Rossi Enters ML Market With .50-Caliber In-line

by John C. Krull
Gun Week Production Manger

It's Memorial Day 2003 as this is being written. I just got back from a motorcycle run that originated just south of Buffalo, NY, for a ride to Sprague Park, which is in lower Erie County, NY. It was a great way to spend the morning, honoring those who have fallen while fighting for their country so that we may be free. Five hundred local bikers showed up at the Chicken Coop for the ride to the Vietnam Memorial in the park. There were over 3,000 flags lining the road into the park, skydivers, lots of Harleys, some rice-burners and several good speakers. Tom Reynolds, a local Vietnam vet, gave a speech and read a poem that he had authored. There were a lot of wet eyes. I hope that you all in your own way were able to remember our veterans.

But, now to the point: Gun Week's annual Muzzleloading Issue goes to press on May 28 and this article is long overdue-and I don't want to disappoint our editor. At first I wasn't sure if I would have an article in this year's issue because just a couple of week's ago I didn't have a new front-stuffing gun to test fire and evaluate. But, just a few weeks ago, Joe Tartaro told me that Rossi had a new muzzleloading rifle that would be available for someone to test for an article. I quickly made some phone calls and the new Rossi arrived as promised.

BrazTech International LC (16175 NW 49th Ave., Dept. GWK, Miami, FL 33014; phone: 305-474-0401; on-line: www.rossi-usa.com) is the exclusive importer of Amadeo Rossi firearms, which are manufactured in Brazil. Rossi has been supplying Americans with dependable revolvers, centerfire single-shot rifles and shotguns for many years. But, from having visited their website, this new muzzleloader appears to be their first foray into the in-line blackpowder firearms market. The rifle is available in two configurations. Both are .50-caliber, have 23-inch barrels, weigh 6.5 pounds, and have an overall length of 38 inches. Also, both have fully adjustable TruGlo® sights, which I found to be the gun's second best feature. The difference between the two models on their website would be a choice of either a matte blue finish (Model S50BM) with a wooden stock for a suggested retail of $166 or a matte stainless finish with wooden stock (S50SM) that retails for $202. Both have sling swivels front and rear.

Both guns do have a rubber recoil pad which helps absorb the recoil and both come with a collapsible ramrod. The ramrod is stored under the barrel just like with any muzzleloader but is different because it is collapsible. When it is collapsed it measures just 15 inches in length. To get it to its full length you must unscrew the knurled knob on the end until it releases, extend it and continue to turn it to the left until it stops at an extended length of 23 inches. It is made of brass with a wooden handle and is actually quite pretty. I don't think I have ever used that word in describing a ramrod before.

The muzzleloading rifle is also available in what Rossi is calling their Muzzleloading Matched Set or in Matched Pairs. The matched set includes the .50-caliber in-line barrel along with two additional barrels. One barrel is chambered for .270 Winchester Short Magnum (WSM) caliber and the other comes in the new .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire (HMR). Suggested retail for the three-barrel matched set is $350.

Two Matched Pair packages both include the new in-line muzzleloader, but with a choice of 20-gauge shotgun ($209 total retail) or .243 Winchester centerfire rifle barrel ($252 total retail).

The extra barrels in the matched set and matched pairs are fitted and mated for the in-line in the individual package. If you choose to buy the in-line muzzleloader by itself, it is anticipated that you will be able to purchase the extra shotgun or centerfire barrel separately starting this Fall, but this will require factory-mating of the extra barrel to the in-line's action.

On the front of the box the test gun arrived in there is an orange sticker that says "Notice to Retailers. The enclosed product has a receiver that can be fitted with a centerfire cartridge barrel. Therefore, it is a FIREARM. ALL regulations governing the sale of firearms must be followed including, but not limited to, use of form 4473."

Range Work
I got to the range for test firing last weekend. The day was beautiful and just right for shooting.

We started out at the 25-yard line just to get on paper. The first few shots were putting us on paper nicely so we quickly changed to 50 yards. We swabbed out the barrel after every three shots. Blackpowder and substitutes and the primers both cause the barrel to foul quickly. Also any blackpowder gun has the need for a much better cleaning session at home after the day of shooting to get all the crude off the gun.

At the 50-yard line we started with two 50-grain pellets of Hodgdon (6231 Robinson, PO Box 2932, Dept. GWK, Shawnee, MS 66201; phone: 913-362-9455; on-line: www.hodgdon.com) Pyrodex. We were grouping well, with groups about 1° inches and just a little low and left. When we did some shooting with three 50-grain pellets the results were just about the same. You'll have to decide for yourself which load you like better. The manual says that the gun is designed to utilize Only Pyrodex 50-grain pellets and recommends the use of only two pellets with a maximum load of three. Additionally, the manual says that any other blackpowder substitute is dangerous, so we confined all our shooting to the Pyrodex pellets only.

Number 209 shotgun primers were used for ignition. We ended up using a Sebertool pliers to remove the expended primer with little difficulty, but couldn't really do it with our fingernails alone. You might want to take a similar tool to the range with you.

Sabots
Also Barnes 250- and 300-grain solid copper hollowpoint sabot projectiles are recommended by Rossi as the type of projectile you should use. Well, we didn't have any of those, and didn't have any time to get any, so we ended up using a couple of different kinds of .50-caliber sabots from Thompson/Center Co.(PO Box 5002, Dept. GWK, Rochester, NH 03867; phone: 603-332-2394; on-line: www.tcarms.com). They worked without a flaw and printed well on the targets.

With successful results at 50 yards we moved the target out to the 100-yard line. At 54 I guess my eyes aren't as good as they were in years past. In the last few years I've gone more and more to shooting centerfire, rimfire and blackpowder guns with scopes on them. Just because I wouldn't take a shot at 100 yards without a scope doesn't mean that you aren't capable of doing so. The Rossi in-line still grouped at 100 yards and the shots would have still been in the kill zone but opened up to around 6 inches. I believe that the gun is capable of better groups than that for another shooter. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't disappointed with my groups just not used to them being so big after getting used to scoped guns.

Safety and Cleaning
The Rossi in-line does have a safety on the right-hand side and can be easily put into the fire position with your thumb so long as you are a right-handed shooter. The external hammer must also be manually cocked to fire. The safety blocks the hammer from hitting the transfer bar, preventing firing, but remember: any safety is a mechanical device and can fail. To the right of the hammer is the break action release. It works quite smoothly. If the safety is hard to manipulate or if it is hard to do anything else with a gun, chances are you are probably doing something wrong. Check it out in the manual anytime you encounter such a problem.

This Rossi is a very easy gun to shoot, clean, takedown, and to maintain. A breech plug wrench is supplied for just that purpose: removing the breech plug. This is the only tool needed for takedown. To remove the barrel from the action all you have to do is unscrew the forward sling swivel and pull the forearm down and forward from the barrel and receiver assembly. The barrel then comes right off. If you happen to have the Matched Set, at this point you could now install one of your other barrels. Being able to remove the breech plug for cleaning and for unloading without firing was the feature that I liked best on this gun.

All in all this was one very fine gun for target-shooting or hunting. It is easy to use, accurate out of the box and, with care, should last you many years.

While at the range I had a friend with me, Pam. She is very new to shooting and totally unfamiliar with muzzleloaders. Her comments were: "It's too dirty, too loud, with too much kick. It's not a girl's gun." She's probably right about the too much kick for her, being that she is a petite 4 foot 11 inches. I'll keep at her and eventually she'll come around. She's getting used to the handguns.

Remember when contacting any of the companies mentioned in this article be sure to tell them that John at Gun Week sent you.