First impression was Good – The Action is quite Smooth out of the Box and I was impressed with the Big Loop Lever, fits my hand well. It has a nice Deep Blue Job with no prominent tool marks, the Brazilian Swamp Wood is quite attractive with some Grain showing, a light Tan / Red Tint and a smooth Matt Finish. It is fitted with a vented rubber Recoil Pad. The Rifle balances well and comes to the shoulder with my eye in line with the Iron Sights which are a step up over the Irons my Rossi M92 and my Marlin 1894 came with. The rear is a deep semi Buckhorn and the dovetail mounted front sight has a large brass bead
You can remove the Bolt with these Rio Grande's to facilitate cleaning from the breech in the same manor as the Marlins. The Screw that holds the Big Loop Lever in place is locktited also so it took some work with a proper fitting screwdriver to get it out. It stayed tight with the few rounds I shot on Saturday.
I was going to fit a Leopold VX3 1 -5 x 20 I have on my Lee Enfield 35.303 but the first time I handled the Rifle it screamed "Iron Sights" so I took off the the factory Scope Rail the minute I got it home. Got me buggered why Rossi paint the Scope Mount Gloss Black when it’s blued under the paint ? It's not as deep a Blue as the rest of the Rio Grande though. They are not shy with the Locktite either, plenty on the Screw Threads so it would stay put ! It uses 6 /48” screws and not 8/48” screws as the Marlins do
My Rossi M92 is not fitted with all the Lawyer Safety features and I was hoping this Rio Grande would not be as most other Rossi's I've seen here are not. The Hammer is fitted with the Taurus Security system and a crossbolt safety - Don't see the point in either and both will be dealt with accordingly
It is light, lighter than my 1894 Marlin .44 Mag so I expected Recoil to be stout especially as the first shots where over a Bench so I could work the sights out. I was surprised, a bit of a Pussycat actually. I wasn’t shooting visitor loads [ heavy loads just for Mates when they want a shot of your new Rife ] - 45 grains Reloader 7 under a 300 gr JHP, I guess approx 1900 fps. I didn’t perceive it much sharper than my 35.303 and the Forend did not jump as much as my .44 Mag does. The Big Loop Lever shines, all my other Lever Rifles are a little uncomfortable with my fingers in the Loop under recoil.
I did make one little Boo Blue, let my left hand creep up the Forend and under recoil the Sling Swivel Stud woke me up when it smacked a bad cut I have on my left Forefinger
As nice a sight picture the Iron Sights have they are useless with the Load I was shooting, impacts approx 7” high, I need a taller front sight. I will buy some Westcast Gold Match 350 grain Coated projectiles and shoot them until I make a decision on which Cast Bullet Mould I need. I'll work up a slower load that puts me on target between 50 and 100 metres.
I have Ranchdog Moulds for my .357 and .44 that shoot really well and would really like the RD 425 gr Mould but I understand due to the SAAMI spec Chamber I need to use a shorter overall length in order for them to Chamber. Perhaps I'll save for the RD300 gr Mould as a stop Gap until I can get a Reamer for the Heavier Projectiles
I have always intended to shoot 350 to 450 gr projectiles, perhaps the factory sights will work out with the heavier slower pills ? I have a .394 high Globe Sight in my tackle box but I think I’d need to change to a taller rear sight if I used it, I’ll do the math soon. I can see a Tang Sight, perhaps a Receiver Peep eventually gracing the Rifle.
I did not get to do much more than start to run the Bore in but all shots once I worked out the elevation printed in a tight group off a wobbly rest. The trigger was a real surprise, quite light and crisp. As good as the trigger on my pre Remington 1894 Marlin. I'm sure the Action will continue to smooth up the more I shoot it for a while yet. Overall I'm wrapt with this Rifle, I can't believe the value for money they represent for $635. Yes Folks we pay a premium for Firearms in Australia, A 45.70 Marlin would have set me back over $1000 on special.
regards Jacko
