I was just helping the wife clean up a room and deep in a drawer found a Rossi 38 revolver that we bought in the 80's.It has been fired 10 times in the 80's and no more.I took it apart and except for some expected machining roughness the little gun looked OK inside.Anyone had or have one of these?Are they worth keeping as a truck gun?

I'd definitely keep it as a truck gun.

They aren't worth very much at all, but they are useful if found reliable. A good cleaning and lubrication should make it so, but take it to the range and run 3-4 cylinders full through it to be certain there aren't any "bugs" in it that weren't discovered when you bought it since it hasn't been "rung out".

Have fun with it.

__________________
Lost it all in a boat accident

My mother's got one of those. My dad wouldn't let her have it if he didn't think it was reliable.

Well if it is OK with you Mother and Father that sounds good to me !!
I plan on taking it to the range tomorrow and give it a "stress test" and see how it does with falling plates!
I know it is not a Smith and money value is of no concern but if it is fair enough quality as a part time carry piece that will be OK !
Thank you !!!!

I have a .22 Rossi revolver, and it's been very reliable. I'd say it's a keeper.

__________________
LEO since 1981.

Rossi was a notch below Taurus in the 80s, and Taurus was worse then than they are now. Rossi managed some decent offerings at their peak in the early 90s (the .44 specials are somewhat sought after), but QC was hit or miss for much of their production life.

As a novelty or something to kill small animals sure. As even a part time carry gun? That's taking a chance that I personally wouldn't want to take on old Brazillian gun technology.

It'd sell for around 200 on an online auciton (or at least that's what they were going for recently during the gun rush), a dealer would maybe give you a 100 bucks for it if you're lucky.

My Dad and I owned a small gunshop in central Florida back in the early 1980's and we had a lot those Taurus models come through. Very popular guns. Overall good but not excellent quality for the money.

Reliable, and often the lock up was very tight and desirable on most. They handled well, too. And yes, they are perfect as a bang-around truck gun. They aren't as durable as their S&W counterparts, but a gun such as the Taurus 68 is not to be treated as a long term range or sport target gun.

They are glove compartment or tackle box guns.

I own a Rossi Model 720 in .44 Special that I got in a pretty good trade and it's been a fun little pistol to shoot the 240gr Magtech "cowboy" loads to see what the .44 Special is all about. I think it is probably as good as, if not better than the Charter Arms .44 Special offering. Here is what a gunsmith had to say about the Taurus revolvers - draw your own conclusions:

Why I don't work on Taurus revolvers | Revolvers, Gunsmithing, Personal opinions | GRANT CUNNINGHAM

Best of luck,

Dave

I just got back from the range and tried out the Rossi.Before I went I cut a round from both the trigger return spring and the hammer spring and the action now is not bad.Shooting single action off-hand at 15 yards produced 2 inch groups.The gun would easily clear 5 of six from the plate rack firing double action.(it only contains 5 rounds.)I will try it several more times to see if it will hold up under use.Not a Smith but not bad!

My Dad, who never saw a cheapo gun he didn't like, has one of the later Rossi 5 shot .38s as his "keep around the house" gun.

He takes it shooting once in a while, and since he never sees a reason to buy ammo as long as I'm around, I make sure he shoots .38 wadcutters in it. It goes off whenever he pulls the trigger, and he likes it, so everybody is happy. He's got better guns, but he has plenty of faith in that little Rossi. He's been in a war, and I haven't, so who am I to tell him different?

I think yours would make a fine truck gun.

__________________
“What you got, ain’t new.”

This is a very old post but I thought I would add some to it.
I have a Rossi model 68 38 spl blued and it is like new and even in the original box. I bought it back in the late 80's I believe for around $175. I also bought a Rossi model 88 which is basically the same gun only in stainless. It also is like new but no box with it.
Neither of these two guns have ever not fired when the trigger was pulled. Actually quite accurate and the trigger actions on both are very good in DA or SA. These both are 2" snubs.
These guns were actually pretty much clones to the S&W model 36 and were actually made by S&W engineers and machinist back when S&W and Rossi were under the same parent company umbrella. Sit these Rossi models next to a model 36 and they really are like clones.
While the S&W 36 can cost $400-$700 these Rossi models can usually be found in excellent condition for around $200 or lower.

Attached Images

rossi snubs 38 002.JPG (153.9 KB, 257 views)

The Rossi 68 is very similar to the S&W 36. Here's mine, each in 3". I have since replaced the 68 grips with a J frame Hogue grip. It feels and looks better than the ugly wood it came with in the pics. The 68 has an adjustable blade rear site. I picked up this 68 about 8 months ago for $70 at my LGS. Not disappointed with it and it's perfect for my 89 year old dad who keeps it in his night stand.

Attached Images

2015-06-17 14.38.18.jpg (168.0 KB, 340 views)

I am still shooting mine!I really like the 3 inch barrel.Thanks for all the reply's!

A local pawn shop here has one listed for $200, I sold my truck gun the other day so am in the market for one to throw in the console. The price seems a bit high though from what I have been reading.

This is an old thread,and prices are going up.Rossi makes a very nice revolver.I have two and have been nothing but impressed with these guns.

I don't think its too out of line. I have one that used to be my Dad's, and it is very nice little gun. You could probably beat them down a little.

__________________
“What you got, ain’t new.”

I had a 3" Rossi 88 revolver for a long time, thought it was a very decent revolver for the money. Back in '99 I paid less than $200 for it new, but the last one I saw for sale used went for $275. If I didn't already have so many J frames I'd probably buy some of those old Rossi's when I run across them.

__________________
Wheel guns are real guns.

Over twenty years ago I bought a NIB Rossi 88--the stainless version of the 68--for $188.00.

I carried it for two years after having a smith bob the hammer and polish the innards. Reliable, quite decent trigger, shot well. Fit and finish were not much below a Smith 60, of which it was the clone. I liked it, but sold it when I bought a dashless Smith 640. I wish I had kept it.

__________________
Oh well, what the hell.

Had one for years accurate, and just a reliable as a Smith & Wesson made from S&W tooling I do believe.

__________________
Randy

Yet another resurrection-

I bought a nickel 3" Rossi Model 68 in about 2004 when we moved out of town on some property. I wanted it to stick in my pocket when I was working around the place. For years it bounced around under the seat of my pickup until I pulled it out and stashed it on a shelf in my shop.



It's always been a decently accurate revolver, but I hadn't shot it in years until a few days ago when the wife and I decided to shoot some of our .38's. I grabbed the Rossi. We shot at our 25 yd. steel silhouette and the little Rossi shot really nice little groups with handloads and my wife fell in love with it.

We had fired all but two rounds and I told the wife I wanted to see if I could hit the 16" steel gong hanging from my 100 yd. target stand. I shoot at it pretty regularly with my Model 10's, so know roughly the amount of holdover.

YouTube