35remington
New Member
Back in my non salad days not long after college Jumbo Sports was having a local Going out of Business sale. My brother stopped by and got a really good deal on a stainless sorta K frame size six shot 357 Rossi 2 1/2” (close anyway...it’s metric so it is a little longer than that closer to 2.75”). Yeah, Rossi, I know, but bear with me.
I had a Jumbo gift card for 50 bucks and I went down hoping to find something similar. Unfortunately all that was left was a fixed sight five shot blued j frame sized Rossi with short actually 2.1inch barrel. Well, they were going out of business and I had to spend my money on something so after gift card credit I went out the door with it for 100 bucks which was really cheap even then.
Problems.....it hit low with 148 and 158 grain bullets. Filed down the front sight a bit, fixed. It also shot about 8 inches to the left at 25 yards. Filing the rear sight notch in the frame and cold blue addressed that. This surely isn’t a concealed carry piece with the overly fatty grips making it bulkier than a J frame sized gun should be but it is comfortable to shoot. Double action is fair, actually better than most new J frame Smiths in terms of weight but a bit rough. Single action is not as good as a stock J frame but usable.
The cylinder is not hubbed so a lot of shooting gets lubricant and fouling in the recess and makes the cylinder hard to turn but a little oil keeps it running until I flush it out.
I was disappointed it was non Plus P rated, but this and a non Plus P rated C series 4 inch Military and Police taught me that top end standard pressure handloads with lead bullets were and are all that is really needed in 38 for any reasonable use. Acceptable standard pressure 158s get up to 840 fps or so with judicious powder selection. Standard pressure wadcutter top end is in the 790 fps range, powder dependent.
A little roughness at the forcing cone that snagged lead got smoothed up shooting jacketed bullets through it for awhile after the problem was noted. It hasn’t seen a single jacketed bullet since then.
Mostly it got shot with Bullseye and 148 WC’s from 3.1-3.5 grains for 710 to 790 fps. I felt better about the flat bullet shape for come what may and the dinky sights made anything but a largish target over 50 yards problematic. In actual use in hitting what I wanted to hit, like a rabbit I came across, a raccoon in the wrong place or whatever 50 feet or less was more like it if I wanted high percentages in standing upright offhand shots.
This got carried a lot “river ratting” where we boated up the backwater sloughs of the Missouri River and shot gar (steep downward angle) and targets of opportunity along the river banks. No chasing reloadable brass....good! Wandering around afield shooting a 38 snubbie, even if it is a Rossi, is one of life’s little enjoyments.
It has not seen a huge number of rounds shot through it in that time, maybe 5k or less. It still is tight. I confess to shooting a few Plus P handloads in it for a velocity check as well as some Plus P factory for the same reasons probably well under 100 total. The rest standard pressure. I don’t kid myself that a non Plus P rating is to be ignored so I did restrain myself and the functionality of the revolver after this time has a lot to do with that I’m sure.
It got carried in situations where I needed some sort of gun but it was of lower value in case it got stolen from the truck when I was in the restaurant. I have safes in my vehicles now and a concealed carry permit so my days of leaving it out of sight under the seat unsecured are over. Funny thing was that after having the thing for a while I grew fond enough of it that I really didn’t want it stolen even though it was imperfect and of lower value.
It taught me to hit with a snubby and poor sights I have to concentrate my brains out both single and double action, which made me a better handgun shot with this and all my other guns. I actually hit targets of opportunity or at least am a very mortal threat to them if I take my time and don’t get too optimistic on the distance.
Provided I keep the unhubbed cylinder lubed when shooting it a lot with cast bullets it functions well.. Never had a misfire. Despite being Not A Smith And Wesson it is revolver reliable.
Imperfection can grow on you. What it was, and is, is good enough, and that will do.
Incidentally the .357 Rossi my brother bought he wound up selling to me a couple of years ago. He shot only a couple of boxes of 38s and maybe a half box of 357s in it after all that time. The adjustable sights are nice but I shoot mostly 38s in it.
I had a Jumbo gift card for 50 bucks and I went down hoping to find something similar. Unfortunately all that was left was a fixed sight five shot blued j frame sized Rossi with short actually 2.1inch barrel. Well, they were going out of business and I had to spend my money on something so after gift card credit I went out the door with it for 100 bucks which was really cheap even then.
Problems.....it hit low with 148 and 158 grain bullets. Filed down the front sight a bit, fixed. It also shot about 8 inches to the left at 25 yards. Filing the rear sight notch in the frame and cold blue addressed that. This surely isn’t a concealed carry piece with the overly fatty grips making it bulkier than a J frame sized gun should be but it is comfortable to shoot. Double action is fair, actually better than most new J frame Smiths in terms of weight but a bit rough. Single action is not as good as a stock J frame but usable.
The cylinder is not hubbed so a lot of shooting gets lubricant and fouling in the recess and makes the cylinder hard to turn but a little oil keeps it running until I flush it out.
I was disappointed it was non Plus P rated, but this and a non Plus P rated C series 4 inch Military and Police taught me that top end standard pressure handloads with lead bullets were and are all that is really needed in 38 for any reasonable use. Acceptable standard pressure 158s get up to 840 fps or so with judicious powder selection. Standard pressure wadcutter top end is in the 790 fps range, powder dependent.
A little roughness at the forcing cone that snagged lead got smoothed up shooting jacketed bullets through it for awhile after the problem was noted. It hasn’t seen a single jacketed bullet since then.
Mostly it got shot with Bullseye and 148 WC’s from 3.1-3.5 grains for 710 to 790 fps. I felt better about the flat bullet shape for come what may and the dinky sights made anything but a largish target over 50 yards problematic. In actual use in hitting what I wanted to hit, like a rabbit I came across, a raccoon in the wrong place or whatever 50 feet or less was more like it if I wanted high percentages in standing upright offhand shots.
This got carried a lot “river ratting” where we boated up the backwater sloughs of the Missouri River and shot gar (steep downward angle) and targets of opportunity along the river banks. No chasing reloadable brass....good! Wandering around afield shooting a 38 snubbie, even if it is a Rossi, is one of life’s little enjoyments.
It has not seen a huge number of rounds shot through it in that time, maybe 5k or less. It still is tight. I confess to shooting a few Plus P handloads in it for a velocity check as well as some Plus P factory for the same reasons probably well under 100 total. The rest standard pressure. I don’t kid myself that a non Plus P rating is to be ignored so I did restrain myself and the functionality of the revolver after this time has a lot to do with that I’m sure.
It got carried in situations where I needed some sort of gun but it was of lower value in case it got stolen from the truck when I was in the restaurant. I have safes in my vehicles now and a concealed carry permit so my days of leaving it out of sight under the seat unsecured are over. Funny thing was that after having the thing for a while I grew fond enough of it that I really didn’t want it stolen even though it was imperfect and of lower value.
It taught me to hit with a snubby and poor sights I have to concentrate my brains out both single and double action, which made me a better handgun shot with this and all my other guns. I actually hit targets of opportunity or at least am a very mortal threat to them if I take my time and don’t get too optimistic on the distance.
Provided I keep the unhubbed cylinder lubed when shooting it a lot with cast bullets it functions well.. Never had a misfire. Despite being Not A Smith And Wesson it is revolver reliable.
Imperfection can grow on you. What it was, and is, is good enough, and that will do.
Incidentally the .357 Rossi my brother bought he wound up selling to me a couple of years ago. He shot only a couple of boxes of 38s and maybe a half box of 357s in it after all that time. The adjustable sights are nice but I shoot mostly 38s in it.
