I think U needa buy a better quality. I think they are a step below Taurus, and I personally wouldn't buy a Taurus revolver. Get either a S&W or a Ruger - U will be happier. DOn't skrimp and then get a gun that can give U some problems. Many cheap revolvers have timing problems with the cylinders locking up or not alighning w/ the barrel.

Carried and shot revolvers for 45yrs. Save a little longer, and get something that will last your life time. S&W, Ruger, and if you hit the Lottery Colts. Any one of them your kids and grandkids will enjoy too. Good Luck.

I have to agree that the Rossi revolvers don't compare to a Ruger or Smith. But, I have owned a Rossi 38 snub nose for the last 11 years and have had no problems at all with it. It is built just like a J-frame S&W so it was easy to take apart and polish up. I only have about $125 in it, so it makes a great truck gun and is surprisingly accurate for it's size. I would not pay a lot of money for one, but if you can get into one for the right price, don't over look it.

I have to agree. The Rossi is not made very well, in my opinion. I shot one a few months ago and it was not accurate, nor was it reliable. The cylander kept locking up on this gun. You will also notice, if you inspect one, that there is a lot of wiggle in the cylander where there is none even in the Taurus. Take one, cock it, and then play with the cylander, you'll see a lot of wiggle there.

Rugers are excellent revlovers, so my advise is as above... save a little longer and get a gun worth spending the money on.

Originally Posted by SuckLead

I have to agree. The Rossi is not made very well, in my opinion. I shot one a few months ago and it was not accurate, nor was it reliable. The cylander kept locking up on this gun. You will also notice, if you inspect one, that there is a lot of wiggle in the cylander where there is none even in the Taurus. Take one, cock it, and then play with the cylander, you'll see a lot of wiggle there.

Rugers are excellent revlovers, so my advise is as above... save a little longer and get a gun worth spending the money on.

I have to disagree somewhat. I had the oportunity to shoot a Rossi .38 special over a period of a few months. This gun is atleast 10-15 years old. I was surprised at how good it shot and its accuracy. I never noticed any play in the cylinder gap. But like I said, I only shot a couple boxes of ammo.

We sell Rossi where I work, and so far every new one to come in has a lot of play in the cylander. We all went to town on the Rossi one of our co-workers owns and we all had the same experience and opinion. Personally, I won't even give them a second look.

If you want to buy one, load it, and throw it in your glove box. Well that's up to you. If you ever need it I hope it don't lock up on ya. I hope also that it hits POA.That's asking a lot. Bet it won't. Take it to the range and practice with it a lot, and it will shake loose. You can bet on that if your shooting full house .357s. For another $150 you can get a Ruger SP-101. Does all the above the right way, and built like a tank.

Don't throw away your money.

Nothing wrong with Rossi, Taurus owns them now. I am very happy with the 2 snubbies that I own.

+1 the above post. Taurus owns them now. Good made gun "NOW"

Originally Posted by hberttmank

I have to agree that the Rossi revolvers don't compare to a Ruger or Smith. But, I have owned a Rossi 38 snub nose for the last 11 years and have had no problems at all with it. It is built just like a J-frame S&W so it was easy to take apart and polish up. I only have about $125 in it, so it makes a great truck gun and is surprisingly accurate for it's size. I would not pay a lot of money for one, but if you can get into one for the right price, don't over look it.

( That's just like my Rossi, I agree with you. This one will never be for sale. The only thing is I can't get to group less than 4" at 100 yards.That's a joke.) Bullmack45

I own a Rossi 38 special that I've had since the late 1970's. I don't shoot a lot but have never had a problem of any kind with the gun. I recently used it to qualify for a handgun carry permit and found it to be pretty accurate. Keep in mind that almost all gun sights are adjustable. A S&W with the sights out of adjustment is not going to be accurate either. That doesn't make it a bad gun.

i don't own a rossi but i have a 605 taurus, and a friend i shoot with has got a rossi 357. we have put about 500 rds. thru them since we got them, they are still tight and are more accurate than i expected. no failure's in either, the 605 is finished a little nicer but it was also $50 more.

I have two Rossi snubby .357 revolvers -- a stainless 46202 and a blued 46102. The stainless gun was bought off the internet and has been perfectly reliable and quite accurate. Nice trigger as well.

The blued gun was bought new, and has never worked properly; it would lock up after a couple of shots. It just came back from Taurus -- they had it for two weeks and it came back "Adjusted" Seems to cycle well now when dry-fired; we will see how it does at the range.

So, my experience so far is mixed -- like many inexpensive pistols, if you get a good one, you will probably like it a lot. Otherwise, you will probably curse it.

