Rossi .357 Mags...Any Good??
- Thread starter ROBSTOY
- Start date
- Status
GlenJ
Member
They're made by Taurus so your basically getting a Taurus. I had a Rossi 6 shot 357 mag snub about 6 years ago and it was a well made gun. I sold it because it was meant for my wife to carry and it was to heavy for her I really wished I had kept it.
MCgunner
Member
Well, they ain't Smiths, but they're good guns for the money, not junk as some would have you believe. I still own two and have owned 7 Rossis. They varied in fit and finish. I've kept the best of 'em, a .22 M511 and an older M68 3" 5 shot .38 that's pretty awesome.
I had a M971 back about 1990 that was a good shooter and a very handy size. I used to carry it hunting and hiking. Killed a Javelina with it once at about 30 yards, a head shot, and took quite a few rabbits with it. It was only about 30 ounces, very light on the hip. It wasn't the most accurate .357 I've ever owned, but it would shoot 2" groups at 25 yards with it's best ammo. The DA was a little rough compared to higher priced guns, but the SA was very light and creep free. DA was usable, though, not that bad, just that I've owned better. Tweren't no M10 Smith, put it that way. It was a very handy gun and tight, well timed, and never got loose on me despite probably a couple thousand rounds of .357 and double that of .38 fired while I had it. I really liked carrying that thing afield, was such a good size gun and strongly built from what I could tell. Another thing I liked about it, for its weight, it was easy recoiling. I had a Security Six that would literally hurt my hand, HATED shooting that thing with heavy loads, lots of muzzle flip. The Rossi was much easier to shoot with heavy loads for some odd reason because it was a lighter gun, you'd think it'd be worse.
I had one problem with the gun, firing pin snapped. I sent it back to Interarms (importer at the time) got it back, and first range trip it snapped again! At that point, I took it to a good gunsmith we had in the area at the time and he put a new pin in it, told me it just needed to be properly fitted. I guess he was right because I never had a problem with it again.
I was lookin' at some 971s at Academy today (went there to buy a new deer feeder timer). They wanted $320 for the stainless ones. That's a little steep for a Rossi IMHO. I can get a Taurus M66 for not much more, have two I bought used for under 200 bucks that are fantastic. The Taurus 4" I have has a very smooth DA, very well fitted and finished, and is the most accurate 4" DA .357 I've ever owned with .38 and as accurate as my M19 Smith and my Ruger Security six with .357s. It's a higher quality gun than was my M971, but the 971 was a little lighter on the hip. Still, it's a good gun. I just think Academy had it a might over-priced.
They had a little 2" blued snub, M461 I think for 245 or some such. Now THAT'S a danged decent deal. I haven't chatted with too many owners that didn't like that little snubby. I've got a Ruger SP101, though, so don't really need worry about a snubby .357, but I'd be tempted to buy one if I didn't have the Ruger just from the good experiences I've had with the Rossis I've owned and the price was danged decent on it. I am NOT unhappy with my Ruger, though.
The Ruger is a well built, well designed, and very well fitted and finished revolver, but of course, they cost more. But, I like the strength of the little things.
This is my honest no BS opinion. Lots of brand bashers out there that have never even owned one. Like I said, I've owned 7 Rossis and several Smiths, Rugers, and Tauri to compare 'em to. No, they don't equal the qualty of the mentioned brands, but no, they're not junk either and, yes, they are very good shooting and useful guns for carry. BTW, they aren't "built by Taurus". Taurus bought them out, but left them an autonomous company in name, distribution, and such.
I had a M971 back about 1990 that was a good shooter and a very handy size. I used to carry it hunting and hiking. Killed a Javelina with it once at about 30 yards, a head shot, and took quite a few rabbits with it. It was only about 30 ounces, very light on the hip. It wasn't the most accurate .357 I've ever owned, but it would shoot 2" groups at 25 yards with it's best ammo. The DA was a little rough compared to higher priced guns, but the SA was very light and creep free. DA was usable, though, not that bad, just that I've owned better. Tweren't no M10 Smith, put it that way. It was a very handy gun and tight, well timed, and never got loose on me despite probably a couple thousand rounds of .357 and double that of .38 fired while I had it. I really liked carrying that thing afield, was such a good size gun and strongly built from what I could tell. Another thing I liked about it, for its weight, it was easy recoiling. I had a Security Six that would literally hurt my hand, HATED shooting that thing with heavy loads, lots of muzzle flip. The Rossi was much easier to shoot with heavy loads for some odd reason because it was a lighter gun, you'd think it'd be worse.
