Rossi Braztech 92 in 454 Casull

[tbhutton]

Hi -
I have procured a 20 inch barrel blued Braztech 454 casull. Being a Marlin guy myself, I didn't expect the Rossi / Braztech rifle to be up to that level of quality, but I must say that I am impressed with the well machined and tight mechanism in the gun. It is very smooth and absolutely no slop in anything.

I bought it because it was a deal, and I wanted a levergun that I could shoot 45 and 45+P long colt rounds, and the fact that I might shoot some 454 is a plus.

The stocks sure aren't much to look at, but since I am a woodworker, I will find some burl walnut or something and make new stocks. I sure am impressed with the rest of the gun.

[JohnnyFlake]

I have the exact same Rossi, but in SS. I picked my up about six months ago. It is very well made and very tight, as you mentioned. Working the action a few hundred times will really smooth it out. Also, as you mentions, the wood is not that great but with a little effort it can be made to look decent.

I have not shot any .454 loads in it yet, but I have been loading up some .45 Colt loads at Ruger Only/+P levels.

[GL49]

All I've done to mine so far is replaced the factory sights. Anybody know if you can take a magazine tube from the 45 colt model and substitute it for the tube on the 454? It looks a little goofy with the larger diameter tube that allows you to reload without using the loading gate. Ditto on replacing the stock wood with nice looking walnut, I have new wood in my garage I need to fit to mine.

[MT Chambers]

Has anyone had any concerns of using 67,000psi loads (Saami max.) in that action with the .454 Casull??? I would if it were me!

[bearcove]

No, gunblast did a test and others have shot a lot of hot stuff in them.

Never heard bad about them.

[tbhutton]

I am not sure what specifically you are referring to, but the action is a bit different than the 92 style actions that I have seen, with two locking lugs that come up on either side of the rear of the bolt. Looks pretty strong to me, but I will be finding out sooner than later when I go shoot it this weekend.

Tom

[JohnnyFlake]

Has anyone had any concerns of using 67,000psi loads (Saami max.) in that action with the .454 Casull??? I would if it were me!

I have never seen any .454 load data showing 67,000 CUP, in all the research I've done. Most loads average somewhere between 45,000 and 54,000 CUP. I certainly would have concerns loading up that hot!

[JHeath]

Speer #13 says:

"The 454 Casull was adopted as a standard industry cartridge in 1998; the maximum average pressure was set at 65,000 psi. The loads shown here . . . are held to 45,000 cup to provide the best performance with Speer bullets."

Which I think means 65k would drive .45 Colt bullets too fast at that time (14 years ago).

I can tell you that 300 gr Cor-Bon factory ammo exceeds the allowable pressure on my shoulder from a Model 1892 clone. I would prefer to hand the rifle to a charging bear and let him try shooting it. He would then know how it feels to be mauled.

[hanleyfan]

I wish Rossi would put out another production run on the 454 lever so there will be rifles out there at retail price, right now the only ones out there are scarce and they command a 700.00 and up in price and there is no way I am paying that for a Rossi, If they can sell a 45/70 for around 450.00 why not the 454?

[bearcove]

I wish too! I would get another in blue. The SS is not what I like but its better on the boat.

[JohnnyFlake]

I wish Rossi would put out another production run on the 454 lever so there will be rifles out there at retail price, right now the only ones out there are scarce and they command a 700.00 and up in price and there is no way I am paying that for a Rossi, If they can sell a 45/70 for around 450.00 why not the 454?

Amen brother!!!

I picked up mine in SS about 6/7 months ago on GunBroker.com for around $550, I do not recall exactly and I am too lazy to look for the receipt. I would also like to pick up another in Blue.

[tbhutton]

Well, not to rub it in, but I paid $475 for my new blued 20" gun. It was in the box, but did have a small scratch on one spot on the barrel. I agree that I would have bought a 45/70 if the Rossi was $600+, or just bought a 45LC gun like the Henry. I got the Rossi because I wanted to shoot all flavors or 45LC, including +P, which are hardly a challenge at 35,000 CUP for the 454.

[tbhutton]

Oh, and to clarify that a bit, I plan on loading the +P rounds into 454 brass, so that I won't have case problems after one or two reloads.

[JohnnyFlake]

Oh, and to clarify that a bit, I plan on loading the +P rounds into 454 brass, so that I won't have case problems after one or two reloads.

I have been loading .45 Colt +P rounds in .45 Colt Brass. I must say tat I see no evidence of strain or pressure damage on the brass. However, in my case I have a lot of .45 Colt Brass and not so much .454 Brass.

[Treetop]

Have any of you had cycling issues with your .454 Rossi's using .45 Colt brass?

The reason I ask is that I've heard that sometimes they don't like the shorter COAL. The cartridge will be a little bit too "vertical" as it cycles, and hits the top of the chamber instead of entering at the proper angle... Tt.

[Omnivore]

CUP and PSI are completely different measuring standards, and should not be compared to one another.

Rossi states that the tube loading feature is an option, so they'd probably have parts to reconfig it one way or the other.

Does anyone have bullet weight/velocity figures from their carbine, using standard 454 loads?

[bearcove]

Its an option. As in feed through the gate or through the end. pick.

[MT Chambers]

I have never seen any .454 load data showing 67,000 CUP, in all the research I've done. Most loads average somewhere between 45,000 and 54,000 CUP. I certainly would have concerns loading up that hot!

Please note that my orig. post quoted pressure ratings in "PSI" not cup, and that is the level of loads used/recommended by/for Freedom Arms '83 5 shot revolvers, and I was just wondering if those levels of loads should be used in those rifles. Note also that those levels are the SAAMI max's. as well.

[rbuck351]

I don't remember my exact load but I think it's 31grs Lil Gun and a Lee 300gr cast that weighs about 317 from WW Velocity is 1980fps. This from a 20"blue barrel LSI Puma. I have only shot a few dozen of these but they work well enough that this will be my normal load. I bought mine very slightly used for $370. I removed the safety and made a peep to replace it. It started out just a little stiff but it's smoothing up nicely. I have nothing bad to say other than the black color of the stock.

[JHeath]

CUP and PSI are completely different measuring standards, and should not be compared to one another.

Tell Speer that. It came from their loading manual, as part of an explaination of why they limited their .454 loads. The quote might help explain JohnnyFlake's observation, even if Speer offended the rules by publishing it.