Rossi single shot rifles???

[Riverrat]

Does anyone out there know anything about Rossi single shot rifles? Good, bad or indiferent. I believe they may be similar to NEF Handi-rifles. Please correct me if I am wrong on that. I am trying to get some friends into shooting and cost is a concideration. Thanks for any input.

Ed

[Freightman]

I bought three of them two 308's and a 30/06 and gave them to my sons and grandson, they like them and they are very accurate if you work the loads up.

[fecmech]

I had one in .357 and put a couple thousand rounds of cast through it. The only problem was it broke a firing pin, other than that no problems with it.

[Riverrat]

Freightman and fecmech thanks for the feed back. I think I'm gonna look around at the next gun show and see if I can find one used at a good price.

Ed

[Beekeeper]

Riverrat,
Go online and look at the Richardsons gun site .
I bought a H&R Handi in .223 for $260 plus dros.
They will ship to any 01FFL you choose or even tell you the best one in your area.
Havent shot mine yet but have a friend who has one and says after the breakin period it is a tack driver at 100 yards.


beekeeper

[GrizzLeeBear]

I have one in 7.62x39 that is a good shooter with both cast and jacketed bullets. It is currently at my gunsmith awaiting a rechamber to .303 British. The 7.62x39 is nice, but I wanted to be able to shoot heavier boolits in it as well. Also, want to shoot light boolits for small game and had trouble with cases shortening with real light loads. This is a common problem with rimless cases and real light loads. I felt rechambering it to the slightly larger rimmed case would make it a little more versitile. The Rossi is a fair bit lighter than an NEF also. Will make a nice "woods walkin" / "truck" gun.

[WILCO]

I've got a Rossi matched pair in .22 lr and .410. It's a great little rifle that I like for plinking, small game hunting and have dreams of packing it on a canoe trip in the Adirondacks.

[northmn]

I had one in 7.62X39. It would not hit the cheap militarry ammo hard enough and I had numerous misfires. The mainspring is kind of clothes pin cheap. I really would not recommend one after my experience. They are not the quality of the Handi Rifle.

Northmn

[OBXPilgrim]

Well, I'm no fan of the Rossi - don't have one & have never handled one, but I do have several H&R Handi rifles. If my sole experience with the Handi were just with the 7.62x39 Handi I wouldn't be impressed either.

My 7.62x39 Handi won't fire cheap mil-surp ammo either & misfires on lots of factory ammo as well. If I don't seat the primers as deep in the pocket, it's 100% reliable and quite accurate, especially with 180gr 311407 cast at 1880fps. The 7.62x39 ammo needs a hard hit as well as a longer (than normal) firing pin protrusion from the breech face. I read on the Greybeards site about one guy that got his to shoot cheap mil/factory ammo by grinding down the amount of stock on the hammer face - the area above the part that hits the transfer bar. If you push on the back of the Handi firing pin it will extend much farther - the hammer "boss" that hits the frame at the top is what controls the pin "stick-out". If my Handi was just a 7.62x39, & I wanted to shoot cheap ammo (well, not counting my cast lead reloads), I'd have already done this. I have other barrels for mine & don't want to piece a primer on anything else. If it didn't shoot so good with cast, it would have become a .303Br. Only reason I got it was because they didn't have 30-30 at the time - now it's kind of rare & I'm keeping it.

I have read that some folks have had good luck with them, mostly calibers like 308 & 223.

Also, Rossi advertised a barrel accessory program, like H&R. I have never read of anyone actually getting another barrel for one. The dual barrel guns from the factory aren't that uncommon (like 22/410 above), but not refitted barrels on guns. They probably can, but I haven't heard of it. Just in case you wanted to expand your options.

[Riverrat]

Thanks for the good info and opinions guys. I am mainly trying to get some non-shooter friends into shooting and single shot rifles like the Rossi and NEF Handi- rifle look like they would be fine for the purpose. Cost is a factor! But it has gotten me thinking that these rifles might make good platforms for me to play with cast boolits in calibers I don't currently own. It could turn out to be a lot of fun!!

Ed

[Beekeeper]

River Rat,
I just sent my Handi in to Remington for a couple of new barrels.
The 223 is a tack driver with J word bullets but have not tried it with cast yet.
I am still waiting on midsouth to come through with the molds.
Maybe I'll get them about the time the weapon gets back from Remington.


beekeeper

[lifeon2]

I have an h&r that is pretty sweet arent they both made by the same folks now?

[JIMinPHX]

...If my sole experience with the Handi were just with the 7.62x39 Handi I wouldn't be impressed either.

... Only reason I got it was because they didn't have 30-30 at the time - now it's kind of rare & I'm keeping it.