I had one problem with the gun, firing pin snapped. I sent it back to Interarms (importer at the time) got it back, and first range trip it snapped again! At that point, I took it to a good gunsmith we had in the area at the time and he put a new pin in it, told me it just needed to be properly fitted. I guess he was right because I never had a problem with it again.
I was lookin' at some 971s at Academy today (went there to buy a new deer feeder timer). They wanted $320 for the stainless ones. That's a little steep for a Rossi IMHO. I can get a Taurus M66 for not much more, have two I bought used for under 200 bucks that are fantastic. The Taurus 4" I have has a very smooth DA, very well fitted and finished, and is the most accurate 4" DA .357 I've ever owned with .38 and as accurate as my M19 Smith and my Ruger Security six with .357s. It's a higher quality gun than was my M971, but the 971 was a little lighter on the hip. Still, it's a good gun. I just think Academy had it a might over-priced.
They had a little 2" blued snub, M461 I think for 245 or some such. Now THAT'S a danged decent deal. I haven't chatted with too many owners that didn't like that little snubby. I've got a Ruger SP101, though, so don't really need worry about a snubby .357, but I'd be tempted to buy one if I didn't have the Ruger just from the good experiences I've had with the Rossis I've owned and the price was danged decent on it. I am NOT unhappy with my Ruger, though.
The Ruger is a well built, well designed, and very well fitted and finished revolver, but of course, they cost more. But, I like the strength of the little things.This is my honest no BS opinion. Lots of brand bashers out there that have never even owned one. Like I said, I've owned 7 Rossis and several Smiths, Rugers, and Tauri to compare 'em to. No, they don't equal the qualty of the mentioned brands, but no, they're not junk either and, yes, they are very good shooting and useful guns for carry. BTW, they aren't "built by Taurus". Taurus bought them out, but left them an autonomous company in name, distribution, and such.
wheelgunslinger
Member
What MCgunner said.
They're a good economical choice and not a bad revolver at all.
You can do worse.
They're a good economical choice and not a bad revolver at all.
You can do worse.
TonyB
Member
I bought a 2" mod 461 as a glove box gun..used for $150....it's so accurate and reliable,that I use it in IDPA......worth 2 times the price.It took a while to break the trigger in,but now it's way smoother and lighter than my smith 642.If it passes the revolver check out,I 'd feel comfortable getting another.Mine is a newer one made by Taurus also.When ever I shoot it,everyone wants to check it out,and they can't believe it's a Rossi.
You can usually use smith and wesson stuff(like holsters and speedloaders)too.(grips are hard to find sometimes,but mine came w/ rubber ones that I love.)
You can usually use smith and wesson stuff(like holsters and speedloaders)too.(grips are hard to find sometimes,but mine came w/ rubber ones that I love.)
New_geezer
Member
I bought a Rossi 971 NIB about 3 years ago, still have it, and pretty much echo McG's opinion. A good, basic, accurate gun that is comfortable to shoot. The DA is a bit stiff, but SA is quite sweet. It's not the kind of gun you try tweak out with trigger jobs or fancy grips but as is it's a very capable performer that should give good service for a long time. I gather from my reading that once upon a time way back, Rossi's used to be a little hit or miss on quality. That doesn't seem to be true with the recent productions.
Regards price, $320 actually sounds decent for my area of California, definitely your mileage may vary.
Regards price, $320 actually sounds decent for my area of California, definitely your mileage may vary.
