Shootin' my new Rossi 44 mag lever gun

For Christmas I was able to get a Rossi 44 mag 20" levergun. Knowing that it would take some work out of the box I purchased a few items that would make it the shooter I wanted. If you would like to skip the details, then have a quick look at a video of me shooting it today at a 10" steel plate at about 25 yards. I was shooting 240 grain LSWC from MBC on top of 9 grains of power pistol. It's a mid-range load, but does have some pretty good whop to it as it will knock over my steel target and stand that weigh about 30#. Rested, I did about 5" groups at 50 yards. Certainly nothing to write home about but I'll blame getting used to the ghost ring sights as I've never tried them before this gun.

As to the specifics, I purchased several items from Steve's Guns that included his video, the skinner ghost ring sight, the metal follower, the new extractor spring and the blank that fills in the gap created when removing the original sights. The video was very instumental in taking apart the gun and more importantly putting it back together. The skinner sight was a very nice addition and could be installed without disassembly. Driving out the old sight took some effort, but the plug that fills the gap sat very proud and in my opinion looked weird so it got left off. The extractor spring did lighten the effort to chamber a round substantially, but did have the effect of causing spent cartridges to be thrown on top of your head, or thereabouts. I did install a leather recoil pad from Cabellas, to good effect. It lengthens the gun as well as eats up recoil so that even my wife and kids thoroughly enjoyed shooting it. I also refinished the stock as the finish that came with the gun was sprayed on and a very thin, orange-ish color and had a tendency to wipe off on your hands. I went with the tru-oil system and did try the armour all trick. I'm not sure it helped, as I'm a super newbie at staining and finishing stocks.

So here's the pics. First is the gun out of the box, second is with wood stripped, and third is finished product. It's been quite a learning experience, and I can say I've thoroughly enjoyed it. My gunsmithing skills have been improved by this experience, that's for sure! If anyone has a Rossi or is thinking about getting one, I'd be happy to try answering any questions.