Rohm RG 38 spezial

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wow6599

wow6599

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I was given a NIB Rohm RG 38 special by a family member. Sn is 153xxx. I have never read anything good about Rohm guns, but I also don't know anybody who has one either, so who knows? It's about 30-40 years old I think and probably weighs 2lbs. 4" barrel. Paperwork is in German. Should I use this as a paperweight, or can I trust it and add it to my CC collection?
Thanks to anyone who has info.
 
RGs make nice conversation pieces on what someone shouldn't buy as a defensive handgun,,,,
Weierbauch/Arminius revolvers are way better German revolvers than the Rohm guns.
 
have had two friends who owned one,both were "click-click-click-bang-click-bang" not my idea of a defensive weapon. jwr
 
That's pretty brutal, guys. I've had several dozen of these guns over the years, recovered, auction lot, whatever the source. I've only had one of them that was complete that didn't work reliably.
Coincidentally, it was an RG38 that had probably been fired a great deal with +P loads and beaten to death.

They were reliable little guns that were made to fire a few hundred moderate rounds before replacement. Entirely adequate for a defensive gun, but anathema to most gun enthusiasts.

Cut 'em some slack!
 
Waldo, sorry but I completely, respectfully disagree. Soft, soft steel, RGs are not suitable for any means of self-defense.

Pass a fishing line through the trigger guard. Then when the catfish picks up the bait, he doesn't feel the pull of the line. Let him run a little, then set the hook.
 
I have one,I't shoots ok in single action but in double action it does not always fire.I have had it apart and the mainspring looks good and I put a spacer to tighten it up but it only went 10 rounds then a misfire.I keep mine in my truck but I have to remember single action only or I might be dead.This is not a carry gun it's a better snake gun.
Mine is a Rg mod. 39 I will have to look at it to see the seriel # but it is only worth about 25-50 bucks in great shape.
I found a web site that sells part for the gun but if you buy a part and pay shipping that will be more than the gun is worth.
 
I agree that you shouldn't rely on any centerfire gun with a zinc frame. Especially if they're over 30 years old! RGs were almost all banned from importation by the gun laws of 1968.

I still like their small .22s.
So did John Hinkley and, I believe, Sirhan Sirhan.
 
Rohm did try to make better quality guns prior to 1968, but by that time their reputation was down the drain. Wow6599, shoot it untill it breaks and them sell it for parts. It may last you for years or only a few hundred rounds but in the mean time you will have fun with it. Also for what's it worth only the early guns were " Zinc alloy ". The later guns were all steel. Not the best guns in the world but the .38s and 357s were acceptable for their price. Inexpensive guns for those not willing or not able to pay for a Colt or S&W. Now the Rohm RG 10's? pure junk.
 
I have 1 in .22 short. It is a double action. If I fire it double action it MIGHT go bang 1 time per cylinder full of cartridges. If I shoot it single action, it will probably go bang 75% of the time. Seriously. I vote paperweight!
 
Greyrock, that is the RG 10 which was nothing more that their blank firing gun bored out to .22. Soft Zinc alloy frame, light weight springs, soft steel parts. It was never designed to be a real honest to goodness firearm and as a result of that piece of junk Rohm was never able to recover any respectability. As the old saying gos, "What were they thinking". Really, really a dumb peice of marketing. :rolleyes:
 
Back in the 60's the shop I worked for sold a lot of RG 10's. Some even worked, at least for a few rounds. I blew the loading gate off one, test firing it with .22 Short! Not a really reliable gun if the bad guys are after you, but maybe better than throwing rocks.

(These were the quintessential "Saturday Night Special"; the anti-gun gang still tells people handguns can be bought for $9.95 and "we must stop this.")

Jim
 
wow6599, if it were me I would give it a good overall checkup as follows here in this sticky post:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=1430

If the gun passes the tests, then I would suggest a box of cheap Wally World ammo. If your gun seems to function fine, then chances are you can have some fun over the next few years with it. If it doesn't, well at least you now know and you have tried.

I was told the same thing with my FIE revolver by people here about it being a paperweight and such. Well hundreds upon hundreds of rounds later, it's still a fun gun to shoot.

Noidster
 
Thanks Noidster, it passed all the test with flying colors, but then again it has never had a single round through it. My Father-in-Law gave me about 300rounds of 30 year old 158 gr. ammo, so I'll see what she does.
 
As far as I know there is no dating list for Roum revolvers. The Gun Digest Book of Gun Values states that the RG 38S was introduced in 1977 and discontinued in 1986. Best I can do, hopw that helps.:)
 
Sorry. Didn't know RG made guns with a steel frame. I was looking at my bathroom gun, an RG 38 (no S). It's inside a hollowed-out copy of Automotive Technology, which is apparently a trade school textbook.
That's how I found it. It was in a bunch of junk books donated to my library.
I was tossing them in the dumpster but I noticed this one was waay too heavy.

The book is nicely hollowed out, but the gun is trash. The barrel actually wobbles in the (zinc alloy) frame and the plastic front sight and rib pivot from side to side. It still works, though, single action and double action. Of course, I fired it from a vise, using a long wire. Not from my precious hand.
 

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The RG revolver in .38 is the perfect suicide revolver. If it goes off, you will have accomplished your purpose. If it doesn't fire, you have an opportunity to reconsider your decision.
 
Back when I was way much younger, I desperatly wanted an RG-22. It had the one redeaming quality I needed in a handgun.

It was CHEAP!

And I don't mean just inexpensive. I mean cheap. But even at $29.95, I couldn't afford it. Probably for the best.
 
I put about 500 rounds through one. The bore was rough towards the end, and someone had ground the front sight down quite a bit... but other than that it shot fine. I never ran anything other than WWB through it.

Traded it for a Stevens 62 and $50 a few years ago.
 
I took a bunch of my more recent acquisitions to the range last year to try them out. My sister came along, too.

She took a few guns down to the short range while I was busy working the kinks out of a couple of Tokarevs. Pretty quickly I was hearing her ringing the 15 yard gong like clockwork. I look over and she has my tiny RG14 with its 1 1/2'' barrel and a big smile. She also had a fair crowd of the usual shooters staring in disbelief.

Yep. She likes the little RGs, too.

After she ran through two boxes of ammo she moved on to her Ladysmith and Security Six and the crowd moved on.
 
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