UPDATE: Rossi Ranch Hand Mares Leg

The front sight is just mounted in a dovetail, so unless it's an oddball size, it shouldn't be too hard to find a taller one that will fit.

I haven't tried replacing a rossi but I've heard in the past that they aren't quite standard 3/8. Steve Young sells ones that fit so they are available. The thing is it's not like the one on there now is a short blade, and they don't make them in unlimited sizes. I think the longest one available would still require some filling of the rear sight notch...but we will see.
 
Skinner also sells brass front posts that start off quite tall and are made to be filed down to the correct height.

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FOXER, the fiber optic front sight that I have on my 45 came from Steve Young and is the same height as the original one. With standard pressure loads (Wolf 250g reloads) and the skinner rear peep sight poi=poa at 100 yards. This was not the case with the original front sight and a Marbles Bullseye rear. poi was about 6-8" high.
 
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I kind of wish Steve published what the heights of his front sights are.
I'm going to see if the Skinner will work. It's .400 from the bottom of the dovetail to the center of the aperture. Otherwise I'm just going to put a blank in and use the front as a bead, and maybe put a shorter one on. Or I may try hacking the stock rear sight.
 
Skinner also sells brass front posts that start off quite tall and are made to be filed down to the correct height.

frt_bck_br.jpg


FOXER, the fiber optic front sight that I have on my 45 came from Steve Young and is the same height as the original one. With standard pressure loads (Wolf 250g reloads) and the skinner rear peep sight poi=poa at 100 yards. This was not the case with the original front sight and a Marbles Bullseye rear. poi was about 6-8" high.


Nice!
 
Just picked mine up :) no time for shooting yet, but some first impressions:

It's no where near as smooth as my other rossi. It may break in nicely but i think it may need a little 'touch up' a'la steve's vids.

The trigger on mine isn't that bad at all. I was expecting it to be a little heavier after some of the posts. It's not match, but it's pretty crisp and not that heavy.

If you hold it like a pistol and cycle the action you're going to get hit in the forehead with a shell casing (or snap cap as the case may be.) and look pretty silly. :D

It's lighter and more comfortable to hold than my henry 22.

I love it - i'm betting once it's a little customized it'll be a hell of a lot of fun to shoot.
 
I am curious if Steve's Safety replacement rear sight will be POA to POI on the ranch hand. http://store.stevesgunz.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=19_20_27&products_id=5

For me this is gonna be setup as a 25 yard gun. This is bear defense only for me. Well a little bit of fun too. :)

It took a lot of file work to bring my rear sight down. I think I am about spot on now. Next time out I will get it dialed in a little more.

For now I am looking into the sharp loading ramp and heavy trigger.

All in all a fun gun and should be perfect for woods defense.
 
Mine just arrived tonight this rifle is awsome i am going to have the best plinker around... in 44 mag... yay, thank you to Gary from Wantsall a man who keep is promess... JP.
 
I don't have a trigger weight scale so I did a little redneck trigger pull measuring. :D

Best I can figure I have about a 4 pound trigger on mine.

Actually better than I expected.

So I will likely leave my trigger alone for now.
 
I am curious if Steve's Safety replacement rear sight will be POA to POI on the ranch hand. http://store.stevesgunz.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=19_20_27&products_id=5

For me this is gonna be setup as a 25 yard gun. This is bear defense only for me. Well a little bit of fun too. :)

It took a lot of file work to bring my rear sight down. I think I am about spot on now. Next time out I will get it dialed in a little more.

For now I am looking into the sharp loading ramp and heavy trigger.

All in all a fun gun and should be perfect for woods defense.

Most peep sights I've used have needed a slightly taller front sight and that is with a front sight that actually works with the stock rear!

Just picked mine up :) no time for shooting yet, but some first impressions:

It's no where near as smooth as my other rossi. It may break in nicely but i think it may need a little 'touch up' a'la steve's vids.

The trigger on mine isn't that bad at all. I was expecting it to be a little heavier after some of the posts. It's not match, but it's pretty crisp and not that heavy.

If you hold it like a pistol and cycle the action you're going to get hit in the forehead with a shell casing (or snap cap as the case may be.) and look pretty silly. :D

It's lighter and more comfortable to hold than my henry 22.

I love it - i'm betting once it's a little customized it'll be a hell of a lot of fun to shoot.

Lighter then your .22 mare's leg?

Mine cycles very smoothly I have another rossi that is not so smooth mostly due to the ejector spring.
 
Lighter then your .22 mare's leg?

Hard to say - don't have any 22 snaps to do a side by side right now. It's certainly got a lot less slack and creep. But probably not a BIG difference as to how much pressure right when the hammer drops.

