Brand New Rossi 92 .357 Magnum - Can't Chamber a round...

[Arktikos]

A refund is probably for the best as Rossi is pretty much bargain basement and getting them from the factory in perfect running order is not likely. I was thinking about it the other day how much extra hands on assembly time there must be in manufacturing a lever action over say the typical bolt gun or revolver. A LOT of hand fitting which translates into labor costs which must be absorbed by the consumer. A perfect Rossi would cost probably double (note the prices of some of the Italian 92's) which a lot more consumers will find objectionable than the light to moderate adjustments and polishing that these bargain rifles at times require. We all want think the guys down on the line who build this stuff are overpaid (even in Brazil) but don't think of messing with my pay! Well I know for a fact that I don't make enough money to buy perfect guns from Italy or Japan but if I can get one on the cheap that is a strong design, and make it into a good one I know which one I'll get every time. If I had more income I would look into better made guns but even then I think I would go with Rossi because I like the value and variety of calibers and configurations they can afford to offer by keeping manufacturing costs low, warts and all.

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[44-40 Willy]

I'm with Arktikos. From what I'm reading, I expect that at this point you're probably not going to be satisfied with anything Rossi so a refund would be the best route. Even with the new Remington made Marlins, I don't expect a perfect rifle and it's going to cost more than a Rossi. Henry Big Boys are expensive heavyweights and I bought my last overpriced Miroku product over 30 years ago. It's a shame that Navy Arms appears to have gone out of the firearms business as my 1892 is better than any Marlin I own. Chiappa might be a choice, but you'll pay almost as much as a Miroku made Japchester.

I do hate to see you give up on your 92 though. Mine was clunky and didn't want to feed ammo when new. I just kept working the action and it got better and better as I did so. Now it eats up anything 357 that I put in it.

[pricedo]

Being a mechanical engineer with over 30 years of field experience, I am NOT intimidated by anything mechanical. I have been taking things apart, fixing them and putting them back together ever since I was able to hold a screwdriver in my hand, and I have always serviced my firearms.

To me it is the principle of it. If you buy a BRAND NEW piece of equipment or tool, it is not unreasonable to expect it to work as advertised when you take it out of the box. When I purchased this rifle, I was led to believe that it was a new rifle in perfect working order. I did not buy something listed as defective or a BLEM at a drastically reduced price. I was sold a brand new rifle and I expected it to work as advertised. Reading these posts from other members here, it is apparent that Rossi's idea of quality control is to shove stuff out the door and let the buyer take his chances with the luck of the draw. Not a very good practice in my book.

I intend to give them one more week to see if they ship me a new rifle in GOOD WORKING ORDER. If not, then I will ask for my money back. At which point my opinion of less than stellar Taurus products and Rossi in particular will be reinforced and it will be highly unlikely that I will want to get another. I have no intention of becoming an uncompensated beta tester for Taurus/Rossi or any other firearm manufacturer.

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions.

Best regards.

I am an engineer too and know that things in a imperfect world aren't always what they should ideally be.
It is reasonable to expect a working gun NIB box each & every time.
It is reasonable to expect my kid to pick up his toys and not create tripping hazards for the rest of the family........but I still keep my eyes open when negotiating stairs at home.
These might be reasonable expectations but assessed objectively from the clear, cold perspective of demonstrated past practice over time (of the kid & Rossi) they are not REALISTIC expectations.
Rossis track record over the years indicates (at least to me) that it would be foolhardy to finalize the purchase of a Rossi firearm without a thorough inspection & test regimen.
I guesstimate that I have bought and sold close to 30 Rossi firearms over the years.
I have repaired and rehabilitated at least a dozen of the 30.
In order to keep prices low Rossi skimps (probably eliminates is a more precise word) on materials (ie. jungle wood instead of walnut) & quality control and does absolutely no hand fitting or finishing of their generic product line of rifles.
Hence we have Rossi rifles being shipped to resellers & eventually customers that are rough running & in many cases need to be repaired, refitted &/or refinished at the client end.
In the imperfect world I live in.........IT IS WHAT IT IS .
Unfortunately we have to deal with things are they ARE & not as they SHOULD BE.
FACT: If you're going to be a long term Rossi Rifleman & buy and shoot several of their rifles or shotguns you need to get a tool box & fully expect to get your hands dirty from time to time.

[Arktikos]

Rossi's to me are a bit like my 1965 Chevy 4x4 pickup, I love that thing, every time I fire up its little 283 V8 it brings a smile to my face, but she can be a hands on beast and at times I've wanted to take a hammer to it, a big one..
Rossi levers and old pickup trucks, like peanut butter and jelly!

[Tazman1602]

I wish it was possible to show a disappointed first owner what a great gun a rehabilitated Rossi can be.

BIG on that one.

The thing I find strange is that only the 357/38 models seem to have these horrible feeding issues. I bought my first .44 mag and it came in last week. I had at least three different factory loads I tried in it with ZERO feeding issues, but every single .357 Rossi I own has had them. They are VERY easily fixed with some boring and stroking and to tell the truth, that's what I LIKE about the Rossi's....................along with the PRICE.

