Had picked up some 130gr hardball .38Spec, on sale. Well, it fed and cycled just dandy. The real fun part is zip recoil and running it fast as I can sight, dead to the sights at 25 yards. Bead and notch come together and snap the trigger - hole in paper right next to all the prior holes. Like plinking wih a big .22. The people present all had turns, and everyone thought it was one the neatest poppers they'd shot. With .357 it does what it was hired to do. But with .38Spec it is a fine family and new shooter introduction to CF.

As to 'slick up': kept the innards lubed with slick'um stuff, and cycled every evening about 100 times. Doesn't take all that long, once you get some speed up. Started to even-out at a bout a thou reps and by 2000, it's ready for a dis-assembly and some stoning. The cast lifter works OK, but would like to see it less corduroy road lookin' Trigger smoothed up nice, and the overall cycling may not be CAS slick, but doesn't grate anywhere. ;~`)

A big thanks to Tony for remembering my wish list. With the vintage SS Ruger 6" Security Six, the .357 niche is well covered. And, that compact rifle is going to be in demand for family picnics and other get-together stuff. The "New Marlin" marketing people could take a hint here --

so far those low pressure .38s are letting you slide...

--
Of the Troops & For the Troops

Ooops...thanks for reminder, Rob....my encyclopedia is starting miss some pages, apparently.

Around. Yup - just like a big 22 with 38s. Pretty quiet too - with muffs you almost don't know it went off.

The single largest animal I ever shot fell to a 180gr hard cast from my 20" Rossi, a +/- 700lb feral boar.
bob

bob

Did ya have any trouble stoking that 180 up to speed to get some decent groups?

I have found 358156 cast to be the best so far and none of the heavies.
Between the 1:30 rifling and the issues with feeding anything very long if it has a flat nose has cut down my success with the heavies.

The 180-190 RNFP was what I had planed to feed mine for deer around here.

It's several years since I last used that load, but as I disremember it was passibly accurate, I loaded it over a heavy dose of 2400 but had equal success with H-110 and a standard primer. I caught the boar just below the left ear at about 40yds +/- and the bullet completely penetrated the skull and dropped hi dead in his tracks. I've read that that bullet with the same dose of powder in a 38Spl case works just as well but feeds better.
bob

I've got one of those too. Well, I had one, but now it's a 18" model cut and threaded for my 9mm suppressor! Talk about giggles to shoot! My machinist also drilled and tapped it for an XS Sights rear peep meant for a 94 Winchester. I've had mine apart several times, slicking it up and it's nice and smooth now.

Mine is an older model, without the bolt safety, it was used when I got it and I've had it ten+ years now. It accounted for my first two deer, so it holds a special place with me!

I had good luck with some LBT style 180's I bought years ago using .357 brass and a near max load of Lil' Gun. I lost the contact info for that caster, but I now have a 195 gr SWC-GC mould from NEI that shoots wonderfully for me. It may have been meant for the .357 Max, but it works great in the magnum as well. It has a crimp groove far enough forward that it's OAL is similar to 158 gr range bullets, which helps with feeding and I'm guessing raises pressures a bit, but no issues noted.

... And they are fantastic little guns, and very versatile. Both of mine have had Steve Young's magic touch, safeties removed and plugged, and plastic followers replaced with SS. It is incredible how smooth they are, especially the 357 that was made shortly after Taurus took over and was rough as a cob out of the box.

I have not hunted with the 357, but the 44 has accounted for a handful of wild hogs, including two in the space of 2 or 3 seconds.

The amazing thing to me about these little Rossi's is how accurate they are. I also have Browning and Marlins in 357 and 44 and the little Rossi trappers will outshoot them all. Even my scoped Marlin 357 won't group any better than the Rossi 357. I like the Patridge style sights on the Rossi better than any combination of irons that involves a bead front sight. Probably comes from all my revolver shooting.

I have another little Brazilian that is a boat load of fun to shoot. A nickeled model 62 pump .22.

as hell. Didn't like 38's and only tolerated 357's. I had to rework the innards and re-contour the guides to get it completely reliable with 357's, which is what I got it for. But the iron-sight accuracy I'm getting makes the rest worthwhile. For instance these four shots, which fell on the backer board, just off the paper, while I was filing in the second step on the elevator. 196 yards.

Cartridge shown (for size comparison) is my 125 grain plinking load. The holes were made by 140 grain XTP leaving the 16" barrel right at 2000 fps.

ot replaced. It's OK, and when holding hard into the shoulder the bead will bounce back to the botton "U". since speed with it is on of the goals, I've thought about wide, shallow "V" ALA African doubles, or a peep with interchangeable apertures. A fantasy: fold down wide 'v'v and fold down peep. However, even then, the peep would probly make the 'v' be fairly tall, even folded.

I'm no stranger to peeps, [first rifle was peep'd], but I'm exploring flat-out speed -- for fun, but with practical apps, too. So, rather than meander on about what I think I know, discussion and advice is solicited from among the assembled .

Front blade/bead stuff, as well.

TIA.

Ok Sarge I am suitably more than impressed. That group is as good or better than I have been able to muster at 50 yards.
Obviously there is something out there that performs better than anything I have tried so far.

What is the bullet and load to produce that group. Did you add that info, or was I just blind the first two times i looked at that picture?

Hope beyond all hope that the bullet is at least 158 grains.

Random nickel 357 brass, 140 grain XTP, 19.0 grains of W296 (MAX load) & any old mag primer. 2000 fps from a 16" barrel, +/- 5 fps depending on the case used. Hard on brass but shoots like a house afire, at least from this one.

I've seen 3 shots huddle down like this enough times that I don't think it's a fluke; I just don't have the eyes anymore, to repeat it on demand.