RG mod 38 questions

[Long_Range_Mauser]

A guy I work with is selling a pistol and im thinking of buying it. Can anyone tell me about the RG 38. This particualr one is a short probably 2 inch barrel .38. Has had the hammer bobbed off and comes with a holster and 100 rounds for $100 would it be a good deal?

 

[Bill of Ojai]

No. It's junk. The original Saturday Night Special.

 

[Radagast]

Pot metal guns from Germany in the 60s & 70s, IIRC they used a zinc alloy frame with a rifled steel insert. They are noted for very poor timing to the point that shooting them will shave lead with every shot. I've also read one shooting victims account of surviving because the assailants RG blew up in his hand. Both were hospitalized. Do a search on this forum and www.thefiringline.com I've never read a good review.

Xavier, a moderator on this forum, wrote the following on his blog:

It is rare that I will call a gun junk. Even with the pot metal RG I am hesitant. The people who squeeze out these turds should be buried in a pit of fire ants with a pink straw hat on their head. The pot metal cap guns of my childhood were sturdier than these crapola guns. If you or your friend needs a gun and can't afford much, leave the RG on the shelf. Buy a Hi-Point instead. There, I said it. RG=Crapola. This is one case where a cheap pistol whips a revolver's ass in reliability.

Save your money.

 

[DMZ]

The only redeeming quality of an RG 38 is if one can get $50 for it through a municipal buy-back program.

 

[Floppy_D]

I had one, shot it twice, and got rid of it. Swapped it for a Savage 64. I'm not a gun snob, but I'd surely steer clear.

 

[theotherwaldo]

-Check to see if it's an RG-38s. If it is, it has a steel frame and it's a step above a regular RG-38.

RGs are functional guns, but zinc frames should be avoided.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

My brother inherited my dad's RG.22. It has a steel frame and shoots well. I killed several beaver and a bobcat with it. I don't know anything about the RG.38 but think it should be judged as an individual example and not from it's heritage.

 

[Long_Range_Mauser]

It is a RG 38. But im gonna be leery of it thanks for all your guys help.

 

[Maelstrom]

Actually, I'd offer $25 for it, then trade it in for profit at a buyback.

This serves two purposes. One, it gets you extra money. Two, it uses up a city gift card that might otherwise be used to crush a Luger or Python.

 

[MCgunner]

Need a fancy paper weight?

 

[jwr747]

had a friend with one,took her out to do a little shooting,bank-click-click-bang-click,end of shooting session. jwr

 

[xomalley]

I am interested in the alloy used to make the frame and barrel of an RG 38. I have scratched tested its hardness and think it may be "zamack 27"
This is an alloy of Aluminium and zinc (27% Zn). The alloy is castable and its strength is about the same steel. It machines as well as steel.
The liner,cylinder and hammer are magnetic and I guess that it is a steel alloy.
I know that aliegning the barrel cylinder and liner at every position of the revolution is extremly difficult.
My question is do any other gun manufacturers use a sleeve or liner in the barrel ? do they use a zinc alloy in the frame ?
Cheers
Chris

 

[MCgunner]

Zinc alloy sux IMHO. I don't see how it can be as strong as steel, no metalurgist or anything, just seems weak in my experience with some cheap guns, for instance a frame crack on a Phoenix Arms HP22, a friggin' .22! Anyway, yeah, I believe all manufactures use a steel barrel insert in their titanium and in Smith's case, scandium guns. There are plenty of .22s that use a barrel insert. I have a AR7 rifle and an Explorer 2 pistol that are aluminum with steel barrel inserts. I even have a Ramline Exactor pistol that uses a steel insert inside a plastic barrel. It ain't a bad shootin' gun, either, though it don't like Federal Ammo and the magazines are pretty crappy. All the really crappy zinc guns like the HP22 mentioned, the Raven 25, the Bryco/Jennings crap, some stuff labeled "Cobra or Cobray" that I'm really not that familiar with, all steel insert barrels in zinc alloy. Other than the titanium/scandium stuff from the quality manufacturers, it's mostly used in zinc guns sold cheap, hold up the 7-11 and throw it away type guns. The RG is the worst of the worst of those, LOL! I actually had a RG M26, a little 25 caliber auto that worked pretty well, fed and functioned well, anyway. I could hit a target better by throwing the gun than shooting it, but it didn't jam. I pulled it on a fellow who was mugging me with a knife once and he ran at the sight of it. I was relieved that I didn't have to shoot it or that he didn't die laughing at the sight of it.

