Rossi 92 woes

[Pisgah]

I am truly puzzled over a Rossi 92 .44 magnum that my buddy Glenn brought over to the house tonight. He's owned it for several years but never shot it much, as its action is as stiff and rough as any levergun I have ever encountered. For that reason, he finally decided to sell it to a fellow. A couple of days after the sale, the guy called Glenn all upset. Seems as he was shooting it, the ejector and spring popped out of the bolt! Fortunately, even though they popped out of the receiver and fell to the ground, he was able to find them and brought them , along with the rifle, to Glenn. Glenn being a standup guy, he of course refunded the man's money and, knowing me to be an inveterate gun tinkerer, brought it over to see if I could do anything to straighten it out.

The ejector looked fine, and I could only speculate that the gun had been disassembled some time in the past and somehow improperly reassembled, with the bolt pin somehow not securing it in place. So, with the help of a sixpack of excellent Highland Brewery (Asheville, NC) Gaelic Ale, we tore it down and reassembled it in what we were sure was the proper manner.

Well, once we were done, it seemed to be in working order -- although stilll stiff as stiff could be. But after maybe 20 cycles of the lever, darned if the ejector didn't pop out again!

So, does anyone care to speculate on what's going on here? As I said, the ejector LOOKS to be in good order, but I suppose it could be that the little tab on the rear that is captured by the bolt pin may be worn down too far to be properly secured.

Any and all advice welcome, because I am determined to see this thing put right.

[Pepe Ray]

I'll take a stab at that one.
You failed to include in your list of parts a very small ring. It might resemble a collet used in copper/plastic tubing plumbing. except that it's much smaller.
I've had them break and fall out causing immediate concern. I addressed the problem at once so didn't experience the remaining parts jumping ship.
You'll not only, need to replace the part, but closely examine the 'chamber' where it is located to find and repair the scratching that took place.
I don't have the correct ID for these parts, (Steve will bring you UTS no doubt.)
Ejectors in new Rossi's are the first item on the list of "things to correct".
Have fun,
Pepe Ray

[Hagler]

Pisgah,

Here is the breechbolt of a Browning B-92:



The Rossi is very similar. The Rossi probably does NOT have the lower, red-circled pin, which Browning used to retain the firing pin.

In the following picture, the "Ejector Stop Pin" is what holds the ejector in the breechbolt (Winchester called the same part a "Lever Pin"), and keeps the lever from coming out of the bottom of the gun:





A missing collar will cause your problem. A broken/ weak/ short ejector spring will cause your problem. A bent ejector will cause your problem. NOT properly compressing the ejector during assembly will cause your problem.

Shawn

[Pisgah]

Pisgah,

Here is the breechbolt of a Browning B-92:



The Rossi is very similar. The Rossi probably does NOT have the lower, red-circled pin, which Browning used to retain the firing pin.

In the following picture, the "Ejector Stop Pin" is what holds the ejector in the breechbolt (Winchester called the same part a "Lever Pin"), and keeps the lever from coming out of the bottom of the gun:





A missing collar will cause your problem. A broken/ weak/ short ejector spring will cause your problem. A bent ejector will cause your problem. NOT properly compressing the ejector during assembly will cause your problem.

Shawn

I concur with your analysis of the things that could cause the problem. However, all parts are present, and all were installed properly -- and the ejector and spring still, somehow, popped out. I am frankly baffled as to how it could happen. It looks impossible.

[Hagler]

Pisgah,

Steve Young has said that you can assemble the lever & breechbolt OUTSIDE of the receiver. This allows you to watch all of the parts, and see how they fit. This is a trick for smoothing up & fitting parts. It should help you to diagnose this rifle.

Shawn

[Nate Kiowa Jones]

I bet the ejector guide is either bent or loose. The ejector guide is that little "L" shaped piece there pinned to the bottom of the bolt. If it sets too low the ejector can get past the lever to bolt pin.