Hey, Robby.
Now to get to the inquiry.
Here's some stuff on the 351 and related items.
http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=247.0
http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/in...p?topic=1187.0
http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/in...p?topic=5405.0
http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/in...p?topic=6644.0
http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/in...p?topic=2671.0
http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/in...p?topic=5351.0
Rossi 351 (in blue) and the 351 get little notice for a number of reasons. Nothing wrong with them. JUst don't get noticed.
Taurus,S&W,and Charter put a lot of advertising out there and numerous models to boot. Flavor of the month or two it seems.
Taurus owns Rossi.
Rossi on the other hand has only the two types snub revolvers that haven't change much over the years. Granted models did change, but the basics were and are still there. Rossi can be overlooked easily with all that competition.
Rossi's lockwork could be seen as 'old world technology'. There's some truth to that, but not totally.
There are no modern transfer bars inside the Rossi.
What Rossi has is a block that inserts itself until the trigger is pulled and the hammer is back fully.
There is a difference mechanically, but the protection against negligent discharges are there for either brand, Rossi or Taurus.
Rossi has the hammer mounted firing pin instead of the inside the frame like the Taurus. In theory it's possible for the firing pin to break or be roughed up.
In actuality with the new metalurgy and improvements Rossi has made to it's models that hasn't been a problem. On the internet or in the real world.
Haven't ever seen a single case where it was. Could be there were ancient happenings or a few, but know of people who actually have Rossi revovlers and many years this didn't happen.
Leave it to the trolls and bashers to use that as a basis for later 'claims' that can't be verified.
Having had a Ruger SP101 and know having the Rossi in 462 I can say that the trigger pull on the Rossi (Yes, I know it's not a 351) is similar or slightly better than the Ruger's.
As a matter of fact the smoothness was enjoyable.
Some of the S&W snubbies have hard atrocious trigger pulls. The tactical journals and police journals have a list of those, but won't get into which models.
Rossi model 851 ( Six shot,4 in. barreled .38 Speical) was tested by Wiley Clapp a few years back and commented on the smooth and easy trigger on his example. Accuracy kept up with the 'higher priced spread" revolvers. He had the tables to prove it.
Chuck Karwan and Mas Ayoob, have, and do, authored "Gun Digest Book's Combat Handgunnery", for the last few decades.
These are two highly repected and able authors/ writers and gun instructors who've been there and done ALL that. They have and do recommend Rossi and Taurus as picks for those on a budget who need quality protection and service from their firearms. That's a pretty good endorsement.
The 351 is in blue and the 352 is in stainless steel. Neither is 'sexy' or totally new technology. These are not obsolete. What they do is get the job done. Similar to offensive tackles and the center in football. Not glamorous. Either will serve you well.