This may not be the right forum, and it's probably a dumb question, but here goes.

I'm going to pick up a nightstand gun for my wife. A Rossi 2" 357 mag. Model R46202. It looks very Smith like. I seem to remember hearing years ago that Taurus revolvers were based on older S&W designs, and I know Tarus owns Rossi. Would it fit holsters made for a Smith K-frame.

I had the Rossi 461, which is the blued version. It's a perfectly adequate nightstand gun. 6 shots, compact but sturdy, and the grips fit me very well.

But the trigger was heavy and my accuracy with the gun was not great. To be fair, it was my first revolver and I've come a long way as a shooter since then, but once I shot a 5-screw K-frame, the Rossi was no more.

I have a 462 (as well as many S&W revolvers and 3 Rugers). The 462 matches up well in that company. And having a 6-shot capacity is a big plus for a gun only slightly bigger than a J-frame. It has a good double-action trigger and an excellent single-action. The polished stainless finish is superb.

Make sure you get the newer model 462 with the detent lock-up on the crane rather than at the end of the ejector rod. The quality control and fit and finish of the newer 462s are improved over the guns from just a few years ago (before Taurus bought them out).

I've had a Rossi Model 877 2" barrel .357 for about 18 years now, and up to a couple months ago it has been my primary home defense under the mattress gun. I also use to carry it quite a bit whilst gold prospecting till I got my Ruger SP101 back from the evidence locker of the local PD (gun saved my life) The frame, fit, and finish are excellent on this 877copy, and I have no plans of ever selling it. I'm not sure what's going on with Rossi these days as concerns quality, but if you find a used 877 you can't go wrong for the price imho.

Rossi at one time was under the same parent company that S&W was. I have two Rossi 38spl clones of the S&W 36 that are excellent guns. They have an excellent trigger and I have two both acquired for around $200. I don't suggest you have your wife shoot a 357 magnum round because most likely she will not want to shoot it again. Load it with 38spl and she will probably be okay with it.
Rossi/Taurus have had some issues in the recent years and some say buying one of their guns is a 50/50 chance of getting a good one. I don't agree with that and haters will be haters. For the price savings I think a Rossi/Taurus will perform very well for you. I just bought a Taurus 92 which is a clone of the Beretta 92 and it is a quality dependable gun for much less $$ than the Beretta. It also is built in the same factory Beretta made the 92fs in and with the same machinery even.
The Taurus will most likely not have as good of a finish as say a S&W but for less than half the price for a home defense gun I can live with that. If you have a problem Taurus does have a decent warranty.

Opinions of the B brands asside, I would not invest in more than the most basic "one size fits many" holsters for your Rossi without confirming with the holster manufacturer ( or fitting it yourself at a dealer.) It doesn't take much in dimension changes for a gun not to fit right. ( Been There-Done That- Wasted Money)
That said, if it's going to be a dresser draw gun, you may not need much more than basic.

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Dave

Thanks for the input. I really just need to know if the external dimensions are the same as a Smith. I plan on getting one of the small kydex trigger guard cover/holsters and the manufactures don't list Rossi. As far as ammo, I planned on 38sp +p, tho she has shot all of my guns up to 44 mag.

For my 462 I bought a holster for a Ruger LCR -- it fits perfectly.

My experience is different. One person taking our CCL course had a Rossi, stainless, about J Frame size (maybe just a little bigger), and he couldn't get it to fire more than 2 rounds the the cylinder would lock up. Several of us struggled with it and then loaned him another (S&W) to finish the shooting part of the course. Later when inspecting the revolver, I found both the rear of the barrel and the front of the cylinder to be out of square, the cylinder would only turn until that part of the cylinder made contact with rear of the barrel. It would not even cycle all the way around when cold. Needless to say he was advised to send it back to Rossi, then to probably get rid of it and replace it with something more "reliable".

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

this is just MY opinion---but you did ask for opinions, so here is mine...forget the .357 magnum thought instead go with a 38 +P special for your wife. I have had several Rossi and Taurus firearms and I am not going to speak ill of either one. I will just say that there
are some similarities with S&W revolvers but there is no similarity in quality.My recommendation is find a used model 10 or a new 637 airweight. both have the visable hammer and you should find either for about $400. or less. My wife will never part with her 637 and she shoots it well. With S&W you will have the support of lifetime -stateside customer service. My last Taurus was a Ultralite 38, which was a nice gun BUT nothing like my 442 that I traded it in on. I paid 350 for the Taurus only had it a month -got 300 out of it trading it back in on the $449 model 442.

the OP only asked if the holster would fit...

FWIW I've had good experience with both Taurus and Rossi.
The 461/462 will fit a leather or nylon holster made for a J-frame, but I doubt that it will fit well in any kind of molded holster for J-frames - like a Fobus or Blackhawk sherpa or even a molded kydex holster.

The Rossi is a 6 shot so it's cylinder is going to be slightly larger in diameter than the 5 shot j-frame cylinder.
I would expect you'll have better luck with holsters for a Colt Detective Special - because it is also a small-framed 6-shot. IIRC the same speedloaders work for both the Colt and the Rossi.

Again, thanks for the input. If it were for me I'd be getting a 686+ but as it will spend most of its time collecting dust, I think the Rossi will suffice. I'm going with the 357 for my wife because I feel the extra weight will help tame the recoil of +p 38 loads. She is not recoil shy, but she'll probably practice more with lighter loads. This is the type of holster I was referring to.
The "Guardian" Kydex Trigger Guard - Aegis Armory

Yeah, the LCP or J-frame version should work - those two versions are probably the same model.

To answer the question, if it is wet molded or a holster formed to the J-Frame, no. A universal Snub Holster, probably. I would try it before I bought it unless it is made for your gun.

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Two Handguns every day

According to some notes I have, the Rossi has a cylinder with just about the same diameter as a K frame and a frame that has about the same width as a Detective Special. I doubt that the gun will fit in a holster made for a J frame revolver.

Bill