June 01, 2005

General consensus on gun boards is that they are crap. Here is a choice quote from The High Road:

"R.G. Industries was an importer who imported cheap revolvers made by Rohm Gmbh of Sontheim/Brenz Germany.
They went out of business in 1986.

As you discerned, the RG guns were "bottom-of-the-line" cheap handguns.

These were both double action and single action revolvers in calibers ranging from .22lr to .357 and .44 Magnum.
They also sold a .25 Cal auto.

About the best that can be said about them is, they were better than no gun at all (most of the time)."

Rohm Revolver
Q: I'm looking for information on a Rohm revolver. The markings are "Made in Germany" on the right side of the barrel and "ROHM GMBH Sontheim/Brz Mod. 66 Cal. 22 Magnum" on the left side. The serial number is IC 158XXX. It also has a second cylinder marked "Cal. .22 L.R." The right side of the frame is stamped "RG Ind Miami, FLA." It's nickel-plated and has a 43⁄4-inch barrel. It looks almost exactly like a Ruger Single-Six (Old Model) Convertible. Was my gun a copy of the Ruger? Any information you could provide would be most appreciated. --M.B., Egeland, ND

A: Rohm revolvers were manufactured in the 1960s and '70s in a wide variety of styles and calibers. Although inexpensive, they are of German manufacture and thus reasonably well made. Your .22 Magnum is very likely a copy of a Ruger Super Single-Six. Rohm products hold little collector interest and have more appeal to plinkers. The value is modest, perhaps $125

http://www.gunsandammomag.com/values/october_1216/

Rob, keep the ammo, pitch the gun.

Seriously, keep the ammo. Many collectors look for older ammo boxes. You'll get a better price if it's a full box.

Rob, go here

http://www.
gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=32627806

Saturday night special. Shaves lead but a 38 beats a baseball bat.

The single biggest piece of junk ever passed off as a gun in North America in the past fifty years. Many of the important parts are made of aluminum!

reminds me of someone I know that bought an imaginary "tommy gun" about that same time....and for the same reason. I.....I mean he...doesn;t have any imaginary ammo for it though.

Hey.. my Dad paid $25 dollars for it. I didn't expect it to be top 'o the line. I just never heard of it before until I got it and cleaned it up.

It really doesn't LOOK like a bad pistol.

Keep it for nostalgia purposes.

From what I have read, you do NOT want to run any hot self-defense loads through it. Probably be a good plinker, though. Pick up some cheap Cowboy loads and blast away.

On second thought, you may want to have a gunnie check it out first.

There's a reason why I adore my Colt .45

.. make sure you get a gunsmith to check it before you fire it.... those weapons were pretty loose... my Grandpa had a 22.lr and it is a horrible weapon... cheap at the time, but no where near the quality of weapons produced now....

Eric, I'm gonna shoot it tomorrow. If it blows up in my hand, so be it. But I've gotta try it out.

Besides, after checking some of the links people sent me, I think the odds are much better that the sumbitch won't fire at all rather than blow up in my hand. That gun really IS a piece of shit.

Well... what do you expect for $25? Even in 1963.

oh hell, use it as a club. even a baseball bat cost more than 25 bucks

It's a "Saturday Night Special", But should be quite serviceable. Don't pitch the ammo, shoot it. Don't buy +P rounds to shoot either.
They're too hot for this gun.

Check it out Acidman, the last one that blew up in my hand took months to heal, it was too loose. Rusted away by now in the riverbottom, safe and solid.

Rob, all the preceeding advice is right on target.

1. The gun is a turd. Shoot it a few times, then clean it up and store it for memory's sake.

2. Do NOT shoot any manner of high velocity, plus-pressure (+P) rounds through this cast-from-pot-metal-piece-of-shit-gun! You'd be best advised to use normal, low velocity .38spl. lead bullet ammo ONLY.

