Shot the new Rossi 92 in .357 Magnum

[Bill in Oregon]

Had it with me on a range trip this afternoon and put a very few rounds through it -- 18 grains 296 under the Hornady 140-grain XTP in Starline brass with small rifle primers (I discovered I was out of small pistol). I am having trouble seeing the front sight through my peep rear (from Nate Kiowas Jones) so the initial groups were around three inches at 50 yards, hitting high and right with the aperture as low as I can get it to go. Biggest problem I had was feeding the dang cartridges through the loading gate. No sharp edges, but I happen to have cracked the skin on the tip of my right thumb and I was bleeding after just two rounds of five cartridges. I found myself wishing I had brought a very short piece of 3/8 dowel. Will do so next time.

[piller]

Bill, use some O'Keefe's working hands in the green jar. It doesn't take much, and does not leave your hands greasy.
Glad that levergun worked.

[JimT]

Good going Bill! 495 more rounds and it'll start being broken in.

[Bill in Oregon]

Thanks guys. Brian, I found my O'Keefe's.
Jim, I'll work on her.
One thing I might do is buy a Wyoming Sight Drifter so I can easily adjust that front sight. I really had to wang on the buckhorn rear to drift it out of its dovetail so I could use Steve's rear peep.
I'll admit I was surprised at how that steel buttplate tickled my shoulder shooting those 140s -- but they were probably moving out at 1,900.
Following up with 10 rounds of the circa 1923 Remington Model 8 in .30 Remington and I heartily wished I had brought a sissy pad. I had forgotten how the Model 8 kicks - - and these were 160-grain Hornady gummy tips at 2300. The 8 did not like to feed those bullets.

[earlmck]

Might have been good you were out of the small pistol primers Bill. For using W296 the small rifle (or small pistol magnum) primer is what you want. Years ago I ignored my reloading book's advice to go to the magnum primer when using those ball powders such as W296 and H110 and I got a couple of "failures to ignite the powder". Drove the bullet far enough into the barrel you could have got off another shot if doing double-action rapid fire out of a revolver. After the second time (yes I am a slow learner) I went to the magnum or rifle primer and have never had a repeat.

A few years ago fellow levergunner COSteve found out that, at least at CCI, the small pistol magnum and the small rifle primers were the same primers, they just put different labels on them and charged a bit more for the one called "magnum".

[Walt]

Bill, another product that works well with cracked fingers is Gold Bond Ultimate Softening Foot Cream with shea butter. Use it religiously before going to bed, use a humidifier at night and the cracks will stay away. At least in my area, both Walgreens and CVS stock it.