Author Topic: Rossi .454 (Read 2961 times)

greenrivers · « **on:** June 10, 2011, 11:41:39 AM »

I saw a Puma in .454 at the local gun shop the other day and was wondering if there have been any issues with the ones that have been shot a lot. I have read some articles about the possability of their not holding up to the recoil over the long run. As I would like to have one, does anyone have one that has been shot a good deal and if so how is it doing? Thanks for any help.

454Puma · « **Reply #1 on:** June 10, 2011, 02:47:39 PM »

Had mine for quite awhile-got about 600 rounds through it! All heavy loads and it as tight as the day I bought it!

Favorite load is the 240 gr Horn JHP Mag running at 2300 fps! Never felt the need to shoot anything heavier then 325 gr Cast out of it ! Absolutely abusive recoil with stiff loads as the gun is only 5lbs! I don't think theirs anything in North America it would not stump into the ground!

dpe.ahoy · « **Reply #2 on:** June 10, 2011, 06:14:59 PM »

I've got 2 of em, don't believe it. The things are mini 45-70's and hold up as good as any other rifle I own. If you want to read up on em, go to GunBlast and read the artical by Jeff Quinn. He wasn't sure it would hold up until after running one a while. Be aware they are "lively" with hot loads, but come with factory recoil pad that takes most of the abuse out of it. Just hang on to the fore arm good or it will jump out of your hand.

DP

sidewinder319 · « **Reply #3 on:** June 10, 2011, 07:10:33 PM »

They look like a fine little rifle. Have any of you tried cast bullets?

dpe.ahoy · « **Reply #4 on:** June 10, 2011, 07:30:46 PM »

I ran a box of 315gr SWC's on a stiff charge of H-110 loaded in 45 Colt cases through my 16" stainless one. Feed em just fine, haven't tried them in 454 cases yet. DP

greenrivers · « **Reply #5 on:** June 11, 2011, 01:58:06 AM »

I have the octagon barreled rifle in .45Colt, and as it is the same action have toyed with the idea of loading some heavier Colt rounds for it. If the .454 chambering is holding up well to the sharp recoil then the Colt chambering should as well. Have any of you done the research?
Also that little .454 carbine looks like it would be a very handy mountain gun. The old BAR is starting to show my age!

frgerald · « **Reply #6 on:** June 11, 2011, 06:25:05 AM »

If you buy the 454, be sure it is new enough that it has the screw in magazine tube follower. Some of the older ones had a pin and later a screw in the end and the recoil sheared it off after a while. The "fix" was to make the follower a screw in. This also allows you to load the magazine through an opening in the tube or the receiver. Be prepared....it is a stomper with full Casull loads!!

454Puma · « **Reply #7 on:** June 11, 2011, 11:10:57 AM »

greenrivers
Be careful uploading that 45 LC gun- they don't get the same heat treatment the 454 does! I broke my 45 LC Win 94 with Ruger only loads! Had to back them down some! Is the Rossi 45 LC a 92 action or 94? The 94 action is not as strong as the 92.

243dave · « **Reply #8 on:** June 11, 2011, 02:02:17 PM »

454Puma, The rossi leverguns in pistol calibers are all 92 actions and all will handle pressures that the winchester 94 and marlin will not. Many people use the 45 colt 92 lever guns with pressures in the 50,000cup range with no problem, while others that have done so have had problems with the magazine tube screw(like frgerald described) shear off after a while. Personally if I wanted more than my 45 colt 94 winchester trapper I'd move on up to the 45-70 but I gotta admit the 454 is a lot of power from a little lever gun so that makes it cool in my book. The 94 winchester will handle ruger only loads with ease(so will the marlin and 92 copies), ruger only loads is only loaded to 30,000cups in most loading manuals, and the 94 has handled pressures of 38,000-40,000cups for more than a 100 years. I guess what I'm trying to say is just because your gun gave out while shooting ruger only loads doesn't mean that's what broke it, sometimes things just break, perhaps it was a faulty part or it just wore out but I know a 94 action is good at handling pressures to 40,000cups. Here is a good article to read with loads at the bottom. Just make sure anyone who tries out these loads knows how strong the rifle they are shooting really is. Paco's loads is up there. http://leverguns.com/articles/paco/45coltlevergun.htm
Dave

greenrivers · « **Reply #9 on:** June 13, 2011, 05:14:42 AM »

Thanks for the help guys, you have confirmed the info. I have found on them and given me a couple of pointers as well.
What a great forum!!!!!

Pulp · « **Reply #10 on:** June 16, 2011, 11:19:14 PM »

One other thing: if you go with the Rossi, splurge a bit more and order the Rossi '92 video from http://www.stevesgunz.com
Spend some quality time with the video and your rifle, and you will have one slicked up little gun.
I make no claims to be a gunsmith, but with Steve's instructions anyone can do it. I've always liked my little .44-40, and after doing the work, it's now my favorite rifle.

