Rossi R971 Safety Recall Drop Safe

Rossi has issued the following notice:

Rossi is issuing a voluntary safety warning on .38 Special and .357 Magnum revolvers made between the years 2005 and 2017 that may have a condition that could cause, under certain circumstances, the revolver to fire if dropped.

This Safety Warning covers .38 Special and .357 Magnum revolver models R351, R352, R461, R462, R851, R971, and R972 with serial numbers beginning with the letter Y, Z, or A through K.

Rossi is developing inspection and repair solutions. Rossi will make every effort possible to ensure Rossi Revolvers will be inspected, serviced if necessary, and returned to customers in a prompt, timely fashion.

Rossi Safety Warning .38 .357 revolvers Notice Recall

ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN:

Stop using your revolver immediately.

Go to WWW.ROSSISAFETYNOTICE.COM where you can enter your serial number and read our instructions. Or call 855-982-8787 for assistance.

If you no longer have this revolver, please inform current owner of this notice.

We appreciate your business and value you as a customer.

About Rossi:

The Rossi revolution of firearm design and manufacture started with the founding of the company in 1889 by Amadeo Rossi. For the past 120 years, the tradition of innovation grew along with the company and the Rossi family. Today, Rossi brand firearms are  distributed in the U.S. and abroad by Taurus USA. The Rossi brand continues its tradition of dedication and innovation in every firearm. Rossi looks forward to providing its customers with the next generation of great firearms. For more information about Rossi Firearms, visit www.rossiusa.com.

63 COMMENTS

  1. Another nail in the coffin of Taurus owned Rossi…didn’t these Brazilians ever hear of a transfer bar?!? I’ve had 5 perfect Tauruses but no more after they ended a “lifetime” warranty. Plus beware if you send one in. You may not get it back just a crappy gun you don’t want or a lowball “replacement”check.

    • My dad discovered their lifetime warranty means they’ll receive it and do nothing and ship it back twice. They won’t accept it a third time and they won’t give your money back.

  2. Oh a nuther fire if it’s dropped. Heard through the B.S. grapevine Rossi’s are supposed to go up in value, Taurus buy out. ??? I’ve had two Rossi’s sold them both, Okay guns they are, not my cup of tea however

  3. This cannot be right. California has independently tested and approved these handguns to be drop ‘safe’ and, therefore, available for purchase by the good people of this state.

  4. I sent in a Taurus 605 poly 357 never been shot the cylinder was not locking up right I get a letter back from Taurus it’ll be 12 weeks to get it back

    • Do you still have your hand? Just kidding. I have had a Rossi 357 for about 3 years now. I have not shot it much but have had no problems, It functions fine like its supposed to and I never drop my guns. From the comments I have read from other Rossi owners, I think I,ll just keep my gun as is and be content with it.

  5. The link doesn’t work, and neither does Taurus’s lifetime warranty.

    I have a cheap Davis .22mag derringer. Even it has a safety that will block the hammer from contacting the firing pins, should it get dropped. Heritage builds cheap, pot metal frame revolvers, and they have a similar hammer blocking safety. How come a proper, steel frame revolver doesn’t have a similar safety?

  6. “Made in Brazil”

    That might be all the warning you need. Of course, I still married my wife anyway, so what do I know…

    • ““Made in Brazil”

      That might be all the warning you need.”

      Pftttpt. The third-largest aircraft manufacturer on the planet is Brazilian.

      In 2006, an Embraer Legacy 600 business jet hit a 737 at altitude.

      The cheap Brazil-made Legacy 600 survived the mid-air and landed safely.

      The tough-as-nails Boeing 737 lost a third of its wing and broke up in flight, killing everyone aboard.

      So much for made in Brazil is junk :

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fni8it5am-w

      • Wow. that was clearly a very lucky hit that Embraer took. A couple feet here or there and both planes would’ve been lost.

        My (joking) comments still stand regarding Rossi/Taurus. Those companies could probably screw up a wet dream.

        My experiences and observations working with Brazil is that they often need outside/foreign guidance in order to achieve success. I had a young former coworker move there and now he’s an officer in his company. I’m pretty sure the secret to his success down there was 1.) acting like he gave a damn, and 2.) showing up to meetings on time.

      • And….. small to large electric motors made by WEG in Brazil, with their drives, transformers, and other electrical accessories are highly rated in the heavy equipment industry in refineries, chemical plants, etc. Good stuff. While previously US made motors bailed out and went to China, Weg is going to stay in Brazil. No, I don’t work for them. But I have bought them (retired now).

  7. Rossi has a lifetime warranty. You die when the gun blows up in your hand.

    Save the extra money and buy Smith or Ruger.

    • Mine has been a good shooter, particularly after I honed the cylinder’s chambers to make extraction easier.

  8. Seriously that’s a Smith and Wesson revolver not a Rossi get the picture right. Is the journalist so lazy they can’t find the right picture. Please post a picture of a Rossi handgun.

    • When did Smith and Wesson manufacture and ship revolvers with a “Rossi” logo on the grip and on the frame?

      Or, maybe that photo really is a photo of a Rossi revolver.

