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Amadeo Rossi & Cia, Sao Leopoldo, Brazil Amadeo Rossi SA (or simply Rossi), founded in 1889 in São Leopoldo, Brazil, is a Brazilian arms manufacturer. Rossi produces pistols and revolvers used by both civilians and security forces, and exports worldwide. It is considered one of the largest weapons manufacturers in Brazil. After the turn of the century Rossi made cheap revolvers much similar to American Harrington & Richardson, Hood Firearm Company, Norwich Armes Company, Continental Arms Co and the Bacon Manufacturing Co. But they wanted to tap into the large US market and needed a revolver of good quality with a hammer block to do that as “Suicide Specials” were outlawed in that country. They still concentrated on small carry guns and we do not know much about that development as the earlier models did not reach our markets. The first popular handgun we know of from Rossi were the model 27 which was a respectable quality handgun based on the S&W model 36 In the 1970s Rossis began to be distributed in the United States by Interarms Virginia. The Rossi model 27 Pioneer sold for half the price of the S&W model 36. The next revolver of this series, the Model 68, was a development of an earlier revolver (the Model 27 Pioneer), and was basically the Pioneer with an adjustable rear sight and a ramp front sight. It had a barrel slightly under 3 inches, and was available only in .38 Special. It was produced from 1978-85. The Model 68S is a modernized version of the Model 68; it has a 2 or 3-inch barrel, a shrouded ejector rod. Blued or nickel-plated finish, and walnut grips. It began production in 1993 and remains in production. The Model 69 is basically a version of the Model 68 in .32 caliber. The Model 70 is the same idea, but is chambered for .22 caliber. Rossi 68, .38 Special, 0.62 kg, 5 Cylinder, $155 Rossi Model 87. This is a tiny snub-nosed revolver designed specifically for concealed carry. It was introduced in 1983, and exported to almost 70 countries worldwide, acquiring a good reputation as a cheap and easy to hide handgun. Virtually all of the hammer is concealed, and there are almost no protrusions other than a very small front sight. The grips are rubber with finger grooves. Rossi 87, .38 Special, 0.63 kg, 5 Cylinder, $146 Rossi Model 712. This revolver resembles many of the Smith & Wesson designs of the time (1992), with a continuous ejector shroud, adjustable rear sight, high front sight with a red stripe, and wrap-around rubber grips with finger grooves. The Rossi 712 is of complete stainless steel construction, like many Rossi revolvers. Rossi Model 718. This weapon is designed for basic police use, though it has many features that are unusual in such a weapon. The Model 718 has a heavy bull barrel, adjustable rear sights, and hard rubber or wooden target-style grips. The construction is of stainless steel, with a matte finish Rossi Model 720. The Rossi 720 appears to be a near-copy of various 1970s and early to mid-1980s Smith & Wesson snubby revolvers chambered for larger calibers – in this case, the .44 Special. In fact, the steel frame is a near-duplicate of Smith & Wesson’s K-frame, though with an unshrouded shell ejector bar. Most Model 720s were finished in stainless steel. The grips were usually simple wrap-around checkered rubber, although Pachmayr rubber grips were also available. Designed to be easily concealed, the barrel lengths were either 3” or 3.5 inches (with the 3.5”-barrel version being very rare), and the cylinder held only 5 rounds. The Model 720 came standard with fixed sights (square notch in the rear and a ramped blade up front, both atop a solid sighting rib; the rear sight was white-outlined and the front had a bright red insert), though Rossi would install adjustable rear sights upon request, or dovetailed sights which could be exchanged with other types of iron sights. In addition, atop the barrel was a solid aiming rib for quick shots. Operation was either DA/SA or DAO, depending upon the wishes of the buyer. Most used an exposed hammer with a checkered surface, though a version with a shrouded hammer was also built. The Model 720 appears to have been built until at least 2003; however, it is not at the time of this write-up (Apr 2007) sold by Rossi nor does it appear on either, the Rossi, USA, nor the Brazilian Rossi sites. It should be noted that the Model 720 is not strong enough to fire the .44 Magnum round, nor can it even handle .44 Special “hotloads” such as +P type ammunition or certain wildcat ammunition loaded with extra propellant. Rossi Model 763. Introduced in 1989, this weapon is meant to be a sporting and hunting handgun. It has the typical Rossi design of all-stainless steel construction, a continuous ejector shroud, and wrap-around rubber grips with finger grooves. The barrel is long and has a ventilated barrel rib for sighting, as well as an adjustable rear sight. Rossi Model 845. This is a typical .38 Special-firing revolver. As is normal for Rossi, the Model 845 is made entirely of stainless steel, except for the wrap-around rubber grips with finder grooves. It is a typical mid-sized revolver, designed primarily for service use by police. The Model 845 was introduced in 1991. Rossi Model 851. Though designed to be a backup weapon, the Rossi 851 is actually a pretty good-sized revolver, especially in its 4-inch barrel version. The grips are oversized to allow more positive control of the weapon, and the barrel has a ventilated