I was at the range yesterday shooting .38 special out of my Rossi 92 lever action using 125 grain jfn commercial reloads. The rifle is new to me and up until this point I've never loaded more that eight rounds at a time. I decided to see if it would take nine or ten and pushed fairly hard to get it full but not crazy hard. Third shot was a click no bang so after waiting a bit I opened the receiver and found that the round sitting on the lifter appeared to have no bullet in it. I cycled everything out of the magazine and discovered that the bullet of that round had been pushed completely into the case! Two more of the rounds were pushed in as well but not as far. If it had chambered would I have had a catastrophic failure?
Bullet sliding into case.
- Thread starter skookumchuck
- Start date
OkayShooter
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nova Scotia
Doesn't sound like it had the proper crimp for a lever action and was crimped lightly for a revolver. Yes there would been some higher increase of pressure but I wouldn't say a catastrophic only because 38 special.
This. I'm not certain how much pressure the round would develop, but it's not a good thing. If it happened as easily as you say I'd have some concerns about it happening to other rounds in the tube while the gun is under recoil. They kind of all get slapped together in a tube magazine when the gun kicks. The reason why we put a good crimp and blunt nosed bullets in these firearms.
- Location
- Southwestern Ontario
I agree also. Poor crimp. The crimp for a lever action firearms needs to be well-rounded into the cannelure (you should be able to see it with the naked eye). Revolvers only need it crimped enough not to cause creep under recoil (out of the case) while lever action firearms rely on the crimp for forces that act both out (recoil creep) and in (magazine pressure) on the projectile.
fingers284
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Alberta Cowboy Ranges
If those are +P .38 SP reloads I would be a little nervous but if they are "Cowboy" style loads I wouldn't worry too much about the pressures. A bit more crimp should definitely be added to rhem tho.
Another thing I will mention, from your OP it might be appropriate in your case. Most, if not all lever gun manuf. use a mag spring that is way more stronger than it needs to be for a plinking/cowboy action rifle. The mag spring tension only needs to be strong enough to push the last round onto the carrier. The first round you feed should not have very much resistance at all so the spring tension is still manageable with the last round being comfortable to insert. Very simple to adjust, just start cutting coils off the mag spring until you get the tension that suits you, your feeding thumb will thank you. Don't cut a whole bunch off at the start...trial & error is prudent here, I usually end up with 3 or 4 inches of relaxed spring sticking from the top of the mag tube when I'm done. I have had to cut as much as 8 or 9 " from some springs (older Rossi's).
Another thing I will mention, from your OP it might be appropriate in your case. Most, if not all lever gun manuf. use a mag spring that is way more stronger than it needs to be for a plinking/cowboy action rifle. The mag spring tension only needs to be strong enough to push the last round onto the carrier. The first round you feed should not have very much resistance at all so the spring tension is still manageable with the last round being comfortable to insert. Very simple to adjust, just start cutting coils off the mag spring until you get the tension that suits you, your feeding thumb will thank you. Don't cut a whole bunch off at the start...trial & error is prudent here, I usually end up with 3 or 4 inches of relaxed spring sticking from the top of the mag tube when I'm done. I have had to cut as much as 8 or 9 " from some springs (older Rossi's).
Well I'm relieved to know it would be unlikely to produce dangerous pressures. I'm in the process of acquiring the tools and components to reload and have .357 dies. I have about ten boxes of this ammo I'd like to use in the lever gun. is it possible for me to put a more secure crimp on them? I don't see any evidence of a cannelure, do all bullets have them?
- Location
- Southwestern Ontario
Yes absolutely! You'll get a crimping die in your set and a little time spent learning how to get a good crimp will serve you well. No, not all bullets have cannelures, and that could be part of the problem here - if the manufacturer chose to use a plain jacketed bullet, then obtaining a crimp suitable for lever action firearms is more difficult, if not impossible, without deforming the bullet itself (dependant on bullet style - many hard lead bullets come with a crimping groove instead). Most wheel-gun/lever bullets have a cannelure for just this reason and just work better for those firearms. Pick out 10 or so and work with them to see how tight you can get without deforming the bullet. Trial and error.
Very fortunate that it did not fire. It could have been catastrophic if it was a high pressure cartridge.
Ensure you have the proper crimp weather its a taper or roll and bullets when using lever action cylindrical mags.