3. Do NOT shoot that vintage ammo. Yeah, it's SAFE to shoot, but it's worth far more to ammo collectors, and especially as a full box. Buy some Winchester white box at your local shop n' be done with it.

I've personally fired an RG revolver, and gave it back to it's owner after three rounds. I was convinced that the gun is about as dangerous to the shooter, as to the shootee.

Hmmm.......Maybe you oughta give it (with a box of CorBon 125 gr. +P+ super high-pressure ammo) to the BC....you know...in the spirit of keeping guns out of your house? *heh*

Jim
Sloop New Dawn
Galveston, TX

i have the same gun except its a .22lr. i shot high velocities out of it and it was fine. but now the barrel seems a little loose and im not gonna shoot it any more. i would get it fixed but i dont think its worth it.

Hey guys,
I just found in my warehouse an old rohm gmbh sontheim-brenz, Cal 22 short, RG10, serial 1161738 that my grandfather gave me before he died a few years ago. I was looking over the net and I found this interesting conversation about a piece of crap. I guess mine is also one of those cheap things. At any rate, I'm not a gun collector at all, but your info was very useful. Tks.

A varying opinion: I know some of the respondents say they have fired the Model 66, but , with due respect, I have to wonder if some are just repeating what they've heard rather than what they've experienced. Just because a gun isn't a Ruger or Colt or S&W doesn't mean it's automatically crap. I have several Rohms among lots of other Western-style handguns and have found them to be safe and reasonably accurate. I run probably 500 rounds a year through a couple of them with no problems, and they group as well at 20 yards as my Single Six. Yes, you do want to check the gun over for looseness and timing, but that applies to any gun. That said, I suspect these cheapies wouldn't hold up under thousands of rounds the way a gun costing six times as much would -- nor should you expect it to. A lot depends on what kind and amount of shooting you do.

Thanks for this info guys! Also have a Rohm recently handed down. RG 15 CAL 22 SLR. Has the same loose barrel, and cheap look talked about. At least the stacked, flip-up barrels make it "cute".

Thanks

I just purchased the RG10 from teh local gun store - simply for my 12 yeard old son and wife to use at the range. Using the .22 Shorts, I used it and being an expert for so many years in teh police department I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with this thing. Even the trigger pull is about 10 lbs, which is difficult for both my wife and son. The gun powder just consumes you after each shot. We'll use this for a bit just to get them acclumated to it, then move on to a Ruger.

tengo un revolver 2" RG , NIQUEL PLATEADO, 38", Y LAS VECES QUE HEMOS PRACTICADO CON EL MISMO ME HA SALIDO CHEBERE

Anyone know where i can get replacement parts for a rohm? i have a 38 that was taken off a guy by the police back in the early 70's, and the cops ground the hammer out to disable it, i inherited it from my grandads collection and need to replace the hammer and the cylinder release. can anyone give me any nformation on how to get these parts? I dont want to shoot it, just put it back to its origional state and practice my gunsmithing skills, anyhow, thanks. Phil

Phil, try out www.gunparts@hsnp.com look around Bob's site and you'l find parts for a Rohm.

I just got one of these MOD RG 14 22 lr from my dad.
He has been shoting his since 1969 when he bought it. After I read all these opions here, I took it to the locl gunsmith. He told me its in great shape and should shoot well for many more years. I guess it really hit or miss.

I was handed down a " ROHM GMBH SONTHEIM/BRZ. MODEL 30, 32 CAL. S&W LONG ". It also has " Made in Germany "stamped on the right hand side of thr brl. To my understanding my grandfather bought it for my grandmother to use for in home protection, while he drove big rig's coast to coast. The handle is made of cheap plastic that is as loose as can be. The rounds that he probably loaded when he gave the gun to her 30+ years ago are still in the gun and as green as gumby's backside. The gun has sentimental value to me because they both have passed to greenier pastures. I am just glad that my grannie never had to use the piece of crap on a would be home invader, though I am sure she would'nt have hesitated.

