Rossi

[30mag]

I've heard a little about Rossi.. but what do you guys think about them?
My neighbor has a single-shot combo in .17 and .410, (two interchangeable barrrels) and it's a pretty fun little gun. he's never had any problems with it, but it's a single shot... and they're about bulletproof and a half.

I would specifically like to hear about their pistols.

 

[XDKingslayer]

I got my Rossi snubbie from a lady who was told by her doctor to stay away from firearms due to medication. She gave me her Rossi in pieces because it fell apart during her first range session. The set screw that holds in the cylinder arm came lose and was lost.

I've repaired it and all the screws on it need constant tightening, even with blue loctite. It's pretty much routine, fire 4 cylinders full, grab the screwdriver. Fire 4 cylinders full, grab the screwdriver.

Sweet trigger though. Everything else is fine. Tight lock up. Accurate. Just rocks itself loose, especially with .357 magnum loads but it will also do it with .38.

 

[Blue .45]

I have a Rossi .22 revolver which, I purchased used. While not a S&W, it has been a pretty solid shooter. I can't speak for their larger caliber guns, however.

 

[Neocode]

I got a sweet deal on a stainless Rossi snubnose .38. I love it. Never had a problem with it.

 

[Thernlund]

I have a stainless Rossi .357 snub. It's no Smith, that's for sure. But I like it. It's a decent gun and shoots well enough.


-T.

 

[MCgunner]

I've owned 7 of 'em, still have a .22 revolver, a .38 5 shot M68 revolver, and a M92 lever action in .357 magnum. I've kept the ones I really liked, but the others were good guns. Only problem I've ever had with any of 'em was a busted firing pin on a M971 .357 magnum. They've all been decently accurate. SA on the triggers were all glass rod and light. The DA on all of 'em was heavy, but relatively smooth. IMHO, great bargain in the lower cost revolver market and THE brand that I'd bet my life on for the least money. I had a Charter for a while, no thanks. The Rossi is a better built gun.

I wouldn't call a Rossi a direct replacement for an older Smith, but it's a good option if you can't afford the ridiculous prices of Smith and Wesson and you need a gun or just for a shooter.

 

[panther22]

New Rossi's are made by Taurus, and covered by their lifetime warranty. That is a good, or bad, thing, depending on who you talk to. There are alot of dissatisfied customers on here.
I've owned a .38spl snubbie. It was alright. I wasn't impressed with the finish on it, but it worked fine and didn't cost anywhere near a new S&W.
I had one of the single shot rifles in .45Colt/.410. It was a fun gun. Rossi has since discontinued it. Prices were under $200 for them. They were well worth it.

 

[chipperi]

I have a compensated Rossi m971 .357 with tons of rounds through it and it has always worked flawlessly.

 

[baconbeard]

bought a 2" snubbie 5 shot .38 for $75.00 slightly used, one good, reliable pistol that ccw light and carries easily

 

[Galen]

Baconbeard, where did you find one for $75??? Thats an absolute steal!

 

[30mag]

sounds pretty hit and miss...

 

[jfrey]

My son recently bought a Rossi in .38 spl. and it is pretty rough. Compared to my Taurus 85, it leaves a lot to be desired. The hammer is a lot harder to cock and the trigger is much heavier both in single and double action firing. Last weekend it locked up and we couldn't get the cylinder open. I got it home and removed the side plate and discovered the cylinder release pin had jumped out of it's guide hole and was hanging on the frame. I fixed it but i suspect it will happen again. He plans to trade it on a Taurus very soon.

 

[HOME DEPOT GEORGE]

My first revolver was a model 461 and never had any issues. I might get flamed for this but try searching for kimber threads and you will find just as many if not more people that have had problems with them and they are 3 times the money. I have heard of very few issues with rossi guns and would buy another in a second.

 

[elrod]

I have heard of problems with older model of the Rossi. Seems they were 90-95% reliable. The rest were classic POS (according to what I read). Taurus has bought Rossi, and seem to produce a pretty good arm. I have had one older gun, and a newer Taurus-Rossi. I have no complaints about either, but I'm also sure the next 16 posts will tell me I'm crazy as hell!

 

[Oohrah]

Only Rossi I own is a double barrel Coach Gun, 3" 12 Ga. Well
made. Not impressed with the wood or its finish; however, less
than $200 early 70s. That era's handguns sometimes had issues
with timeing, but those revolvers for the price were pretty good

 

[AnaxImperator]

My Wife bought a stainless-steel 6" Model 972 .357 a couple weeks ago, after looking at many other .357s by S&W, Ruger, and Taurus. She originally wanted a S&W 686 or 627, but the prices on them are high, and after some research she became wary of the new S&W's internal lock.

But she spotted her Rossi kinda hidden in a display case and gave it a good looking at. The big selling point for her was that she could manage the hammer one-handed, the DA trigger-pull wasn't too stiff for her, the grips are super-comfy, the revolver is extremely well balanced, and the adjustable sights are easy for her to use.
In all those aspects I agreed with her evaluation, especially with the trigger-pull, grip comfort, and the revolver's overall balance.
In addition; the cylinder operates smoothly, it's lock-up tight & release is positive, and the Rossi's internal lock mechanism seems to be less prone to malfunction than S&W's. As a revolver I'd trust my or my Wife's life on, a high frequency of internal-lock-induced-failure (ILIF) is disconcerting. As of now I've not found any reports of ILIFs with Rossi revolvers.
I have read of issues with the fit & finish & mechanical function of older Rossi revolvers, but new models seem to have dealt with them. The fit & finish of my Wife's 972 is excellent, and it has functioned flawlessly so far (400rds). Out of curiosity I've looked at other Rossi models (all stainless) every time I've been to my gun dealer, and I've found no variations between those and Linz's 972. I'd be quite happy with one for myself, and prefer them over Ruger's offerings. It'd be nice if Rossi revolvers had the option for 7rd cylinders, though.

 

[MCgunner]

The 971 is too small for a 7 shooter. It's about half way between a J and a K frame in frame size. It's a strong gun, can handle heavy magnum loads, but I fed mine a lot of .38 in practice. It never got loose, probably had 6K through it when I traded it. I liked the gun for carry, about 30 ounces even with a full lug 4" barrel and it was all stainless, great backpacking gun. Even though it was light, its recoil was more manageable than my 4" Ruger Security Six. If you want a 7 shooter, the Taurus 66 is now a seven shooter. My two are older M66s, the six shooters. The 3" gun is about as light as was the Rossi to carry and very accurate. Both of those 66s are accurate, well timed, tight, and reliable and the DA triggers are lighter.

 

[rollback88]

I had a 461 snub. Liked it 6 rounds of .357. Put off getting my CHL and sold it to fund another gun. Then I found a really good condition Model 88 from back when Interarms imported them for $175 and a blue model 68 for $160. Couldn't resist. The fit and finish on these two guns is every bit as nice as my S&Ws.

That said, snubbies are what they are. The longer barrel guns, for me, are a different story. Shooting targets is all about trigger and nobody beats a S&W revolver trigger (out of the box), IMHO.

--jcd