I bought a .45 Sig and then traded it in last week and got a .357 magnum Rossi with blued finish. Was 425.00, lifetime warranty from the factory, and even got to shoot it. Much heavier and powerful than that old sig.

Pretty pleased with it. Except now that I got it, a few people said Rossi is junk. It's made by Taurus but still. The thoughts kind of linger. Did I make a mistake?

Thoughts are appreciated regardless of how negativley they are about Rossi/Taurus.

I have shot them and they are fine. Taurus got a bum rap back in the 80s, cause they were cloning American designs and the perception was that they were below average quality.

I never experienced that.

As for power, the SIG .45 is a piece and a half. Perhaps the .357 kicks more, but the SIG is a world class pistol. If I had my choice, I would have kept the SIG .45. If nothing else, the bigger bore will do more damage.

Do you know why the .45 ACP was invented? What I am referring to is the original 1911 Springfield .45.

During the Spanish-American War, c1898, we were encountering doped up Filipino tribesmen who would charge our lines. Officers were using a .38 revolver and when they hit one, the tribesman kept coming. One shot wasn't stopping them.

The desire was to create a round that had knockdown power. That punch at close range so as to take the attacking solder off his feet. This is how the 1911 Springfield .45 came about.

Thanks to it being a pistol, the bolt moving back absorbs a ton of the recoil - something a revolver can't do.

But who am I to talk... I have a .44 mag revolver... and it kicks like a mule... and makes a .45 feel weak.

In short, the Rossi isn't a bad piece - but I wait for JrRifleCoach's much more experienced opinion - however, trading from a .45 to a .357 is questionable.

Problems with sig:

10 year old used pistol

Magazine spring was worn out

The slide would get stuck when you pulled it back to chamber it even after a good oil/clean.

Finish was starting to show some wear

I could never find a magazine that fit it. It only held 7 rounds in the magazine so one less bullet than the .357.

I can't lie though, I have always loved revolvers. My dad grew up around revolvers so I guess it kind of rubbed off on me.

I thought about getting the taurus judge instead because it shoots .45 long colts and .410 shotshells but I reviewed it pretty throughly and if I did buy it, I would not use it as a only weapon nor would I depend my life on it....

Thanks for the information though. I knew a little bit about how the revolvers got booted from the army because of power, limited rounds ect

The .45 sig is more powerful than the .357???

I would love to have a .44 for a target shooter but some of them are very large and I don't see it being practical for someone as new as I am. Maybe one day.

Definatley a S&W though. :D

The guys at the gunshop seemed to like the taurus judge the best but they just gave opinions and I opted for the .357 s A lifetime warranty is pretty nice though....As long as I take care of it and it's due to their parts, I get a free fixed gun. :D

Hell yea a .45 is more powerful than a .357!

Take a look a the numbers - those measurements are part of an inch, that means a .45 is closer to a half inch than a .357.

Volume of powder is about the same, because of the length of the round vs the diameter of the round.

A .45 will hit and hit hard; it is a big dumb bullet that will go in an do big damage because it is going so slow - think civil war muzzle loaders.

The .357 is faster, but its damage potential is limited due to the size of the round. This is why the FBI went .40 (or Delta 10, meaning a 10mm). Power nearly matching the .45 and volume of rounds like a 9mm. Unfortunately, the Delta 10 didn't have the ballistics. Glock revisited it and the Glock .40 is very good.

As for the SIG, I am sure it can be fixed. I would also think that the .45 had one MORE bullet than the .357; most big bore revolvers are 6-shooters.

The .357 was designed for law enforcement duty. It was the standard side arm for police for years. Good round. Like it a lot.

The .44 is an interesting thing... it was an update, so to speak, of the old school western .44. That is where the similarities ended! Bore size. The rest was modern ballistics. Well, by 1971, S&W had gotten to the point where they were going to remove the model 29 from the catalog. It simply wasn't selling. Then comes Dirty Harry... and the demand grew logarithmically overnight. They went from selling a handful a month to 500k units in like 2 months. It was nuts.

