why is Rossi so underrated

I've had two wonderful Rossis, and two awful ones. When they are bad, they are BAD. Not worth the risk for me. I will never again get a Rossi/Taurus, unless it is a plinker.
 
There are plenty of good Rossis out there. I have an older Model 92 lever rifle that is excellent. My first revolver was a Rossi 461 and there was nothing wrong with it. It just didn't compare, in accuracy or trigger smoothness to the S&W revolvers I got later.

And I agree with Homerboy that for something you plan to keep many years, it is better in the long run to get the superior product. The cost is minimal when spread out over time.
 
I'd like the Forum to weigh in and tell me why Today's Rossi is not a well made weapon. In the past they were spotty at best. That is past History. But, for the past few years their product is different. I am not even suggesting that Rossi is in the same league as S&W or Ruger. But for the $$$ Rossi now makes a pretty good revolver. For under $285 that's pretty good.
My past 2 acquisitions of Rossi have been excellent.(in the past 4 years). I never had any problems, they were accurate and went bang every time.
I do expect a ton of Agita on this.
Doc
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I've got no personal experience at all with them. Their place as Taurus' budget line (just think about that for a minute) is what's going to turn people off to them.
 
I e owned a lot Taurus millennium pro. It was not reliable at all. I have not owned a Taurus revolver but have shot them many times. A friend of mine has 2. Years ago, I was looking to buy a revolver and was tempted to give Taurus a try. The gun shop clerk said he would not take it in trade for a smith and Wesson if I was not happy with it. As a matter of fact, he had a sign in his shop that he would no longer be sending Taurus revolvers back for warranty work.

And I'm hardly a gun snob. Most expensive revolver I ever bought cost me about 600 bucks. I would just rather buy a higher end product when the cost difference isn't very much, especially when I plan to own it for a long time, and if I do decide to sell it, I'd like to have some resale value in it.

But if you like Taurus and Rossi, go for it. Doesn't matter to me what you choose to buy. The OP asked for opinions and I gave mine.
 
My rossi (aka Taurus) 44 mag lever carbine was basically a piece of junk when I bought it a few years ago grouping somewhere around minute of solar system. I had to extensively rework the magazine, foregrip and front band to get it to fire at what I was aiming at. However, after reworking the stuff and smoothing the action a bit--it is now one dandy sub 5 lb lever gun capable of MOA at 100 with very warm hand loads. The big caveat with Rossi is that if ANYTHING (screw breaks) goes wrong--you have to pack and ship the whole weapon back to Brazil for service--and turnaround could be a long time.
 
From my own experience, the lower tier manufacturers are as often to make a really good gun as anyone else.
Maybe not as regularly, but still plenty of them.
The trick seems to be to investigate the one you're planning on buying in person.
Not a bad idea for any gun, actually.
If it passes muster, then you have a real bargain.
If not, ignore it and try again.
I've gotten really good and inexpensive guns that were passed on without much of a glance by many others.
 
I own two Rossi 92 Lever actions and a Rossi shotgun. Never had a problem with any of them and all of them have been accurate out of the box. I also own lots of Ruger's Winchesters Remington's and other guns. Rossi isn't as nice as these guns but also not as expensive. By not as nice I mean their aesthetics. They all go bang and they all function well and they are all reasonably accurate (not match accurate just reasonably accurate). I wouldn't hesitate to rely on one. That said, if one breaks down the customer service is poor and it's hard to find a gunsmith to spend time on one. I would certainly choose a Ruger or a Smith and Wesson over a Rossi, just like I would choose a Lexus or an Acura over a Honda or a Toyota. But I would still be comfortable driving a Honda or a Toyota across the country.
 
If so, I have a great friend who's a master gunsmith. I am not worried about this. It arrived in superior condition. Clean as a whistle and the cylinder didn't
make a sound when i shook it. Brought snap caps with me to try out the action. Big surprise DA & SA was pretty decent. Overall, so far, 100 % ok
Doc
 
Doc Holliday 1950 said:
I'd like the Forum to weigh in and tell me why Today's Rossi is not a well made weapon. In the past they were spotty at best. That is past History. But, for the past few years their product is different. I am not even suggesting that Rossi is in the same league as S&W or Ruger. But for the $$$ Rossi now makes a pretty good revolver. For under $285 that's pretty good.

My past 2 acquisitions of Rossi have been excellent.(in the past 4 years). I never had any problems, they were accurate and went bang every time.

I do expect a ton of Agita on this.

Doc
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In what ways are the new Rossis better now than they were?

I've never owned one, but am well aware of their rep as cheap junk. How would you try to convince someone that now they make high quality stuff?

If I believed Rossi was quality, I'd buy a couple of their offerings, like lever guns and sxs's.
 
