I'm looking a getting a 357 revolver for home defense. I've been looking at the ruger gp100 for quite some time now. However, I have recently been hearing about the rossi line of revolvers. I know that ruger will be better quality but is rossi still a good choice? Are they reliable? Can they hold up in less than ideal conditions?
Keoni
Favorite Answer
Ruger makes some of the toughest revolvers in existence today.
If holding up in less than ideal conditions is your concern, get a Ruger.
While the price tag of the Rossi is attractive, they get too many bad reviews for me to trust my life to one.
http://www.gun-tests.com/issues/20_1/features/Snub-Nose-Self-Defense-Wheel-Guns5573-1.html
cmcvpr
Let's face it, many hundreds of thousands of people buy a revolver for a bedside gun, usually in response to some event in their neighborhood. Once a year they take it out and fire a hundred rounds through it. For these folks, a Taurus/Rossi is probably appropriate assuming they shoot it enough when they first get it to be sure it functions properly. I know many people that have a Rossi or Charter Arms or a Taurus .38 snub for many years and are very happy with it under the above scenario.
Anybody that would be classified as an "enthusiast", even a casual one, will shoot much much more. I shoot 2-3 times a month, and will go through 300-400 rounds a month in .38/.357 plus some rimfire. I shoot less in winter months, but still I'll shoot close to 5000 rounds a year. If I only had one gun, and it was a Rossi, it would probably be shot out in less than two years. The Ruger could probably go six, and then still be worth repairing.
For me, the Ruger would be the better value. Also a used Rossi sell for very little. If you own it long enough you'll probably turn a profit on the Ruger, regardless of how much you use it.
Bear Crap
Rugers last and last Rossi revolvers don’t; under hard use.
I you just want some protection there are all sorts of revolvers out there that will do the job. It’s when you start shooting them a lot and or use hot +P ammo that the better made revolvers are worth the extra cost.
So if you only target practice a few times a year and go through just a couple hundred rounds of standard loads that Rossi will do. But if you fire off a few thousand rounds a year, that Rossi will develop problems over time. I have some Rugers and S&W revolvers that have fired well over 10,000 rounds. Try that with a Rossi and it will be junk in no time.
I do like some of their rifles. However although their quality has improved with revolvers since the early 1990s its still sub par to me.
I have owned cheap revolvers many times when I was young. It sucks when they go out of time and start shaving off the bullet, spitting jacket and lead out the side of the forcing cone.
gentlewolfspaws
I own a Ruger SP-101 .38 Special. I like it very much and have no regrets.
I would be willing to buy a Ruger GP-100 for the home defense purposes you mention.
Rossi revolvers are not my first choice. But, as a "seldom used but often stored" revolver, the Rossi may be okay.
It may be wiser to purchase a revolver of higher quality that is in used condition. Used examples of Ruger GP-100's are available. Or you could find a Smith & Wesson that meets your criteria.
By the way, what do you think are the "less than ideal conditions" that a revolver must survive in order to meet your approval?
?
Rossi Revolvers