I was at the gun shop today thinking about something lighter and more compact than my current carry pistols. I admire my wife's Taurus 85SS alot. Since the less expensive pistols can be hit or miss I like to handle them in person. The shop had a fresh out of the box Taurus 850 hammerless. Thinking of the wonderful DA trigger my wife's pistol has I checked it out. It wouldn't function! Wow! Finally found a bad one.  It simply didn't work! The guy there was really embarassed and set it away to go back to Taurus Monday. Another similar one was OK, but the DA feel wasn't near as good as my wife's pistol. If you go hammerless, you want a good trigger!
So I looked at a Rossi 357 2" blued snubbie. Least expensive one in the display case. Not bad! Perfectly timed, closely fitted. Very smooth feel. VG DA trigger. Heavy, but VG. Not great like my wife's Taurus, but VG. Outstanding SA feel and a very well checkered hammer that thumbs back perfectly. Same great "Will never slip" feel the hammer on my DW has. It's a 6 shot and of course has the longer 357 cylinder compared to my wife's 85SS. So it is a bit longer wider and heavier. But not by much. Seemed like a nice summer time CC pistol.

Had some fun in the shop with it this evening. Did some polishing and cut three turns off the coil main spring. Still has plenty of snap to it and feels nice and smooth too. I made a simple IWB holster for it as well.

Side by side with my 3" DW 357 it looks and feels about a third less bulky. Should be a good summer pistol!

Frankly, after having it apart and getting to know it, it doesn't give up much to it's more expensive brethren. Very nicely made and fitted. The bluing is beautiful. The names stamped into it are done with less finesse than on a Taurus. The flutes on the cylinder and the front of the barrel area aren't polished like the rest of it was. Doesn't bother me as it's for carry use. It does seem to have it where it counts though.

I'll drop by the range early this coming week and I'll let y'all know how it works. Take home price new with three boxes of 357 Aquilla ammo was just $330. I really wasn't expecting much when I picked it up. But I must say it impressed me as a good "value" revolver.

Naturally I'll shoot mostly 38's in it for practice. It's not an L frame after all.

Range report;
Had some bad ammo. Bullets were getting knocked forwards in the casings by recoil! By the 4th shot the bullet noses were sticking out enough to foul against the barrel and bind it up. Drove me nuts until I figured it out! Tried it in my DW 357 with same results. It was old stock Aquilla ammo in black boxes with orange lettering that my local gunshop found hidden away and sold for $9 a box. I returned the other two boxes this afternoon! First time I have ever had to do that!

But.... With 38 special WC ammo it was a sweet soft shooting little revolver. Ran 100% and quite accurate for a 2" barrel. Tried some full power 357 ammo, Blazer brand SPs, that ran 100% too. You get a white muzzle flash and the report is startling. But recoil wasn't bad at all. The rubber grip is well shaped and does a good job with recoil. I shot 30 rounds of this ammo with no trouble.

So I used a bit over 100 rounds through it today counting the bad Aquilla ammo.

It's a nice little blaster. Good CC pistol IMO.

Update!

Took mine to the range again today. About 50 rounds through it. Mix of 38 spec. +p's (Ga. Arms semi WC HP's.) and 357s (Independence brand.).

Mechanically perfect. It's a good shooter.

But I did find one odd thing. It seems to shoot about 3" high at 30' with the 38+p's compared to the 357s. I mean really consistantly too!

With 357 and 38 special wadcutters it aims well. Whatever is atop the sight when you line 'em up will get hit. But the 38 spec. +p's were shooting 3" above that!

I guess I'll stick to carrying it with 357s.

It's not as accurate as my 3" barreled DW357. Shot them side by side today. But the Rossi is about 30% smaller to carry! Good little snubby so far. I like it.

Quoted: Update! Took mine to the range again today. About 50 rounds through it. Mix of 38 spec. +p's (Ga. Arms semi WC HP's.) and 357s (Independence brand.). Mechanically perfect. It's a good shooter. But I did find one odd thing. It seems to shoot about 3" high at 30' with the 38+p's compared to the 357s. I mean really consistantly too! With 357 and 38 special wadcutters it aims well. Whatever is atop the sight when you line 'em up will get hit. But the 38 spec. +p's were shooting 3" above that! I guess I'll stick to carrying it with 357s. It's not as accurate as my 3" barreled DW357. Shot them side by side today. But the Rossi is about 30% smaller to carry! Good little snubby so far. I like it.

The difference in POA/POI is caused by different bullet weights and velocities. It sounds like .357 and other .38 ammo you were shooting probably had heavier bullets loaded to higher velocities. Try a slightly lighter bullet weight and the POI should come back down.

Actually the semi WC HP 38 spec. +P ammo is the lighter stuff. Under 130 grains, but I can't remember exactly.

The 357 and 38 special ammo I have is all about 156 grain.

I guess that would make sense that the lighter faster bullet shoots higher.

I sell guns and this week got in a .357 snubbie and the same with a long barrel, both Rossi's and both stainless.  

I was very impressed.  They show well in the case next to the "better" pistols.

Yeah, mine is blued. Had they had one in SS I'd have gotten that. But it is a tool, a carry piece. Not a sports car. For $300 out the door I am very happy with it.

IMO for the money they are great revolvers. I bought my stainless Rossi snubby over ten years ago & have yet to have the first problem with it. It feels great in my hand & for being a snubby I can shoot it surprisingly well.

It's also great to take along when shooting with buddies. A few times after shooting big heavy framed revolvers in .44 & 45LC I've pulled out the little old Rossie for my friends to shoot. Before they squeeze off that first round there always thinking "look at this little thing, ain't this cute". But after that first round goes off their reaction usually is "HOLY SHIT!"....lol.

Yeah, with 357's in there the report and muzzle flash are startling!

I like it.

It'll burn the eyebrow off a robber even if the bullet misses!

Once I got past the shock & awe aspects of that, I realized that recoil was actually very manageable and no discomfort in shooting it. Great little hand cannon!