Learn me Rossi (Yet another handgun thread)

I just looked at one of these today:
It's a Rossi .38 special. Does anybody have experience with these? What are the advantages and disadvantages?

Have an older Rossi .38 with a bit longer of a barrel then that pic.

Shoots well, much better the the S&W airweight .38 we have. The grips are comfy.

Mine is heavier, so might not be as good of a carry, but it promotes better accuracy (at least in my case).

What else are you looking for?

Its funny you should mention this. I visited the local Academy to go buy a .357 Rossi with the 4" barrel. Unfortunately, the were out. But for $280 or whatever it is, I am willing to bite the bullet(pun fully intended) for a .357 at that price.

Apexcarver wrote: Have an older Rossi .38 with a bit longer of a barrel then that pic. Shoots well, much better the the S&W airweight .38 we have. The grips are comfy. Mine is heavier, so might not be as good of a carry, but it promotes better accuracy (at least in my case). What else are you looking for?

I wanted to know it it seemed reliable, accurate and reasonably priced. It sounds like the GRM hive mind doesn't have any major negative opinions about these guns

I've had one identical to what you posted, but in stainless, since I turned 21. It was my parents 21st birthday gift to me. I turned 36 last december. I still have it and will likely be buried with it..... I've put 1500+ rounds through it, some were +P's even though it's not rated for them, and it's fairly accurate for a 2"bbl. It's loud, makes big fireballs and reliable as the sun coming up in the east and setting in the west.

I've been half-heartedly looking for one in .357.

Being one half of the famed Martini and Rossi, how could you possibly go wrong?

The current Rossi stuff isn't bad. It's not a S&W but it's not bad. If I was carrying one I wouldn't feel undergunned, but for "ownership" I'd always take a S&W.

stroker wrote: The current Rossi stuff isn't bad. It's not a S&W but it's not bad. If I was carrying one I wouldn't feel undergunned, but for "ownership" I'd always take a S&W.

Yep, basically my thinking. For half of the price of a S&W or less, I don't see a problem getting one. If we were talking semi auto pistols instead of revolvers, I might have a little different opinion as far as cheapness.

Rossi in general seems well loved by those who buy their revolvers. Haven't shot one yet, but I'm just spoiled enough at this point to think I'd be more happy with a used Smith for similar money(smooooth trigger, unless it was built in the '80s)... Ex-police Smith .38spl snubs start at $150 at my favorite local gun shop.

My preferences aside, buy what makes YOU happy. Carry guns are going to get beat up, and function matters; I'm sure the Rossi works just fine for CCW and a trip to the range now and again, and likely shoots above it's price point like Ruger's revolvers. If you get it, we expect a full review and pictures.

My friend has a Rossi 357 wheel gun. He brought it over and we shot some 38 spl through it. I thought it was a very nice gun. Very smooth for a wheel gun.

ValuePack wrote: If you get it, we expect a full review and pictures.

I'm resurrecting this thread to say that I did buy the rossi revolver gun pictured in my OP. My dad just bought a Ruger LC9 pistol, and we went out to the range today to try them out. I'm too new to hand guns to post a proper review, but I can offer a few opinions:

1) I shot 108 rounds through the gun. My finger is tired...so much so, in fact, that I had to start cocking the hammer towards the end.
2) Both Dad and I felt like my gun was a bit easier to be accurate with. This may be due to the fact that mine is a little heavier. (I'm basing this on the idea that the heavier gun is less prone to kick...Dr. Hess, feel free to correct me)
3) Another factor could be the handle. Dad's LC9 has finger rest on the clip like this hotlinked pic That makes the two-finger handle tolerable, but it still isn't as nice to hold as the revolver's comfy rubber grip that is designed for three fingers. Although they're shaped differently, I'm not sure I can feel a big difference between the grips on the Rossi 351 and the extended grips of the Charter Arms revolvers.
4) I like the white dot sights on Dad's gun better than the "line up the three lumps of metal" sights on mine.
5) The pistol is narrower, which means that full figured folks (FFF) like myself will find it easier to use for in-the-waistband carry. (i.e. The revolver isn't as zaftig-friendly.)

JoeyM wrote:

ValuePack wrote: If you get it, we expect a full review and pictures.

