Rossi Rifleman

I got a kick out of a couple of phone conversations I had with a rancher friend of mine yesterday. I returned a call yesterday morning just to catch up. He had seen a picture at our barbershop of my grandson with a "Winchester" and wanted to know where I got the rifle. It was actually my R92 454 Casull. I went on to tell him that our local dealer had started stocking them.

A while later I saw that I had missed a return call but he left me a message saying that had bought a stainless 16" Trapper in 45 Colt. Later in the day I called him to tell him about cleaning it up but he said, "what for, it shoots fine and I'm going to get it a lot dirtier than they made it!" He said that he had already loaded ammo for it (I don't know a rancher that uses store bought ammo) and it was sighted in at 50 yards and that it shot really good out to 100-yards. I believe he said he is using the Lee C452-300-RF. He praised the performance, both feed and accuracy, and also said that it had the best stock sights of any rifle he had ever bought (probably owns over 100 rifles). He was going to go out and kill a hog with it and I suspect he did.

So there you have it, I'm will to bet this is the average experience with these rifles.

If I had to guess I would say there are lots of folks who do the same with everything they own not just firearms. I bet most folks out there that don’t care if the loading gate is on the strong side. All they care is it fires when they pull the trigger and it hits where they are aiming.

I am a tinkerer at heart….. I like to tear stuff apart and improve its operation. I get satisfaction from making something better. All in all I believe these are great rifles. Some might call them a working man’s gun because they are not tricked out. The bottom line for me is they shoot great for a lot less.

You said a mouthful RD.

And here I am hoping the tornadoes and rain will quit so I can shoot of the same bullets tomorrow.

I feel the same way as tuco does. It's another one of those situations where we as a group come to a site to share specific interests. I'd reckon most of us here are tinkerers, and concerned about having our rifles be the best they can be for each of our own specific purposes. I think everyone here would like their rifle to be slick and perfect and we don't mind getting there with a little work.
The average guy, probably doesn't care all that much about the loading gate being too tough, or atmospheric launches of brass.

It's part of the reason I take most Internet reviews with a grain of salt.
Also factor in that most things are mass produced and there will be bad apples here and there.

That doesn't mean I will buy something with ALL bad reviews. But I do factor in a few things. My time, ability, and how much money it will take to make it they way I want it.

I didn't buy a Rossi so it could be the prettiest or most accurate gun on earth. I bought it because I knew that I could spend a few extra dollars to make it what I need it to be and because the difference between the Rossi and almost ANY other lever gun was far too large to justify for what I want and need.

I guess my point is that most guys just want to buy a gun that is accurate and goes bang. They don't obsess about the details like we do. Most wont change springs, file metal down here and there. I read so many times about people getting a gun that doesn't feed a certain bullet profile and they just don't use the swc or whatever it is. *GASP*
Not us! We file and polish and tinker until that darned thing eats anything we throw at it!

Greetings
I grew up in the SW Michigan area amongst fruit farmers who always found a way to improve the machinery, fix the tractor or get the old shotgun shooting again. Just seems a normal way of life to invest a little time to get the motorcycle better milage, a cartrige more accurate or a new carbine chunking brass as best as possible. Excellence in performance is a wonderful passion for all fascets of life. Just how many of us view how life moves along. Keeps the fingers from getting mold on them also.
Mike in Peru

Ranch Dog wrote: He said that he had already loaded ammo for it (I don't know a rancher that uses store bought ammo) and it was sighted in at 50 yards and that it shot really good out to 100-yards. I believe he said he is using the Lee C452-300-RF. He praised the performance, both feed and accuracy, and also said that it had the best stock sights of any rifle he had ever bought (probably owns over 100 rifles). He was going to go out and kill a hog with it and I suspect he did.

My friend called me again today to talk Rossi. He is shooting the 452-255-RF and he did kill a hog that evening at 80-yards. He said it dropped in it's tracks.