SxS knowledgeable GK and others

[3leggedturtle]

What kind of, material and build quality would a Rossi 20 gauge double from the 70's have? Is it a good daily shooter or just for casual use. Todd/3leg

[gamekeeper]

I have no experience of the Rossi double barrel shotguns but always liked how they looked. They were inexpensive back in the 70s so I wouldn't expect à quality gun but they were made for tough use so should be OK at least for light use but not thousands of rounds clay busting.
Loose hammers if it is the hammer gun and not the hammerless Squire model are something I look for they can be an indicator of soft steel in the lock work. As you know the top lever should be over to the right of center and if you hold the gun up to a strong light there should be no light between the barrels and the standing breech. Any pitting or dents in the barrels need to be carefully looked at as with loose ribs.
I don't know if Rossi share any design features with the Stoeger coach gun but Perry Owens brought one back to England and it would not pass UK proof, the proof house said it was something to do with the design, the proof house are not always correct however.
If you pass on the Rossi send it over here if it's got hammers I'll give it a home... I had a 28g single barrel Rossi apart from it looking odd it was a well made gun.

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[gamekeeper]

The Rossi Squire hammerless shotguns are extremely rare in the UK so I know little about them other than they were inexpensive when new.

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[3leggedturtle]

Dat bee da 1! But the one at show had gorgeous wood and nicely cut checkering. I just want a beater, and now I havent seen one since February 2021 It's not kill, it's the thrill of the chase. Well according to Deep Purple

[GunnyMack]

I would also take the barrels off and 'hang' them off my fingertip and give them a tap. Ringing is good, a dull thud means loose ribs.

Had a guy in school that picked up a Winchester 37 single barrel 12. He proceeded to run the chamber out / removing the forcing cone.dropped in a 3" Duck & Dinosaur shell and test fired it, then a 3&¹/² load , the plastic forend iron exploded! A replacement installed and none the worse for wear. That gun had everything you could do to it done, ported the barrel, re-blued, wood & recoil pad. Wasnt a bad little scatter gun.

[gamekeeper]

3.5" shell in a single barrel 12 gauge...... not something I would do too often..….

[AmBraCol]

What kind of, material and build quality would a Rossi 20 gauge double from the 70's have? Is it a good daily shooter or just for casual use. Todd/3leg

I picked one up a few years ago for relatively cheap - had peened over firing pins. Ordered new ones from Jack First and installed them, went through and tightened up/loctited a few screws and it's been working great since. BUT it's only an occasional use as I only get to use it while up north. Still, it was a good way to get into an exposed hammer side by side. Oh, mine's a 12 bore. A 20 would be sweet!

[Griff]

I bought one new for my wife in the mid '80s, cut the bbls down to 20" and shortened the LOP to 11-½" to match her 5'2" stature... She shot in cowboy action from ~1987 to 1995 at least twice monthly. After she passed, I sold it to a feller for his grandkid's use. It never visited a gun doctor

[piller]

Sort of similar. I bought a used 20 gauge SxS made in Boito Brazil back in 1981. Well, my 18 year old brother signed for it as I was 16. After a few thousand shells through it, it still doesn't close if a sheet of typing paper is placed in the action. Tight as a Swiss banker's wallet.

[gamekeeper]

Sort of similar. I bought a used 20 gauge SxS made in Boito Brazil back in 1981. Well, my 18 year old brother signed for it as I was 16. After a few thousand shells through it, it still doesn't close if a sheet of typing paper is placed in the action. Tight as a Swiss banker's wallet.

That's good to know...

[AmBraCol]

Sort of similar. I bought a used 20 gauge SxS made in Boito Brazil back in 1981. Well, my 18 year old brother signed for it as I was 16. After a few thousand shells through it, it still doesn't close if a sheet of typing paper is placed in the action. Tight as a Swiss banker's wallet.

I learned to load full length brass shells in a Boito 32 gauge single shot. Years later I was planning to buy an overunder by the same company, but one of our sons had a serious medical issue crop up and there went the funds for that. A while back I picked up a Boito 410 as a reminder of that old 32. They aren't fancy, but in my experience they are tough and decent work horses.

[CowboyTutt]

I like these! $1100 MSRP but could probably find for less if you waited and looked around. -Tutt

https://cz-usa.com/product/cz-hammer-classic/

The Rossi version also has a cameo in this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvLluu8HtEc&t=143s

[buckeyeshooter]

What kind of, material and build quality would a Rossi 20 gauge double from the 70's have? Is it a good daily shooter or just for casual use. Todd/3leg

Having seen a handful used HARD!! in cowboy action shooting, I would say you could use it as an everyday shooter. I would like a hammered one as they are not easy to find. You might have to get some work done after 10,000 rounds but cowboy action gunsmiths can fix it up no problem. For field use, I don't think you would ever wear it out.