My revolvers:

This is the .44, except mine has Hogue grips and is blue:
http://www.ruger.com/products/redhawk/specSheets/5004.html

My .357, except mine has a rubber grip with wood inlay. Very nice indeed:
http://www.ruger.com/products/gp100/specSheets/1704.html

Finally, .30 carbine Blackhawk. Only difference, Hogue mono-grip:
http://www.ruger.com/products/newMode ... ued/specSheets/10595.html

WOW!! a caliber war discussion on Guru.... LOL

In actual shootings the end results are the same provided the shooter did his job. Really - it comes down to what school of handguns you want to belong to. Slow and heavy or light and fast.

The 357's top round for self defense is a 125gr JHP at 1400FPS.

The 45's top round for self defense is a 230gr JHP at 850FPS.

As for Rossi.... in the early 1980's Rossi was JUNK and Taurus wasn't too far ahead. Both made rather poor quality copies of Smith and Wesson K and J Frames.

Throughout the 1990's Taurus worked hard and improved to the quality level they are currently at.... Which is adequate for a self defense gun. There are alot of little things people don't like about them (MIM parts, internal locks) but the majority of their guns are trouble free and the ones that have problems are generally taken care of.

Taurus bought Rossi a few years ago and kept the name. Quality at Rossi has been improving and IMO current production at Rossi is the same as the revolvers made by the parent company Taurus.

A well used/used up trade in SIG P220 is about a $425 gun... Infact SARCO has some for that $$$ right now. I have a SIG P226 9mm that I bought as a FBI trade in back in the 1990's and it's been a fantastic pistol... however when something breaks I pay to fix it.... When springs go bad I pay to fix it.... you see and have lived that trend with yours.

That new Rossi has a lifetime warantee. Anything goes wrong and Rossi/Taurus will fix it. Rossi and Taurus fill a nitch in the market for good quality, low priced new guns. Like I said, probally 99% of the time they deliver on that.

Will

I was going over the MSRP on the Rugers... I did pretty good all in all, I think!

I got my first, the Blackhawk, from a Pawn Shop. I did work for them and got deals. Got that for $175 back in 1995.

The GP100 came next. Pawn Shop again, did more work, got killer deal, $100 in 1996!

The .44 came last, and I bought it lightly used from a gun shop I frequented. It had no more than 12 rounds through it before the owner decided it wasn't for him. Traded into something lighter. So I got this for $350, and that was in 1997.

Considering that used revolvers, in good condition, are worth about half current MSRP at at given time, I am not doing too bad.

My only problem? Getting .30 carbine ammo. It's a hard find anywhere, but really hard in CA.

Interestingly, carrying ammo on a plane is real easy. I bought a box of .30 whilst in FL from a friend who has a gun shop. If I leave the ammo in its box, I can carry up to 11 lbs (why 11, I don't know) of it in a checked bag. All I need to do is tell the agent at ticketing that I need special handling, due to ammo in the case, they will inspect the package, validate it is what it is and is in what appears to be good condition, then escort me to TSA for special security check and notify them I have ammo. I did this at the Orlando airport last summer and it went VERY smoothly. I will do it again, no questions asked. Next time, I will get 2 or 3 boxes of the stuff...

I think my next investment will be in a reloader. If I have enough brass, I will be fine for some time. Reloading a .30 carbine should allow me 3 or 4 reuses before they go south. I need to confirm this, tho.

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I've been reloading since 1994. As much as I shoot there's no way I could afford to do so without it. When I add it up over the years it's been a pretty minimal investment for what I have gotten back.... FYI I try and keep 300 rnds of (re)loaded ammo per caliber that I shoot regularly on hand. I usually shoot few hundred rounds per week just as regular practice - so I do a fair amount of loading every week.

30 Carbine brass should last way longer than 3-4 times in a Blackhawk. It's a straight walled case like most pistol cases and only operates between 30,000 and maxes out just under 40,000 C.U.P (pressure) which is right in line with the .357 and .44 Mag.

