German “pot metal” revolvers

[kBob]

I recently got to look over an old RG 40 2” .38 SPL revolver.

I got to doing research and dFanged if I can tell the difference between an RH38S and RG40.

Anyhow I got to poking about the Internet and found piles of …. er, waste… and what appears to be a few nuggets and jewels.

For one thing I noticed the design similarities between Some Arminus revolvers of the 1950’s, the RG revolvers of the 1960’s-80’s and the current “Windicator” Brand revolvers.

The simularities that appear between the RG 40 .38 SPL and the Windicator .357 2” appear that the Windicator actual cut a few cornors on the RG design.

Seriously, how different are the two designs? How different are the Materials?

Having in the past shot various RG revolvers I can say that the RG 38, 38S, and 40 in .38 Special are not as crappy as say the RG14 or their earlier SAA .22 revolvers.

How different are the RGs from The Windicator? Other than reputation.

Oh and will Windicator rubber grips fit the RG 40?

-kBob

 

[Miami_JBT]

I recently got to look over an old RG 40 2” .38 SPL revolver.

I got to doing research and dFanged if I can tell the difference between an RH38S and RG40.

Anyhow I got to poking about the Internet and found piles of …. er, waste… and what appears to be a few nuggets and jewels.

For one thing I noticed the design similarities between Some Arminus revolvers of the 1950’s, the RG revolvers of the 1960’s-80’s and the current “Windicator” Brand revolvers.

The simularities that appear between the RG 40 .38 SPL and the Windicator .357 2” appear that the Windicator actual cut a few cornors on the RG design.

Seriously, how different are the two designs? How different are the Materials?

Having in the past shot various RG revolvers I can say that the RG 38, 38S, and 40 in .38 Special are not as crappy as say the RG14 or their earlier SAA .22 revolvers.

How different are the RGs from The Windicator? Other than reputation.

Oh and will Windicator rubber grips fit the RG 40?

-kBob

It is the same company in Germany making 'em. Weihrauch & Weihrauch GmbH & Co. KG is the company and they've been in business since the late 1890s.

The RG series, the Arminus series, and the Windicator series are all Weihrauch designs and made guns.

 

[JERRY]

I used to have an RG .32 s&w long snubby. The ejector rod unscrewed to allow the cylinder to swing out for loading... I'd like to have another for nostalgia.

 

[WestKentucky]

I own an RG 32long that was my grandmas cigarette pouch gun. I also own a Arminius 22lr snubby. I have handled 3 of the Windicator guns recently because I feel a need for a 357 in the lineup. I haven’t had a decent one in about a decade so it’s high time I replace it… I wouldn’t put my money down on a windicator. The ones I have seen have been questionable at best. Loose cylinder at lockup, poor fit and finish, and they don’t feel that great in the hand. It did not feel as good as my other cheapo wheel guns, and of the small lot I have handled, I wouldn’t trust the gun to hold full power 357.

As for build similarities, yeah. Not sure about the windicator but the rg and the Arminius I have are pretty similar aside from the method of opening the cylinder. My Arminius you grab a knurled extension on the cylinder rod and pull it towards the muzzle. On my RG it’s got a latch that is clearly a copy of a S&W hand ejector latch.

 

[Jonesy814]

My dad had an Arminus 38 special. It was a pretty good shooter

 

[American_Fusilier]

I have a 4" windicator. It's nice for me. I'm not a revolver guy though. I've shot 357 loads through it and it seems to handle them just fine.

I also have a Rohm RG10 in 22 short. Is a complete piece of junk and is so inaccurate that you literally couldn't hit a target at 5 feet. No joke. It was my grandpa's pistol, he always hated it and said how dangerous it was. I tend to agree with him.

 

[Monac]

Rohm and Weirauch were the biggest and best known of the West German cast-zinc revolver makers. There was also an outfit called Herbert Schmidt that exported to the USA, and a company called Mayer und Sohne, which did not. That last is kind of a pity, because they made one of the last top-break revolvers on the market. They made it as a tear-gas gun, a 22 rimfire, and in 32 S&W Long, which I would have loved to get. Here's a picture of one: https://www.decosterhunting.be/product/mayer-und-sohne-revolver-7-65mm/

To make up for that, I have a Weirauch Arminius in 32 Long with adjuststable sights. It's a decent gun. It's an early model with two, count'em, two different ways to unlatch the cylinder: pulling forward on the ejector rod, AND an S&W style thumb catch. They dropped the thumb catch after a while.

The cast zinc pistols, whether revolvers made in Germany or automatics made here, all share a common problem: the finish seems to wear off pretty easily, and then they look hideous. That really hurts their reputation, and the fact that were mostly made to be inexpensive (not to say cheap) didn't help either. Still, I think they will become a collecting niche in the future, the way the inexpensive US revolvers of 120+ years ago are now, because they are affordable. Who can get started collecting Lugers now? And Mauser Broomhandles were out of my price range 40 years ago.

 

[Mizar]

Rohm makes some pretty decent drill and lathe chucks, but I cannot say the same about their revolvers.
Weihrauch makes some pretty decent air rifles, but I cannot say the same about their revolvers.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

My Dad keeps a RG38 in his toilet tank, zipped in a freezer bag. It only locks up on 5 chambers, so he keeps a $100 bill in the sixth.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

Interesting that given the German penchant for quality control they would produce real "Saturday Night Specials".

 

[someguy2800]

I recently sold it, but I had an Arminus 22 revolver that was a great shooter after doing some repair work to it. Very accurate.