Rossi Revolvers

[El Chivo]

Any opinions on these?

I 've seen a .38 of theirs and am thinking about their .357. Price is right. Purpose is defense only, not competition shooting.

[Bluehawk]

I have one One that I actualy use a lot . I inherited it from my brother-in-law so its been round for at least 20 years.
I am not really sure on the model number I beleive itsa M542 Its a Stainless 3 inch 44 Spl w/ adjustable sights and round butt grip
VERY HANDY as a carry gun for many applications I use it when travelling on my Quad runners in the back country and hiking .
I have also used it for a CCW gun many times shoots well , is accurate and seems to hold up to pretty good reloads > ALL in all in the 7 years I have owned it I have fired about 1000 rounds through it + or - a few . MY brother-in-law probably shot at least that through it but mostly light target loads
I like mine finding grips and holsters is a pain though I had to make one holster my self . I may have to find a custom grip maker to get the grip I want IM not all that thrilled withthe rubber gripper type grips that are on it

[jb00_98]

I have an R972 stainless w/6" barrel--no problems for me over 6-7 years.

[cnjarvis]

I bought one for my mother a couple of years ago. Fit and finish on the exterior were good but the DA trigger pull was atrocious. I had my smith do a trigger job on it before giving it to her and the smith told me that the internal parts were VERY rough. He apparently spent quite a bit of time on it to get it smoothed up.

It's not a BAD revolver but for $215, I got what I paid for.

[Jayhawker]

I've had a Model 68 snubbie in .38 special for over 10 years now without any regret. It still shoots just fine. The only thing I'd change on it is the serrated trigger. It would feel better if it was smoothed over. I can't find a gunsmith I feel confident in though. Seems like they've all left town. Definitely a good buy for the money.

[KCSO]

You get what you pay for, about 1 out of ever 6 or so Rossi's I get through needs to be sent back for replacment. The actions are rough compared to even a Taurus. The work and are reasonably accurate. Now a question...
If you are buying a gun to shoot hooles in paper you are willing to spend more money than for a gun to save your life?

Purpose is defense only, not competition shooting.
Any opinions on these?

I 've seen a .38 of theirs and am thinking about their .357. Price is right. Purpose is defense only, not competition shooting.

If you are buying a personal defense gun buy the BEST you can possibly afford and then PRACTICE. If you have 5 shots to save your liife they better #1 go where they are poointed and #2 they better go each and ever time.

[JerryB]

I reckon that we all see things in a different light. I bought a used Rossi 68 2 inch .38 spl when I retired in july of 2001. The fit and finish and the action is perfect and smooth as a S&W 15. It makes my daughter's S&W 60 look and shoot like some of Ya'll claim about the Rossi.It may be a cheap gun, 130 buck,but I carry it everyday without a thought of it's so called inferiority. I would love to have one in .44spl.

[AmBraCol]

Charl van Wyck used a Rossi snubnose to stop the St. James massacre in South Africa.

I've carried one (Model 853 - 6" ribbed target model) over the years and it gave me good service. Wish I had it here.

Rossi has made some good guns over the years. Like every maker, some of them have been less than wonderful, others have been pretty good. A friend in Brazil had one that another mutual friend had worked over. I've NEVER handled a S$W that had as smooth of a double action trigger pull. I'd not hesitate to pick up another one if the chance was offered and I had the $$... And if you can handle the gun before the deal is closed, so much the better as you'll be able to determine the condition of the gun as well as feel the action for yourself. One man's sow's ear is another man's soup meat...

[gak]

I had a pre-Braztech (Taurus) take-over 971 (4" stainless) .357 that was great. From what I can tell, their new(ish)/current .357 snubbie (461 and 462 I think?) is the best deal and platform on the market. I A-B'd one of these with a late-model (full shroud) Detective Special, the standard-bearer of snubs to many - and it's amazingly close in most dimensions...the Rossi just a bit beefier in the frame just ahead of the cylinder, below the barrel-line...as might befit a .357 vs. the DS .38. A six shooter just like the good ol' DS, awfully rare these days in a .38-format snubbie--only one I know of in the DS's "D" (sort of a J+) size. I don't care to shoot actual .357s out of any snubbie, whether you "can" or not...so I'd shoot mild .38s for plinking and hot .38s for serious duty out of this most of the time anyway...but admit it is also nice to know you can go magnum if you feel you want or need to.

[El Chivo]

If you are buying a personal defense gun buy the BEST you can possibly afford and then PRACTICE. If you have 5 shots to save your liife they better #1 go where they are poointed and #2 they better go each and ever time.

True, I didn't mean I wanted an UNRELIABLE gun, just that it need not be competition grade, it would be carried on my hip as a backup while hunting. If I ever fired it in anger it would be at point-blank range. So hair triggers, perfect balance and fancy features are less important than the fact that it is a solid workhorse.

Thanks for all the info.

[Ysabel Kid]

I have a Model 877, which is a six shot snubbie .357 Magnum in stainless steel. Admittedly I don't fire a lot of .357 Magnums in it - just enough to keep in practice, but in that platform, it simply isn't fun. Shooting .38's through it is the cat's meow. Lots of fun and never a problem with this gun in over 10 years!!!

[Idahoser]

My Rossi 720 is my favorite handgun. However, if that gun (3", 5-shot, k-frame sized .44 Special) was made by S&W, I would not have the Rossi.

There have been good ones, but you can't count on it to be. You can buy pretty much any S&W or Colt or Ruger and be assured it's going to work well, if perhaps not the best you ever had. With Rossi or Taurus or Charter or some others, you don't have that assurance-- but you may find a gem here and there by trial and error.

Since there is no shortage of .38's from S&W in all sizes and shapes, I'd never try the Rossi to find out.

[Idiot]

The responses given show the hit and miss quality of these firearms.

I've owned a couple Rossi revolvers. Both were certainly serviceable, but they were inaccurate, rough, and had terrible triggers. As long as I have enough money to afford something else, I won't own a Rossi. IMO they are a step up from the RG, perhaps even a long step up, but certainly on the same staircase.

[Hagler]

You get what you pay for, about 1 out of ever 6 or so Rossi's I get through needs to be sent back for replacment.

Apparently not. If these good people paid for a reliable gun, then only 5 of them got it. Therefore, 5 out of 6 people got a good gun. Conversely, if they all paid for a terrible gun, then only 1 out of 6 people got what they paid for. That's not really a good ratio, just an indicator that you do NOT always get what you pay for. Price does NOT always equals quality. Quality ALWAYS equals quality.

Shawn