For a long while current production 45/410 handguns were restricted to the legendary Taurus Judge and the spendy yet versatile Smith & Wesson Govener. An honorable mention to the Bond Arms derringers out there since they have at least one more shot on hand than our gun today. Speaking of which our gun today is the new Rossi Brawler; a single-shot break action 45/410 all for under $300. Let’s dive right into the review!
Specifications: Rossi Brawler
The Rossi Brawler is not a brand-new concept by any means. Thompson Center had made Contenders that operated on the same principles and Rossi’s own Tuffy 410 shotguns are almost certainly the big brother to the Bralwer. But that does not mean that it is not bringing new, fresh, or appealing things to the table. Modern features such as a top-mounted rail and rubber grip for example.
- Caliber: 45 Colt/.410 Bore (2.5” & 3”)
- Capacity: 1 Round
- Front Sight: Fixed
- Rear Sight: Serrated, Mounted in the rail, Elevation Adjustable
- Action: Single Action
- Barrel Length: 9 Inches
- Overall Length: 14 Inches
- Overall Height: 5.90 Inches
- Overall Width: 1.30 Inches
- Overall Weight: 36.80 oz (Unloaded)
- Twist Rate: 1:24 RH
- Grooves: 6
- Frame Material: Polymer
- Frame Finish: Black
- Barrel Material: Alloy Steel
- Barrel Finish: Matte Black
- Safety: Thumb Safety, Transfer Bar
The MSRP of the Rossi Brawler currently rests at $239.99 and its street price averages around $215. This makes sense given the materials involved and the lack of necessary engineering costs given its Tuffy lineage. It is a no-nonsense handgun that does not claim to be anything other than what it is.
“For when you only need one shot, there’s the Rossi Brawler. You can throw down on anything from rattlesnakes to medium-sized game thanks to the Brawler’s ability to fire either 45 Colt or a 410 shotshell. Plus, with the integrated picatinny rail, you’re also not stuck using one grain weight ammo. You can attach any optic of your choice to the Brawler and zero your point of impact exactly.
This is your next adventure gun. A simple break-action and cross bolt safety give you the same ruggedness as a flint axe. The Brawler’s trigger is another point of simplicity – a single action trigger. Cock the hammer, fire the shot, reload. No messing around with the Brawler. The rubbergrip cushions your hand against 410 shotshell recoil from the mildist birdshot up to serious 3 inch 410 bore magnum ammo.
Throw down with the Brawler today, and you’ll be prepared for anything the woods can throw at you.”
First Impressions: Rossi Brawler
Kicking things off by opening the average Rossi cardboard box there is little to write home about besides the contents being the Brawler, a trigger lock, and a manual. The trigger lock is something I can take or leave since I have the luxury of having a safe so that does not blow me away but regardless I think it is a nice thought. It is not every day you buy a $240 gun and you get extra bits and bobs.
Picking up the gun, the first thought was that it was front-heavy. This makes sense given the polymer nature of the rear and the square-style barrel at the front. It was not an uncomfortable unbalance by any means. The rip was the second thing I noticed. It has this large rubber-feeling grip with a blue strip going down the back. It reminded me of Taurus with their Raging Judge revolvers that have a similar style and fit while also having a red strip going down their back. Since Taurus and Rossi share a lot of things it is no surprise that this small blink may have something to do with that. Besides looks the gun felt very good in the hand.
The receiver was an obvious polymer but not in a concerning way. Anyone who has played with Rossi’s single-shot 410 shotguns would spot that it is the same sort of receiver; safety button and all. The top rail was interesting since it has the elevation adjustable rear sight built into it.
Range Time: Rossi Brawler 45/410
I am just gonna put it out there right off the bat. No grand illusions or build-up. The Rossi Brawler is cheap fun. It’s a blast! Operation is extremely simple. Press the flush button on the right side of the receiver in order to break the action, load a shell in, close the action, cock the hammer (the safety needs to be off in order to cock it), and fire at will. Repeat the steps and the ejector will toss out the empty upon opening the action.
Piggybacking off of that last note the ejection was the only facet of the Brawler that I found hit or miss. It had a habit of being underpowered or hindered by an increasingly dirty chamber so shells would either kick out a quarter or halfway, sometimes not at all. Honestly, to me, this was expected given the nature of a 45/410. The chambers won’t be perfect nor will they be mes free. When it did kick them out it really kicked them out.
Two small things that could use some improvement as far as operation goes would be the hammer and the action latch/button. Although I understand that this affordable gun will likely never see further engineering or improvement (it is one of those things that is made to be cheap, fun, and easy to make) the hammer could use some extension. Maybe a little further swoop on the backend. Not a side extension like scoped rifles have sometimes but a literally longer hammer so it is easy to grasp one-handed without adjusting your grip too badly. The action button is something that I cannot ever see being changed but if there was a way to make that easier to press one-handed it would be ideal. Left-handed folks may have a better time with this given the button is on the right side.
Let’s talk about recoil and shooting feel quickly since everyone seems to make a big deal about a “410 handgun”. It is comfortable and controllable if you know how to shoot a gun. Hold on tight, it’ll show you how serious it can be, and it is one shot after all. The grip is perfectly cushioned for this sort of thing and the front-heavy nature helps slow things down a bit. One-handed shooting is completely doable and a two-handed combat hold works just fine for those moments that need some extra accuracy.
Speaking of accuracy! At the range, I had a limited pool of 45 Colt ammunition. I was mainly using some old Herters 250-grain LFN at about 15 yards. My groups were actually pleasant at around 1.5” -2” on average. There was one group that was basically hole-in-hole three for three. That being said I was very impressed.
How about the 410? I mean you can only glean so much from shooting 410 at a paper target at 15 yards out of a gun with a rifled barrel and no choke system. It peppered the board willy-nilly with whatever load I put through it. The batch of waxed paper 3” 5 shot magnum was arguably the most fun since it produced an addicting fireball. I suppose two points I can make so far as accuracy goes using 410 would be that I not only was able to hit flying clay pigeons at around 20 yards but I also picked a grouse out of the air while hunting at nearly 35 yards. That last bit is 100% true although I am more than happy to admit it was pure luck and I was only able to find one BB when I cleaned my bird.
Final Thoughts: Rossi Brawler
Just extending off of that last thought I should mention I plan on writing an article talking about hunting with the Brawler and the drawbacks that popped up in that experience but for now, let’s close out this review with the stuff that really matters. If you are thinking about picking one of these up I highly recommend pulling the trigger on it. It’s a blast, it can be a bit of a novelty just like a Judge is, it’s optics ready, it is affordable. I personally will absolutely be adding one to my collection. Cheap fun is never a bad thing as long as it is done well. The Brawler succeeds at this in spades!
In closing, I want to say thank you to Rossi for allowing AllOutdoor and myself the opportunity to try out one of their Brawler pistols! That is greatly appreciated. Also, we would like to know what all of you guys and gals think? Do you believe that this pistol is something worth spending your money on? Would you run to the range with this affordable fun? Would this be your go-to fun gun at the range? Let us know all of your thoughts in the comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.
