Rio Grande Accidental Half Cock

Rossi's latest and past big game rifle based on the 336 frame!
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jb1316
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Location: Texas

Rio Grande Accidental Half Cock

Post by jb1316 »

Hey guys,

New to the forum, new to Rossi - heck, new to lever guns too.
I've owned and operated a lot of guns over the years, but got an opportunity to stalk some hog and the idea of using a lever action 30-30 seemed fun.
Got a used, but almost brand new Rossi Rio Grande yesterday in anticipation for my trip and it's a beautiful gun. The guy i bought it from said he fired it only 10 times just before a last second hunting trip himsef, and if he hadnt told me he fired it 10 times, i'd have thought it was brand new.

The issue im running into is in cycling the gun. Now, again this is my first lever action, so it may (and hopefully) be user error here. When i cycle the action in anyway but fast, the bolt catches the hammer and pulls it forward to half cock. When i cycle really fast it seems to push the hammer back just that extra millimeter to catch the full cock - but if I work the lever back gently or really at any speed but full blast, the hammer catches the bolt.

Is this common to Lever Guns and just something i need to get used to, or is there an issue with my rifle?

Thanks for you help guys.

Jim
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Re: Rio Grande Accidental Half Cock

Post by Ranch Dog »

Welcome to the forum Jim. Anytime the lever is cycled, no matter how slow or fast the action is, it should fully cock the hammer. The only time the hammer moves to half-cocked is when you relieve the trigger and thumb it to that position.

I'm a bit curious if it is a bolt or hammer issue. Run the bolt all the way aft and then reach up under the bolt and hold the hammer further back, it should move back enough under pressure to be free of bolt contact. See how much play is in the bolt, see how much it wiggles.

Take a look at my post in this topic: http://www.rossi-rifleman.com/viewtopic ... 5&p=19#p19. It concerns the bolt being (and was) suspect in causing my RG4570 to scratch the cases. I can see where this specific issue could cause a problem similar to what you are experiencing.
Michael
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