[Hanzerik]

Anybody have an I-net addy for Bud's...??? That's a very good looking rifle and a very interesting price. Thanks

Bud's Gun Shop - Puma Selection

[O.S.O.K.]

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/inde ... /3a/page/2

This is a link right to them. I don't think the clearance ones show up under their rifle/Puma section - its weird. You have to go to pistols, then select "cowboy action" and then go to the second page to see the leverguns... maybe why they still have some in stock. And beware - the barrel lengths in the pics do not match up with the descriptions.

[bearhunter]

Congrats! Does it shoot "all out" loads?

[O.S.O.K.]

Yes it will shoot maximum loads just fine. In fact, the consensus is that the 92 action is actually stronger than the Marlin 94 action, and I would personally have no problem shooting the maximum loads in my Marlin.

[bearhunter]

Yes it will shoot maximum loads just fine. In fact, the consensus is that the 92 action is actually stronger than the Marlin 94 action, and I would personally have no problem shooting the maximum loads in my Marlin.

Another question. The marlins have a 1-38" twist, which doesn't work good with heavy bullets. What's the twist on the Puma?

[O.S.O.K.]

Yes it will shoot maximum loads just fine. In fact, the consensus is that the 92 action is actually stronger than the Marlin 94 action, and I would personally have no problem shooting the maximum loads in my Marlin.

Another question. The marlins have a 1-38" twist, which doesn't work good with heavy bullets. What's the twist on the Puma?

The Braztech Rossi 44 Mags have 1:20 twist rates.

Though, I will beg to differ with you on the Marlin's ability to handle heavier bullets. Mine shoots 300 XTP's and 310 grain Lee wfn's boolits just fine - with good accuracy at 100 yards. You do have to size the cast boolits over bore and you do have to push them to maximum pressure/velocity to get decent accuracy though.

The 1:20 twist is a much better answer IMHO.

[bearhunter]

Yes it will shoot maximum loads just fine. In fact, the consensus is that the 92 action is actually stronger than the Marlin 94 action, and I would personally have no problem shooting the maximum loads in my Marlin.

Another question. The marlins have a 1-38" twist, which doesn't work good with heavy bullets. What's the twist on the Puma?

The Braztech Rossi 44 Mags have 1:20 twist rates.

Though, I will beg to differ with you on the Marlin's ability to handle heavier bullets. Mine shoots 300 XTP's and 310 grain Lee wfn's boolits just fine - with good accuracy at 100 yards. You do have to size the cast boolits over bore and you do have to push them to maximum pressure/velocity to get decent accuracy though.

The 1:20 twist is a much better answer IMHO.

I might put one of those on my shopping list!

[horsesoldier03]

Very nice! Has me thinking now that I had to give up my 1894 Marlin .44 mag to my daughter. Might like mine in a .357 flavor though!