anybody modify a rossi?

[nekshot]

I recently stuck a 357 barrel on another h&r topper 158 and of course its more fun than we should be allowed to have! I got to wondering what the rossi single shots are like to rebarrel. They seem to be offered in 20ga/243 win if I remember correct so they would stand up to the various old oddball calibers I like to play with. Anybody mutilate any of these?

[Cactus Farmer]

I want another barrel for my 158. 357 would work but I'd make it a 357 Herret, you see I have these dies and some brass...............

[Goatwhiskers]

Modifying a H&R 158 to .357 Herrett is not a particularly good idea. They have a cast iron frame which will shatter rather than stretch under overpressure conditions which you will have. I suggest that instead you get a .357 barrel, install it on a SB-2 frame, then proceed. The SB-2 is made of investment cast steel and is quite strong enough to hold the Herrett. The only cartridges that the factory won't put on them is the belted magnums. GW

[Tackleberry41]

I have changed barrels in a Rossi. Figured I would butcher the Rossi before I tackled my H&R. Went sideways with the chambering so no issues with pressure. Bought the rifle as a 44mag/20ga combo set up. Bought a barrel off somebody who was so mad it wouldn't shoot straight. Not hard to see why, a long heavy 223 tube, that had nearly an inch of wobble at the muzzle in my lathe. Seems to happen alot with Rossi, gonna say when they weld the block on the bottom, or go after the barrel with a mig putting on the stud for the forearm screw. H&R just uses 4 little spot welds, Rossi a solid weld all the way around. Have yet to find a Rossi barrel thats concentric or not warped in some way or another.

It was fairly straight forward, cut the barrel in front of the block. Drill it the right size, used 3/4 threading, lots of meat in a 223 barrel. Tapped it, screwed in a 451 barrel, chambered it in 45 colt. The extractor even lined up without any work on it. Been using cut down 454 casull brass in it, and the high end of Ruger only data. Imagine you could venture into 44mag data without an issue.

Did a swap on a Rossi single shot pistol, came as a 45/410 barrel and 22lr combo. The 45/410 was pretty much junk, useless with 45, and made so poorly no way to do anything to the chamber, again a nice over 1/2 wobble at the muzzle, in a much shorter barrel. I screwed in the short piece that was left from the other barrel. Again in 45 colt since the reamer was in the drawer. It works, friend was heckling me this weekend, says it looks like a pirate gun. But does shoot straight, standard pressure loads only.

[mikeym1a]

Welding seems to be a bad way to join 2 barrels. I have a very old savage .22/.410, and it looks like the .410 barrel has a groove milled in the top of the barrel, and the .22 is silver soldered in place. I guess it is just cheaper to weld them into place, then use the silver solder and a plate. mikey

[fixit]

another way to do this is to start with a shotgun barrel and turn the blank to fit the chamber, with ever so slight a friction fit in the bore of the shotgun barrel. jb weld into place, chamber and cut for ejector and you are good to go. I wouldn't use this for high pressure rounds, but I did it with 2 old shotguns in .357 and .44 mag. the .357 is way more accurate than any gun has a right to be, and the .44 is pretty good, too. the only issue I had was the large firing pin allowed primer cratering. it was so bad with the .357 that I had to put a bushing in the firing pin hole to reduce the size. all is good now.

[nekshot]

tackleberry, that gun is crying to hunt in real swampy tight quarters! I like it, good job. I figured there were issues with the rossi's because you never hear fellas talking of them. Thats the kinda gun for me to mutilate and improve according to my liking.

[Tackleberry41]

Yea its a real handy thing to carry thru the woods. Short being a break open, plus a 16" barrel. Recoil even with heavy loads is not bad at all. You can do a bit more since its a single shot. I have been using the pointed spitzer bullets sold with muzzle loader sabots, 300gr. Using not quite max Ruger only data they clocked a little over 1100FPS over the chrony. Being as it was sold as a 44mag, and I am using cut down 454 casull brass, I wouldn't be afraid to load it past ruger only data and into 44mag pressures. Have a pile of blemished 225gr leverlution spitzers to try in it, expect some good velocity out of those. Have some other stuff to try, saboted 40cal XTPs just for variety. Have a bag of 45-357 sabots to. Expect some serious velocity out of 140gr XTPs.

