Feeding Keith SWCs to my Rossi .357

[vanilla_gorilla]

I finally got off the pot and ordered a .357 rifle. Picked up my 24 inch rifle yesterday and I won't get to shoot it until tomorrow, but I've done some serious fooling about the house with it. The gun seems willing to cycle (more or less) the factory .38 loads I own, and the .357 Silvertips (which is good, since I have an ammo can full of those) and even my .38 Specials loaded with my beloved Keith 358429s. Problem comes when I try to load up the same bullet in a .357 case. It's a no-go almost every single time. I even have some short-loaded Keith bullets in .357 brass, which wouldn't feed either. They look to be hanging up the driving band on the top of the chamber. Do I have any options which would allow me to use these rounds?

I must explain: I'm a bit wedded to the 358429 bullet. In fact, I love it. I cast my own and use them for most everything in my .357 pistols. I've shot them out to 400 yards with excellent performance, and I'd really like to be able to use them in my rifle as well.

[J Miller]

v-g,

Yes, but it will take modifying and tuning of the action to feed the longer Keith bullet.
This includes the cartridge guide spacing and sometimes reshaping the guide ramps,
Altering the cartridge stop on the carrier so the longer cartridge has clearance and perhaps the carriers timing too.

It's not really that complicated if you know what you are doing. I only know this from the .45 Colt Rossi I had a few years ago. Once the modifications were done it feed Keith bullets just as good as RN bullets.

92s are length and shape sensitive, to get them to feed the longer Keith bullets in 357 cases might make it so it won't feed 38s. So pick the round you really want to use and stick with it.

Our own Steve Young ~aka~ Nate Kiowa Jones
http://www.stevesgunz.com/
has a wonderful DVD out on how to tune and time the Rossi (and other) 92s. It would behoove you to buy it and study it.

Joe

[vanilla_gorilla]

I managed to hit the public range this morning, but only got my sighting rounds and then 40 chronoed rounds in before the idiots made their appearance. I'll get my chronoing done later, instead of deal with them. The .38 cases with Keith bullets fed perfectly, as expected. I fired the .357s with Keith bullets later, in the hopes that shooting and working the gun a little might help. It fed about half the 10 rounds, as opposed to none like before I shot it. Maybe working it in will do the trick.

On a side note, I really like sending my 175 grain Keiths downrange at 1700 fps and almost zero recoil to show for it. What a hoot.

Edit to add: And, as I'd read, the short .38s like my Gold Dots didn't feed worth a stuff.

[rossim92]

i have the rossi .357 rifle in the 24 inch octagon barrel. It likes pmc, federal and american eagle. .357. But doesn't care too much for the.38's. they like to stand up on the carrier. I.m sending the rifle to knj (kate niowa jones) for an action job. The gun is nice to handle and shoot , just a bit stiff in the action and trigger, and loading of ammo. Nkj will smooth all that out. Have already replaced the plastic mag follower out with a ss one , and replace the safety with a plug. All from nkj store .http://www.stevesgunz.com/,, this is his site.

[retmech]

Both my Rossi 92's feed .357 SWC's,.357 wadcutters(but not .38 WC's) and the Lyman "Kieth" 358429 bullet just fine. I do not crimp the Keith in the crimp groove. Instead it's taper crimped about halfway up on the front drive band so they will feed from the mag tube. That bullet has been my favorite .357 mag bullet since I started casting about 1970. I bought two 4 cavity molds when I started, 358429 and 358495(wadcutter) and I still have the Keith mold. I have no idea how many thousands of those bullets I've sent down range over the years. Great design!