[QUOTE=CharlieW;229403EDIT So, my experience so far is mixed -- like many inexpensive pistols, if you get a good one, you will probably like it a lot. Otherwise, you will probably curse it.[/QUOTE]

Exactly! A lesson no doubt learned the hard way. Avoiding low quality firearms is a good thing, and a must if they are to be used for self defense.
Eli

Originally Posted by hberttmank

I have to agree that the Rossi revolvers don't compare to a Ruger or Smith. But, I have owned a Rossi 38 snub nose for the last 11 years and have had no problems at all with it. It is built just like a J-frame S&W so it was easy to take apart and polish up. I only have about $125 in it, so it makes a great truck gun and is surprisingly accurate for it's size. I would not pay a lot of money for one, but if you can get into one for the right price, don't over look it.

I agree.

You may have also noticed that the posters (like myself) who own Rossi guns made prior to the Taurus takeover are happy with them, while new gun owners seem to feel exactly the opposite. I've owned numerous Rossi revolvers over the past 20+ years. The older guns are VERY well made, accurate and I've never had any problems. However, the guns that are being made after the purchase of Rossi by Taurus are definately inferior in fit & finsh to the older guns. I purchased a newer Rossi about two years ago and the difference between it and my older guns is obvious. The new guns are essentially a downgraded Taurus. Too bad since Rossi was a well made gun at a very reasonable price. BTW, I sold the newer revolver about 6 months later at a loss, but consider it money well spent. OTOH you'll only get my older Rossi's when you can pull one from my cold, dead fingers!

If you can find an older Rossi get it, otherwise I would consider something else if it were me instead of you.

Originally Posted by Todd75

I have searched this forum and found that Rossi's are kind of looked down upon. I was curious about what Rossi owners, past or present, have had problems with, specifically. I was looking at a Rossi 461 2" .357 for around $250 as a first revolver to add to my autos.


Thanks.

My experience with Rossi .357 and .38 all good. I have found them to be a great value in the gun marketplace. Lots of choices we could make. If you can afford a slightly better Ruger or SW, then go for it. If you have to get the lesser priced Rossi, it's not the end of the world.
In the end you have to ask yourself...is the gun I am buying worth betting my life on?? You will know what to do when you can comfortably answer that.

Originally Posted by Theprofessor

+1 the above post. Taurus owns them now. Good made gun "NOW"

+2 on being a decent gun.

OK, please help me make sure I understand the final analysis in this thread; old Rossi's bad, post-Taurus-acquisition Rossi's good??

Just want to be sure as I'll be in the market soon for an inexpensive .22LR plinker either in revolver - which could be a Rossi or Charter or HR or ??, or a PPK-klone better than the Erma RX22 I currently have.

So here is my input. I had to register because I wanted to reply to this so bad! I just bought a Rossi 357 4in blued and soon as I picked it up at the dealer, I took it to the range the next day. Before the range, I noticed there was some slight play in the cylinder so I called the gunsmith at the dealer to ask about it. He said it was normal for Rossi. As long as it does not spit led and aligns correctly - No Problem.

I put about 200 rounds through it at the range; all 357 ammo FMJ Fiocchi (not sure how to spell the brand) brand. Never once did it spit, lock up, miss fire, etc.... Moreover, it was very accurate. The gun looks very nice. The only draw back, other than the minimal cylinder play, is this bump under the grips on the left side of it. I think it is the screw protruding, or it is just a bump for your fingers... Either way, it feels nice in my hand; a perfect fit for smaller hands.

I would buy it, I hope this helps. Taurus makes them now and the warranty is nice.

A satisfied Rossi owner,
Mike

I'd consider one if that means anything. I believe Rossi has had its issues in the past no doubt, but I also think Taurus is doing a better job with them as of late.

I have a Stainless Rossi Model 88 .38 Special with a 2" Barrel and a factory Black Rubber Grip with Finger Grooves that I purchased back in 1998. It's "very" comfortable in the hand, and it looks sharp too. It's never failed me, either DA or SA. Prior to that, I had one with a 4" Barrel that I used to qualify at the Jackson, MS police dept. pistol range. I shot a 99 out of 100 with it, at 10 yards and 25 yards.

Has anyone had problems with a Rossi .38 special blowing up? I had this happen to me this weekend while target shooting at the range. We had put about 30 rounds through it that afternoon with no problems. The cylinder blew apart and the top rail has deformed. The sight blew back and hit me in the lip, but fortunately no other injuries. The bottom half of the cylinder is still in the frame but will not move. We purchased it used so don't know how much it had been used previously.

Rossi is about one step above a closed fist and a rabbit punch.

Don't have any idea as to where some of you think that their quality has improved.