Is This Revolver Safe to Shoot? - The Firearms Forum

dglockster · 05-24-2009, 08:18 AM

Below are two pictures of a ROHM .22LR six-shot revolver that I own but have never fired. I am presuming that it is a model RG23 from the information on the grip.

I have heard that some ROHM .22 revolvers may not be safe to shoot. Does anyone know if this particular revolver is one that should not be fired?

Thanks.

Mosin_Nagant_Fan · 05-24-2009, 08:34 AM

People say that the RG series frames where made of Zinc or a Zinc alloy, the barrel, cylinder and hammer where probably a low quality/grade steel. Don't expect to fix any problems because it's not worth fixing and there are no parts available.

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/....php?p=2020519

Pistolenschutze · 05-24-2009, 10:15 AM

Rohm revolvers were of German manufacture in the 1960s and '70s and were built in a wide variety of styles and calibers, though the company--perhaps unsurprisingly--is now out of business. Generally, they are considered very "low end" firearms and were made of cheaper materials. Although inexpensive, they are indeed of German manufacture and thus reasonably well made, so assuming the revolver is in proper mechanical shape (have it checked by a gunsmith!), it is probably safe enough to shoot. Rohm products hold little collector interest and have more appeal to plinkers. The value is quite low, perhaps $125, if that. Personally, I would relegate the revolver to use as a paperweight, just to be on the safe side.

dglockster · 05-24-2009, 11:27 AM

Thanks for the input. Your replies are inline with what I had heard in general but never about a specific series.

A paperweight it shall become.

b.goforth · 05-24-2009, 12:57 PM

what makes some RG's unsafe today is the softness of the internal mechanism. the frames were zinc but barrel liners and cylinders were steel. when new these revolvers were entirely safe and usable. however if fired a lot the internal mechanism would wear very fast causing the revolver to get out of time which is what makes them unsafe. the number of round fired before they became unsafe was a variable factor and each revolver was different but after about 1000 rounds just about all RG's became unsafe because of cylinder barrel alignment (out of time). RG's were made (or assembled in the U.S. until the late 1980's and there are a lot of them still around. the model 23 was the top of the line as far as the small RG revolvers go and usually sold for $49.95 in the late 1980's another very popular RG revolver was the Model 14S. a little smaller than the 23 with a different swingout cylinder, it sold for about $39.95.

like yours a lot of these revolvers were purchased (usually for personal defense) and never fired. so alot of them are still in decent condition. if your revolver locks up tight and barrel/cylinder is correct it would be safe with long rifle hi-velicity ammo BUT NOT ANY OF THE HYPER VELOCITY STUFF.

the forgoing is different than the popular view of RG's but in the 1980's when i was working in gunshops we sold a lot of them and never had one returned because it was unsafe to shoot or had blownup in a shooters hand. i have never seen even a early RG Model 10, which was chambered for the 22 short only, that was blownup or have a cracked frame. people bought the RG because in most cases that all they could afford and any gun is better than no gun.
bill

conradj · 06-15-2009, 10:00 PM

would this info be the same for a burgo revolver? i have a burgo mod 104 6 shot .22lr with load gate , and someone told me its another brand name for rg.

do you have any info? it was made in 1963 in west germany and looks similar to the rg24

Quote:

Originally Posted by b.goforth

what makes some RG's unsafe today is the softness of the internal mechanism. the frames were zinc but barrel liners and cylinders were steel. when new these revolvers were entirely safe and usable. however if fired a lot the internal mechanism would wear very fast causing the revolver to get out of time which is what makes them unsafe. the number of round fired before they became unsafe was a variable factor and each revolver was different but after about 1000 rounds just about all RG's became unsafe because of cylinder barrel alignment (out of time). RG's were made (or assembled in the U.S. until the late 1980's and there are a lot of them still around. the model 23 was the top of the line as far as the small RG revolvers go and usually sold for $49.95 in the late 1980's another very popular RG revolver was the Model 14S. a little smaller than the 23 with a different swingout cylinder, it sold for about $39.95.

like yours a lot of these revolvers were purchased (usually for personal defense) and never fired. so alot of them are still in decent condition. if your revolver locks up tight and barrel/cylinder is correct it would be safe with long rifle hi-velicity ammo BUT NOT ANY OF THE HYPER VELOCITY STUFF.

the forgoing is different than the popular view of RG's but in the 1980's when i was working in gunshops we sold a lot of them and never had one returned because it was unsafe to shoot or had blownup in a shooters hand. i have never seen even a early RG Model 10, which was chambered for the 22 short only, that was blownup or have a cracked frame. people bought the RG because in most cases that all they could afford and any gun is better than no gun.
bill

RJay · 06-15-2009, 11:55 PM

The Burgo gets it's name from the Distributor, Karl Burgsmuller. the Burgo is Rohm, but there was two models of the Burgo, the RG-10 and the RG 12. The RG-10 is the gun that ruined Rohm's reputation and where all the horror stories started. Someone convinced Rohm to take their , I believe RG-3, blank firing starter revolver and convert it to 22 short. Later when they tried to build a much better gun it was to no avail, the harm was already done and the name Rohm became synonymous with the word "BAD" . I believe yours is The RG-12, a little better grade. If it has a loading gate and is chambered in .22LR then it is a RG-12 and every thing Mr. Goforth posted is valid for your revolver.

45Auto · 06-17-2009, 05:35 PM

I keep several examples of cheapo revolvers on hand for one of my friends who is an expert witness in firearms cases.

As for the early German Rohm: The front sight tends to fall off of the .22 short-only model. This gives one a bad impression of the entire revolver. The internal mechanism is otherwise interesting if overly complex. Steel cylinder and barrel insert, not unsafe.

