Gun Digest
 

Gun Review: The Rossi Wizard

Considering the price of barrels versus the price of a rifle in another caliber, the Rossi Wizard is a great choice for a shooter that wants to shoot a variety of calibers on a budget.
Considering the price of barrels versus the price of a rifle in another caliber, the Rossi Wizard is a great choice for a shooter that wants to shoot a variety of calibers on a budget.

Gun review of the versatile Rossi Wizard, a unique multi-gun you can change from .22LR to .243 to .50 caliber muzzleloader!

Rossi’s transformer of a firearm known as the Wizard is one gun with many barrels. Overall I liked the little gun outfitted with the .22LR barrel. The Wizard was plenty accurate enough to justify carrying her into the September squirrel woods. And when you consider you get three guns (.243, .22 and .50 caliber) versus just one, all for under $500 – well, that tends to make an attractive offer even more attractive.

Originating in Brazil, Rossi firearms – at least the long guns – are imported into the United States by Braztech International, LC, headquartered in Miami, Florida. In her purest form, the Wizard is a single-shot hammer gun and she doesn’t get much more complicated than that.

How It Works

Beginning with the receiver, Rossi’s Xchange-a-Barrel break-action is opened via a thumb release to the right of and slightly behind the hammer. Press down, the barrel hinges open, simple as that. Interestingly enough, the little gun features not one or two, but three safety mechanisms – a traditional transfer bar safety; a manual toggle-esque S/F safety on the port side of the receiver, which prevents the hammer from reaching the transfer bar; and Rossi’s – or Taurus’, actually – keyed security system.

Locking the system, in the case of the Wizard, prevents the hammer from being fully cocked. Speaking of the hammer, the MZL does come complete with a hammer spur that is very necessary for those, such as myself, who would immediately mount optics.

The .50 caliber MZL barrel features a 1:24 twist, measures 23 inches and is drilled and tapped for a Weaver style base. It comes equipped with fiber optics sights, front and rear. A single thimble secures the ramrod to the underside of the barrel; the remainder of the rod is housed inside the forearm.

The ramrod itself is brass, with a wooden (3-3/8 inch by 3/8 inch) 8-groove handle, and measures just 15-1/2 inches long, but does telescope to a full 23-1/8 inches. The barrel exchange process is as simple as is the gun itself: unscrew the front (forearm) sling swivel, remove the forearm, break the action, and lift the barrel away from the frame.

The Wizard’s stock might best be described as a high Monte Carlo style, with no checkering on the pistol grip and only a black plastic ROSSI-emblazoned cap on the grip.

The stock attachment screw, a metric hex bolt, is located underneath the pistol cap; not in an inline configuration accessed by removing the recoil pad as is typical. The one-inch ventilated rubber recoil pad is substantial, and separated from the buttstock by a wafer-thin white spacer.

Variety is the spice of life, and that’s particularly true with the Wizard. In addition to the .50 caliber muzzloader barrel, the company also offers a .45 caliber barrel. Along with the black powder options, Rossi also makes available three rimfire barrels (.22LR, .22WMR, and .17HMR); 10 centerfire barrels ranging from .223 to .45-70; and shotgun tubes including 12-gauge (rifled and smoothbore), 20-gauge, and .410 caliber. Several different aesthetic variations will be available such as such as black synthetic, traditional wood and blued, and camouflage.

Field Tested

I was impressed with the performance and functionality of Rossi’s .22LR, so the proverbial bar had been set relatively high before the .50 caliber ever got out of the house and onto the range. Perhaps not surprising, I wasn’t disappointed with her performance.

Although typically a pelletized powder kind of guy, I decided to test the Wizard with both pellets and granulated powder, basically out of curiosity. Pyrodex products got the nod here; I’ve had nothing but good fortune with the company’s RS granular material and 50-grain pellets over the past decade or so.

For bullets, I chose a variety – 295-grain PowerBelt AeroTips (AT) and Hollow Points (HP); 290-grain Barnes Spit-Fire TMZ (TMZ); PowerBelt AeroLites in a 300-grain format; and 300-grain Knight Red Hot bullets using the High Pressure (black) sabot. Like the powders, I’ve used all of these projectiles over the years, and all with good success both on the range and in the field. Ignition was supplied by Remington’s Kleanbore 209 muzzleloader primers, and the barrel was swabbed clean between shots.

Mechanically, I experienced absolutely no problems throughout the course of the 50-shot run at the bench. Ignition was immediate and reliable and recoil was noticeable, though tamed somewhat thanks to Caldwell’s Lead Sled and a PAST shoulder pad. In terms of downrange performance, it was the 295-grain ATs that won out, printing 2- to 2-1/2-inch three-shot groups at 50 yards; however, I’ve never been extremely impressed with the ATs’ on-target performance in the field on whitetails.

The Red Hots, though a close second with their consistent 2-1/2-inch clusters, provide, it’s been my experience, extraordinary knockdown power on deer-sized creatures – and based on those observations will be what we’re stuffing down the Wizard’s gullet come December. Post-range cleanup was minimal, quick, and easy; pull the plug, scrub the bore, take a toothbrush to the plug, lube, install, wipe, and it’s over.

What didn’t I like about the Wizard .50 muzzleloader? At almost 9-1/2 pounds, she’s a heavy little thing, and quite barrel heavy and unbalanced. The telescoping ramrod, though understandable in this particular situation, does, at least for me, take some getting used to. Afield, my thoughts are to either pack a lightweight 25-inch fiberglass rod with me, or telescope the OEM rod and lay it alongside my pack – just in case I need to reload the Wizard with the quickness.

And I think the transfer bar and manual safeties are a bit of an overkill; in fact, I found the left-side manual switch to be rather inconveniently located for a right-hander, not to mention tremendously noisy when allowed to fall forward by itself. That said, a little practice with manual safety can help overcome both inconvenience and noise. Price? Online, I found the Wizard Matched Set, which includes wood-stocked .243Win, .50 caliber MZL, and 28-inch 12-gauge barrels for – ready?—only $325 (hinterlandoutdoors.com). That, if my math is correct, makes for three very different firearms for just a touch over a C-note each.

Rossi Wizard Specs

Make/model – Rossi Wizard
Caliber – .50 Caliber Muzzleloader
Operating system – Inline; black powder only
Barrel – 23 inches
Overall length – 38-3/4 inches
Weight – 9.4 pounds
Trigger pull – 5.6 pounds
Safety – Transfer bar; Rossi/Taurus key lock; manual SAFE/FIRE safety
Sights – Fully adjustable rear, fiber optic; fixed front bead
Finish, metal – Blued
Wood – Walnut stock/forearm
Recoil pad – One inch ventilated rubber, with white spacer
Accessories – Sling swivels; Weaver style one-piece base
Ramrod – Brass; expandable from 15-1/2 inches 23-1/8

This article appeared in the Gun Digest the Magazine 2013 Shooter’s Guide

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