Rossi M92 45 Colt

[Charlie Bowdre]

Hi guys ,
Need some help or direction for a friend . He just bought a Rossi M92 , 20" Carbine in 45 LC (Colt).
He plans on reloading a 255 gr RNFP cast bullet. Any info , help , or suggestions on Overall Cartridge Length . Or any other tips on reloads for this particular lever gun.
He plans to use the appropriate amount of either Trail Boss or Goex BP.
Thanks muchly
Dutchy

[Singing Bear]

They all seem to have a mind of their own.  One fella's 92 might cycle regular 45 colt loads without a hitch, while another might give nightmares to it's owner with the same loads.  Tell your buddy to just load up some dummy rounds, as he normally would his regular loads, and try them out in his 92, then take it from there.

My 92 ain't the smoothest it can be, but it works good enough.  I use 200 gr. bullets, so they load short.  I tried them longer and shorter, but all seem to cycle a little rough.  I just live with it.  It could just be that I have to run a few hundred more rounds through it to break it in more.  We don't shoot much at our matches, so it probably has less than a thousand rounds through it to date.  This is a 92 somewhere's over 10 years old, but I took a couple of hiatus's from CAS through the years and am on my longest one yet.   Starting to get that itch back, though.         

[Charlie Bowdre]

Thanks friend ,

I will pass this on to my other friend !!
he hopes to have his rifle this week so we will take a few out to the range and give her a try.

Appreciate the response
Dutchy

[Shotgun Franklin]

I guess I got a sleeper. Mine feeds anything from 255gr SCW to 200gr FNTP. I never ajusted my dies just used the setting I had on the press. Guns can be a real caution.

[Charlie Bowdre]

thanks
what's your Overall cartridge Length??
Dutchy

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

With most cowboy bullets, the location of the crimp groove pretty much determines your Over All Cartridge Length, and you really don't have a whole lot of choice. You can usually shift the bullet a few thousandths either direction, but usually not a whole lot. The advice to load up some dummy rounds and try cycling them through the action is excellent advice. I have done this many times with different guns. You can do it at home and not need to go down to the range or fire a shot. You are just looking to find out what OAL gives you the most reliable function. Just be sure there is no powder or primer in them. Also, be sure to give the dummies a really firm crimp. A few times through the spring fed magazine may tend to telescope the bullet into the case with any bullet that is not crimped very firmly. I have this problem with my dummy 44-40 rounds, but then again, because the brass is so thin at the neck on 44-40 brass the crimp often lets go after a few times through the rifle. It is the shock of the stack of bullets jumping every time one is stripped out that telescopes bullets in, not the steady pressure or the spring.

Try some well crimped dummy rounds at home and the rifle will tell you what it likes.

[Sagebrush Burns]

I'm using the Lyman 250 RNFP and just crimp at the crimping groove and they have always worked just fine.  Do be sure to get a good crimp, both for consistent ignition and feeding through the tubular magazine.

[Shotgun Franklin]

It set my dies for a 200 gr RNFP I took a WW Silvertip and screwed the die seating plug down til it was tight against the tip of the bullet. I set the die and tried the lead bullet and it was in the grove. I left it that way and never had any trouble.