Rohm RG 38 Saturday Night (38) Special. What to look for?

[Alexx1401]

I paint some winch parts at work that are zinc castings and survive in Military use environments. The two pieces to the left and right of the steel wire spool are zinc castings and the end housing on the far left is also a zinc casting. i think you are right about who does the casting. I am not worried about my hi point slide breaking down anytime soon.

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Zamak first hit in the 20's or maybe 30"s? So it has been around and in use for very long time and has proven it works. One thing that never changes is QC does matter. Things can be made from Steel and be crap if not done well. Springs come to mind here. How often do you read people telling others springs will "wear out" from being kept compressed. When you tell them that if they do "take a set" they were just not made correctly. Many refused to believe it.
I have some mags that for some reason do not know they are supposed to have died long ago. One a German made .25 that originally belonged to my Grandfather. That mag has been loaded for almost as many years as I have been alive. Ever few years I take it out to shoot a few times and for some reason the mag still works even though many have told me it can't. Have some 1911 mags that have been loaded for many decades. They also don't know they are not supposed to work. Bottom line its mostly about quality control. RG was famous for making crap and I would guess it had more to do with the lack of QC than what they were using to make the guns. Those HP carbines have a lot of plastic in them that I would guess is some kind of polymer. They too have been going for a hell of a long time and I don't see people having one suddenly break. So I have to guess that stuff too can be made to last if done correctly.

 

[old greg]

I have an rg14s I inherited, and pappy i love you, but this pistol is bubblegum. The cylinder has about 40 thou of slop when its locked and its thats just from the "power" of 22lr. And to put the "pot metal" into better perspective, its made the same as a hotwheels car. For a free 22lr revolver with all the sentiment of my pappy, I appreciate it. If i had to pay for it? Couple whacks with a hammer and bin that old pos. Hi point is a quality firearm compared to rohm. Yeah..that bad.

 

[oremike]

The one Rhom(or was it a RG?) I had cracked the top strap and it was a cowboy gun in .22 LR. Not one I would rate as Mikey tough.

 

[Mikej]

Are there any special things to look for in a Rohm revolver versus all steel revolvers?

Somewhere to dump it? I suggest an anvil and sledge hammer. And into the "Blue Bin"

 

[edzz]

Not all Zamak is created equally.
Zink Pest - More than you want to know about Zamak and a bit of a primer on "pot metals".

 

[2ndtimer]

Are there any special things to look for in a Rohm revolver versus all steel revolvers?

A gun buy back program.

 

[arakboss]

I got a closer look at the Rohm revolver today. The barrel appears to be cast with a steel liner. I am going to pass on it, unless they let it go for a hundo.

 

[Alexx1401]

I got a closer look at the Rohm revolver today. The barrel appears to be cast with a steel liner. I am going to pass on it, unless they let it go for a hundo.

Even at that remember whatever you pay for it is gone if the first time you go to fire it something breaks. Considering what the HP's run that come with full backing? Hardly seems worth the risk. If you do pull the trigger on the RG will be interesting to see how it shoots though. Damn thing has to have been laying around somewhere for a good while.

 

[Tomato seed]

Are there any special things to look for in a Rohm revolver versus all steel revolvers?

price. and at the price they are asking pick it up. I almost did myself.

 

[Mikej]

I got a closer look at the Rohm revolver today. The barrel appears to be cast with a steel liner. I am going to pass on it, unless they let it go for a hundo.

You got an urge to have a Rohm? I happen to have a little Rohm .25acp semi-auto. That I have not yet been able to bring myself to take the sledge to it. You can have it! IF, you take the box of .25 acp ammo that came with it.

 

[arakboss]

You got an urge to have a Rohm? I happen to have a little Rohm .25acp semi-auto. That I have not yet been able to bring myself to take the sledge to it. You can have it! IF, you take the box of .25 acp ammo that came with it.

Thank you, that's a very generous offer but I am going to let somebody else who is in greater need have a chance at it. I was looking at the Rohm RG 38 revolver because it wouldn't have cost me any extra fees to add it to transfers I have been doing at Tigard Pawn.

 

[bbbass]

I had an RG38 that I picked up at a yard sale for $20. What a piece of junk!!! Later on, it got all crusted with white corrosion. Don't remember what I did with it but not a boating accident.

 

[dangerranger60]

The RG's were the only guns I have ever seen that new right from the box were not guaranteed to work. if you took it right to the range and it did not work, they would not fix or replace it.
If I wanted one for a collection to show what a Saturday night Special was, I would not pay over $50 for one still in its box. You are buying something just to display.
I have seen quite a few that came apart. The barrel and front of the frame went down range with the bullet! When they were common, every range had a blown up one either behind the counter or displayed on a wall. DR

 

[Longwalkhome]

The RG's were the only guns I have ever seen that new right from the box were not guaranteed to work. if you took it right to the range and it did not work, they would not fix or replace it.
If I wanted one for a collection to show what a Saturday night Special was, I would not pay over $50 for one still in its box. You are buying something just to display.
I have seen quite a few that came apart. The barrel and front of the frame went down range with the bullet! When they were common, every range had a blown up one either behind the counter or displayed on a wall. DR

Kinda odd for German manufacturing huh?

 

[Mikej]

I had an RG38 that I picked up at a yard sale for $20. What a piece of junk!!! Later on, it got all crusted with white corrosion. Don't remember what I did with it but not a boating accident.

YUP! That's what this little .25 looks like. Not corrosion, but paint missing and a whitish discoloration where the paint was. A real wiener of a handgun!

 

[Knobgoblin]

 

[Knobgoblin]

That's was a pretty convoluted visual joke. I'm glad you got it.

 

[Longwalkhome]

That's was a pretty convoluted visual joke. I'm glad you got it.

I got it. It does make me wonder why when the Germans can make some of the greatest guns ever that they would ship junk here to America? Obviously at $10 the company that sold them made no money. They didn't work well as a firearm but sure worked great at building up the Saturday night special drum beat in politics.

 

[Knobgoblin]

Same reason I hope we left tons of playstation games and porn in Afghanistan. A little generational payback from a former enemy.

 

[Longwalkhome]

For a few million dollars invested in rotten guns it was great political value toward gun controls.

The 68 gun control act was partially made to stop cheap guns from overseas. Just a first step.