reloading for a rossi 92

[gman82001]

Im waiting for my rossi 92 to ship out so want to get some stuff ready if I need to. Its a .45colt im wondering if you guys are loading the pretty standard .452 lead bullets pretty successfully with out leading due to being undersized or if im going to need to order up some special .454's from somewhere ive already got quite a few 452 for my vaquero and it would be really nice to use them for both guns but I know my marlin likes the bigger diameter in my gg but im finding very little about the rossi 92. Anyone got some words of wisdom for a new rossi owner?


ps the boolits I have on hand are lazer cast 250gr rnfp .452

[pworley1]

Mine needed the 454. Good luck with yours. Mine is a great shooter.

[Lonegun1894]

If I use HARD cast, as in WDWW hard, mine does fine with .452", but I tend to use as soft as I can get away with for a little expansion while hunting, so tend to use air cooled range scrap in mine at .454". It is soft enough to scratch with a finger nail, but doesn't lead in the 1:30 twist of the Rossi, all while giving excellent accuracy too. Can't beat that combination. So far, I have been using the Lee 255gr RNFP and the Lee 252gr SWC, both size to .454" easily, and shoot great. Now if I size that soft lead to .452", it leads up pretty quick. Not bad, but enough to be noticeable and to affect accuracy.

[jonp]

If I use HARD cast, as in WDWW hard, mine does fine with .452", but I tend to use as soft as I can get away with for a little expansion while hunting, so tend to use air cooled range scrap in mine at .454". It is soft enough to scratch with a finger nail, but doesn't lead in the 1:30 twist of the Rossi, all while giving excellent accuracy too. Can't beat that combination. So far, I have been using the Lee 255gr RNFP and the Lee 252gr SWC, both size to .454" easily, and shoot great. Now if I size that soft lead to .452", it leads up pretty quick. Not bad, but enough to be noticeable and to affect accuracy.

^^This is what I have found with my 45LC Rossi.

[gman82001]

thanks guys I don't cast my own so most of the companies ive looked at are between 15 and 18 brindell but ive only found a few who make the 454 most just sell the standard 452. I guess I wait to order any until after the 1st range trip and see how my on hand boolits work before I get to crazy on the ordering.

[Lonegun1894]

just before I first started casting, I bought a box of cast at .452", and want to say it was Meister, but I don't know HOW hard theirs actually is. But anyway, it worked just fine in my Rossi 92, Winchester 94, and several Ruger revolvers, so what you have may just work perfectly. However, I would still recommend that you start casting your own first chance you get. I started with a $20 Lee mold, old small steel pot that I used on my kitchen stove (with a vent hood above and a fan going to help with ventilation) to melt my lead, and an old soup spoon that I bent to make it easier to use for a ladle, so your investment doesn't have to be expensive to start out. At least it doesn't start that way. After a while, your collection of molds grows, and, well, I better shut up now.

[gman82001]

:drinks:

[blademasterii]

Cast a slug from as soft a lead as you have and slug the bore first thing. That will tell you what to size at. I bought the 454 rossi 92 and it wants a 451 boolit. Which works out great for me as I can use the same die and molds I use for 45acp and 45lc.

[snaketail]

I shoot my .45 Colt Rossi 92 in Cowboy Lever Action Silhouette matches. When I started reloading for it I used .452 boolits and started off with good results...the 40 and 50 yard targets were toppled with ease. When I moved to the 75 yard and 100 yard targets my score went crazy bad. That afternoon we shot 50, 100, 150 and 200 yard targets...my score got worse as the day progressed. The "old-pro" I was shooting with said - "you need to use a slower-bigger bullet - it looks like your bore is leading up and your accuracy is getting worse with each shot." He was right - it took the rest of the weekend to get all the leading out of the throat and bore.
I changed to a 250gr .454 boolit and loaded it to a moderate speed (around 900 fps). Two things happened; the leading stopped and my scores got better. I'm still chasing the "best" accuracy bullet/powder combo, but I feel I've eliminated one of the major hurdles.
I just did a "Gunslinger" spring-kit trigger job on my rifle too - once the weather gets better I'll return to load development, sight settings, etc.
(I discovered an interesting thing about "bench" vs "offhand" shooing - At the bench I was supporting the rifle in the center of the forearm, but when I shot offhand in competition my left had was holding the rifle at the lever - the difference in rifle support made a big difference in where my point of impact was... enough to cause a miss at a 50 yard pig target. I'm still refining the process...just another variable in the accuracy equation.)

