My Dad raised 7 kids on basically no money. All nine of us lived in a 900 square foot house, but I never knew I was poor until I left for college.

He liked guns, but would never spend money on himself. In his later years I bought him some nice guns, but when he was buying something for himself he would always buy the cheapest option. Case in point - this Rossi .38 Special.



I was a Smith nut by then, but he wouldn't hear it. This Rossi was cheaper and the guy at the pawn shop told him it was just as good.

I didn't poor mouth it. That's a great gun, Dad, I said. He shot it a few times and put it away. Age caught up with him, and the cocky young man who went off the fight Hitler at 18 is now a frail shell in the nursing home who doesn't know who I am. I have his guns now. I farmed some out to my brothers, but I kept the Rossi.

You know what? It IS a great gun.



Its a Model 68. Three inch barrel, five shot, semi-target hammer, genuine South American monkeywood grips.



The bluing is really nice, the rival of many North American gun makers. I had never shot it. I ran across it in the safe and decided to give it a little workout in honor of the old guy.



It's strange about Dads, isn't it? I'm six feet tall, he never cracked 5' 4". In my head, he looms over me.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

That is a beautiful tribute to your dad.

A wonderful tribute to your dad.

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I am a sheep dog!
1601 (ret)

Well said sir!
Great Dad's are priceless

God bless ya, brother. An heirloom is 100% great memories. Can't put a price on those.

You know what? It really is a nice gun and a nice tribute.

the most valuable firearms are those that belonged to the generations that came before us and taught us how to be who we are, by example... the ones that belonged to my grandfather, father and uncle are my most valuable... and my son understands what they are and who they were...

Wish I could give this one a dozen likes. The screen got a little bit blurry for some reason.

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Or something like that . . .

I love your story. Your Dad is a lucky man to have you as a son. Thanks for telling us about him. Keep him on that pedestal and look up to him always. When the day comes that he must leave you, you will still have that Rossi. It's a little bit of your Dad for you to hang on to.

They were both the Greatest and a very Frugal Generation...................

Once asked my Dad why he bought and customized a Colt New Service in .357 vs. just getting/ordering a Reg Mag. like he wanted....... cus even after all the ordering and shipping to and from Kings.... the Colt was $5 cheaper than the Smith Reg. Magnum...... he carried and shot that Colt as both his primary duty gun and as his centerfire target for 39 years (with some time off for a trip to the South Pacific)......... and another 20+ in retirement.

Family heirlooms help tie a family together generation to generation..............

Good Friday night read. Awesome gun and story.
It brought a smile to my face. My father passed about 6 years ago. He never cracked 5' 4" either. But my memories of him loom large even at my 57 years.
My father never cared for handguns. He was a rifleman and a good one at that.
I have two of his rifles and am glad my daughters are hunters and shooters as the rifles can now go to a third generation.
Thank you for the story and the memories it stirred.

Great glad you found out later in life,you dad was right about the Rossi. Congrats and take care of it like he did,someday a child of yours may want it.

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Life is short,live it fully.

Nice gun and a sweet story. I hope you'll air out the Rossi again from time to time.

My dad was never a gun enthusiast or owner. His vision was very poor (he didn't drive after 1946), and he always worked up to three jobs at a time. But I think he was pleased when a family friend, a WWII infantry veteran, gave me a bring-back Walther PP in its issue holster, when I was twelve.

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Oh well, what the hell.

Wonderful story. Thank you. Made me think of my long past father. Very strong generation.

Good post , enjoyed sharing it with you.
Made me think of my Dad.
Gary

Nice gun, great story.

I've got to ask, is monkeywood even a real thing?

They do that, don't they? My Dad has been gone for fifteen years now. I still think of him just about every day.

What a wonderful story about your dad and that rossi.

It does have a beautiful bluing. I bet you that the fit and finish on that 'budget' revolver would top the fit and finish of more expensive production revolvers made today.

I enjoyed your story. Most of it I can rate to exactly.
Thanks it brought back memories of my Dad. He too fought at 18 in WW2. Started in North Africa.

He and your Dad were children of the depression, other than 1 pre 64 M 70 in 270 he only had what was for the time less expensive guns.

Then I had to shed some tears, my Dad spent his last year in a Veterans Home not knowing who he or I was except for one thing. When he was in early dementia I went on an Elk and bear hunt in Colorado. In some thick brush a big boar black bear was growling and snapping his jaws to run me off. I dropped my day pack and coat. I went in after him. At some point he ran out the back side.

