I bought a Rossi revolver in .32 s&w long a while back. It is a pretty old gun and he didn't have the box or manual or anything for it. The previous owner gave me some .32 auto ammo with it... (combine my inexperience with the gun not having the original manual or anything and just having ".32 caliber" engraved on the barrel, I took the .32 auto without thinking twice). Tried it and it either wouldn't fire or it would fire and blow out the whole primer and the cartridge would get jammed in the cylinder and I would have to push it out from the front. So told the previous owner and he apologized for giving me the wrong ammo and told me to buy some .32 s&w (didn't say long). So I bought some standard .32 s&w and tried it and same result as the auto. My question is, I have read several times that revolvers in .32 s&w long should also fire the .32 short. I have been unable to find any .32 long ammo, but if it it blows out the primer and jams the .32 short cartridge in there is that normal? Knowing very little about the gun is it possible that it just will only fire .32 long? Or is the fact that it blows the primer out of the center of the cartridge and jams when firing the .32 short mean that the gun is damaged?

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M&P 15-22
1911

Not normal. You are using the wrong ammo. Use of the wrong ammo can damage a firearm.

Without an inspection, no one can tell you whether it is damaged or not. It would all be guesswork and speculation. Some may share anecdotal stories about how they did the same thing and did not damage their revolver.

That said: (1) ONLY use the correct ammo for the gun. If you do not know how to determine what IS the correct ammo, have a knowledgeable gunsmith do so for you by taking accurate measurements and looking it up in a reference work OR by doing a Google or other internet search to find your exact make and model and read about the markings and calibers (often one model is made in several calibers) to determine the correct ammo for your revolver. (2) have your revolver inspected by a competent gunsmith to make sure you have not damaged something PRIOR to using the correct ammo in the gun.

Good luck.

Hi I second Shawns' advice Most important is stop shooting it !!!!!! till it is checked out and correct ammo is used Keep in mind that you are having a somewhat controlled explosion happening in your hand If the wrong ammo is used and it exceeds what the firearm can handle it will shatter the cylinder throwing shrapnel in all directions Best Keith

If it shoots .32 s&w long shouldn't it also shoot standard .32 s&w? Every other revolver Ive looked at that shoots .32 long also shoots .32 short. Thats why I was asking if the gun could be damaged if it doesn't shoot the .32 short. Thanks for the feedback though guys I will definitely have it checked out in person by a gunsmith.

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M&P 15-22
1911

And good luck finding .32 S&W long. You might look months for it and pay dearly. I have a friend looking for some right now. He tells me he found out it's only produced by one company in a small scale, single run for the year. He p's not finding, but was told by several to expect $2/rd. I have no idea if this is true, but he was mentioning it at the gym the other day.

Until I found this post I had no idea that there was a Rossi in .32 caliber.

I had to look it up and found the model in the 1980 Shooter's Bible.

Listed as the model 69 the caliber is shown as 32 S&W not S&W long.

Your model number should be stamped on the frame, inside, behind the yoke.

Confirm the model number if you can.

Your gun has a serious problem if it blows primers. Pictures would help.

BLM

Something ain't right!
If it's indeed chambered for 32S&W Long,,it should also reliably use 32S&W (short) also.

With the long history of Rossi,,125yrs or so making firearms,,and not knowing anything more than what's been stated,,the first thing that comes to mind is possibly an elderly Rossi in caliber 32-20 WCF.

32acp, 32S&W and 32S&W Long can all chamber and usually fire in most 32-20's.
Depending on the specs the chamber is cut to,,the headspace, firingpin protrusion, ect,,,anything from nothing unusual other than slightly swelled cases to cracked cases & pierced and blown primers occur.

If it's indeed chambered for 32S&W(Long) and you are getting blown primers (pierced?? or backed out?),,then check for a homemade firing pin in the hammer that's too long and possibly pointed in the former. Excess headspace in the latter instance.
Swelled or bulged cases if the chamber(s) are cut oversize for some reason.
..is the ammo you were given factory loaded or someones reloads?

