ROSSI .38s

[senior]

I am well aware of the many slams on Rossi and such, but also have some feed back that seem to think Rossi revolvers are fine for what they are. Would like to hear from many what their opinion of the Rossi revolvers are as HD ONLY? I dont think I'd wish to use one for CC, but for that night table, what do most of u think?

 

[gmh1013]

Dont dry fire it ....my brother dry fired mine a few times and broke the firing pin....its been close to a month since we sent back to Taurus....nothing from them.
To me that a real show stopper if a 20 cent pin breaks off

 

[Hoxviii]

All i ever tell people are to handle THE gun (not the model, THE GUN) that you are considering purchasing. I considered a Rossi snub .357, 6 shot blued on a recommendation of a friend. He has one and loves it. I handled one in a shop and it felt really good, until I closed the cylinder and went to dry fire.

The trigger wouldn't move AT ALL. Handed it to the clerk, he couldn't get it to go either. Scratched our heads for a second, then I took it, opened it, looked at everything, closed it, and advanced the cylinder to lock.

Then it was fine. Fiddled with it some more, then noticed what was going on. This particular specimen, the trigger wouldn't pull if the cylinder was between chambers.

I put it down and never looked back.

 

[fireside44]

I have a model 720 in .44 special that was imported by Interarms in the 90's.

The lock up is somewhat loose, but it doesn't spit lead. I was told by forum members that if it worked fine to leave it alone.

The trigger/action is far smoother than 95% of the S&W's I've tried. Far smoother than my 70's model 10, which I also love.

Very nice, accurate little gun for the money.

Like thingster said though, handle it first. Rossi's are some of the most underrated guns I have seen. Plenty of hate for them, but plenty others have gotten good service. If you get one that is right from the factory, you won't go wrong.

And yes, don't dry fire without snap caps.

 

[senior]

As far as dry firing, thats something I never do with any of my hanguns, maybe most are safe to do, but just gives me the "willys" to do so! I always use snap caps, figure most likely dont need them in most center fire, but darn cheap insurance. This one that i'm thinking about will be for my daughter to use in her appt. she doesn't like cal. over .38 or 9mm. Not trying to be cheap, just wondered if the gun was really reliable for just as a night stand go to gun if needed.

 

[gmh1013]

I think

On the third dry fire the pin broke...Its not a SP101
In fact I would get a used Ruger over the Rossi....the Rossi has a great DA pull but it pretty loose after 200 rounds of non +P
I will never buy another
I could dry fire my Ruger till HE$$ freezes over and nothing would happen.....thats the kind of revolver you want....not wonding if the
if I fire a +p round will it break the pin .....I wish I could get my 250 back and look for a used Smith M19 or GP

 

[PX15]

JMOfartO:

Rossi's are what they are.. The reason a Rossi is so affordable is because, imho, the materials used in that brand are of less quality than I personally want in a firearm I might depend on to save my life..

Are Rossi's crap? I don't think so, and IF a Rossi is all that a person can afford, until he/she can buy a quality firearm it's better than a sharp stob.. But would I want to bet MY life carrying one daily for personal protection, no thank you.

I would recommend you visit as many firearm forums as you have the time and inclination to visit and use the "search" function on each of them. The search function is your friend... Search for "Rossi" revolvers and see what comes up..

I would recommend someone in the hunt for a good revolver to get a Ruger, or Smith.. I've had both, actually a pile of Smiths, and never had a glitch with any of them..

Hey, the fact that Rossi's have an iffy reputation might be bad, but... Ask about RG's sometime...

Just personal opinion and as Quietus Maximus said on his way to the Dairy Queen for a foot long chili dog, "Quot capita tot sensus"... Mine is no more valid than that of the next person.

Good Hunting.

Best Wishes,

Jesse

P.S. I "saved" this old S&W model 49 from a pawn shop several years ago for less than $200.00 otd. You might put your money on your pocket and visit a few just in case....

 

[Confederate]

The firing pin breakage is a freak occurrence, and people with these guns should dry snap them extensively to make sure they don't have a similar problem -- it's better than having your pin fail when you need it.

As a home defense gun, sure, Rossi .38s are better than just pulling out some small auto that's been loaded for three years -- and which might be fine and might not. Trust and confidence go a long way and I don't want the nagging feeling that the auto I loaded years ago might not work the way I think it might.

The Rossi .38 3-incher I have had loaded for years is completely functional and I don't have to take it to the range to check it out; just unload it, drop a drop or two of oil here and there, snap it a few times, reload it and you're good to go! Sure, I'd rather have six shots, but I can live with five (unless I'm in a Tom Clancey movie).

My 3-incher is a fabulous little gun. It's tight, well within tolerances, light, concealable, accurate and depedable.

 

[orvpark]

J&G has 4" Smith .38's (model 64?) for just over $200. Since you aren't going to carry it that is about the best (cheap) readily available revolver on the market now.

