Why Is Chief's Special Better?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Confederate

Confederate

Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2005
Messages
3,402
Location
Arlington, VA
Okay, I realize the S&W 36 commands a far greater price than my Rossi 88, but all things being what they are, what makes it better than my Rossi? Better steel? From a practical standpoint, the stainless steel makes it the more desirable gun. From the fit, finish and collectors value, the S&W is a better gun (not to mention you can stick it in your pocket and no one knows it's there). The Rossi has a 3-inch barrel, which I've been told isn't that much better than a 2-inch velocity-wise, but all things being equal in barrel length and grips, what makes the Smith a better gun? Or is it?

My_38s.jpg ​

Years ago I had a Taurus 85. A cursory look at that revolver in the 80s revealed immediately the difference. Accuracy was horrible with the 85, and the fit wasn't nearly as good. The grips were larger, the barrel heavier and when I cocked it, the play in the cylinder was sloppy. The Rossi, however, has better sights, a tight lockup, similar grips to my Model 60 (stainless Chief's Special) and if I had the 2-inch model, even that was more similar to the 60.

BTW, I've always loved the Chief's Special since the days of GET SMART in the 60s. I now don't know if the little gun Max carried was a S&W or a Colt. I always thought the former, but looking at the front sight in one of the early episodes, I don't know.

.
 
Owning both a Rossi R351 and a Chiefs Special...as well as a gen 3 Colt Detective Special, I will say this, the M36 had a super smooth trigger, likely because of it's high round count. The M36, which I bought NIB back in the 80's, is starting to show signs of timing issues and the lockup isn't what I would like it to be anymore. I no longer trust it enough to carry. Despite it's very slim width, it always bugged me that it is only a five shot. The fit and finish, when it was new, was excellent.

The Colt Detective Special, a beautiful gun, does not have as buttery smooth a trigger as the M36, but it is very nearly as smooth, breaks cleanly and doesn't creep. The Colt can also handle stouter loads than the M36. And the Colt is a six shooter.

The fit and finish of that little Colt, which I bought used over a decade ago, is still head and shoulders above the Chiefs Special...even when the S&W was new. That Colt is a little jewel. Colt really had their bluing process down to an art. I'm older now, so if I am going to go to the trouble of carrying a concealed handgun and possibly face judgment in a case of self defense, at least the jury will see that I am a man of discerning taste as they decide my fate!

The Rossi, for which I had very high hopes, has always been a disappointment. In my opinion, fit and finish was never a priority for Rossi. And the trigger remains atrocious...no matter how much I have shot it.


colt_d10.jpg
 
Everything I've read about Rossi, both on their handguns and rifles, leads me to believe their customer service is atrocious.

It didn't stop me from buying an R92, there's nothing else quite like it in size and price, but I would not buy one of their revolvers when there are better choices.
 
Over the years I've owned Colt, Ruger, Rossi, Charter Arms and EIG (Italian made chief's specials) as well as a Japanese hybrid. All were subtantially cheaper than the S&W and as strong and as accurate as the S&W. Personally I'd not turn down any of them as a carry weapon for self defense or small game hunting. As for why a 3" barrel is better just google Buffalo Bore and check their velocities for their ammo. 70 foot pounds higher from just a small inch.
 
Well way back when pirates sailed the seas....well maybe not that long ago....but when revolvers were King of the Hill your choices were Colt Detective Special, S&W Model 10 2" barrel and the S&W Chiefs Special (M-36) all of which were expensive for a typical cops pay with a wife and family to support.

When Rossi (along with Taurus and Charter Arms) small frame guns came a lot of LEO's brought them for off-duty and bug. Since the little guns are carried much but shot little they filled the bill for a Officer supporting a family. Over the years the market has forced Rossi to improve the quality of its guns while S&W quality has tanked.

S&W has been making these revolvers for decades and the no-lock ones actions can be tuned up. But for the most part they are still carried much but shot less.

I am not a fan of the J-Frame size for edc. Mine are niche guns used when going fishing and pest control on the ranch. I certainly would not get rid of your Rossi just because the Internet and Gun Shop "experts" trash it.

However I really like the Rossi 44 Special and would like to add one to my oddball assortment of firearms. A stainless steel 44 Special with handloaded shotshells would make a dandy snake, turtle and pest control gun along with regular loads for self-defense.
 
Last edited:
Had a Rossi Model 88 back in the '80s mainly because it was less expensive than a S&W and it was something S&W didn't make at the time (stainless J frame with a 3" barrel and an adjustable rear sight). Except for a few tool marks the Rossi was as well built and reliable as what S&W built during the same time period.
 
NIGHTLORD40K said:
Back in the day, I'd have said S&W and Rossi were equally good, but current productions are equally bad.
Click to expand...