Find the causes before continuing

I don't have any pictures unfortunately but just imagine a spent cartridge in the cylinder with the whole primer blown out. Try to take it out by hand and its stuck in there pretty good. There is no model number anywhere on the gun. I've looked numerous times. On one side of the barrel it says "S. Leopoldo R.G.S. cal 32". On the other side of the barrel it says "Amadeo Rossi & CIA". Maybe some kind of special model? There is a model 69 and also a model 89 in .32. After google searches for either model all links I click on refer to it being in .32 s&w long. Google searches for the "S. Leopoldo Rossi revolver" also show it to be in .32 long. I can't find anything on a Rossi revolver made only for .32 short. However either way, since the .32 short isn't firing, I think it's safe to assume the gun has a problem and not the ammo.

*Edit* In response to 2152hq all of the ammo I have used are factory loads. No reloads. Unlike .32 long, .32 short is always available at my local bass pro (expensive as hell though) so depending on the cost to have a gun smith repair the gun I'll decide if I want to fix it so I can shoot some .32 short every now and then or just leave it as a paper weight...

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M&P 15-22
1911

Taurus bought out Rossi so it could be a Taurus? No Taurus does not make a 32. My bad.

Revolvers sold by BrazTech with the Rossi name are manufactured in a brand new facility owned by Taurus in SaoLeopoldo, Brazil. Much of the tooling and many of the machines were acquired from Rossi during negotiations between the companies.

Rossi revolvers were imported by Interarms of Alexandria, Virginia and it should be so marked.

If the caliber is 32 SWL it should be so marked. You may have a really much older gun if not import marked."Amadeo Rossi is the founder of Rossi.

Can you email a member pictures? Can you list the serial number? Just x out the last two digits.

BLM

Don't know if this is of any help, but there were also a .32 Colt Short and .32 Colt Long cartridges. These were NOT compatible/interchangeable with the .32 S&W, .32 S&W Long, and .32 Colt New Police. They were chambered in some long-ago small frame Colt DA revolvers.

Can't reach my Smith "Book of Pistols and Revolvers" to provide dimensions. Any ctge. collectors out there who can help?

The serial number is 46xx. Is the firing pin the point of the hammer that hits the cartridge? If so, it wiggles a bit, about maybe an 1/8th inch of play. Not sure if that could cause the blown primers. Underneath the trigger guard it says made in Brazil.

__________________
M&P 15-22
1911

I Googled old Rossi revolvers and found numerous pictures of older models.

Because a link may violate posting auctions I suggest that you find the page and see if you can id your gun and find some info from that location.

There are definitely some antique looking guns shown .

Good luck with your search.

BLM

No match for your serial. I suspect you have an old model gun with the low serial number given and lack of import marks or model number. Do not shoot it. Place it in a nice box and claim it has antique value.

Here are a few pics of the gun. The grip is not original so if it really is very old I'm assuming having different grips kill a lot of the antique value.

Attached Images

	Rossi pic 1.JPG (113.6 KB, 93 views)
	Rossi pic 2.JPG (115.0 KB, 77 views)
	Rossi pic 3.JPG (104.8 KB, 75 views)

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M&P 15-22
1911

It would appear that you have a 1980's vintage model 69 in nickel.

Discontinued in 1985 and listed in the Blue Book as being .32 S&W caliber.

This is the only .32 caliber Rossi made and listed.

I suspect that the previous owner shot .32 acp and damaged the gun.

I can't explain it as I have shot 32 acp in a S&W 31 without issue.

The acp has a smaller bullet than the .32 S&W but pressure wise a .32 is about 9000 psi and the acp 15,000 psi.

As they say a picture is worth a thousand words and your gun model has been identified.

Thanks, it's been fun.

BLM

I suspect that the model number is under the grips on the butt. If you pulled the number from someplace else it may be incorrect.

Some wiggle is ok but you have something else going on if you are blowing primers.

It may be excessive end shake or head space. It may be fixable but the gun at best is worth $200 if it was in better shape.
JMHO

BLM

Yeah most I've been offered for it is $160 provided it was in proper functioning condition. I'll see what the gunsmith says about fixing it. Thanks for all the help guys.

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M&P 15-22
1911