Rossi Rifleman

My wife just inherited a rossi 88 from her mother. There was an old box of ammo with 5 rounds gone. It sat in a soft case in a drawer for years and is new except for the 5 rounds she put through it when she bought it new. When I open the cylinder and then close it the cylinder will not rotate counterclockwise which is normal but I can turn it clockwise. However when I cock the hammer back the cylinder will lock in both directions. I think the cylinder should lock in both directions whether the hammer is cocked or not. Please advise with any info as I have never owned a rossi but would like to keep this one it is like new. Thanks

regardless it is a used revolver. I would first strip her down as far as your are comfortable. then look at the indexing paw annd tghe cylinder lock ( I think I have the names correct.) they both should have defined shharp edges not rounded off at the edges or point. If they are worn froom somone spinning the cylinder then they may need replaced. Though I am not fimiliar with this 88 wheel gun. This may be normal but either way I would still check it out. just to be safe. I will watch this thread to see if I can learn somthing new. keep us posted

Yep, if it's the cylinder stop or something like that, you can get one at gunbroker dot com for like 5-6 bucks.

But AK is right. Strip 'er down and make sure it's not just gummed up first.

I'm sure if you look around a little online you can find a parts diagram for it some where. Maybe even a downloadable owners manual and instructions for stripping it down. I'd do that too if I were going to keep and shoot it.

And I'm not positive about it because it's been a LONG time since I played with one, but I don't believe the cylinder is suppose to rotate in any direction once it's closed except in the half cock position. I'd say the little transfer widget...can't think of what it's called off hand...that causes the cylinder stop to lock in place when the cylinder is closed is just stuck from someone using grease on it or something. A good cleaning might fix it right up.

You will love the gun though. I've shot one and they shoot great.

Good morning Texasfish and welcome to the forum. You are correct, the revolver is not operating as it should. The one thing any Rossi or Taurus needs is the packing grease flushed and all the parts oiled. If your Mom was the original owner of the handgun, you might be able to figure out if this was done. Take a look at the grip and side plate screws to see if they look original or if they have the tell tale signs of a screwdriver being applied to them. I kind of bet that this haven't been done if the revolver was a nightstand weapon.

I think I would open it up, flush it with Gun Scrubber, and then oil it to see if that changes it's attitude any. Here is a good topic on the TaurusArmed forum: Taurus Revolver Disassembly - Pictorial Guide.