    • Where do you think most of the design is borrowed from? It’s not like the patents on a majority of their revolver line has been in effect. I mean hell a Hand Ejector came out in what 1905? Before these guys there were the Spanish.

      • Andrew Lias,

        Oh, I know full well that Rossi and/or Taurus make copies of Smith and Wesson revolvers. The comment above was ripping on TTaG about using an incorrect photo, which was NOT the case. That is why I commented.

      • …so the problem isn’t that it’s a bad design, the problem is that they aren’t making them correctly?

    • I,m looking at my Rossi and the picture and my Rossi is identical to the one in the picture. It is a Rossi.

  9. The two most crucial purposes of a firearm are that it does not go bang when the trigger is not pulled and that it does go bang when it is pulled. The latter one being screwed up is bad but if a manufacturer cannot figure out the first one in 2018 then they don’t belong in business. This is a problem that has been solved long ago.

  10. Would love to read the article, if you could tame f*cking ridiculous adverts moving it around on mobile. Thanks.

  11. stopped buying taurus and rossi a few years ago, after bad customer service. i know lemons can get by any gun company but when something simple as a spring can’t be mailed out and have to send a whole gun in is crazy then wait up to and over 6 months to get a simple job fixed.

  12. I have a Rossi .410 single shot that is as tough as nails. Nothing breaks on that thing. That by the way is the only Rossi or Taurus I would ever buy. It is so simple it is almost impossible to mess it up or break it. Makes a great barn gun.

  13. I don’t think I’ll send mine back because I’m afraid I’ll end up with a 13-pound trigger pull when they’re done with it. I cleaned this revolver a few times and once I took the side plate off to clean in there. I do this on my S&W’s with no problem, but on this Rossi it messed up the action and the trigger/hammer were jammed. I took the hammer block out and it worked fine, put it back–no good. My friend had the same problem on his Rossi. I sent it back to Rossi and they charged me $80 for violating the warranty. There’s something strange about their hammer block.

    Can anyone shed some light on this?

  14. I sent my Rossi pistol back on Oct 12, 2018 (this was due to a safety recall). Their response is always 4 more weeks. My last call was on April 3, 2019.

  15. I have a Rossi 38 I bought new in 2015. It is on the recall .I never shoot it as it shoots 5 inches to the left at 20 feet. They told me that they would address that also . I haven’t received any shipping label or any mail from them. Gunsmith said the barrel is not threaded so he can’t adjust the front site. If I could get it to shoot close to poa I would never send it to them . I’ve got a decision to make.Any suggestions ?

  16. I have 3, they all function as they should. Just got my authorization papers to return them today with shipping labels, I filed my requests 10/27/18, 10 months to authorize returns, total BS! After reading many comments on different sights, I think I will hang on to them, rather than having Rossi put them in storage. Their customer service just lost a very good customer. Hope someone up the chain of command reads all these postings, maybe they would change their procedures.

    • They told me my revolver was scratched and had wear. I don’t think so. I keep my firearms in as new condition. I think there covering their ass if they choose to replace with a returned revolver and not a new one. Rossi has discontinued these models…

  17. I first became aware of this problem in Sep.2018. I verified that my revolver was unsafe, and subject to recall. It was not until August 2019 that Rossi responded to my requests for more info. The August contact was with information on sending my revolver to Rossi at my expense. Revolver was sent, and I received notice that my revolver was received and repairs would be swift and I could expect to get my gun back within 12 weeks. (swift??)) It is now 1/1/2020 and no gun. 6 emails and 2 phone calls have resulted in canned responses with no information on when I will get my gun back. 18 weeks is longer than 12. I will never own a Rossi again.

    • I too found out about the recall in September of 2018. I registered my problem on the website and waited to hear something until July / August of 2019. I received a box with a prepaid shipping label and sent my gun back. I heard from them in October. They couldn’t fix my gun and were sending me a Taurus 605. Period. That’s what your getting, like it or lump it. This ticked me off as I had sent back a six shot 357 and was getting a 5 shot with a cheaper MSRP. I wrote a email to the customer service department and got no response. Several days later I contacted them by phone and talked to a rep who was able to get me a 856 which is a 38, but holds 6 rounds. Problem is the 605 had been shipped and delivered to my FFL. I turned it around (which cost me $35.00) and they confirmed (after a phone call) everything was all set, except the 856 was on back order and we are moving to Georgia and no we don’t know when they will be in. My last call was 1-3-20, and they still are on backorder. This revolver was bought as a dresser drawer gun, and I haven’t had use of it in 15 months. Like many others on the web, I certainly will take Taurus / Rossi customer service into consideration before buying from them again.

      • Just a follow up, I finally received a Taurus 856 (a 38, but 6 shot at least) back in March. I asked the dealer before filling out the background check, if he was interested. He offered me $200.00 and I took it. I’ll NEVER own another Rossi / Taurus again.

        • Better than nothing I guess. Haven’t shot mine yet, got the same gun, took forever. Taurus is off my future gun list for sure.

  18. Have been waiting since 11/4/2019 for them to contact with no luck.
    They don’t answer the phone or respond to chat requests.
    I will never buy anything from them again and will strongly recommend to friends and students not to buy from them.
    I’m a firearms instructor and use this gun in class.