Despite internet banter, current production Smith revolvers are some of the most accurate and reliable revolvers made. Combine that with their "lifetime" warranty and outstanding customer service and even their entry level Airweight J-Frames(generally under $400 OTD) is a worthy investment in a handgun. Biggest complaints are the cosmetics of the Hillary hole(which several models of J-Frames are without) and an occasional over torqued barrel(which S&W fixes for free). Never was the day that Taurus and S&W's were of the same quality. OTD cost is, and always has been the reason. In the Handgun world, for the most part, you get what you pay for.
 
My Interarms Rossi M88 snubbie, the internal parts look like they were filed from soap chunks. That tells me the fitter got huge unfinished parts and filed them to fit. There is a gap in the crane that allows residue to be blown down the cylinder shaft, that will tie up the revolver. The S&W revolvers of the period were much nicer internally, never had a S&W gum up.

However, I purchased a M85 Taurus snubbie, took the side plates off, and the internals were as well fitted as my late model S&W Airweights. I called Taurus, looking for parts, and the Customer Service guy said that Rossi/Taurus had facilitized the factory with Computer Automated Manufacturing.

I like my M85 Taurus, have not purchased another Rossi.

The big question is whether a new S&W is worth more than a new Taurus. That's not going to be an easy answer.
 
My gun comes from the 80s, has no tool marks and has a great action. It was one of two I got and I sold my other to a friend who wanted it because it had a 3-inch barrel. I have a .22LR Rossi that has tool marks and sounds a lot like Slamfire's. But 88s are some of the nicest revolvers I've seen. I heard the tiny frames of these guns don't like a steady diet of +P, but I only use them for self defense. I like the Rossis because they're stainless steel, but like the Smith because it's got a 2-inch barrel. Of the two S&W s I have, I like the square-butt 60 better. Can't get a decent grasp on the 36. Putting a Tyler T-grip adaptor helped, but I paid $4.62 for that adaptor. Now the body things go for $39. Can't believe people pay that! I'd tape the gun to my hand before I'd pay that kind of money.
 
I like my taurus 85 I bought it 2008.It often surprized me with how easy it was to hit small targets with like tree rats and golf balls.Its a good gun that will never gain in value but could save someones life or feed you
The S&W is more about owning something to braig about or keep for investment.
 
Each revolver has to be judged on its own merit. I've seen S&Ws that are absolute lemons. And I've seen other revolvers like Rossis and Astras that are remarkable. That said, it's an undeniable fact that one will find more S&W revolvers that are unabashed keepers; and all this being true, I would say that all of us view firearms as much more than tools that launch projectiles at various speeds towards targets. (A hammer need not be perfectly balanced, or have fine workmanship, to whack a nail.) For as long as man has lived, though, weapons and craftsmanship have gone hand in hand. Even many generations before Christ, the wily Odysseus nabbed a woman who had stopped at a table of weapons to heft swords and inspect spears and shields near a girl's school. The woman turned out to be Achilles, whose mother had sent her 15-year old son to the school, dressed as a woman, in the vain hope to save her son from the war in far-off Troy. All but one of the girls went to admire the jewelry, perfumed powders and trinkets at another table. When the lone girl went to the weapons table, however, Odysseus at once had her seized, thus securing the greater warrior of the Trojan war.

Achilles&Odysseus.jpg

So as long as men have been using weapons, they've been captivated by their design, build, strength and craftsmanship. I've never seen a Taurus that I'd wanted to keep (though I expect there are some). My 3-inch Rossi is, I think, a better gun in many ways than my S&W 36 (unless it's subject to breakage), especially because it's stainless steel. If I could choose one, I'd take the Model 36 because of its size and that it's a S&W; but if I could only have one and had to use it the rest of my life without being able to sell it, I'd probably choose the Rossi.

I've heard that the firing pins of these little guns sometimes will fail if dry-fired a lot. I got an extra firing pin for the Rossi (made by a third party company). Has anyone ever had such a failure?

RossiPistols_2C.jpg
Rossi 511 .22LR revolver (it's beautiful and accurate)(top) and my
Model 88. I bought both for what I paid for my Model 63 Kit Gun
(plus had enough left over for a good dinner). The 511 has some
tool marks around the front sights, but the 88 is flawless.

254.jpg
My S&W Model 60 is in outstanding pistol. I recently
bought some engraved wood grips and bought some
new stainless screws. It's One of my favorite guns!





 
Last edited:
Like anything else, premium prices are paid for premium names, and when compared in a similar condition those premium items (usually) hold value longer than those considered to be a "knock-off". Many times the "knock offs" are just as good as the original item, but even if so they still won't draw the attention (or $) like the original one does. Taurus has always had this stigma, with both their versions of S&W revolvers or the Beretta 92.