I don't have one, but the Hi Point uses some sort of zinc alloy for the ungodly huge slide (they're blowbacks and as heavy and about as well shaped as a cinder block) and frame. Folks say they work okay, but I will take a pass, thanks.

 

[woad_yurt]

Offer him $75. The ammo isn't cheap these days.

Can you shoot it first?

 

[David E]

DON'T SHOOT IT FIRST !

It may blow up and you'll feel compelled to buy it...

"RG" stands for "Rotten Gun"

Some states do not even allow gunsmiths to stock PARTS for this gun, it is so bad.

I had one given to me, but I wasn't assured of the 'history' of it, so I melted it down on the camp stove.

.

 

[xomalley]

MCgunner,
Thanks for the info, very interesting to find someone who knows about this stuff . I started this because I knew nothing about the gun. I bought it about 30 years ago when I was having a heap of trouble --purely as a last resort if i were confronted by someone with a weapon while away from home.

A few more questions--please.
1. on the RG, since the cylinder is steel the weak point is probably the frame since it is made of a material which some have found faulty. On a "plastic gun" how does it contain the recoil or do they use a steel breech of some sort ??

2. If I measure the clearance between the barrel and the cylinder is there an acceptable tolerance ??( I have only fired about five shots and it may be considered new)

3.Most of the complaints about this gun are that it shaves lead because of a mismatch between the barrel and the cylinder. I have not read any reports of the frame failing ??BUT how can this be possible unless the frame has failed/stretched ,throwing the cylinder off center ? Shouldn't the clearance between the cylinder,breach and barrel be a good way to measure this metal creep ?

4. Somewhere someone mentioned that all the RG guns were proofed--what is meant by that ?? I guess that means that the cylinder did not blowup?

5. Many claim the gun misfires. I don't understand this unless the firing pin has been broken or filed. With the cylinder swung out the pin is easy to see and if its end is rounded and not injured it should fire ?? And if this is caused by the frame stretching/creeping it would have to move at least 1/32 inch ?
But if the firing pin spring broke and jammed the firing pin -the gun would not fire.??

6. I wrote to the Roehm company and asked for information about the gun--no answer so far ?
for home defense--I'll take a double 12 ga any-day but when away or in the field a guy needs something ,I don't know enough about guns to buy a used revolver and new seem to be out of my budget ?? any suggestions ?

7. Is it possible that because it was a cheap gun it more than likely fell into the hands of the inexperienced gun user who dry fired the gun to destruction ??

Cheers and thanks
Chris

 

[Radagast]

'Plastic guns' ( we normally say polymer) have a steel barrel, slide, breech and breech face. The stock/grip is usually a high strength plastic. Examples include the Glock, Smith & Wesson M&P, Springfield XD, H&K USP. The barrel and slide contain the force of the firing.

Not an expert, but I think 4-6/1000s of an inch is the correct setting for a revolver cylinder gap. Someone will correct me if I am wrong.

The mismatch occurs because the timing (alignment of cylinder with barrel when the hammer falls) of the revolver is not precise enough and the chamber is not properly aligned with the barrel, so the bullet partially strikes the frame which shaves the bullet, throwing lead to the side. Poor alignment is the result of poorly fitted parts. Use the How to Check Out a Revolver thread to check your gun.

Proofing was/is the use of an overpressure load to ensure that the gun will not blow up. Guns that have been proofed usually have a 'proof mark' stamped on them. In England proofing was done at an independent facility, Rohm may have been proofing their own guns. Or not.

The main spring that drives the hammer may not be of high enough quality to give enough force to the firing pin strike each time, or it may have been too light to start with. I have a Beretta with a light main spring, it occasionally misfired when shooting .22 rimfire rounds. Years ago I had an Iver Johnson revolver with a broken mainspring. I fabricated a piece from some steel strapping. It worked, but wasn't the best quality! What quality of metal was used by Rohm for their springs?

Any used Smith & Wesson revolver in good shape would be my first pick. Use the How to Check out a Revolver thread to make sure it is OK. Read http://xavierthoughts.blogspot.com/ for good tips on buying used. Stay away from Taurus, a little research on this forum will show they have a poor rep for bad quality control. Surprisingly, Rossi, which IIRC is Taurus' cheap sister company, has a good reputation. A second hand Rossi that passes the revolver check out would be acceptable to me. Colts tend to be expensive and their lock work is easier to break.

Yes it's possible that it's been dry fired to death. I've personally broken the hammer block in two S&Ws through thousands of dry fires, I've seem a large frame S&W that had the hammer notches beaten out of shape through too much fast cycling. All guns can break, Rohm just has a much worse reputation for it.