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Posted: 3/12/2014 8:47:20 AM EDT
I know that the Prophet John Moses Browning didn't include an ugly external safety when he delivered the 1892 to the hands of us mortals, so I'll replace the Rossi's safety with the plug from Steve's Gunz.  I have a pair of questions after that, though:

1) Does the Rossi have some sort of internal safety, like a transfer bar or a firing pin block?
2) What is the proper way to carry the R92 (for hog hunting, or next to the bed, etc)?  Is it hammer down on a chambered round, or an empty chamber with a full magazine tube?

Thanks guys!  I know these are simple question, but as it's safety related I'd like to be positive that I'm doing it properly.
Link Posted: 3/12/2014 10:31:57 AM EDT
[#1]
Rossis have a 1/2 cock set on the hammer to keep it from riding on the firing pin just the way Winchester designed them back in 1892.
Link Posted: 3/12/2014 10:57:22 AM EDT
[#2]
Perfect, thank you!
Link Posted: 3/14/2014 12:02:02 PM EDT
[#3]
Hog hunting, you might want to keep it chambered on half-cock. We don't have them here, but I understand hog hunting is close and fast and they are very alert.



By the bed, magazine loaded and empty chamber is fine -for most people - they are really fast to get into action.
Link Posted: 3/16/2014 1:52:41 PM EDT
[#4]
It's a little more complicated than that.

First, in about 1940  my dad managed to shoot himself with a Model 92 carried with the hammer in the half cock position.   He was on a tractor and the carbine slipped off and on the way down the hammer struck a something on the way down.  It sheared the quarter cock notch and fired the round, hitting him just under the rib cage on his left side and exiting through the upper shoulder.   Even with a sucking chest wound he walked a mile and a half back home, and then it took another hour or so to get him to a doctor.  

That has had an impact on how I choose to carry various weapons.

With the Model 92, a firing pin safety like the bolt mounted "pigtail" safety used by Rossi would have prevented that accident - provided it did not get bumped, jiggled or vibrated off of the "safe" position.    I noted within a few days of buying my first Rossi 92 with a pigtail safety that it was very prone to getting moved off of "safe".  Consequently, while it might seem counter intuitive given my dad's experience, I removed the pig tail safety on my Rossi.    

My opinion on any safety device is that if you can't rely on it, you're far better off without it.  The reasoning here is pretty simple.  If you know a gun is loaded, ready to fire and not on safe, you're far more likely to treat it with a great deal more caution and respect.  In that regard thinking a gun is on "safe" can breed complacency and result in an accident like my dad's.

What I also did however was add a tang sight.  I put them on my lever guns anyway as it's a faster and more precise sighting system that is more amenable a  wide range of light conditions, but given that it stands up behind the hammer and only pivots forward about 30 degrees or so under an impact, it also will protect the hammer from the kind of impact that resulted in my dad shooting himself.

Shown below is a Rossi 92 with the hammer at quarter cock. with the hammer upright and knocked forward as far as it will go.  In order to strike the hammer, the rifle would have to fall and strike an object within a much narrower arc and strike with much more force given the horizontal and vertical vectors involved, or it would have to strike the sight hard enough to break it, which would most likely deflect the rifle.  It's not perfect, but it does reduce some of the risk of dropping a rifle carried on the quarter cock notch.  




The moral of the story here though is to never rely on a safety system but rather always assume a weapon is cocked and unlocked on a loaded chamber and follow the four basic rules of gun safety:

1. All guns are always loaded
2. Never point the gun at anything you don't want to kill or destroy
3. Keep your finger (and everything else) off the trigger until the sights are on target.
4. Be sure of your target and what lies beyond it.  

-----

When hunting, you'll want to reduce the rather loud click you get with a Model 92 when moving the hammer to full cock.  You can do that by putting your thumb securely over the hammer and easing it off the quarter cock notch, then while still controlling the hammer, pull the trigger to the rear and hold it there until the hammer is all the way back, then release the trigger and ease the hammer down onto the sear.  Done properly you can move it to full cock with virtually no sound at all.

Obviously, since you are pulling the trigger during this operation, you'll want to ensure you're still following the four rules outlined above.



Link Posted: 3/17/2014 6:42:41 AM EDT
[#5]
I have not had any problems using half cock but i do have scars to rimind me Never put a hammer down on a live round if you have a weak primer and or strong spring it will go off
Link Posted: 3/17/2014 7:45:33 AM EDT
[#6]
Thanks for all of the information, especially DakotaFAL's long writeup!  It didn't even occur to me that you could strike the hammer hard enough to break the half-cock notch and fire the round.  I like your site idea; I will add it to the list of accessories I should consider for the rifle.

I've read in multiple reviews that the safety is unreliable, so I'm planning to replace it with the Steve's Gunz part.  A mechanical safety is no substitute for the four safety laws, and an unreliable safety seems like the worst of all possible options.  The four safety laws must be followed no matter what, and a mechanical safety doesn't magically excuse you from following them!  That said, I'd like to make sure I use the 92 the way it was designed.
Link Posted: 3/19/2014 7:17:15 PM EDT
[#7]
Totally agree with Dakota's comments on the safety. I've noticed the same tendency for the safety to move positions. Most likely getting bumped or pushed during handling as it won't move off safe by itself. None the less it will be getting replaced with a plug and go with old school safety.

Thanks for the tip on side benefit of the tang safety.
Link Posted: 3/19/2014 10:29:25 PM EDT
[#8]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Rossis have a 1/2 cock set on the hammer to keep it from riding on the firing pin just the way John Moses Browning  designed them back in 1892.
View Quote
There, fixed that for ya...

I also occasionally use the ½ cock, (sometimes called the loading notch), when still or stand hunting and the gun remains in my hand.  But the truck or house guns have an empty chamber and full magazines.  In the house, I prefer the large motor skill of racking the lever vs the small or fine motor skill of finding the hammer and bringing it quickly to full cock.  I'm not overly concerned about noise in the house or when grabbin' it outta the truck.
Link Posted: 3/24/2014 7:34:29 AM EDT
[#9]

Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:



There, fixed that for ya...



I also occasionally use the ½ cock, (sometimes called the loading notch), when still or stand hunting and the gun remains in my hand.  But the truck or house guns have an empty chamber and full magazines.  In the house, I prefer the large motor skill of racking the lever vs the small or fine motor skill of finding the hammer and bringing it quickly to full cock.  I'm not overly concerned about noise in the house or when grabbin' it outta the truck.
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:



Quoted:

Rossis have a 1/2 cock set on the hammer to keep it from riding on the firing pin just the way John Moses Browning  designed them back in 1892.
There, fixed that for ya...



I also occasionally use the ½ cock, (sometimes called the loading notch), when still or stand hunting and the gun remains in my hand.  But the truck or house guns have an empty chamber and full magazines.  In the house, I prefer the large motor skill of racking the lever vs the small or fine motor skill of finding the hammer and bringing it quickly to full cock.  I'm not overly concerned about noise in the house or when grabbin' it outta the truck.


Thanks for the fix.



I agree that a full mag and an empty chamber are the way to store them, however, when hunting I use the chamber loaded with the ½ cock as racking the action is a bit too loud to keep the game unaware of it's imminent demise.



 
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