I was getting ready to make you an offer on that barrel until I read that last line. Oh well, I guess that I should have gotten one while the getting was good.

[yotatrd4x4]

I once had a expensive Ruger Mini 30 7.62x39mm chamber and it too would not set off surplus 7.62 ammo or any steel case ammo for that matter. Remeber the steel ammo is for SKS' and AK's which have a robust firing pin and a hard strike on it as well.

[Dan Cash]

I think Remington has brought out a very ecconomical hammerless, break open single shot. It surely looked nice in the picutre/article.

[thegatman]

I have one in 7.62x39 that is a good shooter with both cast and jacketed bullets. It is currently at my gunsmith awaiting a rechamber to .303 British. The 7.62x39 is nice, but I wanted to be able to shoot heavier boolits in it as well. Also, want to shoot light boolits for small game and had trouble with cases shortening with real light loads. This is a common problem with rimless cases and real light loads. I felt rechambering it to the slightly larger rimmed case would make it a little more versitile. The Rossi is a fair bit lighter than an NEF also. Will make a nice "woods walkin" / "truck" gun.

You can get other barrels for those guns. Makes them real Handi

[OBXPilgrim]

You can get other barrels for those guns. Makes them real Handi

Yep, you're right (if you were talking about the Handi Rifle) - currently have .22Hornet, .223, 7.62x39, .30-06, 357Mag(Max), .444 Marlin, and 2 .50 Cal MLers - on 2 Handi rifles.

The Rossi had advertised extra barrels, but I don't think they ever came through with it. They currently sell the 3 barrel Trifecta that has a .22 LR, 20 gauge shotgun, and you choice of either a .243 or .44 Mag.

I don't know if you can swap barrels on the Rossi without it affecting POI (won't matter with the shotgun, of course). My Handi would keep them close, but it would be off by an inch or two. I've since bought individual forearms for each barrel & glass bedded them to an individual barrel (and marked each). I couldn't tell of any movement the last time out shooting, but haven't shot enough to be certain.

I think Remington has brought out a very ecconomical hammerless, break open single shot. It surely looked nice in the picutre/article.

I think that rifle was the russian made Baikal single shot, that they bought. Seems like they've been importing it for a couple years now.

[RMc]

I have one in 7.62x39 that is a good shooter with both cast and jacketed bullets. It is currently at my gunsmith awaiting a rechamber to .303 British. The 7.62x39 is nice, but I wanted to be able to shoot heavier boolits in it as well. Also, want to shoot light boolits for small game and had trouble with cases shortening with real light loads. This is a common problem with rimless cases and real light loads. I felt rechambering it to the slightly larger rimmed case would make it a little more versitile. The Rossi is a fair bit lighter than an NEF also. Will make a nice "woods walkin" / "truck" gun.

What diameter did your barrel slug out to? It is my understanding that the Rossi 7.62x39 barrels have a .308 groove diameter. If so, the 30-40 Krag would be a better choice.

The .30-40 has the same case capacity as the .308 Win. and can be loaded with the same data in strong rifle actions.

RMc

[Pepe Ray]

Hi there Riverrat'
Let me address an issue not yet mentioned, Mechanics!

I've been working with2 of the Rossi's. Both have strong clean trigger pulls in the 7 lb. range. Much too heavy to allow really important accuracy. They are wonderfully handy and light for hunting and I really hate to be picky but---

I dis assembled the arms, to find a way in to the mechanism. Nope!
Called a genuine gunsmith buddy to ask about is experience with them. If he'd had any he was keeping it pretty close to his chest. He told me that I'd probably need "slave pins". Well duhhh. What good will they do if you don't know the sequence nor placement of the pins.?
So, I'm gonna take ONE of the receivers to him for trigger work and he'll let me watch, for an extra $20. If I took every firearm that need work to him I wouldn't have enough money left to pay my fuel bill next winter.

I like 'em.
Pepe Ray

[GrizzLeeBear]

What diameter did your barrel slug out to? It is my understanding that the Rossi 7.62x39 barrels have a .308 groove diameter. If so, the 30-40 Krag would be a better choice.

The .30-40 has the same case capacity as the .308 Win. and can be loaded with the same data in strong rifle actions.

RMc

Barrel slugs .310.

I actually considered the 30-40, but it is a little larger than the .303. The .303 is even a little larger than I really wanted, but I did not want to go to a wildcat round either. If the barrel were .308 I might have gone with a 30-40, but with the .310 bore, the .303 seemed like the logical way to go.
I've shot it some since getting it back, but haven't really worked with it much yet to find a good load. I do know that this rifle does NOT like CCI primers, too hard. I need to try some softer primers like Federal or Remingtons.