Rossi M37 Revolver

The Rossi M37 and their similar revolvers were manufactured in Brazil by Amadeo Rossi SA originally founded in 1889 in São Leopoldo, Brazil. After many years of manufacturing revolvers, shotguns, and lever action rifles, Rossi was purchased by Taurus and the Rossi company name remains on an inexpensive .22 revolver, lever action rifles, and a single-shot shotgun. In this report I am covering the most numerous of Rossi products—a five-shot double action revolver.

These are commonly referred to as J-frame revolvers and area clone of the Smith & Wesson Chief’s Special with some differences. These revolvers were intended as a less expensive alternative to high quality revolvers such as made by Smith & Wesson. Rossi revolvers were even less expensive than comparable Taurus revolvers of the era, which were already less expensive. than similar Smith & Wessons. Rossi revolvers are of ten good enough for the occasional shooter that breaks the piece out and practices once a year.

For the interested shooter that may fire one thousand cartridges a year in meaningful practice, the Rossi isn’t the best choice, especially now that they are out of business and the new owner (Taurus) no longer manufactures these revolvers. The Rossi revolver illustrated is a good example of the thousands of such revolvers manufactured in the 1960s through the 1980s. The revolver is blue steel with a fiveshot .38 Special cylinder.

The grip’s frame is a square butt type but not the same as those encountered in Smith & Wesson or Taurus revolvers. The front sight is a ramp design and the rear sight is an open trough. The barrel is an eighth of an inch longer than most Smith & Wesson snub nose revolvers, measuring 2 1/8-inch long, the same as a Smith & Wesson 649 .357 Magnum snub, and longer than the 1 7/8inch Chief’s Special. The double action trigger press is heavy at 16 pounds and the reset may be heard by the naked ear.

The single action trigger breaks at 4.1 pounds. The trigger is serrated and the hammer is nicely checkered. These revolvers sometimes develop the same problems as any other double action. This includes a worn bolt stop and a failure to reset.

Most of the time the problem seems to be a lack of cleaning and the varnishing of parts after oil has been squirted into the action once a year. There is always the home tinkerer that may destroy the proper angles of the revolver. The Rossi may be polished and upgraded to an extent but it really isn’t worth the effort as a higher grade revolver such as a modern Taurus will be smoother as issued from the factory.

Disassembly The first step in disassembly is to locate an appropriate screwdriver and remove the wooden grips. For some reason every Rossi that has crossed my bench has arrived with loose grip screws and side plate screws that are not tight. Removing the grips exposes the rearwardmost side plate screw. The three side plate screws are exactly the As a rule, the inletting is well done. The S&W aftermarket mainspring usually fits. same size and interchange readily. Remove them carefully and avoid stripping.

Once the side plate screws are removed the frame is lightly tapped with a rubber hammer. After this the bottom rear portion of the side plate will be loose and may be tilted so the side plate can be lifted off. Carefully note the condition of the side plate. Most Rossi revolver side plates will be rugged with ma- The devil is in the detail. chine marks or even burrs. These may be polished out to an extent if desired.

Sometimes you will note wear marks on the hammer where the action has bound against the frame and side plate. As you continue, be certain to observe the relation of the lifter, hammer, sear, trigger, hand, bolt stop, and other parts. I look to the trigger return spring and sear as these are often high wear parts. As it turns out the Rossi I was taking down needed only a cleaning. There had been some hesitation in trigger reset and this disappeared after a thorough cleaning.

I lifted out the hand and it appeared in good shape. When the hand isn’t properly cycling often enough all that is needed is for the part to be peened. This means, for me, placing the part on a vise, wedge, or anvil and striking it. This results in the part lengthening and then engagement returns, at least for awhile. Of course fitting and replacing anew hand is best if you are able to find one and the customer will boot the expense on a revolver they may have paid one hundred twenty dollars retail for.

Far The front side plate screw holds the cylinder. The crane may be wiggled out and you have the cylinder and crane assembly in your hand. This is an excellent time to disassemble the cylinder assembly by pulling the crane away and unscrewing the ejector rod. Clean the ejector rod and be certain it is properly tightened down as you re-assemble the unit. Also check under the ejector star for unburned powder as any unburned powder will an effect on the revolver’s operation. Moving on to the mainspring.

I cock the action to place it in single action mode. Compress the mainspring and slide it toward the cylinder—or muzzle if the cylinder is removed. The mainspring is on a rod. There is apart in the grip frame that pivots a bit—if it didn’t give it might break off—that the base of the mainspring fits into. There is a small cup near the base of the mainspring assembly that the base of the guide rod goes into. I suppose it could be lost easily. Be certain that the widest, most open part faces upward upon disassembly.

The cylinder release doesn’t usually need to be rocked out or removed. It is necessary to press it forward to perform some movements. The hammer is rocked out of the frame. It rides on a pivot pin inside the frame. The trigger Below center: The small parts are not particularly smooth but function okay. There were wear marks on this modestly-priced revolver. return spring should be checked while the revolver is disassembled. I found a good bit of powder residue and other material in the frame.

A simple cleaning and removal of this foreign material often helps. In this case the trigger return spring was slowed down and the usual energetic trigger return and audible click on reset was not heard. There (Continued on page 22)

was material blocking the return. The bolt stop is removed by pressing down and out. There are tiny pins riding in the trigger. I have seen them work loose so be certain that your bench area is secure. I use a white piece of paper under the handgun and also like to have a slightly depressed area to work with, one that the screws may not work over the side of the bench.

As for parts compatibility with the Smith & Wesson and Taurus revolvers, the major parts such as the cylinder, crane, hammer, and trigger do not interchange. Neither do the grips. The mainspring appears to be the same as a pack of Smith & Wesson springs I had on hand and so does the trigger return spring. The Rossi will be a common sight on the bench for decades.

It is inexpensive and with the increasing price of quality revolvers it will be sought after today just as it was in the beginning for a low price alternative to other revolvers. AG