I like my Taurus' too, never messed with a Rossi

 

[Eightball]

Shot one of the stainless models. Fit and finish were....well, I've seen worse. If you got a good example, I wouldn't feel undergunned with it. Certainly better than nothing, and if it was the absolute best I could afford (no S&W 10s or 64s like orvpark suggests, a good option IMO), I'd be glad to own it. But that was one of the stainless models, their blued one models seem sketchy to me.

So, they can be nice, but there's better out there. If you're going for a range toy and HD gun, I'd highly suggest checking out the used 4" K-frame S&Ws. Model 10s go for ~$200 on gunbroker, and I've seen the 64s go for ~$300-$350 at the local fun shop. Much better options, IMO.

 

[snooperman]

Rossi Revolvers

I have a bunch of revolvers that I have bought over the past 47 years that are in my gun safes, and they include: Colt, S&W, Dan Wesson , Ruger , Charter Arms ,Taurus, Harrington and Richardson, and Rossi. I have 3 Rossi revolvers, models 351 38 special, model 971 .357 magnum and model 720 44 special. I have fired thousands of my reloads through them and have not had any problems with them, at all. I have hunted with the 971 with very hot loads too. I wish I could say the same for my Colts and Smith and wessons which seem to go out of timing far more frequently than they should. That said, I like all of my revolvers and would not get rid of them, including the Rossi's. I have heard some disparaging remarks about them from time to time but I do not share those opinions at all. I could give you a few disparaging remarks about my expensive colts and S&W as well . The bottom line on the Rossi's that I have are that they are a fine gun for the money- I like them. My 2 cents.

 

[gmh1013]

I emailed my brother and he said he had snap caps in when the pin broke on the 3 rd or 4th pull....sounds like I got a lemon...when I get it back I wonder if it will still be loose and all they replace is the firing pin?....they should give me a new .38 snub and melt the one I had. My guess is it will still be loose and they will replace the pin and scratch it up.....
I will post pics when/if I get the little sucker back.
I have a friend who owns one made back in late 80's and It has better over all finish than my Taurus made one.

 

[senior]

thanks all for your replys, both pro and con. The more I think about, more sure i am that I'll just load the daughter up in the car and take her this gun store i always buy from if not on here, let her CHOOSE which she wants, after all, she is daddy's jewel!

 

[scythefwd]

I've got a rossi M68 that has just about everything from target wadcutters to very hot hollow points run through it (reloads). It has never failed to go boom. It still shoots well, and it locks as tight as can be. Not getting rid of that one. It is an older one from before rossi changed ownership. You can still get them for about 100-150 if you look for them.

 

[Elvishead]

After investing $375 after time, ammo, gas, my Rossi (461) factory replacement has been reliable, all 25 shot's, and it hasn't failed yet.

Now it's my back up, of a back up, of a back up.....

I keep light .38 loads in it, and I guess I would depend my life on it,.......if I had to.

Other than that, it shoot's good, and the trigger is nice after I put a lighter hammer spring in it.

 

[MagnumDweeb]

I've had great luck with the snub nose .357 magnums. I've got five (I'm an NRA pistol instructor), I've got my own personal carry that goes right in the pocket and has no problem, been carrying it over a year and shot over a 1,000 .357 magnum and a few hundred .38 special out of it. I love the gun, they are good pocket carries you don't mind getting scratched up. I carry it more often my S&W 640.

My students like the Rossis and shoot .38 special out of them. They are the hottest seller through my FFL guy next to Romanian Tokarevs and Bersa semis.

But if you go into a gunshop there is no reason to pay more than $340 OTD for NIB, ask to handle the gun cock the hammer back and release the hammer with a trigger pull and thumb on the hammer(prevent dry firing). Check to see how it cycles. Okay granted I got mine sight unseen through my FFL guy for less than $300 a pop but I was willing to deal with customer service because they were guns to be used for my students. Most of the guns have reached close to 2k in .38 special and all lock up fine and handle great. And yes I clean all my guns after a class.

 

[MCgunner]

I've owned 7 Rossis over the years if you include my 92 carbine in .357. They're all good quality, though during the late 80s, early 90s, the finish was a little lax. I did have a firing pin issue on my 971 and got it fixed. Had a couple thousand rounds through it on the new pin, gunsmith installed, when I traded it for a .45 Colt Blackhawk I wanted. I booted money, of course, forget the deal now, but I love that Blackhawk.

The two Rossis I've hung on to are a M511 Sportsman .22 (VERY accurate little stainless kit gun, awesome buy if you find one used) and a particularly well fitted and finished M68 I bought in 1981 for my step dad and later inherited. That gun's quality of fit and finish is on par with any Smith and Wesson, very nice gun, very well put together and accurate. I carry it now and then, but I also have a Taurus 85SSUL I pocket and a 3" Taurus M66 .357 magnum that I IWB now and then. Really don't carry the Rossi much. One thing I don't like about it for carry is that I'd have to file the cylinder thumb latch down for a speed loader to clear it. I did that with a M88 I had for a while, but this one, I just carry speed strips when I carry it. Actually, I've gotten to just carrying speed strips with my little Taurus, too. More convenient than those lumpy speedloaders and they'll allow tactical reloads, too. May not dump as fast, but I ain't exactly Jerry Miculek with a speedloader, anyway, ROFL!

