Loading .357's issues

[Spentcase]

My Rossi feeds & shoots Federal 158 grain JHP fine, but loading them through the gate is a hassle. It's not the mag spring, I've already trimmed that. I think the JHP tips are hanging up on the magazine chamber before they go into the mag tube. If I jiggle the round about in the loading gate, I eventfully I can get them in, but its no fun, and sometimes the loading gate shuts and locks up before I get a full load in.

I really want to keep on using them, so is there a way to fix this?

[NavyDoc76-80]

I have had this issue with the gate closing and then not allowing me to add anymore rounds. The type of round didnt matter, the only way i have overcome this is to not insert the round all the way, always pushing the last round in with the newest round. I know this isnt fixing why its happening but since it is and i havnt figured out anyother solution, this technique works for me.

[jdb]

I have had this issue with the gate closing and then not allowing me to add anymore rounds. The type of round didnt matter, the only way i have overcome this is to not insert the round all the way, always pushing the last round in with the newest round. I know this isnt fixing why its happening but since it is and i havnt figured out anyother solution, this technique works for me.

Yep, what Doc said. I will add that when the gate locks up, if you cycle a round into the chamber, the gate will start working properly again and you can continue loading. But as Doc says, that's not a fix.

I haven't had a chance to take mine apart and figure out what is causing it yet, so I don't have a fix. Maybe someone else has and will post, but if they don't, sooner or later i WILL FIX IT cause it just aggravates the crap out of me. LOL

When I do, I'll post a how too.

[Spentcase]

Yep, what Doc said. I will add that when the gate locks up, if you cycle a round into the chamber, the gate will start working properly again and you can continue loading. But as Doc says, that's not a fix.

Thanks. But its worse than that. Even when I chamber a round, the gate is still locked, and I cannot achieve 8+1 bullet capacity. That's happens all the time, and I thought the beauty of a lever action was I could "top off" the magazine with rounds as I shoot.

I'm going to disassemble the rifle again for the ninth time since I bought it over two weeks ago and work on the loading gate. I also may shim the spring guide on the left, as I still get a jam occasionally. If anyone has suggestions on doing this, please let me know.

[Spentcase]

I worked on the Rossi today. Carefully trimmed the loading gate, and checked the left cartridge stop. The stop was fine, with the spring in the right direction. No factory grease or crud. Reassembled the rifle, and ran .357 Azoom dummy rounds ( 1.54 OAL) through her at least 25 times.

The loading gate is better, but still binds up too often. I still can't load another round after fully loading the mag tube, to achieved 8+1 status. When I get down to 4 remaining rounds in the tube, the gate then eases up to reload--but then sometimes it doesn't, and stays locked. I wonder if the stop on the gate is not holding the rounds correctly, or is binding on the carrier slot cutout. Frustrating.

I could put up with the gate, if I could count on 100% or rounds feeding in the chamber. Being careful not to short stroke or stroke too fast, out of the 25+ full load/eject tests with the dummy rounds, I had 4 jams where a round (.357 1.54 OAL) slipped past the ejector and bound up with a round in the carrier. 1 out of about 6 times is too much for me.

I'm on the borderline of selling the rifle or still keeping it. My warranty is still in effect, but I doubt seriously that Braziltech will honor it after the I have disassembled and reassembled the rifle almost a dozen times, cut springs, and trimmed the loading gate. Pretty plain for their gunsmiths to see that.

I really like the gun, and when it works, its pretty sweet. But those jams really kill the fun.

[Archer]

I haven't had this problem with the Rossi.
I haven't looked for it extensively but I'm pretty sure that during the break in period I inserted snap caps behind snap caps already fully in the magazine.

When I got my first lever action it was a Winchester 94 in .30-30 and I always loaded by
sticking the round 50-90% in
holding that round in place with a finger of my off hand
and using the next round to shove that round in the gun until it was full.

I've never thumbed each and every round fully into place in the magazine when loading one of these guns.

That said, the Winchester became a lot easier to top off a partly loaded mag after being used a bit.
The backside of the loading gate has to be shaped so that it will give a round a slight nudge forward as it is pressed inward. If there's any burrs in the area they may make the brass hang up instead of slide forward. I don't think of it as a stop so much as a ramp for shoving the round out of the way and allowing the gate to open. If the magazine is mostly full then you are trying to overcome what may be quite a bit of spring tension.

I'd try using the cartridge nose to push the gat in behind a single round that is fully loaded in the magazine.
IF the gate opens and you can get the nose of the outside bullet lined up behind the one in the magazine you know that part is working ok. The insertion of the round may be a different problem BUT once you get the gate open it should be reasonably easy. After all that should then return to same situation as loading the first mag full.

[Spentcase]

Thanks I do load the rounds as you suggested, but I've noticed that almost jams occur after the first round is loaded in the bolt and then ejected.

I'm thinking that I occasionally do not push the last round through the gate hard enough, so the sixth round (third to the last round loaded through the gate) does not get pushed into the mag tube all the way, and engage the cartridge stop. So the last round (number eight) comes up on the carrier when I lever the bolt, and then sixth round then locks up with the seventh round (second to the last round loaded) that lies on the carrier. Hope that makes sense.

[akuser47]

Have you cycle broke her in yet. I mean watch a good western sit n cycle decocking (no dry fireing) her 500 or more times. It helps to marry things together may help.

[Spentcase]

Oh yes. Well over 700, not including all the internal polishing.

I did fire off 50 rounds today without a hitch. So I'm crossing my fingers. Also watching my OAL very carefully. Ever since I reloaded my .38's to 1.53, I've never experienced any double ejections.

[akuser47]

Well that's good to hear. Keep us posted