- This Safety Warning covers.38 Special and.357 Magnum revolver models R351, R352, 461, R462, R851, R971, and R972 with serial numbers beginning with the letter Y, Z, or A through K. The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida has granted final approval of a class action settlement in the case styled Burrow v.
- Rossi instruments feature hand-carved thumb rests, split register vent/throat Bb key, and all the other standard features of Rossi clarinets. At that time he was using a sleeve insert in the barrel, which fits into an indentation in the top of the body to eliminate the gap caused by pulling out the barrel for tuning.
- Feb 12, 2011 Rossi OLD Rossi Serial Number Discussion in 'Rossi' started by drzagar, Dec 29, 2010. Dec 29, 2010 #1. Drzagar G&G Newbie. HI folks: Newbie here. I am looking at a Rossi.38 special, black metal finish with walnut or rosewood grips. In unfired condition.
- The left side of the barrel has the 'AMADEO ROSSI S.A.' , the right side of the barrel has '.38 SPECIAL'. On the frame on the right side under the cylinder is the INTERARMS stamp, then the serial number AA132502. On the frame behind the cylinder yoke, it looks like 'M685' (Rossi didn't make a Model 685), so I'm thinking it's M68S.
If you can’t find the database, contact a law enforcement representative and ask if an online gun serial number search can be performed in your state. Step 4 Contact your local police department or sheriff’s office to run a gun serial number search if you are looking to purchase a pre-owned gun from a dealer.
The Rossi Princess Revolver
by Ed Buffaloe
There is virtually nothing in print about the Rossi Princess revolver. It does not appear in the Bluebook of Gun Values or the Standard Catalog of Firearms. I could find no mention of older Rossi firearms, such as the Princess, on the company’s U .S. or Brazilian websites. I find the gun first listed in Gun Digest in 1966, where it is described as the Rossi Ladysmith, imported by Benet Arms. Most examples I have seen are stamped FIREARMS INT’L CORP., WASHINGTON, D.C. Rossi firearms were later imported by Interarms, but I don’t believe they ever imported the Princess.
Externally the Princess is a copy of the third model Smith & Wesson Ladysmith, but the lockwork is quite different. It has coil springs instead of flat springs and features an Iver Johnson-style transfer bar and a rebounding firing pin. Pete Dickey’s article in the September 1982 issue of American Rifleman states that the Princess’s frame is die cast from “Zamak,” a zinc-based alloy which incorporates aluminum, magnesium, and copper. Zamak is often denigrated as potmetal. However, it has been pointed out to me by an engineer friend that Zamak is a family of alloys and that the strongest one, Zamak 2, is substantially stronger than commonly-used high strength aluminum alloys. The barrel has a steel liner and the cylinder is made of steel.
The Princess was manufactured from 1957 through approximately 1985, but was only imported into the United States from 1965 through 1969--another victim of the Gun Control Act of 1968. From the serial numbers I have seen, it looks as though close to a million were made.* The Princess was available with a 2- or 3-inch barrel, in nickel finish only. The 2-inch barrel version was designated by Rossi as the Model 25, and the 3-inch barrel version was the Model 13. The model designations are rarely used in the United States.
When the gun first hit the U.S. market it seems to have been called a Ladysmith by default, but another trade name was needed for it and some marketing genius decided on “Princess.” A less-macho appellation could not have been had, but I suppose some similar name was inevitable given the gun’s diminutive size and resemblance to the Ladysmith.
The serial number is on the base of the grip. The earliest serial number I have located thus far is 12551. It is marked on the left side of the barrel:
S. LEOPOLDO R.G.S.
The right side of the barrel is marked:
AMADEO ROSSI & CIA
On the right side of the frame is the early logo, a monogram of the company’s initials, “ARC,” in a circle, with MADE IN BRAZIL above and IND. BRAS. and MARC. REG. surrounding the monogram at top and bottom. There are no import markings. Later guns have the barrel inscriptions reversed.
My gun is marked on the left side of the barrel
Rossi Firearms Serial Number Lookup
AMADEO ROSSI & CIA
SÃO LEOPOLDO R.B.
The right side of the barrel is marked .22 L.R. The right side of the frame is stamped MADE IN BRAZIL and features the Rossi logo trademark, the word “Rossi” in a circle, with IND. BRAS. and MARC. REG. surrounding the circle at top and bottom. Beneath the cylinder on the right side is the importer’s name and address: FIREARMS INT’L CORP., WASHINGTON, D.C. The grips are cheap checkered plastic with the Rossi name in a circle at the top.
I have noted later guns with the one line AMADEO ROSSI & CIA inscription given above on the left side of the barrel and the right side marked S. LEOPOLDO R.G.S. .22 L.R.