I have an RG-31, 38 spec. snub, shoot it a couple times years ago, stays in the cabinate, but it is built well.

Some of the RG revolvers are not too bad , atleast having an RG is better than nothing, quality seemed to vary , they seem to shoot best single action , shooting double action the hammer sometimes does not strike the bullet hard enough to fire it atleast with the .22 rimfire . The .38 RG revolvers seem a little better made than the .22's in quality .

My Grandmother gave me her Rohm .22 short years ago before she died. Its one of those deals where I better get it from her now before it disappears if you know what I mean. Its in great condition still. The story is my granddad bought it for my mom to carry in her purse( she grew up in the 60's in Mississippi when lots of racial fears) To think of my mom using this gun is a scarier thought that the gun itself. Anyway I went and found a place that sold 22 shorts- (hard to find) When I shot it, it was deafening loud to the point I had to point with one hand and close my ear nearest the gun with the other. I mean it was miserably loud to shoot. I shot at a turtle in a pond about 25 time before I finally wounded it. I was then committed to about another 50 rounds to hit it and put it out of its/my misery! (I later felt so bad later). The accuracey was all over the place, but it holds sentimental value only. If those police buybacks ever offered me $100 - I'd probably take it and go buy a browning pistorl for $200! Anyway, its a curiosity gun. I bet I could make a new handle out of wood myself that would be more longer and more comfortable and I have small hands! - ( I think I will, it certainly would not hurt the value and would likely increase the value to about $10! :) I have been trying to find out if they made/make .22 short Rat shot, then the gun would match it purpose - to serve as a warning to rats. Man is this gun loud! If anyone knows of how to get .22 short Rat shot, please email me - I don't think it exists!

Inherited a rohm 38 'Spezial'. Took it down tot eh range and shot six through it, about a foot high and to the left. Took it to the gunsmith who said it should be savfe but he couldn't do anything about it shooting high. It has a rail sight and it seems to me I could replace that or maybe buy a whole new barrel. But i guess it's not worth it. Not a bad grouping though - about three inside a quarter at 7 yrds, but the other three widened it to about a three inch group.

yo david if you have a loose barrel, buy a bottle of red loctite if you dripp alittle in the edge by the bulletcatcher(start of the barrel),you can shoot again

I have a Rohm Model 24 T , Cal 22 lr that I traded for 35 years ago. I'm not a gun expert, but the barrel seems tight. It is very loud to shoot, however. Can someone tell me, does the "lr' in 22 lr mean "long rifle" cartridge?

i have several 22 lr rohm made in germany i like shooting them ihave mod.66 broke the cinder lock. the gun is in good shape. icame to this looking for parts. i did like reading the thing people had to say. wooley

I just purchased a RG 10 22 short myself for 40 bucks, and i cleaned up and everything, i went to shoot it and i want my damn money back, the trigger is something special. i either have to push on the trigger or the hammer itself to make ready to fire again. IS THIS GUN WORTH ANYTHING AT ALL?????????

I inherited a Rohm RG10s double-action in 22LR from my grandmother who inherited it from her mother. They both used it as a "Pillow Gun". It's set on a small frame and (as said earlier) is hell on your ears. However, the gun holds a nice pattern at 30 yards (under 1.5 inches) and the whole thing is solid. My uncle also has a Rohm 22LR but I'm unsure of the model number. It's a single-action. His is set on a much heavier frame with beautiful grips and wood engraving. It also fires exceedingly well and has a fairly light trigger weight. No complaints about them here, but I guess you get good and bad in all brands...

I have a 22 cal. magnum single shot. The barrel is @ 3-4 inches. model 66. The falcons on my handle has an overlaping SR. What does this mean?

I irhad one rg-10 years ago but I lost it the I have now another RG-10 22 short ,in single action work perfect,maybe it has bad reputation or some kind of hate for the nazi ,this gun was made between 1960,70 so have nothing to do with hitler.gun seller play a game with this gun ,when you try to sell then it is a piece of junk,when you buy it from then is a nice german made gun.for me for the price is a good gun,as there is too much especulation.