Depends on how hot you load it - but just say duplicating military ball loads, IMO the brass would easily go 10-15 loadings as long as you don't over do the crimp (causing the neck to split).

Brass would get dinged up pretty good in a M1 Carbine and that would make it's life shorter but in a Blackhawk as long as you don't throw them on the ground and stomp on them - they will last a long time.

When your ready to get started, I'd be glad to give you some pointers on how to.
Will

wow now you guys are talking. as for as the .45 goes it is a damn good round. ive got a kimber eclispe target 2 with 5 in match grade barrel. deadly accurate at 25 yards. i also have a para 16-40 limited 40 s&w with a 5 in match barel. also a deadly accurate. i love the 45 style pistols as you can tell. i also have a s&w 626 6 in. now there is your knock down power.
bogus if you want start reloading it depends on how much your going to shoot as for as a press goes. rcbs has a good starter kit in a single stage press. but if you shoot enough to warrent a progressie press get a dillon. ive got two and they are great.
ive been reloading and shooting since 1970. also trap and skeet. ive got 2 mec loaders for that also. i also cast and resize my own pistol bullets. save a butt load of money casting and reloading.
rich

The fit and finish on my Rossi .357 in polished stainless is excellent. Cylinder locks up like a vault. Accuracy is what one would expect from a 2" barrel. Recoil is stout, much tamer w/.38spl.

As to Andy's first post, when I went to buy my first and only gun, I was looking for a 9mm, either a Glock or a Barretta. When asking and being asked questions, I ended up getting a simulation kinda example, which was, if ya have someone coming at ya that is on pcp and you hit him with a 9mm, probably go right through him, and keep on coming. You hit him with a 40SW, done deal. That sound right to you guys? I ended up going with the Barretta .40SW, I liked the way it felt compared to the Glock. The Glock was a bit like holding a toy. Been to a range quite a few times and really liked the way it handled. Mark

Yet another learning experience on the Guru. Thanks guys.

Glocks are amazing. They are made of composites and are super light and super durable. There is a reason they are so highly regarded.

My only problem with Glock? The bolt... if you are like me and overlap thumbs, it will take off a chunk of the top thumb...

I love H&K, too... awesome stuff. S&W and Colt, along with Ruger, make GREAT revolvers. When it comes to automatics, I prefer H&K, Glock or Baretta. I do like Baretta... can't go wrong. If you are more comfortable, then that's what works.

What's interesting is that bastet never shot a gun of any kind until I took her to the range. She hates the .30, it's got this sharp crack to it, the .357 is ok, but loves the .44! Feels like you must tame it to understand it. I do agree with that and it's my fave for the same reason. I can rattle off accurately with the .357 all day long, but when you want a challenge, there is nothing more satisfying that nailing the orange with the .44.

As for reloading, when I am ready to pull the plug, gents, I will be in touch!

Oh, I do have an M1 carbine it was also a pawn shop deal. It's not a WWII version, but when I am done, it will be. It started as a Plainfield, and so far I have added a Rock-ola trigger housing and IBM cocking lever. I want parts from each of the major WWII makers, to make the ultimate bitsa! I need a part from Singer, Springfield and GM to be really happy. I need a bolt, receiver and barrel, and I am done. I am not sure which stock I will ultimately go with.

In addition to all of that, I have 2 Russian made Moisen-Nagant infantry rifles, 7.62x54R. These are Berdan primed and can't be reloaded... but ammo is dirt cheap for them.

The last piece is an old JC Higgins (nee Mossburg) 12 gauge that was my Dad's. Pump, 2.75" max, modified fixed choke. It's got to be over 50 years old now. Still shoots straight and kicks like a sumnabitch.