  19. I thought I was the only one. Sent my revolver in on August 5 2019. 12 weeks they say. Called in December lady said she sees my order but didn’t have an estimated time on the repair. Called today 3/3/20 and all mailboxes are full, no way to even check the status or talk to a live person. Sent an email (contact us) and got a bogus auto response. Recording says I can check the status online – I cannot as it’s not an option. 7 months with no end in sight. Unbelievable.

    • I have been fighting Rossi since 2018 when the notice came out. I have over a dozen emails, 3 completed phone calls, and many letters. I contacted Montana’ consumer protection division, and they have been working on this for a month. I got a call today and was told they will be sending me a new Taurus revolver sa soon as they get a FFL number to send it to. They got that number today. I wonder if and when I will get my replacement.

      • Well, today a nice guy from Taurus called me to say my gun (Rossi R35202) was defective and they are going to replace it with a Taurus 856 #2856029. They look very similar, I really liked the Rossi, my wife carried it. I have to go to my gun dealer and he has to email his FFL license to Taurus, then two weeks, allegedly.

        After yesterday, I was just glad that the company was still open.

        • I have a letter saying they received mine on 8/29, maybe I’ll hear from them soon. When I last called (2-20) they were still on backorder.

  20. I sent my gun in to Taurus/Rossi regarding their recall in Sept 2019. Never heard. Called in Nov and was told they had determined my gun was defective and they would replace it. Now March 2020. I have called literally over 50 times and no live person ever picks up. I have written them and I have not received even a courtesy response. Another letter goes out today. But I am taking to the internet to see who else is having this issue with Taurus/Rossi pitiful customer service.

  21. Sent them my revolver on August 22, 2019, they received it on August 26, 2019. Got a call about a month later that the gun was not repairable. They said they would give me a Taurus of equal value. Since then nothing. Won’t answer at either Rossi or Taurus customer service numbers, Got a letter from some lawyers in Calif, about a class action suit. I have contacted the MS State Attorney General for help. Heck of a way to run a railroad. Lost all customer trust.

  22. Got my replacement Taurus 856 yesterday. Over 2 months after I sent the dealers FFL license in like they asked March 4th. 9 months total but at least I got a replacement I suppose. In hindsight, I should have kept the Rossi and made sure not to drop it…

  23. I contacted Rossi in 6/19 about recall. Finally told to ship gun to them, which I did in 9/19. Never heard any more til I called them in 11/19 (45 min wait on hold) and was told my never fired gun was ‘unrepairable’ and they would send a replacement Taurus to my FFL dealer, and I would have to pay a $35 fee. Since 11/19, I have heard nothing from them. Their online status check does not work. Pretty much given up on getting any satisfaction from this fly by night outfit. Avoid them at all costs.

  24. I contacted Rossi in 6/19 about recall. Finally told to ship gun to them, which I did in 9/19. Never heard any more til I called them in 11/19 (45 min wait on hold) and was told my never fired gun was ‘unrepairable’ and they would send a replacement Taurus to my FFL dealer, and I would have to pay a $35 fee. Since 11/19, I have heard nothing from them. Their online status check does not work. Pretty much given up on getting any satisfaction from this fly by night outfit. Avoid them at all costs.

  25. I hesitated to answer the recall notice for my .357, but a gunsmith I trust said I should. Finally mailed it back in mid-April. End of June had heard nothing back do Zi began calling. Took many calls over next three days to finally get an answer, I was told they had tried unsuccessfully to contact me – patently impossible and therefore untrue. I was told I would receive a replacement, at an unknown future date. 3 months later, they still say they’ll let me know when my replacement will arrive.

  26. It’s now September 2020 and due to issues with our Rossi 38 that is under the recall we reluctantly sent it to them this week. Sent it Fedx as no box came after filing the application. We will now see if there is any improvement in their service as they are spooling down on the recall /legation.

  27. DO NOT SEND IN YOUR GUN FOR “WARRANTY RECALL”! I sent in my gun in September 2019 and received a letter that they received my .38 on September 9, 2019. This gun was not fired 50 times, so basically new. I have called in excess of two dozen times requesting they return it as their letter said it could take 12 weeks from the date of receipt. Every time I call I request a supervisor and am told someone would call within 48 business hours. The last time I heard this was August 27, 2020. I even gave them a verbal authorization to return my gun even if it wasn’t fixed. It is part of a set which they know. We contacted the Illinois Attorney Generals office and was advised by them as well as “Kevin” at Rossi on July 17th that I would have my gun back in 30-60 days. Still haven’t received it back. I was contacted on August 27th and was told to choose another gun because they “refuse to send my original gun back”. They offered me another gun and when I asked “how long would that take” I was advised they had no idea….SO BASICALLY THEY STOLE MY GUN AND APPARENTLY HAVE NO INTENTION OF MAKING GOOD ON RETURNING OR REPLACING IT!!!!!! In closing, beware, I’m not the only one this has happened to…..P.S. while typing this I have been on hold with Rossi in excess of an hour.

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