Post by Danny Creasy on May 14, 2014 6:39:56 GMT -6
Range Report - .45 Colt chambered Rossi Model 92 big loop carbine.
I got over to the range about 10:00 AM yesterday and had the whole expanse to myself. Wow, food for the soul.
I wanted to sight in the new .45 Colt chambered Rossi/Taurus big loop lever action carbine (retirement present to self), and I brought the little .22 LR Rossi/Taurus pump along for some plinking fun. I only had 23 loaded rounds of .45 colt on hand, but I have a 500 count box of hard cast bullets ordered.
I stopped on the way to the range at a downtown gunshop with the intent of purchasing a can of GunScubber. I wanted to hose out the action of the Rossi and break up some of the brown grease that they seemed to have gobbed in there. Alas, the shop had no GunScrubber or any of its competitors' clones. So, I just picked up an aerosol can of BreakFree CLP and decided to give it a bath with that and then just let it ooze while I shot and wiped. I gave the bore a squirt as well and then rain patches through it until the dark chocolate color went away. Check out that monster .45 caliber jag. I acquired it years ago when I was into shooting an original Trapdoor Springfield rifle.
My plan for the 23 rounds of reloads was to fire carefully from the bench and get the rifle zeroed at 25 yards. Then I would fill the entire magazine full and give it an offhand rapidfire function test.
While aiming at the center bull from 25 yards, I fired the three shot group at the top of the cardboard (the three shots above the sideways letter M) and realized we were a "fer piece" off. I tried a single kentucky elevation shot next and clipped the left side of the center bull. Next I went to work on elevation using the rear sight's crocodile backed slide. I used the precision sight adjustment tools pictured below to adjust the windage via tapping the front sight to the left. The two shots on the lower left bull were the final benchrest shots. Please note that those two were fired with the rear sight resting in its lowest elevation notch. Kind of surprised me, as Rossi/Taurus mounts a higher than usual front sight on these 16 inchers. Well, glad they did.
The upper left and center right bulls were the results of me benching the little Rossi/Taurus Stainless Pump. I had scored a bulk pack of Federal 750 on last week's road trip and wanted to see where the slide action rimfire would print. It was shooting a little left, so I tapped its front sight a little to the left and got it centered. I ended up firing 10 rounds from the bench with the .22 at a 3 inch orange bull at 50 yards.
That would be embarrassing from one of my CZs but not from the little plinker. Actually, I was thrilled that the group was centered and all stayed on the orange.
Pictured below are two loaded .45 Colt rounds, empty cases, and a few of the Federal 750 rounds (HV Hollow Points). I transferred the 550 count milk carton rimfire cartridges to some empty CCI plastic trays for more user friendly storage and management. Those old centerfire reloads are:
WW cases
Winchester Large Rifle Primers
9.4 grs. of AA#5
Midway 250 grain RNFP
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No failures to feed or misfires all morning from either of the Brazilian rifles.
Enough of this benchrest stuff. These rifles are not tack drivers and neither is easy to shoot from a bench. So, I finished up by loading the .45 carbine's tubular magazine with all the cartridges it would hold (the manual says 8 + 1, but I easily got 9 in the tube). I put up a big seven inch Shoot N See bull on one of the backers and proceeded to empty the magazine from 15 yards, off handed, just cycling and aiming as fast as I could.
Yep, that is what this lever gun is meant for. Cowboy gong popping, hog hunting, and talk about a home defense weapon!
PS - I came home with all 23 empty cases. The cavernous brass is easy to spot.
I got over to the range about 10:00 AM yesterday and had the whole expanse to myself. Wow, food for the soul.
I wanted to sight in the new .45 Colt chambered Rossi/Taurus big loop lever action carbine (retirement present to self), and I brought the little .22 LR Rossi/Taurus pump along for some plinking fun. I only had 23 loaded rounds of .45 colt on hand, but I have a 500 count box of hard cast bullets ordered.
I stopped on the way to the range at a downtown gunshop with the intent of purchasing a can of GunScubber. I wanted to hose out the action of the Rossi and break up some of the brown grease that they seemed to have gobbed in there. Alas, the shop had no GunScrubber or any of its competitors' clones. So, I just picked up an aerosol can of BreakFree CLP and decided to give it a bath with that and then just let it ooze while I shot and wiped. I gave the bore a squirt as well and then rain patches through it until the dark chocolate color went away. Check out that monster .45 caliber jag. I acquired it years ago when I was into shooting an original Trapdoor Springfield rifle.
My plan for the 23 rounds of reloads was to fire carefully from the bench and get the rifle zeroed at 25 yards. Then I would fill the entire magazine full and give it an offhand rapidfire function test.
While aiming at the center bull from 25 yards, I fired the three shot group at the top of the cardboard (the three shots above the sideways letter M) and realized we were a "fer piece" off. I tried a single kentucky elevation shot next and clipped the left side of the center bull. Next I went to work on elevation using the rear sight's crocodile backed slide. I used the precision sight adjustment tools pictured below to adjust the windage via tapping the front sight to the left. The two shots on the lower left bull were the final benchrest shots. Please note that those two were fired with the rear sight resting in its lowest elevation notch. Kind of surprised me, as Rossi/Taurus mounts a higher than usual front sight on these 16 inchers. Well, glad they did.
The upper left and center right bulls were the results of me benching the little Rossi/Taurus Stainless Pump. I had scored a bulk pack of Federal 750 on last week's road trip and wanted to see where the slide action rimfire would print. It was shooting a little left, so I tapped its front sight a little to the left and got it centered. I ended up firing 10 rounds from the bench with the .22 at a 3 inch orange bull at 50 yards.
That would be embarrassing from one of my CZs but not from the little plinker. Actually, I was thrilled that the group was centered and all stayed on the orange.
Pictured below are two loaded .45 Colt rounds, empty cases, and a few of the Federal 750 rounds (HV Hollow Points). I transferred the 550 count milk carton rimfire cartridges to some empty CCI plastic trays for more user friendly storage and management. Those old centerfire reloads are:
WW cases
Winchester Large Rifle Primers
9.4 grs. of AA#5
Midway 250 grain RNFP
No failures to feed or misfires all morning from either of the Brazilian rifles.
Enough of this benchrest stuff. These rifles are not tack drivers and neither is easy to shoot from a bench. So, I finished up by loading the .45 carbine's tubular magazine with all the cartridges it would hold (the manual says 8 + 1, but I easily got 9 in the tube). I put up a big seven inch Shoot N See bull on one of the backers and proceeded to empty the magazine from 15 yards, off handed, just cycling and aiming as fast as I could.
Yep, that is what this lever gun is meant for. Cowboy gong popping, hog hunting, and talk about a home defense weapon!
PS - I came home with all 23 empty cases. The cavernous brass is easy to spot.