Quick question Andy and you other posters. Do you have a gun locker, gun safe or trigger locks? Always a concern for me when housing weapons. I'd hate for them to get into the wrong hands. One of the drawbacks is when you need a gun you usually need it now, making a combo of two the most practicle. A nightstand pistol with a lock and the rest locked up. I still haven't pulled the trigger on my home security weapon of choice so I'm watching this thraed with great interest. I've had other concerns draining my disposable income but a gun is still on my list of needs.

tommy ive got all but 1 gun in a big safe. i keep a walther ppks .380 on the night stand. when im out and about i carry a springfield xd .40 s&w 4 in barrel.

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Been there, done that, bled profusely, changes my grip.

My buddie that builds the locomotives (pics I've been posting) makes sights and "Site Align" bore alignment fixtures for the M1's that are used in competition.
http://www.alleysupplyco.com/

Quote:

I've got 16 hollow points loads in my Smith 9mm and another 16 in a clip in the holster. They won't do thru.

BUT, I would like to upgrade to a 40 anyway.

Quote:

In my nightstand, no way I'd have a lock, too much fumbling in the dark. BUT, there's never any children/kids in my house.

Yea, a safe's a good idea for all the rest but not for home protection.

Tommy-
95% of mine are in a Gun Safe that is in my "Gun Room". That's also where I keep my ammo storage and I'm working on building a work bench so I can move my reloading set up in there.

Whatever weapon I'm carrying everyday is usually on my person or in the night stand as I sleep.

I also keep a Remington 870 and a S&W M15 in a Gun Locker thats installed in a wall of our bedroom closet. I also secure my carry peice in here when children are in the house and I'm not carrying on my person.

We don't have any children in the house most of the time but I've become a big proponet of securing things as best as you can afford as I have gotten older.

The way I look at it..... It's not that much $$$ when you add up what you can loose if your guns get stolen. A decent RSC/Gun Safe runs between $600 and $1200.... heck I have a few guns that each cost twice that. Most people with 2 good guns are at least $800 into them - if they had to replace them... A Safe that cost the same as one good gun and will protect/secure many is a good deal IMO.
Will

I have a gun safe. It's in a closet, but one I can reach easily. I keep the safe in a closet, so that visitors I don't know well don't see it and start asking questions.

I live in a very good neighbourhood, so I am not worried for self protection here. The crime rate in my area is very very low, and the neighbours look out for each other, all the time. Constant community watch.

I am going to look into a small monitoring system. More then likely go with the shop my neighbour uses.

I also don't advertise in the area that I am heavily armed. This way, the bad guys know nothing and won't bother... if they knew of a stash, they would simply bust in whilst I was gone, but they don't know jack.

Back in the day we were issued S&w model 39 9mm with a suppressor(hush puppies). 9mm did not have the stopping power of the .357 Mag and when the enemy was hit with a .45 they didn't get up. I would not be here if it wasn't for a reconditioned (by the Marine Corp) WWII Remington series .45 1911.
I like revolvers no brass left behind, S&W and Colt. I won't bet my life on Taurus or Rossi. I own several pistols in 40 and 45 cal. Sig and Glocks are my preference for carry. H&K and Beretta for target shooting and competition.

I should qualify, my experience with Taurus was late 80s. I think by then most of their issues had been resolved.

I am pretty sure that my next pistol will be a 1911 Springfield, of some sort. Kimber looks really good.

This is my gun safe. I have an older model without the LED lighting, which I wish I had. Oh well. I bought it because in addition to a gun safe, it has a 2 hr fire rating for storing documents, etc. It also weighs 550 lbs, so no one is walking off with it.

Matthew

http://www.patriotsafe.com/Closet-Mod ... ee-Pistol-Rack_p_541.html

I have a small gun lock box under my bed. Has a 5 push button combo on it. Real quick and easy for me to open, and also has a check on it to see if anyone has messed with it. I am in a neighborhood like Andy, I have basically ALMOST forgotten about it. Matt that is one badass gun safe

yea... I am digging that safe, Matthew... that is the cool.

I store docs in mine, but it is a cheap thin steel thing. More or less a grade above filing cabinet. But still enough to slow down a thief, and too heavy, when loaded, to just walk off with. 7 guns, ammo, brass, accessories, documents... it must weigh well over 300 lbs.