I have had 2 Rossi 462's in the last year. The first one was great until it locked up permanently after 200 rds or so. I exchanged it for another 462. Despite the problem though it was a very good quality gun in terms of fit/finish. The replacement 462 doesn't have nearly the finish or workmanship as the first, yet shoots much more accurately and closer to point of aim, so I'm happy with it.
I have had some problems with the new 462, but all were related to a screw coming loose and the ejector rod unscrewing itself. Once I realized what was going on and tightened them, no more problems of any kind. But both caused sudden and complete catastrophic failures to operate. I'm glad I was only at the target range.
As long as nothing else goes wrong with it, and I can maintain its reliability, I'll be happy with it for what I paid. SA trigger is excellent, as good as any, and double action is light and smooth save for a slight hitch right at the beginning of the pull, causing a harder pull on some chambers and totally screwing up one-handed DA firing because I pull though it too quickly to overcome the hitch. I feel it's a minor gunsmithing issue, but just haven't gotten around to fixing it.
Size/weight/balance are "just right" for me; I feel it has better ergonomics than the similar Smith or Ruger offerings. It seems to absorb .357 recoil extremely well, to the point that firing it is actually fun with 110 gr. Winchester white box.
Sights are big and useable but like on any fixed-sight revolver, they are miserable and worthless for fast, accurate acquisition. I hate trying to shoot groups with it, since I get so tired of struggling with the sights, and even then the resulting groups are about 6" too low at 15 yds.
Would I use it for self-defense? Frankly, these guns are a little rough around the edges. For a gun this cheap I would want to shoot it quite a bit to work out the bugs, and then it still might break when you most need it. Even at its best it probably won't shoot to point-of-aim completely or be easy to shoot accurately.
Conclusion? While a nice, surprisingly accurate pistol, I would advise you to pass due to the high probability of getting a lemon and the PITA Taurus servicing you'll require (I'm one of those people you've heard about who sent a gun back 3 times to Taurus and still never got it to function).
I think I'll sell mine and get an S&W 66 or 686 with some good visible adjustable sights and no worries about quality or reliability going to hell.
I can see where these would really be handy to carry in many situatuions. You see, I knew this would happen to me when I started buying handguns again, they are addicting! I also have this mental disease with rifles and shotguns, not to mention fishing rods, reels and tackle. Oh well, keeps me off the streets and out of the bars, 
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