Rossi M92 Extraction Problems

[dh1633pm]

Took my new 1873 to shoot yesterday. Sweet. But that's not the issue. I also brought my M92 Rossi. And it would not extract the 45 Colt Empties.

It would start and then the extractor would let loose. Chamber dirty? Not so, was cleaned nicely last time out. Brass will fall out so I don't think this the issue. It did the same with fully loaded and fired rounds.

It was cold out. About 18 degrees. Stored rifles and ammo in the back of the truck unheated.

Ammo? I used starline brass, 250 grain XTPs behind 11 grains of No 5.

The kicker is that once home in the warmth of my basement it will feed and extract everything I put in it. Dummy rounds of course. I always load a dummy for each bullet type as I work up a load. All testing done without cleaning.

Could this just be a temperature thing? Any ideas and or suggestions? Thanks

 

[dh1633pm]

I looked at the extractor pretty closely to see if it had something underneath that would cause it to ride up higher. I couldn't find anything.

 

[Dog Soldier]

Doug, The reason Winchester never chambered the .45 Colt was due to the narrow rim. The lineal thermal contraction is likely the problem. The extractor spring is weak and the claw contact is very light. I would look at a new extractor or temper the old one.

 

[dh1633pm]

Thanks Dog Soldier. I thought the coldness was the reason. And who wants a rifle that will only extract when its warm outside.

 

[Dog Soldier]

Doug, This was and is a vulnerability of the top Winchester bolt mounted extractor. It occurs even in the .30 WCF. Many old saddle rifles show marks from pocket knives that served as extractors.

 

[Hastings]

If you carried the M92 inside the waistband it would stay warm and not cause this kind of problem:


Seriously, though. I do a lot of shooting in cold weather in the Vermont's North East Kingdom. I haven't had a problem with extraction with my 45colt Rossi, but it goes into the truck when I leave and comes out of the truck when I get back. Ammo doesn't stay in the truck either, so maybe nothing gets cold enough to cause the level of contraction Dog Soldier mentions, or maybe my extractor is more robust than yours. I reload Starline, Remington, and Hornady brass. I try to stay away from Winchester. The rims seem even smaller on some of the Winchester brass I've had than on the other brands. Hasn't caused problems, but I just prefer the other brands. They seem to stand up to more load cycles, too, but the loadings aren't always apples to apples as far as powder type and pressure level.

Just mentioning this so you don't give up on the M92 in cold weather. Mine is 100% reliable in hot or cold weather, and a joy to carry/shoot in just about any condition.
Good luck.

 

[Steve S.]

For what it is worth, I took my 1873 .45 Colt Miroku to the range last week - 15 degrees but no wind so not too bad on the body. Shot 50 rounds; about the 25th round, the action was somewhat blackened and the round being pushed back into the chamber during cycling hung (seemed to be stuck) until I gave it a little more juice on the lever (did that twice during the session). The rifle had always cycled flawlessly before but had never been shot in the cold. Before I cased the rifle at the range, the action felt a little sluggish and tight - cleaned at home at room temp and slick as glass again. I chocked it up to the extreme cold - good shooting.

 

[Dog Soldier]

If you have never had a Winchester extractor fail in cold conditions you are lucky. Most of us know to press the extractor down with the thumb as we work the lever. It gets cold in the Rocky Mtns. and there are tons of Mdl. 94 Winchesters.

 

[Hastings]

That's a good tip to remember. I'll have to train myself to do that. Are you able to do it smoothly or does it really impede the cycling process significantly. I'll have to go try in on my 92's and my 94, but any additional suggestions on technique would be great. It sounds awkward.

Only Winchester extractor I've ever had fail was on a Mdl. 100 308 Carbine. Beautiful little carbine, but that thing loved to keep brass in the chamber. Changed extractors and it resolved the problem on factory loads, but reloads just would not extract reliably. Full-length resized, cases tumbled shiny and trimmed to correct length, correct C.O.A.L., and 3031 powder with 168gr match bullets loaded to duplicate match-grade 308 factory ammo. Just didn't like to extract reloads. I'm sure it was something I was doing wrong, but I couldn't identify it. Maybe the resizing die was just not quite right.

 

[dh1633pm]

We will undoubtedly get some more cold weather. I have about 6 dummy rounds for the 45 Colt. One for each bullet type I load. I will test again when the temperature dips. I will leave both the rifle and the rounds outside to get nice and cold and test again. Meanwhile the Rossi got a good cleaning yesterday. Its a good rifle. Modified with new springs and a polished action. Outside finish is stainless mat. And thanks for the replies.

 

[Hastings]

Did you matte the finish yourself or have someone else do it. I like the way that looks. Mine is more of a bright stainless.

I'd love to see more pictures of both rifles. I'm drooling in my coffee cup right now.

 

[dh1633pm]

I had the finish done for me. Its a very fine mat finish. I didn't like the shiny finish. I also installed XS ghost ring sights. Mounted the rear just in front of the locking lugs. I will upload some pictures when I can.

 

[Curator]

Hornady brass has always given my Rossi M92 extraction problems. All other brass extracts and ejects properly. I miked the offending cases and their rim is about .002 smaller in diameter and no cut recess forward of the rim. The extractor just does not have enough to grab on to to extract properly.