I bought a new Rossi 2" stainless .38 revolver many years ago. The cylinder was manufactured a bit uneven, so on one chamber the barrel/Cylinder gap was visible (.008 maybe?), and as it rotated it would disappear until it was about .001 on the opposite chamber. After a couple of cylinders fired build up would cause it to start rubbing the forcing cone at that spot, and a few more shots later it would bind up. There was also a bit of slop in the cylinder locking mechanism, and it could move a bit more when cocked than my other brands did. None of my snub Smiths or my SP 101 Ruger (Also the new Colt) have had these issues. Sure it could be that one gun was a lemon, but it still got out into circulation from the factory with a flaw that was potentially fatal should the owner not clean the face of the cylinder after every shooting session. I sent his one packing not long after I noticed the flaw.

I also have a couple of older Taurus revolvers, a 9-shot .22LR in stainless (With the 4" barrel like the one above) and an 8-shot .22 mag with the 4" underlugged barrel and high-polished finish. Both are decent guns that shoot just fine. They just don't have the panache (or honestly, the accuracy) of the Smiths in the safe.

If your Rossi or Taurus does what you want it to, there's nothing wrong with shooting them as much as you can. :thumbup:
 
Confederate

Love your two Rossis, especially the Model 88! I added a Tyler T-Grip adapter to it because the factory grips were just too small even for me! That Rossi, along with an Uncle Mike's holster and a couple of HKS speedloaders, was my constant companion on many a backwoods hike.
 
Quality... S&W quality and QC on average has been better than Rossi quality and QC. That is why S&W commands higher prices. Individual examples may vary, but most folks purchase S&W over Rossi for the perceived difference in quality. I'm not saying this is right or wrong, just my observation during and after the days when revolvers were king of the hill.

History...when the Chief's Special was introduced it was a BIG deal. The Colt held more rounds, but everyone wanted to be a Chief...ha. Also, the size and weight were right where they needed to be for a small carry revolver. The design is timeless, as you can see today with how many variations on the J Frame are still in production and still be sold.
 
Tell the S&W 3rd generation semi auto owners about that alleged "lifetime warranty". LOL

Good luck! And with current production s&ws you will need it! :)
 
[QUOTE="Paladin7, post: 10637236, member: 6425"

History...when the Chief's Special was introduced it was a BIG deal. The Colt held more rounds, but everyone wanted to be a Chief...ha. Also, the size and weight were right where they needed to be for a small carry revolver. The design is timeless, as you can see today with how many variations on the J Frame are still in production and still be sold.[/QUOTE]
When I started in LE in 1969, my S&W Chief Spl. cost me $68. I liked the Colt Det. Spl., but at the time it was another 25-30% higher, which I couldn't justify. I also wanted a Colt Diamondback for a duty weapon, but that was off the charts compared to a Model 10.

Any other brand at the time wasn't even in the running.
 
Paladin7 said:
Quality... S&W quality and QC on average has been better than Rossi quality and QC. That is why S&W commands higher prices. Individual examples may vary, but most folks purchase S&W over Rossi for the perceived difference in quality. I'm not saying this is right or wrong, just my observation during and after the days when revolvers were king of the hill.
Click to expand...
What you say is true, of course, but this Rossi I have (and the one before it) are virtually as perfect as you could expect. B/C Gap: perfect; no cylinder shake, cylinder throats: acceptable. And virtually no tool marks. If I inspected my Chief and Rossi side-by-side, I'd note the superior workmanship of the S&W ejector rod and that the hammer and trigger seemed to be slightly better on the Smith. But all in all, the Rossi would be the one I'd choose because it was stainless steel.
 
"But all in all, the Rossi would be the one I'd choose because it was stainless steel." -- As is the S&W m. 60.

2 of my 3 Rossis let me down - mechanical failures. Sold the good one ; no more Rossis for me. (The reliable one , a K frame size .38 , was nice looking but the da trigger was awful...) All pre-hole Smiths for me now, including 2 60's and a Chief. No issues with them to date.

The OP asked : "...what makes the Smith a better gun? Or is it?"
The "what" is : fit , finish , trigger- ESPECIALLY trigger , reliability.
"Or is it?" - In my experience , most definitely.
 
Last edited:
I bought a Rossi M68 twenty five years ago. The firing pin cracked after a box or two of shells. I replaced it for about 8 bucks. It was an OK carry gun.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

P
  • Locked
Chiefs' Special or Detective Special?
Replies
24
Views
4K
clang
C
A
  • Locked
Rossi .38 special
Replies
2
Views
558
Slamfire
Slamfire
B
  • Locked
Dry fire on chiefs special
Replies
12
Views
950
Colton White
C
O
  • Locked
Model 36 Chief's Special
Replies
16
Views
2K
mesinge2
mesinge2
J
  • Locked
S&W Chief Special - Serial Number
Replies
3
Views
419
Keoni
Keoni
Back
Top