Rossi SRC:case bulging with hot buffalo bore loads.

Hybrid Slave · Dec 22, 2017

I hope this is the appropriate forum. So I finally had the chance to shoot my Bisley 45 side by side my Rossi 92SRC, also in 45 Colt.
Using (45 Colt) Buffalo Bore loads at 325gr. at 1325 FPS through the Rossi, there was considerable bulging just above the rim of the case.
However there was no such bulging at all when these same loads were fired through my Ruger Bisley. Nor was there any bulging with any of the lighter loads that I put through the 92SRC, one of them being the 225 gr Silver tip at 1150 FPS.

It is my understanding that the '92 lever design is strong enough to handle hot 454 loads, so should I have safety concerns about firing these heavy 45 Colt loads through my rifle. Keep in mind, that these were brand new factory loads, and I do not reload.
Any insight would be appreciated.

RVTECH · Dec 22, 2017

It is my understanding that the '92 lever design is strong enough to handle hot 454 loads

I do not and have never owned a Rossi
I have never owned a .45 LC of any kind.
As an owner of several lever action rifles I can say with a degree of experience I can hardly imagine a Mod 92 action is anywhere near strong enough to handle 454 level loads and would stop using them immediately.

Hybrid Slave · Dec 22, 2017

RVTECH said:
I do not and have never owned a Rossi
I have never owned a .45 LC of any kind.
As an owner of several lever action rifles I can say with a degree of experience I can hardly imagine a Mod 92 action is anywhere near strong enough to handle 454 level loads and would stop using them immediately.

Rossi has manufactured these rifles, specifically chambered for 454 Casull in the past. And there is plenty of reading material and video about how strong they are. I have fired heavy 44 mag through a friend's Rossi (didn't notice at that time if he was experience the same problem with case bulging though). But his Rossi would eat up everything he put through it. I'm sure the (modern) SRCs and 92s are plenty strong.
I guess I'm more concerned about the cartridge itself than the gun. Like I said, the same load had no bulging when shot through my Ruger bisley.

Member 5605 · Dec 22, 2017

Please?

jordanka16 · Dec 22, 2017

45 colt cases are thinner than .454 cases, and I would guess that the rifles chamber is not quite supported all the way. Was the bulge all the way around, or localized to one spot? Some pics like dyjital requested would be super helpful. A revolver has a fully supported chamber and no feed ramp, so they won't bulge cases at all, unless something is very very wrong.

Some googling told me the general consensus is that these rifles will handle heavy loads. I would shy away from full tilt .454 loads personally though.
45 Colt In Lever Action Rifles
Rossi 92 load strength question

DenimChicken · Dec 23, 2017

Aren't the chambers on the .45's slotted/ramped? Sounds like it's not fully supporting and allowing the brass to bulge like a 10mm Glock.

Argonaut · Dec 23, 2017

In my experiance Rossi is a 4 lettered word in general. If you can afford to feed a gun.....at least buy a good one.

Hybrid Slave · Dec 24, 2017

jordanka16 said:
45 colt cases are thinner than .454 cases, and I would guess that the rifles chamber is not quite supported all the way. Was the bulge all the way around, or localized to one spot? Some pics like dyjital requested would be super helpful. A revolver has a fully supported chamber and no feed ramp, so they won't bulge cases at all, unless something is very very wrong.

Some googling told me the general consensus is that these rifles will handle heavy loads. I would shy away from full tilt .454 loads personally though.
45 Colt In Lever Action Rifles
Rossi 92 load strength question

Sorry, but I can not send pics at the moment. The bulge goes about half way around the case, consistently on all the cases (10 rounds) I'd say perfectly symmetric and starts about 1/8 of an inch above the rim.

I attempted to insert the empty case in the chamber of the Bisley, and it went in and then got tight right at the point where the bulge started, and I didn't force the last 1/8" before the rim.

I'm not sure if anyone has ever experienced this in the Rossi rifles that are chambered for 454. I, myself, do not own one; only a 45 Colt and a 357 Mag.

jordanka16 · Dec 24, 2017

Hybrid Slave said:
Sorry, but I can not send pics at the moment. The bulge goes about half way around the case, consistently on all the cases (10 rounds) I'd say perfectly symmetric and starts about 1/8 of an inch above the rim.

I attempted to insert the empty case in the chamber of the Bisley, and it went in and then got tight right at the point where the bulge started, and I didn't force the last 1/8" before the rim.

I'm not sure if anyone has ever experienced this in the Rossi rifles that are chambered for 454. I, myself, do not own one; only a 45 Colt and a 357 Mag.

It sounds to me like the chamber isn't fully supported, the feed ramp is cut into the chamber a little so that the rifle will feed, and the high pressure loads are more than the thin 45 colt brass can handle,so it flows in that spot. You'll just have to not use the buffalo bore loads most likely. If you handload you could tune the loads and find the thickest 45 brass to use.

Argonaut · Dec 24, 2017

Deffinatly a chamber/headspace issue.

Hybrid Slave · Dec 24, 2017

Argonaut said:
In my experiance Rossi is a 4 lettered word in general. If you can afford to feed a gun.....at least buy a good one.

These are way old pre safety rifles, and I've been told that they are better than the newer Braztech ones.

My friend has lost count of how many full magnums he's put through his .44, and I as well with my .357. Up until now, using various loads up to the 225 silver tip at 1125 FPS in power, I have never had any kind of hiccup or complaints with my 45 Colt.

I've owned them since well before the Obama lead tax, and back then, the cost of ammo wasn't an issue for me. To me, they are work horses, and are accurate enough to take game within reasonable ranges if I'm not too lazy to stalk, and accurate enough to hit TWO legged predators at 300 yards if I do my part. I'm not talking pin point, but rather, biting off a piece of shoulder or hip, or maybe just a big toe. Either way, it'll take a lot of the fight out of whatever goblin is on the receiving end.

If I'm going to spend upwards of $600 on any magnum, it's going to be on a S&W or Ruger revolver, and not a pistol chambered lever; especially when I got the Rossis (back then) for $200 and change

Hybrid Slave · Dec 24, 2017

Argonaut said:
Deffinatly a chamber/headspace issue.

That is kind of what I was worried about. And so I'm thinking that the cheap solution would be, simply to stay away from the heavy +P loads and set the power cap at the 225 silver tips at 1225 FPS.

RVTECH · Dec 24, 2017

My friend has lost count of how many full magnums he's put through his .44, and I as well with my .357.

And those rifles most likely say .44 Magnum or .357 on the barrel. If the Rossi only says . 45 Long Colt on it then they are most likely telling you that is what is to be shot out of it regardless of what you may read about it handling heavier loads. 30-30 WInchesters are 'known' to be able to handle heavier loads also but I don't load mine beyond 30-30 limits just to prove it.

The Heretic · Dec 24, 2017

My understanding is they no longer make the .454 Puma/et. al.

Maybe because of issues like this.

I have a .460 mag and would like a lever action in same, but the only one I know of costs $3K+; Big Horn Armory. I would not trust a Rossi with hot loads like that, but if I were to try to reload to those levels in .45 Colt, then I would use .454 brass cut down.

That said, not sure if .45 Colt brass sold today is as thin as some people say it is. I have also read some opinions asserting that it isn't the thin brass (specifically referencing the .45 Colt), it is the walls of the chamber strength that makes a difference. I.E., if the steel chamber won't support the pressure, the brass surely won't.