Revolver questions

[graffex]

Anyone have any opinions on Rossi revolvers? More specifically the stainless .357 with the 2" barrel.

http://www.rossiusa.com/imagesMain/H_R46202.JPG

My friends dad has one and he swears by it. They have them at the local gun shop for $320. I'll be damned if they didn't have a nice DA and SA trigger pull. For the price it seems like a steal which makes me nervous. Fit and finish seems to be very high quality also. What say you guys?

[Rock-N-Ruin]

In my opinion (and it's just my opinion) Rossi has always been a middle of the road revolver, not quite on the low end, but not near the quality of a S&W or a Ruger as far as revolvers go.. As the prices will show, it's not quite a cheapy junker, but not really in the high end price range.. I have always been a true believer in the old cliche' "ya get what you pay for"

I have only owned about 4 revolvers and although the S&W 629 Classic DX in stainless w/8 3/8" full underlug barrel was my favorite for hunting , I had a Ruger Super Redhawk in SS that was alot more stout and just as accurate as the S&W. Here's a link to the same model Ruger I had. I regret selling both of these and someday I will replace them..

http://www.shootersexchange.com/detail.cfm?recordID=67187

If I was going to carry a revolver for a CCW, I would pick something like this although probably not in .454, mostlikely in .357 or 44 mag

http://www.shootingtimes.com/handgun_reviews/rgrRH/

:D

[graffex]

I think I'm just gonna hold of and get a Smith. Just want a .357 to have one for the house and a range toy. Probably end up getting a 4" 6-shot Model 686 like this:

http://www.smith-wesson.com/wcsstore/SmWesson/upload/images/firearms/164222_large.jpg

I don't know too much about revolvers but am I wrong in thinking S&W are the top dog when it comes to revolvers?

[scubie02]

I believe Rossi is owned by Taurus these days. I have owned a number or Tauri over the years and have never had a bad one. In fact, my 357 Taurus Tracker 4" would outshoot the 6" S&W 686 I had at the same time--it's a crapshoot to some degree with any brand. Now, having said that, the one thing that Smith's have going for them is all the aftermarket stuff, like custom grip makers being the first thing that comes to mind. I own, oh, 5 Smith's at the moment I think. I tend to lean towards older smith's, but the new ones aren't horrible. Just generally not as nice as some of the older ones. You might want to check out some local shops and see if they have an old 686 with the wood grips--sometimes you can pick them up in great shape pretty cheaply, since revolvers aren't really in vogue as much these days.

Never had any luck with Colt's myself, but otherwise I've had fair luck with revolvers. I had an old 3 screw Blackhawk once upon a time that was amazing. Never had a particularly accurate new model Blackhawk though, alas.

[Rock-N-Ruin]

I would say the 686 would be a good choice, for full magnum loads you probably want to go with the Hogue grips that are pictured with the S&W above as the recoil will be more managable than it would be with the wood grips (again my preference only).. Don't get me wrong, my old N frame .44 mag Smith would beat up my hand with 300 grain Hornady XTP's and a full charge of H110 loads even with the hogue grips.. generally with a longer barrel you will get better accuracy, with my smith and a 8 3/8" barrel w/Leupold red dot sight on top, if I did my part I could get all 6 projectiles to make a single hole cluster in the bull @ 7 yards easy... which I thought was pretty sweet..

Don't anyone take this personally, but I have never been a big Tarus fan myself as it's just personal preference... Ruger makes some really stout .357 and .44 mag revolvers also... You can't go wrong with the 686 though....

I do agree 100% with the statement above that revolvers really aren't the "in vogue" right now, and you can probably find a really good deal on an older one if you look around a bit. It is a fact that they don't make things now like they used to...