I have a gun that my father-inlaw has givin me and i never heard of, maybe someone can help me?

on the leftside it says Rohm gmbh sonthe im/brz mdel 30 32s&w long and above the cylinder it reads RG ind. miami fl. on the right side it reads made in germany, it has plastic handles and for the most parts shoots pretty well also on the reciver it has a 75 with a circle around it, also has a serial # with the letters bd in front of it it only has 5 numbers if that means anything. if anyone can shed some lite on this let me know.

thank you
nhtrapshooter@yahoo.com

howdy - recently made a trade for a Rohm.38 Special -
had an older 20 gauge s x s shotgun - but needed
a concealed/carry due to my neighborhood and my disability (MS) - since I do walk as much as possible - but can't bring a shotgun around with me in the city.

After reading the previous remarks, it seems the reviews are mediocre at best, and "crap" several times - but felt with a revolver (dbl action) comfortable in the past - but they were Colts.

Would I be better off with a Hi-point semi-auto?
Keep hearing raves by owners that built like tanks, are inexpensive (important for me) built in USA, and lifetime warranty - also - for the record I've shot the .38, and seems fine and am a hunter but no expert on pistols - other than .45 in Air Force. Just don't have the income for what I know are the best.

About 10 years ago I picked up an RG39 (38spl) for $70. My "other" 38s are a 1996 S&W 64 and a 1905 S&W M&P so at first I was sickened by the thought of owning an RG. I remember them being readily available in the late 70s and nobody had anything good to say about them. I was very favorably impressed with this one however. Luck of the draw maybe. Everything is tight and precise, and it's even finished nicely (not S&W pretty however...) The hammer had been ground down almost flush with the frame so it's DA only. It has a 2" barrel and a very heavy trigger pull, so that in conjunction with the hammerless aspect and it's cheap price make it a nice one to carry concealed. It's no legacy gun but it beats nothing. If my magic wand worked, I would convert it to a lemon squeezer design or at least have a manual safety on it somewhere.

i have a rohm model 38 t that was given to me by a law enforcement professional 20 years ago. I have never fired it but my friend said "it would blow a nice hole in anyone breaking into my house". Anyone want it?
plus i have 150 rounds of ammo to go with it..

I have the Rohm 32 s&w long. I got it from my granpa when I was a kid. He picked it up in Germany during the Korean war. If I hadn't read this blog I would have guessed it was a pretty expensive piece. It has a black finish with custom engraving and has the ivory handles with the falcoln symbol on it. I own a XD 45, colt 1911, ect. and I would take it over any. It is ultra smooth and reliable. I imagine just like any other company, that there were high end and low end products.

I inhereted a Rhom RG-10. After reading all this I'm afraid to shoot it. LOL! Thanks for the laughs!

I purchased a ROHM mod.88 in 38special at the gun show this weekend. I can not find out any info or parts ect for this pistol It has a 4" barrel that looks like the mod rg38 but the frame looks like a S&W K frame it has packmier grips on it that says S&W Small K frame on the inside. Someone has modified a little to fit The gun shoots very well and seems built better than any RG I have ever seen or shot Please let me know something

My son purchased a Rohm. Model 57 Sonethiem and Brenz .357. with 4" barrel. Pistol seems in good shape, the grip is a cheap plastic. Shoots dead on but will not let you repeat fire. You must open cylinder and reshut. Should he use a .38 instead in in or go down to a 110 grain 357 sig load... Give me some help here.

bought a RG Mod 42 .25cal $75.00 It looked like it had never been cleaned got home cleaned it added a little clp works just fine all it needed was a little tlc

I have a Rohm GMBH RG38. Made in Germany on the right side of the barrel. 38 Spezial. Don't know a thing about it.

i shoot my dads model 66 .22 lr all the time prolly a thousand rounds by now and it shoots fine. nothing loose about it. never failed to fire on me. i dont think ive ever even cleaned it

I have a ROHM GMBH .32 long and i have never had a problem with it, i actually shot a hog with it two days ago. It's a cheap gun that always works and if it falls in the mud it's nothing to get discouraged over. Great for a camp gun to bring on a four-wheeler or out in the boat for a shark gun.