I've even read horror stories about $800 Marlins that wouldn't feed right and every Rossi I've got was less than half that. For a savings of half, I can live with having to strip them and fix them right out of the box --- because I CAN.

Hey to each his own............

Art

[pricedo]

FIRST THINGS FIRST.

My M92/357 has never had a feeding issue.
Like its two siblings it had a little dirt and a few burrs in the action NIB and the magazine tube was relatively clean.
It had few problems compared to other Rossi 92s that I have dealt with over the years.
My stripping/cleaning/deburring/lubing regimen that has been mentioned on this board with almost agonizing frequency (like the Chinese water torture) is the FIRST thing I do after buying a new Rossi levergun.

What's the point in continuing to cycle ammo through a dirty, rough, unpolished action since I have already cycle tested the action with dummy ammo as part of my pre-purchase inspection/test routine?

I do the clean-up/tune-up routine FIRST before becoming involved in ammo feeding & cycling issues.

After the rifle was reassembled it was as slick as slick can be.
It likes 38 SPL lead RN, 38 SPL SWCs, 357 SWCs, 357 JFNs.
I have yet to try a cartridge configuration in that rifle whether factory or hand load that has not cycled flawlessly.

FIRST THINGS FIRST.

[Tazman1602]

FIRST THINGS FIRST.

My M92/357 has never had a feeding issue.
Like its two siblings it had a little dirt and a few burrs in the action NIB and the magazine tube was relatively clean.
It had few problems compared to other Rossi 92s that I have dealt with over the years.
My stripping/cleaning/deburring/lubing regimen that has been mentioned on this board with almost agonizing frequency (like the Chinese water torture) is the FIRST thing I do after buying a new Rossi levergun.

What's the point in continuing to cycle ammo through a dirty, rough, unpolished action since I have already cycle tested the action with dummy ammo as part of my pre-purchase inspection/test routine?

I do the clean-up/tune-up routine FIRST before becoming involved in ammo feeding & cycling issues.

After the rifle was reassembled it was as slick as slick can be.
It likes 38 SPL lead RN, 38 SPL SWCs, 357 SWCs, 357 JFNs.
I have yet to try a cartridge configuration in that rifle whether factory or hand load that has not cycled flawlessly.

FIRST THINGS FIRST.

WAIT you got me wrong Pricedo...............You said exactly what I meant, after stripping and cleaning and deburring AND the edition of the proper springs and attention to C.O.L. my three 92 .357's will feed *just* about any bullet.

My new .44 mag doesn't *need* any new springs as it's pretty good on it's own now that it's cleaned up, but it's getting the spring treatment because the addition of Steve's ejector spring and the gunlinger spring kit makes them SOOOOO much smoother it's not even funny............

Art

[44-40 Willy]

When it was new, there really wasn't that much to clean out of my 92. I just removed the stock, blew a bunch of brake cleaner through it with the lever in various positions until it came out clean and oiled it back up. When it started feeding like it should, I repeated the process.

[05redgt]

I'm having the same exact problem, my gun will not chamber Remington .357mag 125gr JSP or 158gr SP... BUT it loves the American Eagle 158gr JSP which seem to have a much wider tip. It must me the angle of the actual bullet when entering the chamber. Also I've never had a problem with any .38special

-Chris

[pricedo]

FIRST THINGS FIRST.

My M92/357 has never had a feeding issue.
Like its two siblings it had a little dirt and a few burrs in the action NIB and the magazine tube was relatively clean.
It had few problems compared to other Rossi 92s that I have dealt with over the years.
My stripping/cleaning/deburring/lubing regimen that has been mentioned on this board with almost agonizing frequency (like the Chinese water torture) is the FIRST thing I do after buying a new Rossi levergun.

What's the point in continuing to cycle ammo through a dirty, rough, unpolished action since I have already cycle tested the action with dummy ammo as part of my pre-purchase inspection/test routine?

I do the clean-up/tune-up routine FIRST before becoming involved in ammo feeding & cycling issues.

After the rifle was reassembled it was as slick as slick can be.
It likes 38 SPL lead RN, 38 SPL SWCs, 357 SWCs, 357 JFNs.
I have yet to try a cartridge configuration in that rifle whether factory or hand load that has not cycled flawlessly.

FIRST THINGS FIRST.

WAIT you got me wrong Pricedo...............You said exactly what I meant, after stripping and cleaning and deburring AND the edition of the proper springs and attention to C.O.L. my three 92 .357's will feed *just* about any bullet.

My new .44 mag doesn't *need* any new springs as it's pretty good on it's own now that it's cleaned up, but it's getting the spring treatment because the addition of Steve's ejector spring and the gunlinger spring kit makes them SOOOOO much smoother it's not even funny............

Art

I didn't bother installing spring kits in my Rossi 92s.........the triggers were good from the getgo.
My clean-up/tune-up made the rifles very slick & they are getting even slicker as they "wear in".
I don't do the cowboy action sport as crowds, noise and dressing in period costumes in 100 degree weather aren't my thing & the Jedi Master/Newbie initiation scenario is very tired with me.......I'm not a college "frosh" anymore & have no more toleration for disrespect by any name.