RE: My question concerning the 357 lever action rifles

[Upstater]

@Kimberlover, you may be interested in checking out stevesgunz.com, he is leading guru for rossi 92's. I picked up his DVD and parts package to slickin up a 92 and I gotta tell you it's an easy to follow DVD with pretty good detail on stripping down the rifle and the necassary mods to make the rifle run really sweet.

 

[KimberLover]

@ Upstater

Thanks for the link.
I have spent time on his site and got into youtube looking.

 

[BCRider]

I didn't buy the Steve's DVD but I can see that having a full video vs a written article with pictures could be a great option. Especially for those that are a little hesitant to take stones to their precious new toy

Just keep in mind that usually less is more. You can always go back in and take more off but it's tough to put the metal back on. So when you begin stoning the receiver and bolt parts remember that they fit already so you only want to just take off the crests of the ridges enough that the finest of silvery lines is created over the area. That way the evenly surfaced "plateaus" of the ridges can ride evenly and smoothly from one to the next. And the "valleys" left between them hold the lubricant which gets wiped across the plateau faces as needed.

I found that by far the majority of the smoothness in my Rossi came from lightly smoothening and somewhat aggresively de-burring the ejector and ejector path in the bolt. This even includes making up a little sanding drum from dowel and sandpaper and polishing out the spring path. The final chapter in my ejector smoothening occured just last week when I made up a little holder to let me countersink out one end of the spring collar and ground off the one end of the cutout in the ejector arm so that it would slide up into the collar easily without catching. PM me when you get to that point and I'll strip my rifle down again and take a picture if you don't see what I mean once you're inside.

KL, I think you meant the ejector instead of the extractor? The extractor is simply the spring that rests in the groove along the top of the bolt. The ejector is the funky looking spring loaded bit that fits into the lower portion of the bolt face.

All this stuff sounds like a lot to do on a new gun. But at the price point of the Rossi compared to the $1600'ish for a Miroku Winchester 92 it sure makes the price of slicking up a Rossi on top of the low initial price seem like a lot more reasonable and attainable.

 

[KimberLover]

BCRider, You got my attention....

I just got thru taking the Rossi out of the safe and working the lever several times. To tell you the truth it seems very smooth without any real hic-ups.
This is a new experience for me as I have two lever guns in the safe that I have never fired. The Rossi is going to be a learning experience for me.
I have read many articles on how to smooth the Rossi, but....
I keep reading the parts where it says don't let this part and that part take off on their own.
Having built many AR15's I am very much aware of how parts go flying into those hidden places in my shop even with due care, it just seems that old hands let go to easily.
Geesh! You cannot know how many pins I have had to buy.
I can tell you I am very hesitant to even think that I am going to take a wild chance that anything on my Rossi will take of into places unknown.
I'll get one of Steve's DVD's before I begin.
Then there is the question about buying a spring package before I take on this project. I'm thinking that may be a good idea.
By the way, I did take a good look at the orange pusher in the bullet resevior and I'm curious, should I make it out of alum. brass or blued steel?
I have my own lathe and can do either. I think that will be my first project.
Do you have any pics of your teardown?
I could trade you a bullet pusher for some guidance.

OK you said:KL, I think you meant the ejector instead of the extractor? The extractor is simply the spring that rests in the groove along the top of the bolt. The ejector is the funky looking spring loaded bit that fits into the lower portion of the bolt face.
You are right, that is the item I had in question. I now realize what it was.

 

[BCRider]

I know that a lot of folks have a phobia about plastic parts. I'm simply not one of them. I LIKE seeing the bright orange end of the follower to indicate that there's no more ammo in the magazine tube. And since it's reliably shot somewhere up around 2000 rounds of ammo without any issues or apparent wear to that plastic part I'm happy to let it keep on fullfilling it's mission and aid me in signifying when the magazine is empty with a quick glance.

If it ever does act up I'll be quick to replace it since I've got a lathe as well...

Rest easy on the idea of things going SPROING'NG'NG! and leaping for freedom. The rifle comes apart with no big fear on that count. The only things to watch are the mainspring which you will pin with a small nail or a bit of iron wire and the ejector spring which won't be under tension but will tend to fall out with the ejector when you slide the bolt out the back end. All other springs are simply not a big issue as they are trapped by a plunger and locking pin.

However the 92 DOES have a lot of small parts if you go deep enough into the strip down to do the slicking up work. So a small compartmented parts box with snap on lid isn't a bad idea. It contains the bits and gives you separators to let you keep associated bits together to aid the later assembly work. I keep a few around and empty just for this sort of work.

If you don't have any stones for the work when you eventually get to it I can recomend the Lansky knife sharpening refills as viable options that will do the job nicely. A flat fine hone and a triangle fine hone pair will do all the work you need on your Rossi. With the flat hone you may need to shave away the plastic on one side so you have a flat 90 to work into corners. The fine hones will crest off the machining marks nicely without removing too much, too fast and leave just the right sort of slick surface for the parts to slide over each other nicely. The triangle stone will come in handy for some of the deburring jobs.

A sheet of 600 wetordry sandpaper finishes off the kit of abrasives you'll need to do your Rossi slicking up work. You'll slit a bit of wood dowel and wrap a strip of this sandpaper around it to polish out the ejector spring path in the bolt to deburr the edges of the parts of the bolt that would otherwise catch on the spring coils.

And needless to say if you don't already have a decent set of gunsmithing screwdrivers this would be an excellent time to invest in one.

 

[Upstater]

@Kimberlover
When you order Steve's DVD get it with the new ejector spring and mag follower made from steel, I changed mine immediately I also cut the mag tube spring done to an excess of 4 cartridge lengths it makes it a lot easier to load, Steve recommended cut it off the length of three cartridges but I was leery about cutting off too much. I haven't taken on the rest of the challenges yet, but the dvd will definitely make it easier.

 

[KimberLover]

I'll follow your lead.

Tha idea about a multi bin plastic parts box was helpful.
I'm relieved of the thought that all the parts would suddenly jump out and I will surely follow Steve's DVD before I start.
It think getting the spring package will help also.
As to the orange pusher, maybe Rossi had a good Idea. That orange flag would be a help. I did notice that putting a bullet into the tube was difficult. That surely needs some relief.
I told you all about the local Auction, but after thinking about how expensive auctions often turn out, I'm going to pass. Besides the rifle I wanted is included in a group of six that are bundled.
Well, today is my shooting day.
Got to go try out some of those 38 supers and the RAI 1911 I bought last week.
Maybe next week I'll take the Rossi. The front sight looks like it is a smidge to the right, but a good steady test fire should tell the tale on that.
The range owner has a sight pusher and if need be, I'll move it.