I own six R92 and all but one are configured as scout rifles, the loner will depart the ranch sometime in the coming year as the open sighted rifle just does not have the utility in the field as a hunting rifle that the scouts do.
My first two rifles, a 44 Mag and a 45 Colt, were configured with the synthetic cheek piece ("002" rifles). This piece raises your head slightly higher on the comb for proper sighting through a scout scope. Without it, your head has to be raised slightly off the comb, without full contact, it takes a moment longer to acquire the sight picture through the scope and the felt recoil on your cheek is significant.
The later statement was driven home when I acquired the rifle chambered in 480 Ruger as Rossi never intended this chambering end up with the scout scope on it or the cheek piece. I had it drilled and tapped and soon after shooting it started to look for a cheek piece. When I called Rossi, I was told that the rifle would need to be returned and they would install a cheek piece. No way is that acceptable to me. Also, the cheek piece was not listed as a part for the R92. I started to look around on the web and found a base/cheek piece kit for the 92. It seems that Rossi offers them as a set for the R92 outside the US. I bought two from an supply house in Australia; one for the 480 Ruger and another for a 357 Mag.
A couple of weeks ago, I purchased a current production 454 Casull. It too was drilled and taped so it immediately received the "scout" treatment. This time, I took a different tack on acquiring a cheek piece. I found a serial number for a single shot being sold on GunBroker and called Rossi. The agent looked up the part without issue and I bought one for $13.43 shipped to my ranch. That is a third of what the last two as kits cost! In that I have now added three cheek pieces to the R92, I thought I would document the work.
The first part of this of course is to acquire the cheek piece from Rossi. As I noted, look up a serial number from a source such as GunBroker and call and order it directly. The part number is: 60891030130. I was told that the piece did not come with the screws but it did. Completely remove the screws with an allen wrench.
Lightly compress the piece onto the comb. The fore/aft positioning is very evident and easy to establish. With it compressed, I mark each screw hole with a 1/8". Rossi's instruction call for the screws to be left in and to lightly tap them with a hammer. From experience, I would not use their method to establish the holes.
In that you will be drilling into the comb of the stock, level it in a vise.
Extend a pencil line down the center line of the comb of the stock. It is easy to establish the line from the screw in the butt plate to the screw that attaches the butt stock. The 454 has the recoil pad so I just measured the width of the butt stock to find the reference.
Deepen the dimples in the wood with the 1/8" punch. This will keep your drill bit from slipping on the radius of the comb.
The instructions called for drilling a 1/8" hole. What I suggest is drilling first a 7/64" hole .8" deep followed by a 5/32" hole on top of the first .4" deep. I simply mark the drill bit with a Sharpie pen and hold is square to the stock. Drive the bit at slow speed. The two "stage" hole will make the screws much easier to put in and prevent splintering the wood at the top of the hole.
Tighten it down and you are ready to go! The holes into the comb are very small and would be easy to fill back in and return the butt stock to the original configuration if needed.
Some might question scoping a R92. For me after using the rifles on 53 of the 67 feral hogs I have killed this year, it makes makes perfect sense and I've come to really appreciate the R92 as a hunting rifle. I've shot those hogs from 3 yards out to 193 yards most in light conditions that would have made it tough to see the front sight bead with open sights. The cheek piece helps to align your head so that the sight picture through the scope is immediately established and with that positive position against the stock, the felt recoil is considerably less.
........my own fault.
) .......you just slip it on the butt stock like a hunting boot and lace it up.
