UPDATE: Rossi Ranch Hand Mares Leg

Took both Rossi Ranch Hand carbines to the range today to try out the XS sights.
The RH in .45 Colt shot bang-on at 25 yds. using the XS rear sight with the .190" aperture and
a Marbles .538" high front sight.

The .357 RH was fitted with XS front and rear sights and had the .230" aperture installed.
This set-up shoots 10 inches high at 25yds.:eek: I'll be fitting a Marbles .570" front sight
to this rifle ASAP.

The XS sights are very good as long as one has a taller front sight to allow for point-on aim.
View attachment 11983
View attachment 11984
The big holes in target are from the .45 RH
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Alright guys, I need some help!

I just picked up a ranch hand in .44 mag. The first thing I was looking to do was swap out the sites. After some research (apparently not enough) I decided to go with the marbles bullseye rear and marbles .530 height front. Here we encounter the problem.... The marbles site base is to small on both the front and rear sites and slides right through the dove tail groove on the barrel......

Is there a way to deal with this? Are there sites out there that will fit?

HELP!
 
Stipple the underside of the sights' dove tail with a spring loaded center punch to raise the metal. Don't
work the edges of the sights' dove tail unless it's necessary to at least get enough grab for a light, tap-in fit.
Once you've got the rifle sighted in and the sights properly aligned, put some Loctite 545 Hydraulic sealant
on 'em and let it firm up for a day.:)

Rossi dove tails are metric sized and can vary somewhat between each gun made. North American dove tail
cuts are .375" nominal. Rossi, Chiappa, Pedersoli etc. are .390" average.:)
 
wolfhowlsatmoon said:




heres my mares leg holster I got from Wanstalls last year, and the bear I took last spring, not a monster but 5'10 nose to tail and it didnt move more than 3 yards from where I shot it. I have a 44 from rossi and have not had a single problem with it besides the intitial POI/POA modifications, where I filed out my rear sight a bit and it shoots just dandy. the holster is like a dream come true, I have the 24 shell belt because why not. The holster has been on my leg for over 100 days in the bush in the past year and I have not had a single complaint about the holster, it works flawlessly, still looks brand new, and makes hunting hands free. i can carry it anywhere i want without even noticing its there and with practice I shoot clays at 50 yards shooting handgun style off a single shooting stick I rigged up. its a darn fine little gun and i hope to have it for a long time. oh yeah, it looks way better than bear spray sitting on your belt!
Click to expand...

Probably the closest we'll get in Canada to handgun hunting.
 
SHELL SHUCKER said:
Stipple the underside of the sights' dove tail with a spring loaded center punch to raise the metal. Don't
work the edges of the sights' dove tail unless it's necessary to at least get enough grab for a light, tap-in fit.
Once you've got the rifle sighted in and the sights properly aligned, put some Loctite 545 Hydraulic sealant
on 'em and let it firm up for a day.:)

Rossi dove tails are metric sized and can vary somewhat between each gun made. North American dove tail
cuts are .375" nominal. Rossi, Chiappa, Pedersoli etc. are .390" average.:)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion. I ended up using an aluminum can stippled shim with blue locktight and it is holding very strong.
 
Question about the Mare's Leg; Whether it's the Rossi, Chiappa or Henry, I see that they seem to have different sized lever handles. Some are normal sized, some are those big loopy sized, and some are in between. Is there a reason or purpose for this? Are they easily interchangeable? Thanks.
 
I figure that the reason for the oversized loop lever is to emulate the one on Steve Mc Qween's "Mares Leg" from
the Wanted Dead or Alive TV show. Chuck Conners had a big loop lever on his '92 carbine in The Rifleman & John
Wayne had one on his rifle in the movie Stage Coach.

Producers wanted the stars to have tricked out guns back then & still do today.
For most folks, it's easier to just cut, resize and weld the lever to suit, rather than try to find a standard size one.:)
 
I found Mule Man Gun Works in Arizona who reshapes Rossi levers, but he takes standard ones,
cuts and adds metal to them to make big loopers. This ain't what most folks here want.
View attachment 12434 View attachment 12435

The going rate for these is $135.oo US...EEK! He does make levers for Winchester and Marlins as well
that look much better. I'm not sure if he ships outside the US though. His site is worth looking at to
get an idea of lever styles that folks could copy for their own rifles.

I may have to make up a jig to start doing lever re-works.;)

For folks that are looking for tall front sights for the Ranch Hand, Skinner makes a nice one that is
sized for the Rossi .390" dovetail and is .650" tall. Perfect for filing down to get proper POI for
us folks that change out our rear sights. Skinner ships to Canada I believe.
View attachment 12436
 
Front sight- back sight

Hi folks! Just for your information: I am a Rossi Ranch Hand owner and I went with the Skinner front sight.
Last night I was searching the Web looking for new info for the Ranch Hand when I
stumbled on a article about sights. It went on to say that the installation of a Ruger
10/22 rear sight in place of the Rossi rear sight solves the shooting high problem.
From what I understood a little punch work to expand the metal was all that was need
for the installation.
Now being the bright young fellow that I am I did not keep track of that Web Site, what
an idiot I am.

Idiot
 
Sweet success!
Just looking at the first picture by eye the sights look right now.
Nice.

Did you drill and tap the rear sight yourself SS? If not what did your smith charge you if you don't mind?
 
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