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All I can go by is my own experience with Rossi. Try to convince someone of it, Not on a bet would I do that. You either get one and then make up your mind or you listen to "the In " experts.
i KNOW THAT THE OLD RAP ON ROSSI WAS BLAH. Kind of like the old Audi Car
They were terrible autos for many years, but now they rank right up there in quality.
I know how good my Rugers is, I have 2 and absolutely like them. I also owned 2 Rossi guns and they were great.
So what's your point??? Do you or have you ever owned or used a Rossi Revolver?? If not, how can you make an intelligent assessment on it?
There are already 26 or 27 people who have posted on this and their cool with Rossi. You again, how do you know "they're cheap junk"??
 
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I have a Rossi 92' and a Rossi Plinker, not one complaint or fear that they are going to self destruct on me. I take that back, my one complaint is that the rifle shoots a bit high loaded with .44 spl loads.
 
In what ways are the new Rossis better now than they were?
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Because they had nowhere to go but up.

At one time, I had a little Rossi .22 pistol that my Grandfather had confiscated off some bad guy. He retired from policing in 1974 so it was older than that. That thing was the poster child for the pot-metal Saturday Night Special. Total piece of crap.
 
Have you tried one lately?? Same old story. Until you walk a mile in my shoes, you don't know gotz.( that's Italian for , well, we are all gentlemen and ladies here. I'm sure you understand. If you've owned a Rossi in the past 3 o4 5 years
and you still think that they are "crap". That's okay with me. At least you tried and I totally respect your comments. But if you haven't.???
 
Doc, you are probably right - today's Rossi is not the same as yesteryear's Rossi. However, I still think Lee N. Field said it best in his post - Rossi is Taurus's "budget brand". I refuse to buy a branded Taurus because I still don't trust their "quality improvements". That means I have even less faith in their budget brand.

I may be missing out on a decent firearm. I can live with that.
 
I own 4 Rossi Pistols. All in the 357 Mag. One 4 inch barrel, and three 2 inch barrel. They are all extremely accurate, very reliable, timed well, and easy enough to look at. The 4 inch barreled gun gets strapped to my side when cruising timber often. It has been in the mud, the rain, the wet, the cold, etc... and just as accurate as any pistol I own. And, the bluing has held up very well in the holster. The short barrels conceal well, have a great grip and are the best bargin on the market for a reliable wheel gun that packs a big punch. I like them as well as any of the S&W's I have. They aren't a Ruger in anyway but, they fit the purpose they are intended for very well and if I needed another, I would NOT hesitate to buy one. I really like them. I was just thinking about switching back to one for CC as I'm tiring of the pant tug my 45 and loaded 9mm cause. They are great guns. God Bless
 
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try to get a current Rossi repaired. after the wait time and cost out of your pocket you might consider another brand of gun. that said, if you get a good one its usually pretty good.

As, I can't speak of the Rossi wait time but, I know of another company that will let you grow old without your weapon, if ever needed to be sent back. I think their name is Smith&Wesson. at least according to the thousands of internet posts about the standard 9-14 week turnaround times customer experience. Rossi's might be longer. I don't know as none of mine have had to be sent back. But, it probably takes a while to get to Brazil. :)

God Bless
 
taking my new Rossi 357 2' TO THE RANGE TOMORROW. We shall see what we shall see. I will try to post pics of my targets. I'll be firing 38 P+ 125 grains ammo and 357 full boat ammo.
Doc
 
lets narrow down the responses. Everyone who has owned a Rossi of yesterday year and those who own today's Rossi please contribute your knowledge to the Forum. I have not heard of too many people who have bad results with the newer Rossi guns. If it stinks, then tell us. Obviously there are quite a few of our Forum members who own Rossi or have in the past 3 years. it's running 30-1 in favor of a good results owning and using Rossi guns and NO I AM NOT ROSSI STOOGE.It's just that i have an open mind to what's going on in the Wheel World.
Must remind that my first wheel was a 1967 Python in super condition. So I really don't know "crap'. Sure, Rossi and Taurus are not Pythons but "almost" no wheel is. So, my ratings for all my wheels are based on my Python. So, Rossi rates a 6.5 to 7 on the scale of Pythons.
Doc
 
I have never owned or fired a Ross revolver.

But, their quality has apparently varied wildly across the years. The problem is that I don't know anything about revolvers. I don't think I can tell a good one from a bad one until issues appear. Why should I take a risk? Particularly since support is such an issue.

Rossi is currently positioned as Taurus's budget line. That also makes me nervous.

Besides, a Ruger really isn't that much more. Ruger has a well earned reputation for stellar customer service. I also think it's pretty neat that Ruger makes them 100 miles north of me.

If I had to cheap out, I think I'd go with a used S&W police trade or even a Windicator instead of a Rossi.
 
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