When althiemers was at its worst it hurt me bad to go see him. My wife held my hand while I cried and died inside.

At some point in those last 6 months he never seemed to recognize me but started saying Bear, bear, bear. After the 2nd time I would tell him the bear story, he calmed down and held my hand. I guess it's the only way he could let me know he knew who I was.

Great memories... hang on to them an cherish them... the Rossi is a sweet piece.. i'be got 2 of them in 32 smith long....

Great post. I am sure many of us have a gun or two that was DAD'S and no amount of money could get us to sell it even if it were a cheap gun with a retail of $100. I have been told the Older Rossi revolvers are pretty decent. The bluing looks great on that, certainly a gun for you to care for and shoot from time to time thinking of DAD.

Looks like a pretty nice gun to me. I bet it shoots well too. Some people don't need to impress when the basics are all that's needed. Your father was a humble man and to him that Rossi was just as good as a Korth.

Would love to see my Dad just one more time at least(passed 34yrs.ago)!I'm 73 & would still like to ask him for advice.Just to sit talk & go over the stupid things I've done & a few of the good things.Funny,when you get older how SMART your Dad was.Not a day goes by I don't miss him!
Jim

Is this post the best ever on the S&W Forum, or is it only in the top two? Happily, only the cataract made my eyes go blurry.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

P.S. Living alone, I still talk to my family. Knowing what they would say, I find their counsel still very valid!

Great story. My dad never owned a gun in his life. I’m the only one in my family who even owns a gun. My kids will get mine one day.

What’s funny is what is cherished. I’ve got a few plastic guns, and some nice steel auto loaders. But my son is so much more interested in my revolvers. All in great shape, but nothing rare. J frames, K frames, a couple of Rugers. My kids always gravitate towards those.

Can you imagine passing on a plastic striker fired gun? Sure, we’ll do it, but they’ll never hold the same place as a classic weapon.

Wow. . . Sorry, but I don't know what to say. Got a little misty. Thanks for that story.

Dads, guns and grown-up boys. We're all into this in one way or another. We lose our Dads; we cherish bits of them. We hang on to the tangible things that are soaked with memories. My Dad died in early 2016. I have his model 70. It's one I gave him for Christmas one year. He used it on our hunts. The last time he shot it was at the range. He was too unsteady so he shot from the bench. He asked me to take it home to clean it. When I told him I'd get it back to him shortly, he said take your time. Later on I told him I'd bring it back to him and he said nahh... you better keep it. A couple years later he left us. A gift to him became a gift to me. But I wish I had my Dad instead.

Excellent post, I enjoyed it very much. Post #23 reminds me of one of Mark Twain's sayings.............When I was 16 I couldn't stand having my old man around the house, but by the time I had reached 21, I was surprised how much he had learned in the last 5 years.

Thanks for the story that so many of us can relate to. As with the others, my screen got a little hard to read there for awhile.

Model70 had a good one to.

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

Unfortunately, my dad's only guns were a relic condition H&R 12 gauge single barrel shotgun and a cheap Montgomery Wards single shot bolt action .22 (which I think was made by Marlin). I didn't keep either one. Both went during an estate sale after my parents died.

Sir, you are a fortunate man to have been raised by such a gentleman. You are a tribute to him; continue your life as you have as a further tribute to him.

Thank you for sharing. Very nice tribute to your Dad. In having such a big family, your Dad is a very wealthy man.

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Rather be outdoors

What a great post (and thread)

My dad was of the same generation as the OP's. A child of the depression, he joined the RAF at 18 in 1941, was the first of his family to go to university after the war, worked hard his whole life and raised a family. He died two years ago at 92 and I miss him every day.

I think Tom Brokaw got it right when he named them "The Greatest Generation"

This is a truly outstanding post. My Dad passed away back in 2015, he really was my best friend. In pictures I'm clearly taller than him, but thats not how I remember him. I can only remember looking up to him. I have his 3" SP-101, which Dad thought was the ideal all around gun. It was a 60th birthday gift from my brother and I. Dad always talked about getting one, but wouldn't buy one for himself so we got it for him. We got him Ruger Mk.II for his 65th, and my brother has that pistol.

I have a bunch of guns, but if I could keep only one it would be Dad's SP-101.

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Wheel guns are real guns.