New Levergun, Rossi .45

Pisgah · Post by **Pisgah** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 7:46 pm

I picked up my first new-to-me levergun in a while today at a gunshow, a Rossi/Interarms Trapper in .45 Colt. The little gun is clean as a pin, showing very little evidence of firing. When I got it home, I loaded up 9 of my "standard" .45 Colt loads (255 gr. swc, 8.7 gr. Unique), and stepped out back to my 25 yard "range". All nine shots, fired offhand, plunked into about 3" at 25 yds., centered just a bit high. No chance to shoot off a rest, as the light was fading fast, but I was satisfied with that for now. I'm not looking to turn this gun into a firebreather, just looking for a decent, easy-shooting load at 1000 fps or so for woods-roaming.

The only problem I had was with feeding. Every third round or so seemed to hang up at the top of the chamber. I noted that the edge in this area seems razor-sharp, and also figure my rounds may be a tad on the long side. Also noted -- after 500 cycles of the stiff-as-new-action the feeding seems to be getting smoother. Question -- will this problem go away as the carbine "wears in"? Any other steps I'd be advised to take?

Overall, I really like this Trapper. Fit and finish are really nice, even the usually goshawful Rossi wood finish doesn't look bad on this one. The metal finish is first-rate, and it doesn't have that ugly bolt safety I see on the newer ones. Even the trigger is very decent -- no slack, creep, or overtravel, just a tad heavy.

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 8:32 pm

Pisgah,
I think it's the SWC you're using. I prefer a RFN design in the Rossi. I believe they can be loaded a little longer than a SWC.

My 3 favorite cast bullets in .45 Colt are shown below. The two on the left are the same bullet, just seated to different depths. The one of the far left hangs up a little on the top of the chamber with the next one feeds like a champ. I think this view shows just how wide the nose is in comparision to the two on the right. (This is not a levergun bullet as it has no cannelure, it is my primary handgun load. The left one is crimped just before the beginning of the ogive, the other is well into it.)

The other two feed like no tomorrow, nary a hitch. (The ring around the nose on the truncated cone is from my top punch, it's for a round nose, and doesn't quite fit!)

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 8:36 pm

If you're handy, you may wanna take a look at Marauder's Tuning Tips.

Pisgah · Post by **Pisgah** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 8:38 pm

Thanks, fellas. I'm already considering getting some RNFP bullets, and I've saved Marauders tuning tips page for close study.