I have a friend coming down from farthest northern Idy-ho in about a month. One of the projects we plan to jointly tackle while he is here is removal, shortening, and replacement of the barrel on his new Rossi lever gun in .45 Colt.

I've never yanked the barrel off a Rossi before, though I've done Winchesters and Marlins.

Is there anything in particular we should be extra careful of on the Rossi?

How tight are their barrels usually put on by the factory?

Anything special or unusual needed by way of an action wrench?

TIA

AC

Nothing out of the ordinary. A standard parallel action wrench should be all that is needed. Outside of the butt stock, I leave the action in tact when pulling the barrels. For some reason my mind thinks that leaving the bolt and trigger plate assembly in place during removal helps keep the receiver from crushing under the weight of the wrench. Although it don't hurt to throw a little salt over your left shoulder...

Thanks, Mr. M (Westpac), Sir - That's what I was hoping to hear. I too like to leave as much of those lever actions together as is practical. If I can't do what I consider enough of that, I like to put a "filler block" in them while twisting on the wrench.

Hate the thought of either twisting or crushing those rails. Enough "monkey motion" in there during normal use already, without putting any more binds in.

Best wishes,

AC

quote:

Originally posted by Alberta Canuck:
Thanks, Mr. M (Westpac)

I only make this next comment because I know me, but just proir to applying any force, I try to always remember to double check the position of the bolt so as to make certain that the extractors are clear of their respective slots in the breech. Nothing removes these type of extractors faster than cracking an action with the bolt in battery.