sighting rib. The Model 851 is made from stainless steel with a brushed finish, but another version of the same revolver called the Model 951 is made from standard blued steel. The rear sight is adjustable, and the front sight has a bright orange insert to aid in aiming. (Due to the bright metal finish, blackening of the rear sight notch is recommended by most experts.) The weight of the weapon helps tame what might otherwise be unmanageable recoil. Rossi Model 873 Lady Rossi. As the name might indicate, this snub-nosed revolver is designed for ladies’ self-defense. Unlike most Rossi revolvers, the grips are of wood, though they may be smooth or textured. It is, however, still made of stainless steel. This weapon was introduced in 1995. This weapon is available only in South America and Panama. Rossi Model 971. This is a basic-pattern revolver firing .357 Magnum ammunition. It has a solid sighting rib along the barrel, and is strong enough to fire +P loads. It is made from steel and typically finished blued with walnut grips. The adjustable rear sight is white-outlined and blued instead of the stainless steel finish of the rest of the revolver, and the front sight is a ramp with a bright red insert. Grips are generally of wrap-around checkered rubber, though wooden grips are also available. The trigger pull of the Model 971 is known to be a bit creepy, and the cylinder latch and ejector rod tend to stick. There are several variants: the Model 971 Comp has a shorter barrel, but also has a 2-slot compensator at the muzzle; the Model 971S is made from stainless steel and has black rubber grips (but is identical to the standard version for game purposes); the Model 971VRC (Ventilated Rib Compensated) comes in several barrel lengths, all of which are compensated, a shrouded ejector rod, and black rubber grips. In addition, several options are available for the Model 971, including finishes and cylinders which are fluted or unfluted. Rossi 988 Cyclops. The Rossi Model 988 (known as the Cyclops primarily in the US and Canada, where it is distributed by Interarms), is aimed at the high-end market. It is a slab-sided, heavy revolver built almost entirely of stainless steel, except for the optional rubber grips (Pachmayr grips and conventional wooden grips of various grades and shapes are also available. Introduced in 1997, it is available with a 6 or 8-inch heavy barrel; at the muzzle are four compensator ports on each side of the barrel. Coupled with the weight of the Model 988, felt recoil is quite low. The top of the frame is drilled and tapped for scope rings, which are included when one purchases the Model 988. I’m not sure if the Model 988 is still in production (it is not now, in December of 2006, found on their site), but the rate of production never was high, and possibly still isn’t. Production of the Model 988 in the Twilight 2000 timeline basically stopped when their primary customers in the US were no longer able to import them. Most examples of the Model 988 are found in the Twilight 2000 timeline primarily in South America (mostly in Brazil, Venezuela, and Peru) and southern Central America. These imports continued until 1997, when Rossi founded BrazTech, their own subsidiary representative in North America. In 2000, the production of almost all Rossi revolver designs stopped, and several new models were introduced. Their revolvers had great popularity in the United States, Canada and some countries in Europe. The production line of revolvers and handguns was acquired by Taurus. Rossi currently produces only hunting rifles, shotguns and traditional line of Puma rifles. It also has a line of own airgun, known as Rossi Dione. Since 2010, Rossi no longer produces firearms for sale in the Brazilian market] and dedicates itself exclusively to the importation and distribution of airguns and airsoft, a sport that remains popular in Brazil since its legalization. Rossi guns can still be found in the foreign market, made by Amadeo Rossi (exclusively for export) or by Taurus. In Brazil Rossi distributes the airgun brands Beeman, Hatsan, SAG, Zoraki, Crossman, among others, besides airsofts brands HFC, CQB, Swiss Arms and Crossman. Technological: The model 27/68 is a small frame, snub nose revolver with a 2 inch barrel. The ramped front sight is integral with the barrel and the rear sight is a groove machined into the top strap. It fits 5 rounds of .38 Special Cartridges in the roll that swings out to the left, released by an S&W style catch also on the left side. The firing pin is pinned to the hammer and there is a passive hammer block, released at the end of the trigger stroke. The model 27/68 function via a double action/single action system. The action make use of coil springs and triggers sre not as smooth as a S&W mod 36, but it improves with use. The .38 Special round can be a handful in these light revolvers. The grips on the Rossi model are chequered, lacquered and the grips on the model 68s are neat and well finished Brazilian wood. (Ref. ‘Pistols of the world’ by Hogg and Weeks p198, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amadeo_Rossi https://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/rossi-revolvers/119421-rossi-38-special-model-identification-2.html http://www.pmulcahy.com/revolvers/brazilian_revolvers-rossi.htm https://www.gunpartscorp.com/gun-manufacturer/rossi/revolvers-rossi/31-rossi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlPVUqwpVCk )

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