I have a 38 special ROHM GMBH revolver. I have had it for 25 years or better. It's nickle plated. I had a guy 20 years ago make me some wooded grips for it. Ihave shot thousands of rounds through it. I really like this gun.

I have been handed down a rohm gmbh sontheim/brz model 35 22 magnum and I want to know more about this handgun, its history and/or gun ratings. Its an 8 shooter revolver with long barrel and i cant seem to find the serial number. All ive seen on the net about rohm gmbh handguns is not good. I intend to keep it for sentimental reasons. Can anybody help me out here? thanks.

I picked up one (RG-38) as an "extra throw in" on a trade. Maybe mine is a rarity but it is solidly constructed and shoots to point of aim at 10 yards. It is definitely NOT a pot metal or zinc alloy revolver. Looks sort of like it was made of a mixture of Colt and S&W parts (it wasn't).

I've put about 500 rounds through it and it's about as accurate as my Smith 640. I'm keeping it as a back up piece.

I recently bought a Rohm 38, to carry under the seat of my truck and bought a box of 38+P personal protection by accident and when I shot it, surprisingly it shot awsome. Low recoil, and accurate, so I am confused is this a decent cheap revolver or not?

in would like to know what the current value this.22cal lr 24t holds and what kind of cartridges do i use long or short? i would also like to know if its possible to have a background check done on the cereal number since its been lay-in around in my grandfathers garage for years n nobody knew it so I'm pretty curios as much as nervous since i now posses it.

Dont know if anyone ever reads this ancient page of blog about Rohm pistols. So, here goes nuttin'.
I too, inherited a Rohm. Its a model 38s, 4" bbl, .38 cal.
I've had it 16 years. Total mystery how/why my tightwad step-father had it. I found it in his hoarded collection after he died.
Barrel is a bit wiggly - not terrible, but any looseness is unsat.
Will try the red loctite someone here suggested. Would like to change the white plastic grips for wood, if I can find any.
Its a pretty tight unit otherwise. Solid, heavy, no pot metal on this model. I'll probably just shoot low power round nose lead.
I have cute teenage daughters. I'll keep it til I need it, then throw it out in the marsh, after burying the corpse.

The biggest flaw with this gun besides some alignment issues do to wear is it's unreliability but no one adresses the issue on why they fire unreliably the biggest problem is the springs they used for the hammer and it doesn't give a hard consistent hit to the fireing pin unless you fire it in single action in most cases this can be solved by replacing the hammer spring or even shim it with a few washers on the bottom end of the spring ........ And I am an engineer maybe not a gunsmith but principles are still the same using the proper lower velocity ammo especially in the .22 short case there is no reason this will ever turn into a "pipe bomb" .... Unless there's obvious signs of damage to the chamber of the cylinder when most say it blew up there referring to the cylinder to barrel misalignment in most cases which yeah it sucks but mostly far from deadly usually superficial and I say usually but just like these all guns carry this risk if missused in there life time poor cleaning habits or just simply not regularly inspecting your fire arm ............ So come on stop hating on this cheap little bastard and inspect clean and just take care of it like you should all firearms before and after each use .... Use common since and replace the hammer spring to make it fire every time ................. And no I'm not suggesting use for self defense most are .22 self defense probably shouldn't include any revolver really not with modern Simi auto which the person you defending yourself from probably has .... Unless your a bad ass with a s&w 500 series then yeah.it's ok ...........with the exception of some modern revolvers most revolvers are for the enjoyment of shooting and getting to feel like a cowboy so use commen sense inpect everything you shoot before and after every use nomads if it's these from the 60's or something you just got yesterday.new