And yes more accurate than a Rossi. I used a green mountain blank. No welding to warp anything, made and screwed on the stud to mount the hand guard. I wouldn't buy another Rossi to use as is. They have real issues with making things straight. But a good deal on one I could rebarrel be a different story. Bought the 223 barrel for $40, sort of the way to go. Be nice if one could buy a stub to mount your own, but Rossi wont even sell screws half the time so dont see barrels coming any time soon.

[Mike3855]

I did two Rossi shotgun conversions this spring, one in .45 Colt and one in .45ACP. Reamed out the shotgun chamber area on both and turned Green Mountain 20" barrel blanks with .452 groove diameter to fit. Barrels were high temperature epoxied in place. The .45 Colt was formerly a 12 gauge, and the .45ACP formerly a 20 gauge. Both extractors needed modification of the extractor leg; had to mill it off, turn the shank down, and silver solder on a new blank leg and mill, file, and polish. Those round extractor shanks are a pain to deal with, but it can be done. Both shoot well with my cast bullet handloads, and I'm using the same 230 grain RNFP in both. I'll never do another one; way more complicated than converting a NEF or H&R.

[nekshot]

Mike, those are awesome! I feel your pain about the extracter modification when doing this type of change. Funny how you get the vision and inspiration to do it and then you look at the extracter and reality sets in!

[Mike3855]

The .45ACP extractor was a bear to get right. Extractor shaft was heavily modified to let it tilt in the round channel. I made a small 'rocker' to let the extractor claw slip under the rim on closing. Going to change that to a flat spring later. It throws the empties about 3 feet as it is now!

The NEF and H&R rifle extractors are a piece of cake in comparison. I have plenty of 4140 flat steel cutoffs to make them. Just mill out the rough cut 'L' and finish up with grinder, files, and plenty of Flitz metal polish.

I have 4 others on NEF and H&R frames. .38-55 Win., .357 Mag., .32 H&R Mag., .44 Mag. Darned things are like Lay's potato chips; ya can't have just one.

[Tackleberry41]

Its the shotgun conversion that gets you. I used a 223 barrel, and didnt have to do anything to the extractor to use 45 colt. Imagine the epoxy would be easier than threading like I did. That and not so much meat on a 12ga chamber to be doing any threading.

If Rossi made it easier to get parts, you could buy extractors easier. Just like wish it was easier to get barrels vs cutting up an existing one. Got lucky as my 223 conversion barrel was only $40.

[roverboy]

I did two Rossi shotgun conversions this spring, one in .45 Colt and one in .45ACP. Reamed out the shotgun chamber area on both and turned Green Mountain 20" barrel blanks with .452 groove diameter to fit. Barrels were high temperature epoxied in place. The .45 Colt was formerly a 12 gauge, and the .45ACP formerly a 20 gauge. Both extractors needed modification of the extractor leg; had to mill it off, turn the shank down, and silver solder on a new blank leg and mill, file, and polish. Those round extractor shanks are a pain to deal with, but it can be done. Both shoot well with my cast bullet handloads, and I'm using the same 230 grain RNFP in both. I'll never do another one; way more complicated than converting a NEF or H&R.

They turned out nice. Have you tried hunting with them yet?

[Mike3855]

They turned out nice. Have you tried hunting with them yet?

Have to wait until this fall. No hunting season open right now. The .45 Colt may get some use when I bush hog the back pasture. Coyotes will come out to the edge of the field when 2/3 of the 35 acre field has been bush hogged to look for rabbits and rats running for cover. They haven't learned that a tractor that stops is not a good sign. I plan on using it for deer season this fall, though. I need to work up a good cast bullet load for it this summer between other projects.