My wifes Dad gave her a Rossi .38 Special as her carry/protection gun as she never felt comfortable with auto loading. I cleaned it up good (it had a little rust on it) and ran about 100 rounds through it. So far so good, but as they say you get what you pat for, and these are pretty cheap guns. This is the only revolver I've ever had, I kind of like the simplicity.
Okay, so how bad are Rossi revolvers
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VirgilCaine
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See, what you do is buy two--shoot one, carry one. 
OurSafeHome.net
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I doubt that 3,500 rounds would be enough to hurt it.
MCgunner
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I put many thousands of rounds, some mild +P even though it wasn't +P rated, through a M88 and it's still going strong. I have a really nice little M68, good as any Smith 36 out of the box, that I bought in 1981 for my step dad. Not all the Rossis I've owned were as well fitted and finished as this one, but it's really well made. I don't think he put many rounds through it and I've put maybe 500 through it max since I've had it, but it's a really well built little gun and it'll last as long as me, little doubt about that. It's very tight and very well timed. Accurate, too. Has a 3" barrel which I like a lot. The Smith snobs that haven't owned one will cut it no slack, but they're nice little revolvers. No, it's not a gun for customizing or such, but out of the box, it works great.
Crowbar Muldoon
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I have to echo MCgunner. My wife has a Rossi M88 3" that she has had for about 20 years now. She puts 500-1000 rounds through it every year, with a few +P loads every so often for good measure, and it has held up very well. The fit, finish, and trigger on her revolver are as good as any of the Smiths I own, although I have read that Rossi's can be pretty spotty in these areas. It is reliable and accurate, just what she needs for her CCW.
I keep reading that they will not stand up to extended shooting, but she won't hear of getting another, so it is at the smithy's getting a complete inspection/check clearances and internals/test firing. We'll see what the gun doc says this weekend.
I keep reading that they will not stand up to extended shooting, but she won't hear of getting another, so it is at the smithy's getting a complete inspection/check clearances and internals/test firing. We'll see what the gun doc says this weekend.
Blue Brick
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Not bad, but not good either.
Mooseman
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I have one of the pre taurus 357s, never gave me any trouble. Trigger isn't the greatest but that's my only complaint.
MCgunner
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So, how many did you have to buy before you swore off 'em, coupla dozen?
And, in Canada? Whatever.
snooperman
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Rossi revolvers- good value
I have 2 Rossi Revolvers and have shot thousands of my reloads Wadcutters through them with narry a problem.They are not as eloquent as my Colts or S&W revolvers but they are sound and a good value in todays market. Their products over the years have steadily improved. I like them and there is a place for them in my gun safe and at the range as well. Snooperman
I have 2 Rossi Revolvers and have shot thousands of my reloads Wadcutters through them with narry a problem.They are not as eloquent as my Colts or S&W revolvers but they are sound and a good value in todays market. Their products over the years have steadily improved. I like them and there is a place for them in my gun safe and at the range as well. Snooperman
Fat Boy
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Sadly, Rossi's have gotten some bad press, as have Taurus guns, and a few others via internet and word of mouth. Sad, because it is so difficult to verify the various reports of failures. My thinking is to stick with guns of known quality; like older S&W's, Colts, etc.
Why borrow trouble?
Why borrow trouble?
I bought a 3" model 88 that belonged to a brother-in law that died recently. So far, through about 300 rds, it's worked perfectly although the trigger in DA mode is a bit heavy. As far as quality, it's not quite the equal of my Taurus 85, but it's not near as bad as some folks tell us.
Dogbite
Member
oops, double tap.
Dogbite
Member
They are very cheap revolvers. I would not rely on one for SD unless pressed to do so. OK for a range/plinker though. If your looking for a SD revolver, get a Smith, Ruger, or a Colt. If they have run out of all of those, get a Taurus. Taurus used to be as cheap as a Rossi, but have made great quality strides in the last 10 years or so. I have been shooting revolver for 34 years, so I can remember when Taurus revolvers would regularly split bullets and such, and were only good for boat anchors.
gmh1013
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I have a .38 snub Rossi (newer Taurus made) and the double action is better than my SP101. I have about 500 rounds of non +P through it without any problems
Crowbar Muldoon
Member
Sorry, Ken. You see, in Texas, we ship all the bad Rossi's to Canada immediately. We always have.
MedWheeler
Member
This was my response to a similar question regarding a Taurus revolver someone had recently acquired:
>>>Ask yourself "what's your life worth".. you'll hear this comment over and over again from the webwarriors, yet they're not buying new $40K+ cars every year to have the latest in safety when out and about. This is despite the fact that any one of us who operates a motor vehicle is much more likely to encounter a threat to our safety in doing so than one coming in the form of an aggressor (unless they're engaging in a risky lifestyle.)