And I can say, I've owned a Charter arms in the mid 80s and I'd take a Rossi six ways to Sunday over any Charter Arms. That thing was crap. The Rossi is well built. The firing pin thing, though, has been a problem with 'em over the years. I've had 4 revolvers with hammer mounted firing pins and one that broke on me, the 971. That's not a very good ratio on the firing pins. LOL But, it's too small a sample size to come to any conclusions on statistically and that's not just opinion, but statistical fact.

I never dry fired that 971 and it had a couple thousand rounds through it before that firing pin snapped. I'm not sure how you "test" the firing pin. One thing's for sure, if it snaps, you'd better have a back up. It ain't something you're going to fix in a fire fight. I'm really trust frame mounted firing pins more. Dry firing can be hard on those, too, though, with busted return springs. Dry firing requires snap caps IMHO.

 

[OKshot]

I had a Rossi 971 that I traded in on a GP100 after a couple of years. What bugged me about it was not the mechanics, reliability, or tool marks, but the grips. They were soft enough to flex under recoil, causing the seam on the backstrap to open and close, pinching the web of my hand. At the time (mid-90's), I could not find any aftermarket grips made to fit a Rossi. Otherwise, it made a great truck gun.

 

[ASCTLC]

I've got a older pre-taurus bought Rossi 971. Lots of rounds through it, very accurate, great trigger, very little cylinder play at lockup, still have the original firing pin. No S&W or Ruger reputation, but the way this thing has performed, the others don't have anything over it either (at least so far).

It appears the firing pin (same style S&W has used) replaced by a gunsmith benefitting with current day metalurgy has fixed these with no further issues as opposed to getting a factory sourced replacement.

Just my opinion... I think the Rossi got a bad early reputation and never shook it. Just like many first model guns today but people overlook names.

Andy

 

[richejr]

Here's my model 851 Rossi in 38 special, I love this gun, its pleasant to shoot, and once I got it sighted in for me its been pretty accurate, this photo was taken the first time I shot it, and was sighting it in. The groups are much better now.

 

[Virginian]

I would take a little 5 - shot Rossi 68 with the 3" barrel over any other small .38 only revolver. I got one for both of my daughters, and the one who really likes to shoot can bounce cans all over the lot with it. Never a hint of a problem with any of the others I have seen over the years either. One of the great bargains of the gun world.
I have only shot a couple, but the 851s also seem to be nicely made and smooth functioning.
If I wasn't a .357/.44 guy I would have a Rossi 68 for myself.

 

[MCgunner]

I had a Rossi 971 that I traded in on a GP100 after a couple of years. What bugged me about it was not the mechanics, reliability, or tool marks, but the grips. They were soft enough to flex under recoil, causing the seam on the backstrap to open and close, pinching the web of my hand. At the time (mid-90's), I could not find any aftermarket grips made to fit a Rossi. Otherwise, it made a great truck gun.

The pachmayr Compac for small frame Rossi will fit the 971. It looks a little strange, but gives it a little better profile for IWB carry as the grip doesn't stick out quite so much as the stock finger grooved one. But, I didn't have a problem with the stock grip. The gun's recoil was quite nice compared to that Ruger Security Six I had. I don't know why, but that thing was a hand pounder. Anyway, I took the Pachmayr Compac off my M88 I had at the time and tried it just to see and it fit fine on the 971. I have one on my little M511 Rossi .22 at the moment. I like the grip much better than what came on the little Rossis, tiny little wood grips.

I really liked the weight of that 971. I carried it hunting out west a lot, too rabbits with it using wadcutters, even shot a Javelina with it. It was sort of half way between K and J frame in size and, as stated, quite a stout little gun in stainless. I fired POTENT stuff in that gun and it never got loose. Sorta liked the fluteless look, too, at the time. I sorta miss it, but WANTED that Blackhawk.

My current 4" Taurus 66 is a bit more accurate, though, and a real nice gun if a little bit heavier. I serves that same niche in my collection, hunting also gun and back packin', hikin' gun. Besides, ya have to have a medium frame 4" .357 magnum, even though I have a 3" and a 6.5", too.

 

[Micro]

I had a pre-Taurus Rossi 885. It was very nicely finished with as good a double and single action trigger pull as you could have wanted. I kick myself to this day for selling.

 

[bamacisa]

The 885 is a good stub nose revolver. Most people under estimate it.

 

[Confederate]

My Rossi .22 and .38 are great. I've snapped the .38 extensively and it's fine. I had a hammer on a Virginia Dragoon break like glass the first time I shot it with a live round. I had it replaced and it was fixed. A firing pin can go bad on any gun, though it's less likely on a Smith, but if you get one that works and doesn't break, chances are it will last nigh as long as a Smith will.

My little Rossi .22LR (below, top) was every bit as accurate as my Smith 63, which was stolen, plus it was stronger and was a little heavier, plus it had an ejector shroud.

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