Rossi Transfer Bar?

[charliemopic]

Couple months ago I bought a Rossi model 68 .38Special 5-shot with a 3 inch barrel for the purpose of being our house gun. Turned out the gun had never been fired and came with 350 rounds of different 38Spl that looks like late 80's/early 90's vintage factory ammo including Norma Super-Vel Police, 110gr. Win. SilverTip HP, Western X 158gr.Lubaloy. If the pic comes up the 3 rounds are of the Win. 110grain Silver Tip
For all the total was $175. I have 150 rounds thru it and it shoots real good

Im guessing this is an early 1990's Rossi. It has what looks like an abbreviated transfer bar that looks like it might be there to block the hammer but as shown in the picture (I hope the picture works) the hammer has a conventional striker. What is the function of this of this abbreviated transfer bar?
Is it nickle or stainless?
Thanks

 

[R. W. Simms]

It's a hammer block, not a transfer bar. The block is a bit thicker than the undercut just below the firing pin. When the trigger is fully forward it keeps the hammer back just far enough to prevent the firing pin from contacting the primer. When the trigger is pulled all the way to the rear the hammer block is pulled downward enough so that the hammer can go all the way forward. Watch what it does when you cock the action and then pull the trigger while easing the hammer forward.

-Bob

 

[MCgunner]

It's nickeled. The M88 is the stainless version of the gun. I had a M88 bought in the early 90s, good gun, quite accurate. It was a 2" gun and I sold it to a friend who shoots and carries it now. Didn't need it or use it since I got my M85UL Taurus.

I got this M68 for my step-dad in 1981. It's a 3 inch barrel and is quite accurate. I like this thing enough I put the Pearlite grips on it to dress it on a budget and carry it some afield, though it's not a primary CCW gun, but could be. It's a nice little revolver and since it has some sentimental value, I won't sell it.

You'll notice the rear sight is a blade held in by screws, like yours. My later vintage early 90s M88 had the traditional notch cut in the top strap fixed sighting such as a traditional Smith J frame.

 

[charliemopic]

Thanks for the info.

 

[Jim March]

There's nothing wrong with the hammer-block safety when done correctly. I'm not aware of any issues with Rossi's implementation of it.

BUT you should carefully look at how it works with the gun unloaded and check it at the end of every practice session. If the hammer-block safety breaks, the gun will be converted into a "no safety at all" gun much like an 1873 Colt SAA. With the broken stub of the block likely falling down into the action where it may or may not hang the gun up.

If a transfer bar safety breaks, it turns the gun into a doorstop - it can't fire. That too should really be checked post-practice . Either way, with the gun unloaded and finger off trigger, slowly work the hammer back and forth short of a full cock and you'll see the hammer block or transfer bar move up and down. Takes just a second or two.

Watch muzzle discipline and finger-off-trigger.

Your odds of either one failing are ridiculously low with any medium-quality gun (such as the Rossi) or better.

Hammer-block guns have an interesting advantage over transfer-bar guns: the transfer bar system requires a mainspring about 20% - 25% heavier than on a hammer-block (or "no safety at all") gun. More hammer energy is needed to overcome the transfer mechanism. So the DA trigger on a really good hammer-block gun can't be matched by a transfer-bar gun.

Oh yeah. One more thing. S&W hammer-block guns dating to WW2 or prior are considered a less trustworthy design than post-war hammer-block S&Ws. At a minimum, before carrying one that old a gunsmith should check it out. A case can be made that they shouldn't be street carried or should be carried downloaded by one like an old Colt SAA, although the DA trigger will make that precaution less useful than it is on a single action revolver.