Letters HO indicates year and month. H=2014, O=March.

The first number (5) indicates "Plant 5" of Taurus complex (former Rossi plant, now deactivated and demolished last year).

 

ET is likely your best bet. He's usually on every few days, so hopefully he will have some good information for you.

 

It was a slow and progressive transfering process. Today, Taurus, CBC/Magtech, Rossi, Czech Sellier & Bellot and German MEN belongs all to the same group.

For some years, Rossi R92 was made in two different plants because the machinery was only partially transfered (crossing four States).

Brazil is poor in railroads. Heavy machinery must be transported by trucks, that are more expensive and has lower payload.

Another possible reason to keep to palnts working at half of its capacity its the tributary difference between Brazilian states. Many companies realizes interstate maneuvers to pay less tributes. If the taxes increases in one state, the production is restarted in other where the taxes are lower.

Car rent companies are the most known example. Vehicle registration taxes are very different between states. These companies acts nationwide, but register all vehicles in a single state where the license and registration vehicle taxes are lower.

 

The Plant 5, in São Leopoldo city, was demolished one or two years ago. I posted a link to YouTube vídeo showing the demolition.

 

Any idea if all 92 production moved to plant 7 now? #5 was where a lot of older ones were made while my 2009 was at #7, and suprised to see #5 at this late date and after 2000 retool and 2009 CBC buying Rossi/Braztech and Taurus in 2015.

 

yes, that I knew, but was suprised to see you talking about the date query with a 2014 DOM for plant 5 when I have a 2009 gun made at plant 7 meaning they had several plants making same gun, and that year 2000 retool to CNC machines must have been mighty expensive for two or more plants, and also begs the question of just how many plants do they have making 92s anyhow? I would have thought one plant would have been sufficient for demand...

 

Thanks, Erick, for the insight on the complexity of the transfer.
Would you happen to know if the R92 switching to poorly angled hollow-backed MIM cartridge guides happened in the 2000 retool? The main culprit of feed problems in the R92 seems to be too steep ramping of rim slots in the cartridge guides binding the rims as bolt pushes forward, binding magnified by too-strong ejector spring. The spring can be swapped, but only so much can be done about rounding forward corners of rim slots or reducing their angles without risk of too much thinning of hollow-backed guide rim slots. If older ones were solid, even if cast, those could be reshaped to feed slick as anything ever made.