Rossi Rio Bravo 22LR lever-action follower

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So, although I had thought to buy a Henry, the gun shop talked me into a Rossi for my plinking rifle. Okay, I hear good things about the brand, a coworker is a semi-retired gunsmith and likes them, etc. It shoots enough like the shop rental Henry that, for my purposes, it should be a fine little gun.

Except:

Today was my third time on the range with it. The first time, I fired about fifty rounds through it. Second time, probably the same number of rounds. Today, I loaded the tube, fired the fifteen rounds, loaded the tube again, fired the fifteen rounds, loaded the tube a third time, started to put the inner tube into place, and it didn't want to slide in. Okay, it sometimes doesn't just slide in all the way, I'm assuming that a round's rim is in the way briefly, and gently nudging it takes care of things. The gentle nudge didn't work, so I removed the inner tube, wondering whether I had miscounted and tried to put too many rounds in the magazine tube. As I pulled the inner tube out, I noticed that the bright red follower was missing.

I looked all around in my shooting stall, with a flashlight, and could not find the thing. The RSO looked. He looked in the next stall. No luck. Checked all my pockets, even the ones with flaps over them, checked my range bag, my rifle bag--nothing.

When I got home, I ran a cleaning rod down the barrel, wondering if the thing had gotten in there somehow. No luck. Dropped a snap cap in the tube, and, pointing the rifle skyward, cycled the lever action, and the snap cap came up and went into the chamber. No sign of the follower.

Called Rossi, and they don't have a magazine inner tube as a replacement part to just send me one, so they are paying the shipping for me to send it to them for a warranty inspection. Disappointing with a practically new piece, but the nice person on the phone seems well-trained and was certainly courteous and efficient.

Weird.
Eventually I'll figure out this signature thing and decide what I want to put here.

Re: Rossi Rio Bravo 22LR lever-action follower

2
Could the red follower be stuck inside the tube?

Just in case you didn't know, the magazine tube is crimped on one end so the follower cannot fall out. Inside the tube is a spring.
When you insert the magazine tube the follower and cartridges go inside the tube compressing the spring.

If a tube gets a small ding or dent, it can wedge the follower inside.
Last edited by Oldschool on Thu Oct 07, 2021 5:04 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Old School
The best upgrade for you firearm is always instruction and practice.

Re: Rossi Rio Bravo 22LR lever-action follower

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Oldschool wrote: Thu Oct 07, 2021 4:56 pm Could the red follower be stuck inside the tube?

Just in case you didn't know, the magazine tube is crimped on one end so the follower cannot fall out. Inside the tube is a spring.
When you insert the magazine tube the follower and cartridges go inside the tube compressing the spring.

If a tube gets a small ding or dent, it can wedge the follower inside.
I had thought of that at the time.

When I look at the end of the tube where the follower should be, I see what appears to be a plate on the end of the spring. It's the same color (brass? brass-plated?) as the tube itself. Pushing on that plate with a pen suggested that the spring is still in place and moving as it should.

I had also thought that, if I tried using the inner tube without the plastic follower, it *might* work, but only to push thirteen or fourteen rounds of the fifteen back to where the action would pick up that rear-most round. I also figured that there could be something my somewhat-mechanically-adept mind didn't know about the inner workings of the action that would make that a bad idea, so I didn't.

One other idea occurred to me, although I don't think it could have gone this way: If the thing got yanked off the plate some how, and then got cycled into the chamber (I like to think I would have noticed the rifle not making any noise when I pulled the trigger, but the guy in the next stall was shooting a larger-caliber rifle, and this thing has almost no recoil), then got pushed down the barrel by the next round, it's small enough that it might have gone down range. I doubt this happened, because I'm all but certain I saw the follower when I tried to load it the time it didn't want to slide into place.

I'm disappointed, but I've packed the thing for FedEx to take it to the warranty shop. I'm told they will do a thorough examination of the action while it's there to be sure that there is nothing else amiss before sending it back to me. Hopefully they will include a report from the gunsmith to explain what, if anything else, is wrong.

I've gone this long without having it, I can live another week or two while it travels to Georgia and back.
Eventually I'll figure out this signature thing and decide what I want to put here.

Re: Rossi Rio Bravo 22LR lever-action follower

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So, the thing arrived on Sunday, with an enclosed report that the folks fired twenty rounds through it to assure it was working.

I got a very brief session at the range on Monday, and had time for a longer session today, totaling a hundred or so rounds.

It seems to be working quite well!

What I'm finding, now that it's shooting reliably and that I've had a chance to really put some rounds down range and look at the results, is that I'm shooting between an inch and an inch and a half to the left of my aiming point at fifteen yards. The front sight is in a dovetail, so adjusting for windage isn't easy or particularly precise, so unless and until I find a good way to do that, I'll have to rely on "Kentucky Windage," and aim a bit to the right of my intended target. Since it's mostly a plinking gun for now, that shouldn't be a big deal, but I would like to be shooting straighter.

Next time I'm shooting it, I'll toy with how my cheek weld sits, but I'm not sure how that would help. I might also tap on the rear sight just a smidgeon, to see if that helps.
Eventually I'll figure out this signature thing and decide what I want to put here.

Re: Rossi Rio Bravo 22LR lever-action follower

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Oldschool wrote: Wed Oct 27, 2021 7:50 am Post pictures of the front and rear sights. They can be adjusted, but need to see them to advise.
The rear sight is a common old-style "stepped ramp" kind of thing (I don't know the specific term offhand, but I bet you know exactly what I mean). The front sight is a post in a dovetail, with the axis of the dovetail normal to the axis of the barrel, as I would think is common.
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Eventually I'll figure out this signature thing and decide what I want to put here.

Re: Rossi Rio Bravo 22LR lever-action follower

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https://youtu.be/E-Pxp4dfoTk

Both of your sights are set in dovetail grooves and you can "drift" them with a punch and hammer.

Use blue painter's tape to avoid any scratches. I like to use a vise with wood blocks for support, but have done plenty with wood block or table top. Do not damage the feed tube, support the barrel.

Use a hard plastic or brass punch and hit it with a hammer.

Tape will help prevent any Mark's, if you get brass Mark's, the come off with solvent.

If it is stubborn or you are not up for it, find a gunsmith that works at a range to do it.
Old School
The best upgrade for you firearm is always instruction and practice.

Re: Rossi Rio Bravo 22LR lever-action follower

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I had seen reference to adjusting such sights in that manner. I recognize the "how to do it," as I have a fair bit of mechanical aptitude (I used to be a Service Manager in a couple of bicycle shops, I've worked as a truck mechanic for a national rental company, and as a carpenter, among other things I've done over the years).

I think I even have a brass punch already.

My concern is the degree of accuracy I can attain. I understand it's a trial-and-error process, and that I may have to do a couple strikes in one direction, and another strike in the opposite direction.

I'll take the appropriate tools to the range next time I go, and see what I can do.
Eventually I'll figure out this signature thing and decide what I want to put here.

Re: Rossi Rio Bravo 22LR lever-action follower

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A coworker used to be a gunsmith, and still has most of his tools, including a laser bore sight. He offered to lend that to me so I can do the hammer and drift work at home.

That, coupled with the reference point (and, believe it or not, I already had that in mind, but thanks for the reminder), should get things closer.

In the video you helpfully linked, the guy says "a good firm strike" or something like that. That's a subjective measurement, to be sure. "A good firm strike" is different for me, depending on whether I'm driving a four-penny nail or a sixteen-penny nail or a barn spike, so I'll start with "four-penny finish nail" effort...
Eventually I'll figure out this signature thing and decide what I want to put here.

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