My Dad's cheap gun.

[sigp220.45]

With 7 kids and a low paying job, my Dad never treated himself to anything. Even once we were grown and he had some extra dough he would still buy the cheapest of anything. He grew up in the Depression and was farmed out to relatives when his own parents couldn't feed him, so I don't blame him a bit.

He bought himself this Rossi Model 58 about 30 years ago, despite my pleas to buy a Smith. He only shot it a few times, but he loved it. In the way of all things, I have it now and it is actually a pretty nice little gun.



It has a kind of target hammer, a three inch barrel, and a blued finish that is astonishingly nice. My crappy pictures don't do it justice.



The action is smooth, and it locks up tight. The grips are some kind of South American monkey-wood, but they are well done. Hell, the barrel is even pinned.

I've promoted it to nightstand duty, loaded up with some 200 grain pumpkin-balls.



I think he was on to something.

 

[Big Cholla]

It was a 'tool' of your Father's choice. And now, it is a 'tool' of your choice. It is doing exactly the job that you want it to do; and doing that nicely. BTW, I think your selection of Home Defense loads is perfect. Just shoot it enough at 12/15' that you know exactly where it is hitting. BTW2, none of my tool boxes say "Snap-On", but I still get the job done as though they did. .............. Big Cholla

 

[quinn]

Congratulations on a great inheritance. A part of your father still resides with that revolver.

 

[Grayfox]

Ain't nothing wrong with that. Those old Rossis were fine little guns. Tht one looks great.

 

[marinevet]

I don't know anything about Rossi handguns…….but I do know if it was my father's gun, and it was something he "cherished"…….it would be something I would keep, enjoy, take care of, and pass on to my son……and impress on him that it was something special to "grandpa".

Semper Fi!

 

[Otreb]

The grips are probably Brazilian rosewood like those that came on the Taurus revolvers in the 90s.
That's a good looking Rossi, your Dad had good taste.

 

[GeoJelly]

Nice photos of a nice revolver! They don't make them like that anymore! I was at a small dealer's place earlier this week - and he had a couple of stainless Rossi's. The polishing wasn't too bad - but the metalwork and stamping (stamped Made by Taurus or something like that) was kinda rough. Your's look great!!

 

[amazingflapjack]

Neat little gun-beautiful bluing.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

Nice Revolver......Inherited a 2" like yours from a great uncle. Shot it a lot and it never failed. gave it to my daughter for her protection.......Enjoy yours..Its a "goodun".

 

[suckersrus]

A great looking revolver and worth many times more than whatever the Bluebook says.

Anytime you pick it up, its like shaking hands with your Dad.
If you ever have the need to use it to investigate a "noise" somewhere in the house, you will not be alone.

 

[Texas Star]

Looks as if they wanted to use the same extractor rod on those as in the snub version. But I guess it lifts the cases enough to get them out.

I think other Rossi three-inch models did have longer rods. But you do have that enclosed rod/barrel lug. And memories of your dad...

 

[petepeterson]

Looks like a winner to me. I don't think you'll notice a difference in grouping between that and a 3" smith at the distance between your nightstand and the door.

Plus, there maybe a little extra "help" on your side if you have to use it. You never know.

 

[UnderDawgAl]

My late 80s Taurus .22LR nine-shot revolver has bluing that makes a new S&W look like it was done with a permanent marker. The Taurus has a deep, rich blue that competes with S&W of the old days.

 

[CajunBass]

Ain't nothin' wrong with those Taurus and Rossi revolvers from back in the day. Enjoy it.

My dad only had one gun. It was a cheap Sears 12 ga pump. It's in my safe now.

 

[legelegel]

My Dad's Cheap Gun Won on the Cheap

My Dad only own one pistol in his entire life. I have it in my home now. It is a Harrington & Richardson 922 (1942). He won it by chance by betting on a punchboard in a bar shortly after he returned from England and WWII in 1945. The story he told me was that bartender/owner wasn't going to give my Dad the revolver, because he thought my Dad had some how cheated in his selection. The real problem was that his winning choice was the 3rd choice overall and the bartender had lost a lot of money on his gambling device that day. Here's a picture of that 9 shot revolver:

http://www.punchboard.com/history.html

 

[delta-419]

My Father's Gun

I too, have my father's only gun that he inherited from his uncle. Its a 12ga Nitro Hunter single shot that was very old in the 1920s when he got it. He gave it to me when I was 13, it has no finish, no butt plate, brass tacked to the hammer face and is as loose as a goose. I collected greenhead mallards in the Louisiana swamps along the Red River when I could only afford 5 or 6 shells from the country store. They use to break up a box for us when times were tuff. Its retired now and too dangerous to shoot, but hangs on my office wall as a gift from a person that I loved dearly. Every time I look at it I am reminded of days long gone. It is the most loved gun in my collection.

 

[Laketime]

Those mid 90's Rossi's were the sleepers of the snub lines.Fit and finish well exceed their price point.I sold my model 36 and kept my Rossi model 68 2 incher.

 

[shouldazagged]

I hear people sneer at Rossi guns, but the Model 87 clone of an M60 that I bought new for under $200 about seventeen or eighteen years ago was dependable and accurate, with quite decent fit and finish. I had the hammer bobbed and the action polished and carried the gun till I could afford a 640. I liked it very well for the money.

 

[Erich]

Lovely tribute - this made me smile, amigo.

And there doesn't look to be a thing wrong with that gun!

 

[tacreload]

Sig,one hell of a post.Best I've seen in a long time.The pictures are great by the way.