Stick your nose up all you want. I find the classic old Smith & Wesson cloned Rossi wheelguns imported by Interarms in the 1970s-90 to be decent shooters and I have had a few cycle through my collection over the years with nary a problem from them. They are beefy, reliable, and are “point and shoot.” Decent fit & finish, trigger feels pretty good. Not quite up to S&W quality from the same era, and not quite as pretty, but close enough.
Two of the herd from the current collection: an M685 2-inch snub in .38SPL with walnut grips and a full-lug stainless M720 in .44 Special with a 3-inch barrel. They are like boat anchors but I really dig ’em. The M720 has been a hog hunting companion in days past along the Pearl River.
What’s not to love? Interarms imported these old Rossi’s from 1978-97, and both of these are from about the middle of that period
With that being said, since the late 1990s, Rossi’s revolvers have been made under contract by Taurus, and the long run recently came to an end. Rossi does not have any handguns currently listed in their 2018 catalog but does list the more recently-made BrazTech-marked revolvers as having a lifetime repair policy.
And, more importantly, BrazTech-Rossi last week issued what they term to be a “voluntary safety warning” for their newer .38 Special and .357 Magnum-caliber revolvers that may, under certain circumstances, fire if dropped.
The warning involves guns made between 2005 and 2017 and covers models R351, R352, R461, R462, R851, R971, and R972 with serial numbers beginning with the letter Y, Z, or A through K.
These are the style of the newer guns. Note the distinctive grips, BrazTech markings and big ROSSI on the barrel.
Those with a revolver that may be part of the safety warning should stop using the gun and go to www.RossiSafetyNotice.com where they can verify their serial number and find further instructions. Alternatively, consumers can call (855) 982-8787 for assistance.
