Rossi m85 is this a good little revolver?

[megatronrules]

I was checking one of these out in my local shop the other day and it seemed very nice. It is a s&w model 36 clone same exact size and even has the 5 shot capacity. I was thinking of getting it as a car gun for when I have to leave my gun in my car. If it were ever stolen better it then my s&w 640.

I have to say being a diehard s&w fan I was very impressed with this guns smoth action, tight lockup and very nice deep blue finish. this is a used gun by the way but appears to be fired very little dosen't even have a ring around the cylinder. The asking price is $179 so I figure what the heck right? But some input from my fellow gun buyers would great.

 

[Jim March]

IF it was made after about 1995/6 or so, the metallurgy on the firing pin was improved over previous.

Other than that, run the checkout (top post, this forum). If it comes out OK, it'll be a reasonable little defender.

 

[Remander]

My wife has a Rossi M68 .38 spcl 5-shot that we got for a mere $125 from a pvt party.

It's about 10 yrs old, but it was only fired about 10 times before she got it. She loves the fit and can really kill coke cans with wadcutters.

I'd buy another if I ran across it for a similar price.

 

[Albert Shear]

My wife and I have no children so- the Rossi' are two of the four houseguns we keep. Rossi' in kithen and den, Ruger Sp101 in each bathroom. Never had any problems with them. I actually prefer the Rossi grip angle and rubber grips.

 

[Arub]

I've got a Rossi 462 and it has a timing problem you won't pick up following the suggested 'check out' at the top of this section.

When firing in the DA mode, with a really rapid trigger pull, it gets out of time. You can index the cylinder without pulling the trigger after a rapid fire DA simulation, or even loaded. You can also see a very much off center pin strike. If you rechamer a round that misfired due to faulty timing, you'll see a double pin strike. On occaision the gun will jam due to the timing issue.

I have sent the revolver back to Rossi (Braztec?) in Miami on two occaisions. Turn around time was excellent, repairs poor. The 462 still has the same problems I returned it for, both times. I even sent spent casings with the double strikes to show the off centering due to the timing problem. Still not fixed.

Rather than continue to be frustrated by having the gun not fixed on additional multiple trips to the manufacturer, I'm going to turn the revolver in to the local sherrifs department, in May when I go to the county seat for my concealed weapons permit renewal) and have it destroyed. I won't have a weapon I cannot trust and won't pass a malfunctioning weapon off on some other unsuspecting person.

If you think about the potential usage of a defensive weapon, such as the 462, you realize the probability of having to have it function in a very rapid DA mode is high (given you are in a grave defensive situation). This is the mode of operation this gun is most likely to fail in and result in grave bodily harm to the user (by the BG). It will be destroyed!

 

[chaim]

Arub,

You turn it in to be destroyed you get nothing, right?

Give it to me (or sell it very cheap- 50 or 60 bucks). Then since I would have paid little for it I'd have no trouble justifying the cost on an inexpensive gun to get a smith to fix it for me. Heck, I have plenty of defensive guns, and the J-frame equivelent I plan to use is the Taurus 9mm when it comes out, so even if I can't get it fixed I'd be able to appreciate it just as a range/teaching gun.

Alternatively, you could simply pay a smith (what would it cost, probably between $80 and $180) to get it working correctly and you'd have a good gun for less than the replacement cost.

 

[ranger7]

My wife and I gave our daughter a used Rossi snubby when she got married and moved away. She shoots it very well. The only problem we noticed was occasional cylinder binding, after 50-100 rounds, but that was easily corrected with more meticulous cleaning around the cylinder gap (.003).

Alan

 

[smooth operator]

I've got 3 Rossi revolvers. 2 of them were imported by Interarms and 1 is from the new company Braztech. They all do what they are supposed to do & didn't cost me an arm & a leg.

 

[Arub]

Chaim:

I appreciate the offer/thought, but the reason I will not sell it, to anybody, is that even with a disclaimer, I have no control as to whether or not it is subsequently resold to an unsuspecting individual with the malfunction (even after a gunsmith works it over). I will not bear any part of the responsiblility for potentially getting someone hurt if the gun malfunctions knowing that it isn't right now, even with the manufacturer/importer having worked on it twice.

I would destroy it myself, but want to have evidence, furnished by the Sheriff's department, that it was indeed destroyed should this country go south on the 2nd amendment and start chasing down every purchase for registration/conscription or forced collection.

 

[Gerald McDonald]

I have two, a 68S and an 85. Both excellent shooters with very little cost in them. The 85 is a little rougher in action than the 68, but the 68 will bind after 100 or so rounds. Not a problem for me as I am not going to get in a fire fight needing a hundred rounds.
Gerald

 

[Okiecruffler]

The Wife's totin' gun is a Rossi M88 of mine that we've put thousands of rounds thru together, was the first gun she'd ever shot as a matter of fact. Still shoots better groups than any other snub I've owned.