Blackhawker · « **Reply #11 on:** June 17, 2011, 04:59:57 AM »

Quote from: 243dave on June 11, 2011, 02:02:17 PM

454Puma, The rossi leverguns in pistol calibers are all 92 actions and all will handle pressures that the winchester 94 and marlin will not. Many people use the 45 colt 92 lever guns with pressures in the 50,000cup range with no problem, while others that have done so have had problems with the magazine tube screw(like frgerald described) shear off after a while. Personally if I wanted more than my 45 colt 94 winchester trapper I'd move on up to the 45-70 but I gotta admit the 454 is a lot of power from a little lever gun so that makes it cool in my book. The 94 winchester will handle ruger only loads with ease(so will the marlin and 92 copies), ruger only loads is only loaded to 30,000cups in most loading manuals, and the 94 has handled pressures of 38,000-40,000cups for more than a 100 years. I guess what I'm trying to say is just because your gun gave out while shooting ruger only loads doesn't mean that's what broke it, sometimes things just break, perhaps it was a faulty part or it just wore out but I know a 94 action is good at handling pressures to 40,000cups. Here is a good article to read with loads at the bottom. Just make sure anyone who tries out these loads knows how strong the rifle they are shooting really is. Paco's loads is up there. http://leverguns.com/articles/paco/45coltlevergun.htm
Dave

I agree with what you're saying here; 94 has handled pressures of 38,000 to 40,000 cup for a long time. However, I have two 94's; one 30-30 and one 45 Colt. Both are stamped with the 1894-1994 so both were made in the same year and I bought them in the same year. Both have about equal use. The 30-30 works fine with nothing ever having gone wrong with it. All parts are still the factory original. However my 45 Colt 94, by comparison, has had many internal parts replaced. (two extractors, two or three ejectors, one gate spring to name a few.) There could be other factors to consider but I think those Ruger-T/C only loads have broken down my 45 Colt Win 94. It doesn't seem right being that the 30-30 creates the same or even more pressure and that Winchester also made a .44 mag in the same style 94, but I've never been able to reason why this has occurred with my 94 other than those hot 45 Colt loads.

243dave · « **Reply #12 on:** June 17, 2011, 07:51:24 AM »

Perhaps there is something to it. I've never had a problem from my 45colt trapper but I've only had it for 5 or 6 years, its one of the last ones made and has the tang safety. I load 23gr of H-110 behind 300gr xtp mags and thats a grain or two more h-110 than most books recommend and this load gives me a 150yd hunting rifle that hits deer real hard. I've thought about making a load that will launch 300grainers to only about 1000-1200fps since I never shoot more than 75yds anymore but that stout load is inspiring, I still may do it though especially if stuff starts to break but it hasn't happened yet.

Blackhawker · « **Reply #13 on:** June 17, 2011, 09:14:00 AM »

Quote from: 243dave on June 17, 2011, 07:51:24 AM

Perhaps there is something to it. I've never had a problem from my 45colt trapper but I've only had it for 5 or 6 years, its one of the last ones made and has the tang safety. I load 23gr of H-110 behind 300gr xtp mags and thats a grain or two more h-110 than most books recommend and this load gives me a 150yd hunting rifle that hits deer real hard. I've thought about making a load that will launch 300grainers to only about 1000-1200fps since I never shoot more than 75yds anymore but that stout load is inspiring, I still may do it though especially if stuff starts to break but it hasn't happened yet.

I haven't fired my Trapper in at least 3 to 5 years. When I used it a lot, parts were very available and cheap. Now it seems little harder to find parts. Just as a barometer; I think I may have fired about four to maybe five thousand rounds of all Ruger-T/C only loads through it. I'm doing 255 grain cast bullets at roughly 1600 fps, according to literature. I've never chronographed these loads.

454Puma · « **Reply #14 on:** June 17, 2011, 11:00:41 AM »

Yea I got lucky cause when I broke my Win 94 they were still making Win 94's! It was a year before they stopped making them to be a fact!

indyeyedoc · « **Reply #15 on:** August 22, 2011, 10:52:24 AM »

I have a Puma .454 that has been shot many times with full bore loads over the pas three years. Love the gun. So much power in a little package and accurate to boot. My pet load is 260 gr Partition gold at 2150. The factory from Winchester chrono's at 2250+. Loaded Hornady XTP Mag 240 gr to near 2400 FPS but that seemed to push it and I felt I'd gone beyond what the bullet was designed to do. Many deer died quickly but would only find shards of the exploded bullet in the offside hide. BE CAREFUL with Lil' Gun powder. Loads listed show low pressures but my cases were showing anything but and I came very close (I think) to ruining my gun especially in combo with the 260 gr Partitions. Very erratic results with that powder and I am now too scared to use it. Win296/H110 did the trick. Great little gun.

bajabill · « **Reply #16 on:** September 13, 2011, 12:37:05 PM »

can the Rossi 454 shoot the 45colts also, like the revolvers?

243dave · « **Reply #17 on:** September 13, 2011, 01:06:03 PM »

Yep ! Just clean the chamber real good before you start shooting 454's in it again.

greenrivers · « **Reply #18 on:** September 21, 2011, 01:16:36 PM »

Sorry for the delay in answering. Pulp, about a month ago I took the Rossi to the pit to sight in the new Marbles Peep. After a few rounds I decided that shooting more was a waste of ammo. The trigger and action were horrible. I tore it down and did a full action and trigger job and am now anxious to get it back to finish sighting it in. The difference is night and day and it should do much better now. There is something about a lever that is hard not to love. I started hunting with a 94, and this 92 is calling me back to them.

rosewood · « **Reply #19 on:** December 10, 2012, 07:20:28 AM »

Wonderful little gun. Absolutely love mine. I bought it for cowboy action shooting with 45 colts, but also use it for hog hunting. I have never loaded .454 brass, always used 45 colt brass. I have a 340 WFNGC (beartooth) bullet that I load for it at 1730 fps with H110. Dropped my first hog with it a few years back with single shot to the head (estimated at around 300 lbs broke our game hauler). Love the screw in tube, gives the option of loading from the sidegate or the tube, much faster to load up and unload if necessary. I wished more lever guns had that feature. Mine does carry the Puma name and it has a factory recoil pad on it.