redlevel42
New member
Traded for it yesterday. Ran 40rounds through it late this afternoon. Sixteen 255 grain SWCs, and 24 250 grain RNFP. Seemed to handle either equally well. If anything, possibly the SWC were a tad smoother.
Even the archaic buckhorn sights worked well with the light I had. It was a pleasure to shoot with my 9-ish grain Unique loads.
The action seems to be relatively smooth, and I believe it will smooth out even more with use. There was only one issue . . . . . Once I had a "snap!" . . . . no shot fired. Hmmm . . . . a bad primer? No. There was no round chambered. My first thought was "short-stroke." But I distinctly remembered giving the lever a full, quick, positive throw. I threw the lever agin, it loaded, and I shot the remaining rounds in the tube without a hitch. Later, I heard a sound as I brought the gun up after throwing the lever, a "swish" or slight "zing" coil springy sound. I remembered hearing it before during the first string of eight rounds. I believe the magazine tube spring (not sure of the nomenclature here) is either too weak, or is catching or binding on something in the tube. I believe that caused the failure to chamber a round. I also noticed that when loading, there doesn't seem to be nearly as much back pressure as there is on my .357 Rossi Trapper.
I love a lever gun, and especially love the little 16" barrel models. They are just about as handy to carry on the tractor or a utility vehicle on the farm as a handgun is. I don't think this little problem will be too hard to make right. The first remedy I am going to try is to run about 500 rounds through it.
Then, I will look at further options if necessary.
Even the archaic buckhorn sights worked well with the light I had. It was a pleasure to shoot with my 9-ish grain Unique loads.
The action seems to be relatively smooth, and I believe it will smooth out even more with use. There was only one issue . . . . . Once I had a "snap!" . . . . no shot fired. Hmmm . . . . a bad primer? No. There was no round chambered. My first thought was "short-stroke." But I distinctly remembered giving the lever a full, quick, positive throw. I threw the lever agin, it loaded, and I shot the remaining rounds in the tube without a hitch. Later, I heard a sound as I brought the gun up after throwing the lever, a "swish" or slight "zing" coil springy sound. I remembered hearing it before during the first string of eight rounds. I believe the magazine tube spring (not sure of the nomenclature here) is either too weak, or is catching or binding on something in the tube. I believe that caused the failure to chamber a round. I also noticed that when loading, there doesn't seem to be nearly as much back pressure as there is on my .357 Rossi Trapper.
I love a lever gun, and especially love the little 16" barrel models. They are just about as handy to carry on the tractor or a utility vehicle on the farm as a handgun is. I don't think this little problem will be too hard to make right. The first remedy I am going to try is to run about 500 rounds through it.
Then, I will look at further options if necessary.
