Rossi 62 sa won't chamber a round

[Soclosenotnear]

I have owned this rifle for about a year. I took it to the range today for the first time, and was disappointed to find it wouldn't chamber a round. The action seems to be functioning correctly. I was using Winchester .22lr out of a 555 brick.

I have owned one of these pump .22s in the past and remember having to hold it at a certain angle to get the next round to line up correctly. So I went to the range expecting this gun to be finicky. But it could not push the round all the way in the chamber so the action couldn't close properly.

Thoughts?

 

[Wyosmith]

Is it chambered in 22 Short?

 

[Targa]

I am not familiar with that particular rifle but I have a Rossi and the cartridge guide screw had backed out leaving one of the cartridge guides useless, check the upper left and right portion on the rails of the receiver before the round enters the chambers and make sure that they are both seated and not loose or missing. Just a thought.

 

[FrankenMauser]

Many of the Rossi 62s have gone through my family. Most were complete crap.

But...
I have a 62SAC that has been essentially flawless since new ('80s), and I have a brother that owns a 62SA ('80s, a few years later) that was a headache for many years -- until we did some work on it and replaced the extractor and trigger with parts for a Winchester 62A. (And there have been plenty of the original Winchesters in my family, as well.)


The only way to get to the bottom of the issue is for someone with experience to get their hands and eyes on the rifle.


My own experience tells me that it is probably either:
A problem with the geometry of the trigger, hammer, or cartridge elevator [they all interact to control the elevator], and the elevator is not being lifted far enough for the rim of the cartridge to be caught by the bolt (extractor).
Or, the extractor is not catching the rim properly and is skipping right over it. (I've seen this on two other [brand new] Rossi 62SAs.)


Since extractors with HORRIBLE geometry are very common in these rifles, I'd say it's probably an extractor issue. If you have the knowledge, skill, and means to do it yourself, fit a Winchester 62A extractor (get a new one from Wisners - part #3162A).
If you don't have all of the above, have a gunsmith fit the same extractor. I cannot guarantee that it will fix the problem, but it is my first bet, based on the limited information I have been presented on an internet forum.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

It sounds like the gun has been shot with .22 shorts. They leave a ring of residue in the chamber that can keep long rifles from entering the chamber properly.
A good cleaning with a chamber brush is in order.

 

[Soclosenotnear]

Bill deshivs, I think you were probably right. I must not have ran a brush down the bore when I bought it. I cleaned it pretty well and now it seems to be feeding and ejecting every time. It could still be smoother. One day soon, I'll look up a complete tear down, and give it the full run through. Thanks.

 

[Crankylove]

It could still be smoother.

Shoot it, a lot. It will get smoother.

I have the Rossi 62SA Frankenmauser referred to, and while it did have some teething problems, for a couple of decades (mostly due to an amature gunsmith who "knew what he was doing"), they are great little guns. Underrated, in my opinion, because they carry the Rossi name.