40SW
Member
I am a big advocate of Rossi revolvers, In fact, despite the fact that they are priced slightly below Taurus, they are superior in my opinion. (I know Taurus owns them). Not very accurate beyond a 10 yard perimeter, but then they are not designed to be plinkers. A good , reliable, and durable revolver. I would recommend it. Many of my students on a budget love these. I own several myself. HKS makes quality speedloaders for them. , both 5 and 6 shot variants are available. You can also get double speedloader nylon velcro pouches for them made by Uncle Mikes.
I've owned several 68s and 88s (snub 38s) over the years. They aren't bad guns for the money but the last one I had froze up on me. It got to where the hammer was hard as heck to pull back. This was a few years ago and I don't remember what I did with it. Sold it I guess.
I don't think it was just a matter of needing oil but don't recall ever getting it to work right.
The others I owned were fine though. Back in the early 80s you could pick up a 68 (blued snub) for $115 on sale.
I don't think it was just a matter of needing oil but don't recall ever getting it to work right.
The others I owned were fine though. Back in the early 80s you could pick up a 68 (blued snub) for $115 on sale.
I bought my adult daughter a Rossi small frame 2" bbl .38 spl when she got her own first apartment. That was over 15 years ago and I think I paid about $160 for it. It was quite accurate for a snubby and was OK overall except that the cylinder was on the verge of going out of time when it was brand new, and later on after it had been fired several hundred rounds if you cocked it slowly a couple of chambers wouldn't lock up without a slight push from a finger.
It still locked up OK on both DA and SA shots unless you cocked the hammer very slowly. I guess the momentum of a faster turning cylinder was enough to carry the cylinder's bolt cut that last 1/10th millimeter to the locking bolt. I have heard or read somewhere that Rossi's quality control is better now that it's owned by Taurus, but I don't have any personal experience with those later guns.
It still locked up OK on both DA and SA shots unless you cocked the hammer very slowly. I guess the momentum of a faster turning cylinder was enough to carry the cylinder's bolt cut that last 1/10th millimeter to the locking bolt. I have heard or read somewhere that Rossi's quality control is better now that it's owned by Taurus, but I don't have any personal experience with those later guns.
MCgunner
Member
Well, if you cock it slow, hold the hammer, and pull the trigger, will the cylinder lock with the trigger pulled? So long as it does, it'll function fine, though I don't like guns that don't time right when you just cock 'em. My old 68 is perfect, but my little .22 is a little off on a couple of cylinders, but the trigger locks 'em up even if they didn't lock on cocking. No way it'll fire out of time. Lord only knows how many rounds that little thing has fired and I bought it used, but the timing hasn't changed any. Bigger calibers put more stress on things, though. So long as the little gun goes bang every time and stays as accurate as it is, I won't worry about it. Eventually, it'll wear and I'll have to have it tightened up I reckon. Since it's an Interarms gun, I don't know if Rossi will do it anymore. I might have to find a good smith, but it's still going strong at present. I just keep burning up 550 packs of federal lightening with it.
When you buy any revolver, timing is one of the things you should check before purchase. This is the main reason I don't like ordering guns. I wanna check 'em out before putting money down, don't care the brand or the price of the gun.
When you buy any revolver, timing is one of the things you should check before purchase. This is the main reason I don't like ordering guns. I wanna check 'em out before putting money down, don't care the brand or the price of the gun.
MCgunner
Member
Something I've noticed on some of my Rossis, my 511s were both finished pretty well. My 88 had rough as heck tooling marks on the back side of the hammer. I polished as much of that out as possible being it was a stainless gun. It also had some roughness in front of the cylinder that didn't hurt function, but the one I bought for my step dad in '81 that I have now, a M68, same gun, but blue, is fantastic, finished like a Smith and Wesson, deep bluing, perfect, no tooling marks, well fitted. It's also got a smoother DA trigger and timing is as fine as any revolver I've owned. My 971 had the tooling marks on the back of the hammer and the red insert in the sight was hilarious, overlapped the sight making the sight picture unusable, so I just popped that red ramp thing out and shot it without the ramp. So, yeah, finish on the guns has varied over the years. The one's I've looked at recently looked pretty decent. Haven't picked up any of 'em to cycle 'em or check 'em out, might do that at Academy sometime if they'll let me.
- Status
