I’m a sucker for the weird and the affordable; the Rossi Brawler is both. Well, the Rossi Brawlers are both weird and affordable. The Brawler family consists of three guns. They are pistol variants of Rossi’s popular single-shot rifles. They shrink the design, add a pistol grip, and bam, now we have a single-shot pistol in a few different calibers.
As a fan of the weird, I have gotten my hands on all three Brawler pistols and purchased three of them. At their price point, it’s not exactly much of an investment. With a little experience with each under my belt, I’ve decided to break down each one, what they are best for, and which I prefer.
Ultimately, they all take the same form. Single-shot, breech-loading guns. They feature identical grips, safeties, and hammers, and are all single-action-only guns. Each has a 9-inch barrel and an optics rail. There are some subtle differences between the .45/.410 version and the rifle-caliber models, but they are all pretty similar.
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The Original Brawler – .45 LC and .410
The original Brawler chambered the mighty .45 Colt and .410 shotshell. Much like the Judge, the gun features light rifling to minimize shot disruption. The .45/.410 Brawler features a slab-sided barrel and comes with iron sights. The rear sight is integrated into the optic’s rail, and the front sight is attached to the barrel. That’s the big difference, besides caliber, of the original Brawler.
This is a fun gun. It’s mostly fine. A lot of standard buck and birdshot won’t work well with these rifles. Your patterns will be wide and inconsistent. Using shot with a shot cup, like Federal Premium Handgun, works fantastically. The Winchester PDX is fine as well. Those stouter buckshot loads have a handful of recoil, but are controllable.
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The .45 Colt loads are surprisingly accurate. It’s not as accurate as a dedicated .45 Colt due to the fact that the bullet has to jump the long .410 chamber, but it’ll put the rounds close enough to make fairly small groups.
Overall, it can be a decent snake gun with the right shot, but to me, it’s a fun gun.
The 5.56 Brawler
The 5.56 has a heavy, contoured barrel that’s threaded and begging for a suppressor. To no one’s surprise, 5.56 is extremely loud through a 9-inch barrel. Even with a suppressor, it’s not going to suppress all that well. Supersonic ammo and a short barrel don’t suppress all that well, certainly not hearing safe.
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Recoil is pretty light because the rifle caliber versions of these guns are hefty. They weigh 48.5 ounces, which is 12 ounces more than the .45 Colt. The 5.56 version is the lightest-recoiling of the three, and arguably the cheapest to shoot. The price per round of 5.56 is much lower than .300 Blackout and .45/.410.
With that said, I don’t have much use for a 5.56, single-shot pistol with a 9-inch barrel. It’s not useless by any means. However, it’s not a good defensive weapon; I would only ever hunt moderate-sized game if that, and it’s just loud and concussive. It’s fun, and fun is just as valid a reason to own any gun.
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The .300 Blackout Brawler
The .300 Blackout Brawler is my favorite of the Brawler series. It’s the one that makes the most sense to me. Like the 5.56 version, it’s got a heavy, contoured, threaded barrel. It’s optics-ready, and big and hefty. The .300 Blackout round does a great job through a short 9-inch barrel. .300 Blackout is meant for short barrels, and this one takes the short cake.
The ability to use subsonic ammo is a huge plus when combined with a suppressor. It creates a fairly quiet gun. The heavy subsonic rounds aren’t creating the crack, and the suppressor stops hot gas from exploding into the world. It’s super fun to shoot suppressed and fairly accurate out to 100 yards.
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Ammo isn’t the cheapest, but it’s not going to hurt the wallet too badly. This version of the Brawler could be a solid hunting pistol. It could take whitetail, hogs, and coyotes without a problem. It’s the Brawler I find myself coming back to, and eventually plan to turn it into an SBR.
Brawling
Every single one of these guns is a total blast. I’m sure they sell well due to their low cost, novelty, and lack of competition. I wouldn’t be surprised to see more Brawlers hit the market. We need a .22LR and 5.7 version for taking pests! A man can dream.
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