Winchester/Rossi 1892
Action
by Roy
Seifert
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Disclaimer: This
article is for entertainment only and is not to be used in lieu of a
qualified gunsmith. Please
defer all firearms work to a qualified gunsmith.
Any loads mentioned in this article are my loads for my
guns and have been carefully worked up using established guidelines and
special tools. The
author assumes no responsibility or liability for use of these loads,
or use or misuse of this article.
Please note that I am not a
professional gunsmith, just a shooting enthusiast and hobbyist, as well
as a tinkerer. This
article explains work that I performed to my guns without the
assistance of a qualified gunsmith.
Some procedures described in this
article require special tools and cannot/should not be performed
without them.
Warning: Disassembling
and tinkering with your firearm may void the warranty.
I claim no responsibility for use
or misuse of this article. Again,
this article is for entertainment purposes only!
Tools
and firearms are the trademark/service mark or registered trademark of
their respective manufacturers. Click on any
blue text to go to a
product/seller web site.
Introduction
I have two Rossi 92 rifles; one in .45 Colt and a stainless steel one in .44
Remington Magnum The stainless steel
rifle required a lot of work to get it to load and cycle reliably and correctly.
If I cycle the action slowly cartridges get hung up in the chamber mouth.
But if I cycle the action briskly, they feed ok.
That’s the thing about the 1892 action; it needs to be cycled briskly and
the lever opened and closed completely.
If the action is short-stroked – not opened or closed completely – the
rifle could jam.
I
wanted to find out exactly how the action works, so I disassembled all the
internal parts and took some photos of the action outside of the rifle.
I included one of the locking bolts, which may not be in the exact
correct position, but I was more interested in the relationship of the bolt,
lever, and carrier during the action cycle.
The
Action Cycle
With
the action closed the next round in the magazine tube sits on the carrier, and
the head rests against a lobe at the bottom of the lever.
The head of this cartridge is even with the front of the loading gate
which allows another cartridge to be loaded.
The nose of this cartridge pushes against the rear of the next cartridge
in the magazine tube and prevents it from feeding onto the carrier.
The front left side of the bolt presses against the cartridge stop moving
it away from the magazine tube.
When
the action is opened, the locking bolts drop down and the bolt begins to move to
the rear extracting an empty case.
When the bolt begins its rearward motion, the cartridge stop moves in front of
the magazine tube opening preventing the next cartridge from feeding onto the
carrier. The tension of the magazine
tube spring pressing against the follower causes the cartridge to move.
The lobe at the bottom of the lever moves back allowing the cartridge on
the carrier to move to the rear until it is stopped by the lip on the top of the
carrier. When the empty case or
cartridge clears the chamber mouth, the ejector pushes against the head of the
case causing it to rotate around the extractor and out of the rifle.
As the
action continues to open the hook on the bottom front of the lever strikes the
carrier causing it to rotate on the pivot screws up into the feeding position.
The cartridge stop prevents the next cartridge from feeding out of the
magazine tube. If the cartridge stop
is not functioning correctly, the next cartridge could feed under the carrier
causing it to jam the action.
When
the action is closed, the bolt begins to move forward feeding the cartridge from
the carrier into the chamber guided by the two cartridge guides.
As the bolt continues to move forward it strikes the carrier causing it
to rotate back into the horizontal position.
When
the bolt is completely closed, the front left edge of the bolt pushes the
cartridge stop and the next cartridge is fed onto the carrier against the lobe
on the lever, and the extractor slips over the rim of the case.
Summary
Understanding how the 92-action works can help
diagnose cycling problems and determine what areas need to be polished.
There are many articles and YouTube videos on how to smooth the 92
action. Steve Young has an excellent
video on how to improve the function and reliability of the Rossi 92.
Click on the link
here to go to Steve’s web site
www.stevesgunz.com or you can send your rifle to him and he will do the work
for you. Steve has an excellent
reputation with the Cowboy Action crowd.
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