I'd be more than confident carring a wheel gun in .44 or .357 as it's all mindset and bullet placement when SHTF.. Regards, :D Jeff

[scubie02]

nah, I certainly wouldn't take it personally if someone isn't a Taurus fan--many people aren't and like to stick to the more traditional big boys--Smith and Colt. I'm sure many of them would disagree with my not being a fan of Colts, but I had a couple of bad experiences with them, which may or may not be typical, but they color my perception nonetheless. I can't fault someone else for feeling the same way about a Taurus.

It really IS hard to go wrong with a Smith, though. Even used, I have always gotten ones that were at least decent shooters, and have never had one that was out of time to any significant extent. I'm going to take the other side of the new rubber grip issue, though--they may help with recoil a bit, but for me they are too thin/narrow and much harder to shoot well with IMO. I much prefer the wood grips on a medium to large revolver as I just feel they give a better hold, but that may just be me.

Smith also pretty much rules the aftermarket too--lots of custom grip makers, lots of custom holster options, etc, which is definitely a consideration too. One reason I ended up getting rid of the tracker was the grip issue--I like their factory rubber grips better than the smith ones, but I still would have preferred a custom option.




Don't anyone take this personally, but I have never been a big Tarus fan myself as it's just personal preference... Ruger makes some really stout .357 and .44 mag revolvers also... You can't go wrong with the 686 though....

I do agree 100% with the statement above that revolvers really aren't the "in vogue" right now, and you can probably find a really good deal on an older one if you look around a bit. It is a fact that they don't make things now like they used to...

I'd be more than confident carring a wheel gun in .44 or .357 as it's all mindset and bullet placement when SHTF.. Regards, :D Jeff

[scubie02]

oh, one other thing I'll comment briefly on regarding snubbie 357's. Even in a medium framed gun, full magnum loads are, shall we say, pretty brisk to shoot out of a snubbie. You might wish to try one if you know anyone who has one. Many would find them unpleasant to shoot overmuch with magnum loads, and it's not uncommon for people to get one, occasionally shoot some magnum loads out of it, but mostly end up with 38's or 38 + P's. Now, it's not a bad thing at all to have a full 357 option and shoot 38's, but if you're on a budget with a little looking you could probably find a 2" model 10 Smith in the same ballpark as the new Rossi, and you could shoot +P 38's out of it pleasantly all day long (unlike +p's in the lightweight J frames which again can be on the unpleasant side for most folks). I prefer the round tang, which can be a bit harder to find, but many prefer the square, and there are tons of aftermarkets for them as mentioned if either doesn't suit you.

[jmart]

I prefer steel guns, the extra weight helps tame recoil.

Alloy guns are meant for packing with little shooting. Even .38 +P rocks in a 5-shot alloy gun.

Scandium, I don't get it. They are light but they are punishing.

[scubie02]

well, the little bantam weight revolvers have their place, which to me is when you have some situation where it's hard to conceal anything else, and you need to use a pocket or ankle holster so as to have something rather than nothing. With practice you can be fairly accurate with them. But yeah, not fun to shoot with +P's, and I rarely ever use them, even if it's a model rated for them.

Keep in mind too that something like a 4" 686 is a hunk of steel to be hauling around all day, depending on what you're used to. I used to carry steel full sized 1911's and it's probably somewhat comparable weight wise to something like that, but then in general nothing is as comfortable and concealable as a 1911 for the size.

A Rugere SP 101 is a nice size for concealability in a slightly larger/heftier package than a J frame, but more flexible than an L frame size wise, but again any snubbie 357 is going to be snappy on the recoil (and muzzle flash etc if it were a low light situation--make that first shot count! ;) )

[graffex]

I want a medium sized steel-frame to combat the recoil. I'm not expecting much recoil in something like the model 686 with full house .357 loads. I'm not worried about the weight either as I'll im only going to be taking to the range to target shoot, use it in the house for home protection, and maybe take it on a hike in the back country.

I've shot a itsy-bitsy little scandium smith in .357 and it beat the hell out of my hand. It was fun to shoot but after 6 shots it really left a nice sting in my palm. I also hate little revolvers without a rear site, I can't hit shit with that little groove milled out in the rear.