I fired a German d.a. Rohm in .22LR with a side loading gate. At 25 yards it was a reasonably good plinker. No S&W, but still an unexpected pleasure from such a cheap looking revolver.

05-24-2009, 08:18 AM	#1
dglockster Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: DFW, Texas Posts: 38	Is This Revolver Safe to Shoot? Below are two pictures of a ROHM .22LR six-shot revolver that I own but have never fired. I am presuming that it is a model RG23 from the information on the grip. I have heard that some ROHM .22 revolvers may not be safe to shoot. Does anyone know if this particular revolver is one that should not be fired? Thanks. __________________ No Guns, No Peace. Know Guns, Know Peace. -->

05-24-2009, 08:34 AM	#2
Mosin_Nagant_Fan Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Montgomery, AL Posts: 1,832	Re: Is This Revolver Safe to Shoot? People say that the RG series frames where made of Zinc or a Zinc alloy, the barrel, cylinder and hammer where probably a low quality/grade steel. Don't expect to fix any problems because it's not worth fixing and there are no parts available. http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/....php?p=2020519 __________________ Long Gun Collection: M38 Mosin-Nagant Carbine Russian 1950 SKS Winchester 1300 20Ga Western Field Single-Shot 16Ga Sears Ranger .22S-L-LR Bolt-Action Rifle Marlin 795 Semi-Auto (Brother's) Handgun Collection: Springfield Armory XD9 Service

05-24-2009, 10:15 AM	#3
Pistolenschutze Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 13,094	Re: Is This Revolver Safe to Shoot? Rohm revolvers were of German manufacture in the 1960s and '70s and were built in a wide variety of styles and calibers, though the company--perhaps unsurprisingly--is now out of business. Generally, they are considered very "low end" firearms and were made of cheaper materials. Although inexpensive, they are indeed of German manufacture and thus reasonably well made, so assuming the revolver is in proper mechanical shape (have it checked by a gunsmith!), it is probably safe enough to shoot. Rohm products hold little collector interest and have more appeal to plinkers. The value is quite low, perhaps $125, if that. Personally, I would relegate the revolver to use as a paperweight, just to be on the safe side. __________________ --Pistolenschutze (Pistol Shooter)

05-24-2009, 11:27 AM	#4
dglockster Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: DFW, Texas Posts: 38	Re: Is This Revolver Safe to Shoot? Thanks for the input. Your replies are inline with what I had heard in general but never about a specific series. A paperweight it shall become. __________________ No Guns, No Peace. Know Guns, Know Peace.

05-24-2009, 12:57 PM	#5
b.goforth Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: houston, tx Posts: 3,174	Re: Is This Revolver Safe to Shoot? what makes some RG's unsafe today is the softness of the internal mechanism. the frames were zinc but barrel liners and cylinders were steel. when new these revolvers were entirely safe and usable. however if fired a lot the internal mechanism would wear very fast causing the revolver to get out of time which is what makes them unsafe. the number of round fired before they became unsafe was a variable factor and each revolver was different but after about 1000 rounds just about all RG's became unsafe because of cylinder barrel alignment (out of time). RG's were made (or assembled in the U.S. until the late 1980's and there are a lot of them still around. the model 23 was the top of the line as far as the small RG revolvers go and usually sold for $49.95 in the late 1980's another very popular RG revolver was the Model 14S. a little smaller than the 23 with a different swingout cylinder, it sold for about $39.95. like yours a lot of these revolvers were purchased (usually for personal defense) and never fired. so alot of them are still in decent condition. if your revolver locks up tight and barrel/cylinder is correct it would be safe with long rifle hi-velicity ammo BUT NOT ANY OF THE HYPER VELOCITY STUFF. the forgoing is different than the popular view of RG's but in the 1980's when i was working in gunshops we sold a lot of them and never had one returned because it was unsafe to shoot or had blownup in a shooters hand. i have never seen even a early RG Model 10, which was chambered for the 22 short only, that was blownup or have a cracked frame. people bought the RG because in most cases that all they could afford and any gun is better than no gun. bill __________________ Author: Iver Johnson's Arms & Cycle Works 1871-1993 H&R Arms Company 1871-1986 (due spring 2010) available from www.gunshowbooks.com website; iverjohnsoncollector.x10hosting.com

06-15-2009, 11:55 PM	#7
RJay Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Arizona Posts: 3,487	Re: Is This Revolver Safe to Shoot? The Burgo gets it's name from the Distributor, Karl Burgsmuller. the Burgo is Rohm, but there was two models of the Burgo, the RG-10 and the RG 12. The RG-10 is the gun that ruined Rohm's reputation and where all the horror stories started. Someone convinced Rohm to take their , I believe RG-3, blank firing starter revolver and convert it to 22 short. Later when they tried to build a much better gun it was to no avail, the harm was already done and the name Rohm became synonymous with the word "BAD" . I believe yours is The RG-12, a little better grade. If it has a loading gate and is chambered in .22LR then it is a RG-12 and every thing Mr. Goforth posted is valid for your revolver. __________________ RonJames Last edited by RJay; 06-16-2009 at 12:08 AM..

06-17-2009, 05:35 PM	#8
45Auto Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 1,121	Re: Is This Revolver Safe to Shoot? I keep several examples of cheapo revolvers on hand for one of my friends who is an expert witness in firearms cases. As for the early German Rohm: The front sight tends to fall off of the .22 short-only model. This gives one a bad impression of the entire revolver. The internal mechanism is otherwise interesting if overly complex. Steel cylinder and barrel insert, not unsafe. I fired a German d.a. Rohm in .22LR with a side loading gate. At 25 yards it was a reasonably good plinker. No S&W, but still an unexpected pleasure from such a cheap looking revolver.