Mine cycles very smoothly I have another rossi that is not so smooth mostly due to the ejector spring.

My other rossi cycles like a dream. THis one i think the loading ramp is maybe rubbing a hair on the side or something - it's just not quite as smooth. It's not BAD at all, just not as slick as the other one. Nothing a little slap and tickle can't fix i suspect. It's not the spring tho, it's doing it dry. It's actually a little better with the snaps in.
 
I tried to take mine apart tonight, planning to refinish the wood, broke the head of a screw, split it right in two. Just a heads up to anyone planning to refinish their stocks.

Don't suppose anyone has ordered the holster? I am curious how the gun will ride in it. I am right handed but carry my knife and misc gear on my right side, so I think a left handed holster would work well, draw the gun with my left, slide the left hand along the gun while the right hand takes to the lever and trigger. Just curious how the holster carries.
 
I tried to take mine apart tonight, planning to refinish the wood, broke the head of a screw, split it right in two. Just a heads up to anyone planning to refinish their stocks.

Don't suppose anyone has ordered the holster? I am curious how the gun will ride in it. I am right handed but carry my knife and misc gear on my right side, so I think a left handed holster would work well, draw the gun with my left, slide the left hand along the gun while the right hand takes to the lever and trigger. Just curious how the holster carries.

if nobody else got one (doubtful) I will let you know when I get it, hopefully that will be tomorrow but who knows with Canada post.

I will be using my rifle in the bush with the holster while having a lot of other equipment on me, so I will post what I personally think of it.

Hope you guys are enjoying your mares legs! I am Jealous!

J
 
Hard to say - don't have any 22 snaps to do a side by side right now. It's certainly got a lot less slack and creep. But probably not a BIG difference as to how much pressure right when the hammer drops.



My other rossi cycles like a dream. THis one i think the loading ramp is maybe rubbing a hair on the side or something - it's just not quite as smooth. It's not BAD at all, just not as slick as the other one. Nothing a little slap and tickle can't fix i suspect. It's not the spring tho, it's doing it dry. It's actually a little better with the snaps in.


I was more curious about the actual weight of the gun not the trigger and if you were comparing it to a Henry Mares leg .22 when you said that the rossi was lighter and handled better.....

I'm pretty sure the ejector spring can effect the cycling whether it's loaded or not but it's been a while since I watched Steve's DVD.....:)
 
I was more curious about the actual weight of the gun
ahh :)

The henry is noticably heavier than the rossi. And because it's lever is a little away from the handle on the henry it's less comfortable to hold.
I'm pretty sure the ejector spring can effect the cycling whether it's loaded or not but it's been a while since I watched Steve's DVD.....

Well you may be right but a little of steve's recommended parts and 'treatment' and i'm sure it'll cycle like a dream. The other rossi is silk.
 
Well I heard back from Steve Young and he told me that his tallest fire sight for a round barrel is .5 which should help but might still be too low for an XS peep....Looking at pictures of the safety button peeps that he sells I think that one might be the best option for a low sight line and should work well as long as your windage is pretty centered to begin with.... He also reminded me that XS will send me a taller front sight if the one that comes with the peep doesn't work!
Here are a few more pictures of things I've done or noticed on my Ranchhand.
In order to drop the bead down into the low rear sight I found the heel of my hand was rubbing uncomfortably on the rear stock so I decided to custom shape it last night while watching some TV, feels much better now and I will test fire it and maybe take off a bit more material but it's definately a huge improvement even thought not much wood was removed! Once I'm sure I like it I will contour the other side to match the shape.
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Some other things I noticed is that my lever is rubbing on the trigger during the cocking stroke which is causing a bit of wear, stress and friction... I just need to file a bit off the back of the lever to let it clear.
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The serrations on my hammer are a bit weak due to the hammer being a bit overshaped at the factory not that big of a deal but the missing serrations are exactly where a right handed person would need them most when dropping or cocking the hammer in slippery conditions.....I will file some more if I can find a fine needle file in my shop.
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I don't have a picture but the rear stock bolt but it's sticking out past the lower tang just shy of the lever in the closed position....the countersunk hole in the upper tang is letting the bolt head drop a bit deep and the bolt is a bit long. Easy to shorten.

While I'm quite happy so far with the Ranchhand I do find some similarities between Rossi and Norinco when it comes to quality control and fit and finish. Since these guns sell for less then $500 down South it would be nice if we see some decreased costs in the next shipment to bring the price more in line with the cost of production.

Actually the best would be if we could get them Imported directly into Canada and get Canadian versions of the Ranch hand with no bolt safety, regulated sights and an extra full stock in the box! :dancingbanana:
 
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