Rossi M335?

[sixstring38]

Hello, new to PAFOA. Just bought my first handgun this weekend at the Lebanon gun expo. It's a Rossi .38 special revolver with a 2" barrel, 5-shot in blued finish. Looks a lot like an old S&W. It came in the original box with a set of plastic target grips in addition to the stock wood grips with medallions. Paid $200. It is an Interarms gun.

I have not yet fired it, but the action seems very smooth, and the single-action trigger break is spectacular. It looks nice too. The finish is very good, as are the grips. Bore is bright and shiny, lockup is tight. Also bought a box of reloaded 125 grain semi-jacketed hollowpoints.

I have been attempting to find info on the model, which is stamped (M335) on the inside of the crane arm, but haven't found much. Anybody know anything about this model? Can't find any info on when these were made, maybe early production? I have heard some people talk bad about Rossi, but from what I can tell it is a solid little gun that is comfortable for me to hold and carry, packs enough punch for close-quarters self-defense, and, perhaps most importantly, fit my budget. Hopefully it proves to be a decent shooter, I will attempt to get to the range this week to find out.

Sorry 'bout the blurry pic, uploaded from my cell phone. Will take better ones soon.

[dogngun]

The 335 is an older Rossi, back when they were imported by Interarms and before their affiliation with Taurus. I have owned a .357 magnum Rossi from that period and I loved it. It was a tight and accurate firearm. I understand the M335 has a very good trigger, is a 5 shot .38 Spl and probably should not be used with a lot of +P ammo, which is no great hardship. I believe speedloaders for S&W J frame's will work with it. and I think the price was very good. I think you can find info on it on an Iterarms website. The current Rossi company no longer has anything to do with these guns.

Here's a link to the Rossi owners forum at the Taurus site...

http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?board=19.0

I have owned several Rossi's and carry one most of the time right now. I have never had any trouble with any of them.

enjoy it.

mark

ADDED Current Rossi rubber grips will probably fit your gun. and they are very comfortable.

[sixstring38]

The 335 is an older Rossi, back when they were imported by Interarms and before their affiliation with Taurus. I have owned a .357 magnum Rossi from that period and I loved it. It was a tight and accurate firearm. I understand the M335 has a very good trigger, is a 5 shot .38 Spl and probably should not be used with a lot of +P ammo, which is no great hardship. I believe speedloaders for S&W J frame's will work with it. and I think the price was very good. I think you can find info on it on an Iterarms website. The current Rossi company no longer has anything to do with these guns.

Here's a link to the Rossi owners forum at the Taurus site...

http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?board=19.0

I have owned several Rossi's and carry one most of the time right now. I have never had any trouble with any of them.

enjoy it.

mark

ADDED Current Rossi rubber grips will probably fit your gun. and they are very comfortable.

Cool, thanks for the info! Glad to know there are people out there who carry/rely on older Rossi models. I have seen a few good reviews on the net, but most of the guys seem like "1911 or nothing" types that just give poor reviews to anything that's not a Colt or similar. The seller I bought mine from also had a nice Taurus .357 mag with a 2" barrel that was financially just out of my reach. He said the Taurus and the Rossi that I bought came to him as a pair, the previous owner had passed away. I handled both of them and the Rossi not only felt more solidly built, the trigger on it was head-and-tails above that of the Taurus. I also passed on a bunch of cheap polymer semi-autos (I like the feel and weight of steel and the simplicity and rugged-ness of wheelguns) and several small-caliber "pocket autos". Looked at a few Charter Arms revolvers that looked (and felt) like toys from Kmart, just couldn't bring myself to carry something I didn't trust to fire when I pull the trigger. Overall I am pleased with the purchase, still waiting to shoot it though.