Michael

[gman82001]

Thanks guys it looks like the rifle is shipping today so once it gets here ill start messing with stuff. For the guy that's not casting yet besides the trial and error where do I get the soft slugs to slug my barrel?

[Lonegun1894]

Got any fishing sinkers?

[bangerjim]

I shoot 452's powder coated in mine with great success.

bangerjim

[gman82001]

Got any fishing sinkers?

Nope but I can go to sportsmans and grab a pack. I'll see if I can YouTube or Google how to do it thanks

[Lonegun1894]

Make very sure you protect the muzzle, so you don't ruin your accuracy right off the bat. Never forget that part when doing any of this.

If you have one, you can drop a heavy brass rod 6-8" long down the bore, and then lube your slug/sinker, and drive it into the bore with a non-marring hammer. I usually use a rubber or brass mallet, but a friend who showed me how to do this used a foot-long piece of 2x4 board, and it worked just as well. Then invert the rifle with the slug in the bore, and shake it up and down to allow the weight of the rod to drive the slug out after a few shakes. Try to do this over carpet or some kind of padded surface so you don't damage the slug when it deforms on impact and gives you bad measurements, and so your wife doesn't hunt me down when you chip a tile floor with the rod. If doing this with something that has an easily removable bolt, like most bolt-actions, I would have just said to remove the bolt, drive the slug in the muzzle, and then push it back out with a cleaning rod. Many people drive the slug all the way through the bore, and that method works very well also, and tells you if you have any tight spots too.

Now if you don't want to do it that way, and this is actually better in some ways anyway, but don't even bother with the whole slugging the bore this. There! That will stir up a hornet's nest around here! Now before I get lynched... Wait til you have your rifle, and just fire a few of whatever ammo you happen to have for it, and keep this brass separate from any other fired in any other gun. When you get home, measure the mouths of the cases to find out what the biggest possible bullet you can fit in the UNSIZED case. There you go, you now have your measurement for the biggest possible bullet that will chamber in this gun. I will bet that is will be somewhere between .454" and .458", just depending on where in the assembly line it was, but most likely I would bet on between .454 and .456". This is so you fill the throat, as your bullet will swage down to fit your barrel as soon as it exits the case and enters the rifling. This is another way of doing it, both work, and both have people who will tell you to do it one way, but not the other. Having said that, .454" works in all my .45 Colts, while .452" works in all my .45 ACPs.

[ukrifleman]

My Rossi .45 Colt `92 s/s, likes .454 bullets and is a great shooter (so is my Rossi 24" octagonal barrel .357!)
ukrifleman

[missionary5155]

Greetings
Have 2 Rossi's 45 Colt... one an older Interarms and a newer one. Both shoot .454 much better and I never have to think about it. Fast or slow, hard or soft, .454 is what I stick to.
Mike in Peru

[gman82001]

I broke down today and decided to just order the .454 from dardas no point in tempting fate may as well do it right to begin with. The rifle should be here this week as well as s bind arms derringer .45/410 I traded for .... It's gonna be a good week

[Bullshop Junior]

thanks guys I don't cast my own so most of the companies ive looked at are between 15 and 18 brindell but ive only found a few who make the 454 most just sell the standard 452. I guess I wait to order any until after the 1st range trip and see how my on hand boolits work before I get to crazy on the ordering.

What weight boolits do you wanna shoot? I am trying to get my hands on a 300gn Lee mold and can send you a few sized at .452 and .454. I usually shoot .454 in both colt and casull cases in my 92.

[Pb2au]

Gman and Bullshop JR,
I have the Lee mold and probably have about 50 or so cast. If either of you want a hand full to try out, PM me and I throw some in the mail.
They are cast from straight WW, air cooled. They are not sized or lubed yet. If my memory serves me correctly, they dropped around 453-ish. I can measure them and let you know the exact size if you want.

[CurlyJim]

I have a Rossi m 92 with 24" octagonal bbl.,shoot CAS using ,454 RNFP 250 gr.Best Blue projectiles,very accurate,no leading.
Went to lead lubed just the same.

[gman82001]

Thanks guys if I run into any problems with the new 454s once they get here Ill take you guys up on your offer but they should be her in a couple weeks, so I should have time to get the rifle all cleaned up ready to go by then It should be at the ffl tomorrow

[jh45gun]

My Ranchhand likes the 452's but maybe I will try some 454 ones to see what they do. probably not until spring and I will have to find a mold.

[gman82001]

Well she's here the boolits should be here in a week or so but I wanted to see how the action worked and loaded it up with some I had on hand. Even with a dirty action it cycled 11+1 over and over flawlessly. Should be really nice once I get her all cleaned up.

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