.32 Revolvers Chapter 5: Rossi M293

Written on December 19, 2013   By Tony   in Revolvers

The Rossi M293 is a bit of a mystery. I have only become aware of a total of 3 of them in the world. I’m certain there are more, but the owners have kept very quiet about them.

I got mine several years ago from a dealer with a table at a gunshow. He had purchased an estate, and the Rossi was one of the estate guns. It’s Roughly the size of a K-frame S&W, and holds 6 rounds of .32 S&W long. From the research I’ve done, it appears to date from about 1981 or 1982, and was imported to Canada before coming to the states. There is speculation that it was intended for Olympic style centerfire competition, but that is very hard to believe, as it’s far from the standard fare for such competition. It was almost certainly made for some type of competitive shooting though, based on the design.

The full vent rib and underlug are reminiscent of many revolvers from the era. One of the unique things about the underlug however is the grooves along the side that allow the under barrel weights to slide front to back. There are set screws on the weights to lock them in place once the desired balance is achieved. The sights are excellent, and the stocks are very nice, if a little small. The trigger is excellent, and seems to be factory set. The firing pin is attached to the hammer, and the guns finish is very well executed.

The Rossi M293 is one of the most accurate revolvers I have ever had the pleasure of firing. While it was a fluke, I once managed to fire a 5 shot group of a little less than 2 inches at 100 yards using the gun. While that group was a fluke (I can’t shoot that well with an open sighted revolver) It is consistently exceptionally accurate with most loads. It loves wadcutters, and will also shoot heavy bullets pretty well too. I’ve shot a fair number of 130 grain bullets designed for the .30 carbine through the revolver, and had excellent results at 50 and 100 yards.

If you manage to find a Rossi M293 at a reasonable price, I suggest you buy it. If for some reason you decide afterward that you don’t like it, please contact me, and I’ll be happy to buy it from you!