I'm resurrecting this thread to say that I did buy the rossi revolver gun pictured in my OP. My dad just bought a Ruger LC9 pistol, and we went out to the range today to try them out. I'm too new to hand guns to post a proper review, but I can offer a few opinions: 1) I shot 108 rounds through the gun. My finger is tired...so much so, in fact, that I had to start cocking the hammer towards the end. 2) Both Dad and I felt like my gun was a bit easier to be accurate with. This may be due to the fact that mine is a little heavier. (I'm basing this on the idea that the heavier gun is less prone to kick...Dr. Hess, feel free to correct me) 3) Another factor could be the handle. Dad's LC9 has finger rest on the clip like this hotlinked pic That makes the two-finger handle tolerable, but it still isn't as nice to hold as the revolver's comfy rubber grip that is designed for three fingers. Although they're shaped differently, I'm not sure I can feel a big difference between the grips on the Rossi 351 and the extended grips of the Charter Arms revolvers. 4) I like the white dot sights on Dad's gun better than the "line up the three lumps of metal" sights on mine. 5) The pistol is narrower, which means that full figured folks (FFF) like myself will find it easier to use for in-the-waistband carry. (i.e. The revolver isn't as zaftig-friendly.)

I'm sorta thin and a revolver is to thick for me to carry...

Joey

The solution for me was an outside-the-waistband holster. From what you've said, that may be true for any revolver carrier, regardless of their girth (...or lack thereof.) Yes, I am ignoring those oddball individuals who want to ankle carry.

My brother in law has had a Rossi 38 for several years and seems to like it. However I seem to think that it is starting to show its wear and the cylinder is developing some slop. They are a good working mans kinda gun just not the craftsmanship of some of the other options.

A few months ago I decided to look for a .357 mag and I looked at the Rossi and Taurus as options though I ended up far from there. I found a Dan Wesson model 15 with a 6 inch heavy barrel. The cool thing thing about the Dan Wesson is you can swap out the barrels in a matter of minutes and stock lengths run from 2 inches to 15 inches. This is also by far the most accurate revolver I have ever fired.

rebelgtp wrote: The cool thing thing about the Dan Wesson is you can swap out the barrels in a matter of minutes and stock lengths run from 2 inches to 15 inches

LOL!!!

rebelgtp wrote: The cool thing thing about the Dan Wesson is you can swap out the barrels in a matter of minutes and stock lengths run from 2 inches to 15 inches. This is also by far the most accurate revolver I have ever fired.

bingo, I has one too

and IIRC the only revolver that will work w/ a silencer

Yeah the 15 inch is kinda ridiculous. However Chuck Norris used one with a regular vented barrel in one of his movies from the 80's.

EDIT here is a picture of the "pistol pack" you could get back in the day.

EDIT 2 I forgot about the holy grail of Dan Wesson revolvers. One that makes a Python feel insignificant

.

the 15" barrel looks like it should have a front grip

The Joker can handle it

I was told they made that barrel so they could sell DW revolvers in England. I was working on a deal for us to carry those barrels and sell buttstock/grips for DW revolvers so you could have a "revolver Contender" back 'round 2000 but the deal didn't pan out. CZ bought DW a few years later. I think you can have barrels made to order but I don't think they stock them as a regular item any more. I called about getting a 8" 41 Mag barrel last year and they wanted a pretty significant amount of money for one.

stroker there is a guy that does custom barrels for DWs you might try giving him a call see if he can do anything in 41. His site is EWKArms.com

Here is a picture of his 6 inch extra heavy barrel Model 15. $165 for the whole barrel assembly.

ValuePack wrote: If you get it, we expect a full review and pictures.

restarting this to mention that I just got my Rossi back from Taurus/Rossi/Braz-Tech. They had to adjust the forcing cone and replace the sear. No charges, no issue. The entire process was hassle free

Very nice. It is always nice to hear about a company standing behind their products. It seems more often then not they don't anymore.

So have you gotten a chance to shoot it since getting it back?

Nope. Just got it back today. I'll probably head to the range this weekend.

When I was shooting with a lot of the local PD there were some complaints about the Rossi revolvers that had fired a lot of rounds getting a bit sloppy and shaving off bits of lead that would end up in their shooter's hands. Seemed to only be an issue with the ones at the range that had thousands of rounds through them, so probably not an issue with one someone actually owned.