Loading the M92

[a__l__a__n]

I've recently acquired an Interarms Rossi model 92 which I believe to be from the early to mid 1980's. The gun apparently has never been fired. I've been cycling the action and running some snap caps through it, with some difficulty. I've ordered the Gunslinger Springs Kit from Brownell's which should help with some aspects. But my primary difficulty right now is with loading rounds.

rossi-92-loading-problem.jpg

In the above picture you can see where the problem occurs. Here I'm loading two 38 special snap caps. As the second round pushes the first round into the magazine tube, the lip on the base of the round's case catches on the tip of the left cartridge guide. With sufficient force I can usually get the round to snap into place, but at the cost of damaging the casing. Sometimes no reasonable amount of force is sufficient. You can see some of the marks on the base of the first round from prior attempts.

As I push the round in, I can see the cartridge guide flexing and then snapping into place. I presume this is by design to hold the cartridge in place in the tube.

Is this a well-known problem with a standard solution? I don't want to start filing off metal without first consulting with the experts! Maybe this is just a break-in issue....

Thanks for any input.

[Ranch Dog]

I'm confused by your picture. Not sure how your are getting cartridges into the receiver with the bolt aft. Has the lever been removed from your rifle? There should be no way to load the magazine with the bolt open. Doing so would put upward pressure on the carrier forcing the cartridges into the guides.

[a__l__a__n]

You can move the bolt halfway back, before the carrier starts to come up, and from that position you can still load the rounds. I just did this for the purpose of taking the picture.

[Ranch Dog]

You can move the bolt halfway back, before the carrier starts to come up, and from that position you can still load the rounds. I just did this for the purpose of taking the picture.

Okay, I understand now. Looking at it I would say that the Cartridge Stop Spring (47) is turned around or possibly broken.

Cartridge_Guide_Left_Stop.jpg

Notice in the image that the spring curves to the outside, toward the receiver. If the spring is turned to the inside, toward the Guide Stop, the flipping action of the Cartridge Stop (45) does not take place. That is my guess or at least I have installed it with the spring curved in the wrong direction and all heck happens. The first time it flexes, the spring gets caught between the Stop and Guide and becomes basically fixed in position.

Before removing the Cartridge Guide which translates to breaking the action down, check the flexing action of the Stop, reach in with a screw driver and see if it flexes toward the side of the receiver. If it flops around the spring is missing or broken, if it is fixed it is backwards. If it flexes, well... I guess I will continue to look at my rifle and try to think of what it could be.

I've typed this while I have sat here playing with the action of my rifle.

[a__l__a__n]

I think the curved part we see in my photo is #45 in your diagram. (That diagram is pointing in the opposite direction from the photo).

In the diagram below, I think the part seen in my photo corresponds to #19, 20, 21, 22.


http://marauder.homestead.com/files/Rossi_92_Parts.htm

Note that #19 is described as "Cartridge guide, left" and #20 curves toward the right.

In your action, what holds the cartridges in the magazine tube when the magazine spring is trying to push them back out?

[a__l__a__n]

And to answer your question... The cartridge stop does flex.

[Ranch Dog]

In your action, what holds the cartridges in the magazine tube when the magazine spring is trying to push them back out?

The Cartridge Stop, part #45 in my drawing. My image is a cut out for the parts diagram in the Rossi R92 Manual.

[a__l__a__n]

I think that's the part in my photo that is catching on the lip of the case.

I think I'll wait and see if it gets better after some break-in before doing anything about it.

Thanks for your help!!!!!

Alan

[Ranch Dog]

I think that's the part in my photo that is catching on the lip of the case.

Did you test it as I indicated above. It should flex to the left to get out of the way and then spring back.

[a__l__a__n]

Yes, that's what it does. It does the same thing when loading as in the picture above. As the bullet presses against it, it flexes toward the left side of the firearm. When the bullet goes all the way into the magazine tube, it snaps back, holding the round in the tube. The problem is that just before snapping back, it tends to grab the lip of the round and hang there.