For HD/SD, a Taurus that you know to function and do so well in your hands will do fine. Those same people who believe they should be armed at all times are, in fact, telling you to wait to be armed, aren't they? Remember the first rule of gunfighting, right? Have a gun!
More justifiable defensive shootings not involving LE or military personnel involve these so-called "lesser" arms than the Kahrs, Kimbers, Sigs, etc, because that's what people who live in the parts of the country more likely to contain these threats have. Most of the cases I've read up on that identified the defender's weapon type include Rossi .38s, Lorcin/Davis-type .25 and .380 pistols, no-name single-barrel or double-barrel shotguns, and various .22 and .32 caliber revolvers. These are the "beer-budget" arms people living "beer-budget" lives have when firearms isn't a pastime for them. I don't own a single firearm valued today at more than $400, but I trust any of the ones I keep for defensive purposes to do me as intended. They include a Taurus 4" 66 revolver, a Charter Arms Undercover .38, and a Bersa Thunder .380 pistol. The first is primarily a HD gun; one of the other two is on me at all (dressed) times.<<<
>>>Ask yourself "what's your life worth".. you'll hear this comment over and over again from the webwarriors, yet they're not buying new $40K+ cars every year to have the latest in safety when out and about. This is despite the fact that any one of us who operates a motor vehicle is much more likely to encounter a threat to our safety in doing so than one coming in the form of an aggressor (unless they're engaging in a risky lifestyle.)
For HD/SD, a Taurus that you know to function and do so well in your hands will do fine. Those same people who believe they should be armed at all times are, in fact, telling you to wait to be armed, aren't they? Remember the first rule of gunfighting, right? Have a gun!
More justifiable defensive shootings not involving LE or military personnel involve these so-called "lesser" arms than the Kahrs, Kimbers, Sigs, etc, because that's what people who live in the parts of the country more likely to contain these threats have. Most of the cases I've read up on that identified the defender's weapon type include Rossi .38s, Lorcin/Davis-type .25 and .380 pistols, no-name single-barrel or double-barrel shotguns, and various .22 and .32 caliber revolvers. These are the "beer-budget" arms people living "beer-budget" lives have when firearms isn't a pastime for them. I don't own a single firearm valued today at more than $400, but I trust any of the ones I keep for defensive purposes to do me as intended. They include a Taurus 4" 66 revolver, a Charter Arms Undercover .38, and a Bersa Thunder .380 pistol. The first is primarily a HD gun; one of the other two is on me at all (dressed) times.<<<
aerod1
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I have a Rossi that has been a great gun. I don't have a problem with it.
Nicodemus38
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Thing is, if the weapons sold by Taurus and Rossi did not pass the "crappy, melts in your hand" rules for the "saturday night special', they would not be allowed import. If the cylinders were not able to meet pressure testing requirements in proof houses, they would not be allowed import.
however, the big "proof" used to show that taurus and rossi products are inferior is a single gunsmith whos whole life and career is doing action jobs on SMITH AND WESSON revolvers. You cant expect the man who gets paid 3-400 dollars to repair the action on a 1000 SW revolver to say,
"hey, rossi and taurus are just as good as the 1000 dollar SW you just paid me 400 to retime"
just bad for business because it gets people to stop buying his livelihood, and it only helps his image to say "only SW is worth having"
however, the big "proof" used to show that taurus and rossi products are inferior is a single gunsmith whos whole life and career is doing action jobs on SMITH AND WESSON revolvers. You cant expect the man who gets paid 3-400 dollars to repair the action on a 1000 SW revolver to say,
"hey, rossi and taurus are just as good as the 1000 dollar SW you just paid me 400 to retime"
just bad for business because it gets people to stop buying his livelihood, and it only helps his image to say "only SW is worth having"
QUICK_DRAW_McGRAW
Member
i have a rossi M461 which is the snubbie .357 mag. ive put about 1k through it and i had one problem which i caused and that was a broken firing pin. sent it in and fixed at only the cost to ship it there. very quick and helpful.
Virginian
Member
Having their choice of anything they wanted, both of my daughters ended up with square butt Rossi 68s with the 3" barrel. They just liked the feel of those little guns better than any of the Smiths or Tauruses or Colts, and I would have to say I did too, with the exception of a couple of little Colts. Both guns have worked like little typewriters for over 20 years now, and I wouldn't have gotten them in the first place if I didn't trust them.
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