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Author Topic: What can you tell me about a Ross?  (Read 931 times)

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Offline shotgunner

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What can you tell me about a Ross?
« on: January 29, 2009, 02:03:33 PM »
I am going to be selling some guns for a friend. One is a military Ross, straight pull rifle. It has an odd Marbles tang sight and I was wondering if it was original. I am guessing it is a 303. It will end up on GunBroker with a lot of pictures. It is a very interesting piece. Any info would be a help. Shotgunner
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Offline 45-70.gov

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Re: What can you tell me about a Ross?
« Reply #1 on: January 29, 2009, 02:10:26 PM »
i  have heard  the bolts blow back some times  killing the shooter

i  am afraid to shoot mine....get a disclaimer

i  am not sure  about the truth to that rumor
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Offline DonT

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Re: What can you tell me about a Ross?
« Reply #2 on: February 03, 2009, 06:03:24 AM »
If memory serves me correctly, and it doesn't always do that, there was an article a few months back in the American Rifleman (November 2008 I beleive).  From what I remember it sounds like the biggest issue with them being unsafe was that you could put the bolt back together 180 Degrees off and then it would not properly lock up but would still appear to be functioning correctly.  This would allow the bolt to be propelled rearward out of the weapon when it was fired.  The othe issue is that they did not have enough clearance between the bolt and the action so when used in the trenches a very small amout of dirt (which was not in short supply) would cause these rifles to become inoperable because the bolts would jam and need to be pounded open and closed.  Again not a postive thing in the heat of battle.

I guess if you are not totally familar with the weapon, how it functions and whether or not it is properly assembled I would error on the side of safety and not fire the rifle.

DonT
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Offline BBF

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Re: What can you tell me about a Ross?
« Reply #3 on: February 03, 2009, 06:55:16 AM »
That rifle can be dangerous in front as well as in the rear of the muzzle. Assemble the bolt wrong and you will find out.
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Offline Cottage Hill Bill

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Re: What can you tell me about a Ross?
« Reply #4 on: February 04, 2009, 07:25:30 AM »
Ok, here we go with the great Ross myth again. Only one model, the M-10 or MkIII, (those are the civilian and military model numbers respectively) was capable of the bolt being installed incorrectly and thus being dangerous.

There is a huge variation in models and prices. If your Ross is a sporterized military rifle it will fall in the $100-$200 range. A military rifle in complete original configuration can be in the $800-$1200 range. One of the rarer civilian models could be worth even more. Bore condition, finish, condition of woodwork all have a bearing on the price. It's sort of like saying "I've got this car for sale, it's got four tires and an air conditioner. What's it worth?"

I would suggest looking on the canadiangunnutz.com forums under milsurps and do a search on Ross. There are several very informative threads there. Someone who regularly visits there posts under the name Rossguy. He is probably the foremost Ross collector in North America, is very willing to share info and knowledge and is a great guy to deal with.

If it's military it's in .303. If it's civilian it could be 280 Ross, a hard cartridge to get, or any of several other chamberings which were offered.

If you email me I'll be glad to help you figure out which one you've got.

45-70, If you're afraid of yours, send me some pictures and I might be interested in giving it a new home.


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Offline shotgunner

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Re: What can you tell me about a Ross?
« Reply #5 on: February 06, 2009, 12:44:04 AM »
Bill

Thanks for the reply. This looks to be a military rifle that is pretty much in original condition. There is a Marbles receiver sight that I assume was added. They all look like they are missing a hand guard, and at first I thought that this one was missing it. I see that it is designed that way. I am going to clean it up, take several good photographs, and list it on GunBroker. I will check the site you mentioned. Shotgunner
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Offline rmark

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Re: What can you tell me about a Ross?
« Reply #6 on: March 28, 2009, 05:02:03 AM »
It's been a while since I owned  Ross -

The 1905 models (mk. II) in .303 are not a problem. In the 1910 models (mkIII), military in .303 and commercial in .280, the bolt design was changed, making is possible to reassemle them in such a way that the bolt closes but does not lock.

There was also a story about one that was assembled correctly but failed while being used for load development at an ammunition company in the 1930's - at which time the company decided not to sell ammo in .280 Ross.
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Offline Maritime Storm

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Re: What can you tell me about a Ross?
« Reply #7 on: May 20, 2009, 01:23:23 PM »
What no one has bothered to tell you though is that they are an extremely accurate rifle, that many of our snipers used well into the later part of 1900's because of the accuracy and quick cycling. The issue with them, like the Steyr-Mannlicher is designed off of, was that they don't like dirt. Up here they are still called a three-shot Ross by veterans who served in the trenches. Mid-way through WWI, we were able to convince the British to allow us to use the SMLE and replace the Ross for most of it's duties.
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