Got Two, Now What?
Posted: 12 Aug 2014 14:09
I was looking for a single shot rifle so a friend of mine could fit a 5.45X39 barrel to it. That search ended at a local pawn shop where a silver-tongued Devil talked me into taking home a green plastic youth model Rossi in .223, the one with the old non fiber-optic open sights.
It'll be September-October before he gets back home to work on the project, so meantime I've been fondling and researching my new prize. Range trip showed it needed optics to measure accuracy, so I ordered a scope base from Rossi. Customer service couldn't send my whole order, some parts were out of stock, so I asked for two shipments. Installed the base when it came, along with a 3-9X40 Bushnell scope on low rings. Needed the hammer extension. Shows promise: 1/2 inch three shot groups at 50 yards with 55 grain fmj Sellier and Bellot. MUCH larger groups at 100. Interestingly, at 25 yards 75 grain Wolf bullets print perfect keyholes in about a two inch group. Great anti-personnel load! Someone in this group mentioned twist rate for the .223 at one turn in 12 inches.
Played with the rubber washer trick mentioned, I believe, somewhere in this group's posts. I took a rubber gasket from a Harbor Freight selection that stretched around the barrel nut that mounts the fore end and tightened the forward sling mount screw to moderate finger pressure. That's when things started getting better.
Meantime, on http://www.survivalistboards.com/ I found Rossi Wizards were on close out at Kentucky Gun. Got their last .223 (youth) Wizard.
It feels remarkably good. Front sight leans too far to the left to be useable, so put on high rings a 3-9X50 no-name cheap Chinese scope on the factory mounted scope base. Hammer extension not required. Feels like a good hold for shooting standing. No neck contortions or straining. Good from bench, too. Tried the washer/gasket trick, but couldn't finish sighting in because the extractor either broke or worked loose.
Sorry to get here just as promised spare parts are being denied. Wizard no longer mentioned in the catalog, just a "W" single shot http://www.rossiusa.com/hot_items-w-wizard.cfm
I figure the "Wizard" label ran afoul of some trademark or such and Rossi had to drop the "izard".
1. Where, please, can I find disassembly/reassembly instructions?
2. Anyone else have extractor problems?
3. Anyone know of a replacement/fix?
The more I shoot these the more I like 'em.
It'll be September-October before he gets back home to work on the project, so meantime I've been fondling and researching my new prize. Range trip showed it needed optics to measure accuracy, so I ordered a scope base from Rossi. Customer service couldn't send my whole order, some parts were out of stock, so I asked for two shipments. Installed the base when it came, along with a 3-9X40 Bushnell scope on low rings. Needed the hammer extension. Shows promise: 1/2 inch three shot groups at 50 yards with 55 grain fmj Sellier and Bellot. MUCH larger groups at 100. Interestingly, at 25 yards 75 grain Wolf bullets print perfect keyholes in about a two inch group. Great anti-personnel load! Someone in this group mentioned twist rate for the .223 at one turn in 12 inches.
Played with the rubber washer trick mentioned, I believe, somewhere in this group's posts. I took a rubber gasket from a Harbor Freight selection that stretched around the barrel nut that mounts the fore end and tightened the forward sling mount screw to moderate finger pressure. That's when things started getting better.
Meantime, on http://www.survivalistboards.com/ I found Rossi Wizards were on close out at Kentucky Gun. Got their last .223 (youth) Wizard.
It feels remarkably good. Front sight leans too far to the left to be useable, so put on high rings a 3-9X50 no-name cheap Chinese scope on the factory mounted scope base. Hammer extension not required. Feels like a good hold for shooting standing. No neck contortions or straining. Good from bench, too. Tried the washer/gasket trick, but couldn't finish sighting in because the extractor either broke or worked loose.
Sorry to get here just as promised spare parts are being denied. Wizard no longer mentioned in the catalog, just a "W" single shot http://www.rossiusa.com/hot_items-w-wizard.cfm
I figure the "Wizard" label ran afoul of some trademark or such and Rossi had to drop the "izard".
1. Where, please, can I find disassembly/reassembly instructions?
2. Anyone else have extractor problems?
3. Anyone know of a replacement/fix?
The more I shoot these the more I like 'em.