Rossi? Good for the price

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longhorngunman

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At Academy today I was handling some guns. Looked over the .357 Rossi, 6" I believe. Kind of lightweight feel but seemed to be sloppy. Heard they have a lifetime warranty though. What do those who have owned them or shot them think. The gun was $300. Good deal or better off looking for a used GP100.
 
For that price you would be way ahead with a used GP100 Or even a SP101. The rugers will last a lifetime.
 
I had a Rossi .38 for my wife and it worked well. For $300.00 I'd be shopping for a Ruger though. Easily twice the weapon for the same money.
 
Yeah, for $300 I figured I could get a slightly used .357 Ruger at a gunshow. BTW are the Smiths worth the extra money. I've heard the triggers are much better but the trigger on my SRH .454 feels great to me. And that the SRH design is based on the GP100.
 
My experience with small frame 5 shot Rossi's has been: :(

1. Poor Timing
2. Poor reliability
3. Shoot loose in under 200 rounds -- .357Mag
4. Cati-Wampus cylinder alignment (out-of-box) -- 4 out of 5 fire (Cylinders)

Your best bet is to stay away from Rossi --- PERIOD!

My advice based on "The School of Hard Knocks"!


:evil:
 
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You can find a good used S+W for that same $300 if that's what you'd prefer. I spent that on my used 3" model 65 a while back and it has become my favorite gun. The shop I bought it from had plenty of used M65's, 66's, 13's 19's and GP100's all in the same price range ($275-$325 based on condition)
 
I have a Rossi 44 spl.; so I can speak from experience. A cheap firearm is cheap at any price. While the Rossi will go bang when you pull the trigger, if your are buying a life long friend / companion, ALWAYS select a friend that you can trust your life to. Quality is the word wheather it is an individual or a trusted pistol. Pistol Toter
 
I got a .357 Rossi snubby, and I have only about 50 rounds through it, but I have no complaints so far.
 
I have an older Rossi .357 6-shot revolver with the firing pin on the hammer. Mind you, I only paid $125 for it and it shoots like a dream.

However, I still don't think I would pay $300 for one.

I think I'd opt for a Ruger.
 
There's way too many great used S&W
and ruger revolvers around to spend
that much on a rossi.That said,all
3 rossi's i've owned were very good
shooters for the money.But i didn't
spend more than $200.00 for any of
them.
 
If you want a great 'house' gun, either a S&W 4" 10 or it's SS sibling 64 will run you $390-$430 new... $200-$275 used. Late 10's - and nearly all 64's - are .38 Special +P rated (Call S&W with the s/n to be sure.). They'd be great with my choice 158gr LHPSWC +P's (Remington R38S12), the old 'FBI load', or the new Speer 135gr +P Gold Dots. You cannot beat a 10 or 64 for a proper-sized and dependable .38. If you must have a .357M, the last of the 4" 66's run $449-$489 locally, with it's slightly larger replacement, the 7-shot 4" 620 running $489. These are all partial lugs... they 'point' very naturally. If you want a full lug, like the 4" GP-100 or the 4" 686, expect to pay $460-$520+.

I have one Rossi - a Puma M1892 24" octagon SS .45 Colt levergun. It works quite well, and has never had a fault of any kind. Sadly, the same is not so for the few Rossi revolvers I have had the misfortune of being around. They seem to have poor part fitting - and have - or develop quite early - poor timing. A fellow in the lane next to me fired three rounds through one once... before I could stop him. I had three bloody spots, one still presenting the copper cladding, on my right forearm. Admittedly. it was a 'beater', a truck gun. Still, I feel that is unsafe to the shooter, too. It is better to have fewer better made firearms than a large selection of lessor quality. Save your sheckles a bit longer for a S&W or Ruger, you'll be happier in the long run.

Stainz
 
I've had a Rossi M88 for about 10 years now, sent literally thousands of rounds down range with it and it keeps getting better every year. Most accurate snubby I own.
Dad has a 971 that he carries when He's not in the mood to tote around a 45, It's been trouble free as well.
That being said, $300 seems awful rich.
 
Rossi

Over the years I have seen Rossi revolvers all over the quality range.
I keep a newer Rossi 2" .38 Spl by the flashlight on the bedstead.
Every six months I take it to the range and fire it, clean it, and replace
it on the bed stead loaded with standard wadcutters. I have had none
of the problems with the Rossi that others have complained about.

Unfortunately for Rossi, over the years their quality has varied. The one I
got was a peach; other folks apparently got lemons. I bought a Rossi Puma
in .357 (lever rifle) and it feeds everything in .357 and .38 except empty
casings and wadcutters. Other folks complain that their Pumi won't feed
standard .357 or .38 bullet styles that mine handles OK.

Bottom line is, you cannot judge an individual gun by the reputation of
its maker: test the gun your going to bet your life on. Do not assume that
a GP100 is always a peach or that a Rossi is always a lemon.

My son-in-law gave me his grandmothers Smith&Wesson Chief's Special.
The gun looked cherry. I checked the cylinder (empty) then closed and
cocked the gun. The hammer would not fall when I pulled the trigger.
I had to strip and remove the oxidized oil and rust from internal parts
before it was functional. TEST THE GUN, don't go by the name.

My Rossi gets shot twice a year. My GP100 gets shot monthly at matches.
If I shot both monthly at matches, the Rossi would probably give out before
the GP100.
 
Bottom line is, you cannot judge an individual gun by the reputation of its maker: test the gun your going to bet your life on. Do not assume that
a GP100 is always a peach or that a Rossi is always a lemon.
Click to expand...

Carl N. Brown, nice take on this tread! Good advice.
 
My son-in-law gave me his grandmothers Smith&Wesson Chief's Special.
The gun looked cherry. I checked the cylinder (empty) then closed and
cocked the gun. The hammer would not fall when I pulled the trigger.
I had to strip and remove the oxidized oil and rust from internal parts
before it was functional. TEST THE GUN, don't go by the name.
Click to expand...

And Who is to blame for a dirty, uncared for weapon that malfunctions? Certainly one should test fire before buying but how often is this possible, especially with a new firearm? Name means a lot with firearms, but it is certainly possible to get a lemon in anything.

I would recommend checking out Rossi beyond this forum, you will be surprised. Rossi has a horrible reputation close to Jennings & Davis. Your chances of getting a lemon are extremely high. I have owned several Rossi snubs purchased NIB, as I stated in a previous post, and experienced problems in each case. The odds are not good!


:evil:
 
I want the .357 mainly for range use and varmint/hog hunting. To protect my life my G23 does just fine in that department. Probably go with the Ruger. Like my SRH and hardly ever hear anything bad about Rugers. Actually I like the looks of the GP100's better than the Smiths I've seen. Heck I need to quit buying guns and buy some reloading equipment pronto. That .454 casull cartridge ain't cheap at the store. :eek:
 
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