Cast boolit won't feed inside Rossi 1892 .44 loading gate?

[Wardo1974]

I found a forum fellow who cast me up some heavyweight .44 magnum bullets. I planned to use them in my Rossi 1892.

They were molded with the Lee 90858 mold, and dropped at about 312 grains. They have a pretty flat nose.

I crimped a dummy round at the top of the crimping groove and tried to load the cartridge...and discovered I can't insert it into my loading gate. I get it partway and then it jams absolutely solid, unable to go any farther. I can only imagine it's due to the design of the bullet nose.

Has anyone successfully fooled around with a bullet like this and got it to load/feed reliably in a Rossi levergun, or am I probably SOL with this idea?

[Pb2au]

How far in are you able to insert the cartridge?
If it is hanging up, there is a couple of possibilities.
Rossis can have burrs around the loading gate, both on the opening in the reciever and the gate itself. Remove the gate, and with some fine grit sandpaper, deburr the opening and leading edge of the gate. Be mindful to check and deburr the inside side of the gate to ensure that it is opening all the way.
while the gate is out of the rifle, clean and check the elevator, and cartridge stop. Again, look for dirt build up, grease and burrs.
With Rossis, 90% of function issues are born with dirty gummy actions. 5% are attributable to minor burrs and rough finish. The rest are due to aliens.
when you try to load one of the cartridges, smoke it with soot from a candle and that can also help find where it is binding.

[Artful]

http://media.midwayusa.com/productimages/880x660/Primary/511/511417.jpg
which crimping groove - what's your OAL?

http://www.lasc.us/44Mag-Cart-Dimen-3.jpg

[Wardo1974]

The boolit is crimped at the top of the final groove. OAL is 1.57".

The rifle is in near-new condition and used sparingly, so it's hard to imagine it being dirty.

I can insert the cartridge maybe halfway before it hits something solid and completely immovable. When I yanked it out, a gouge of lead was scraped off that side of the nose. Whatever is hanging it up, it isn't the loading gate or the opening itself, the cartridge makes it a fair distance inside before it just plain stops...so I'm confused.

[mongoose33]

I'm going to throw this out as a possibility: the meplat is too wide. If you look at the example in Artful's post above, the bullet is a tapered flat nose bullet. I'm guessing that a tapered bullet would allow the nose of the cartridge to enter the chamber more easily.

The clue, to me, is what you say above, that there's a gouge scraped off the nose of the boolit.

Just for grins, with a dummy round, grind the nose to where it's more the profile in Artful's post, and then see if it'll chamber. I'll bet it will.

[DougGuy]

I would go post in the Leverguns sub forum, and ask there if members were able to use the Lee C430-310-RF in their Rossi .44 Mag rifle. That is a very popular boolit for .44 and I am sure you are just one more in a long line of ppl who either use or have tried to use this boolit in a Rossi. That Lee number is their sku, use C430-310-RF for a description then everybody will know what booolit you are working with..

You could also search that subforum and likely turn up plenty of info on this boolit and you might even find the answer has already been posted. This place is a wealth of information.

[Pb2au]

That boolit should load and feed fine.
rossis ship with a thick oil in the receiver, which collects dust dirt and everything else
Clean it, and check that the cartridge stop is moving freely. If you open the action and look straight down, it is the little flipper looking thing on the left. It should flip freely, whilst also closing freely.

[RobS]

The Lee C430-310 RF is one that is full diameter atop the crimp groove so it may be that your boolit is sized too large and is hitting the throat of the barrel. What diameter are your boolits sized to?

[Djones]

My Rossi has no trouble with that bullet seated to the short oal crimp groove. Since yours is new it is probably dirty inside and needs cleaned and degreased inside.

[Artful]

OK, OAL is ok then, does it feed and function with other boolit styles?

[Wardo1974]

Ok, problem solved. I tried to feed it with factory loads - wouldn't accept a shell, totally bound up. Finally I opened the action and poked the magazine follower - it was stuck into position for some unknown reason. Really stuck! I have no idea why. It took a few judicious raps with a hammer and dowel before it popped loose. Either something was jammed in there, or it was fouled. At any rate, these giant boolits feed and cycle completely without issue. Woot! Back in business. I'm a little red faced over not realizing the issue sooner, but hey, I'm just happy my boolits will work.

[GoodOlBoy]

hey at least you worked through the issue instead of blaming the gun the mold and everything else and giving up... I have seen Rossi followers jam before at empty (it's actually rare but not so much that it's never seen know-what-I-mean?). There was a company a few years back making metal followers (if yours has a plastic one) that seemed to help the problem, but good luck finding them.

GoodOlBoy

[Wardo1974]

My gun actually has a steel follower. Good to know this isn't unheard of at least. Just a very odd failure though.

[RobS]

For those people who read the thread and wondered about a follower:
http://store.stevesgunz.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=31_32&products_id=3

Wardo1974 the below store is good and the gunsmith of the site is very knowledgeable with the Rossi lever actions

http://store.stevesgunz.com/

[iron mule]

wardo1974
what may have caused the follower to jam is one of a couple things
either packing grease had melted and caused it to seize or there is a burr//slight dent where the tube enters the action
both of these would be easy to fix
i have ran up on both problems before
mule

[cajun shooter]

You may have a older model Rossi 92 as the later models came with the plastic follower which has a bunch of problems caused by it. One is becoming nicked and out of shape and binding in the magazine tube.
I would be willing to bet that your magazine tube is very dirty and full of crud or the follower is rusted in the tube from exposure. Cleaning the magazine tube is part of shooting a lever action's regular maintenance. Just remove the front magazine screw and then the spring and follower. The good stainless steel followers sold by Steve's guns will give you a better working magazine. The tube itself may be removed for a good scrubbing.
Rossi changed from the original light metal follower because of these problems and went to a yellow plastic one. Over time it would become nicked or worn to the point that the small pieces of the follower was causing it to stick on the inner tube.
Steve's follower is stainless steel and will not become rusty inside the tube. It also has a wider band for riding in the tube and then tapers so that it has less friction and therefore works easier.
If your rifle is hard to load, you may trim the magazine tube spring while you have it out for cleaning. With the spring in the tube and extending out, trim the spring to where it is only out the end by the length of one cartridge. This will allow the rifle to load much easier.
The Rossi 92 is a fine rifle with the correct tuning and being kept clean with regular maintenance. Later David

[Wardo1974]

I like my Rossi a lot. It is a 24 inch octagon model. I upgraded the stocks with fancy grade walnut from Macon and it is one of the best rifles I have. It is true it is slightly older...maybe 2008 or so? It cycles super, super slick and it ordinarily very easy to load. It also doesn't have that goofy safety on it I see the new ones have. I suppose what must have happened is the slight rusting of the follower in the tube since I have not loaded it since last summer. I have looked into Steve's before, but the rifle is already so slick I don't know how it could be improved.