Mark V series: A revised version of the Mark III Trooper and Lawman models was
ROCKY MOUNTAIN ARMS (USA)
Trading in Salt Lake City, Utah, Rocky Mountain Arms Corporation made the original Mini-Revolver from 1972 to 1974, whereupon work passed to the North American Arms Company (q.v.).
ROHM (GERMANY)
Rohm GmbH of Sontheim/Brenz has made pistols under its own name and a dozen others. Most of the names apply to a range of inexpensive revolvers, being applied to guns sold in the USA in the days before passage of the 1968 Gun Control Act—with manifold restrictions on handgun dimensions—severely curtailed importation.
REVOLVERS
Burgo: This was an RG-10 sold by K Burgsmiller of Kreiensen, Germany.
EIG: This mark will be found on various Rohm revolvers—usually RG-10 or RG-12—sold in the USA by the Eig Corporation.
Hy-Score: The Hy Score Model 108, an RG-10 with an additional safety catch, was distributed in the USA by the Hy-Score Arms Company of Brooklyn.
Hy-Score Model 108:Maker: Rohm GmbH, Sontheim an der Brenz, for Hy-Score, Brooklyn. Type: solid-frame revolver. Chambering:
·22 LR rimfire. Length overall: 5·91in/150mm. Weight, unladen: 12·3oz/350gm. Barrel: 2·36in/60mm, rifled. Magazine: six-chamber cylinder.
Liberty: An RG 12 sold in the USA by an unidentified distributor.
Rohm: The range of Rohm revolvers is identifiable by a round medallion in the grip carrying 'RG' and the model number. This medallion
sometimes carries the sales name—'Hy-Score', 'EIG'—and there may be other markings on the barrel. As a rule, true Rohm models have only the serial number and calibre on the barrel.
Robar: 7·65mm New Model Melior.
Robar: 6·35mm New Model Melior.
The guns fall into three basic groups; first, cheap solid-frame models with loading gates; secondly, inexpensive solid-frame models with swing-out cylinders; and, lastly, better quality solid-frame models with swing-swing-out cylinders. In addition, Rohm makes a profusion of starting, gas and alarm pistols; these are numbered similarly to the firearms, which explains many of the designations missing from the following list.
RG-7: Made only in ·22 Short with a 1·25in barrel, this solid frame non-ejecting gun has a gate-loading feature.
RG-10: By far the most common model, this chambers ·22 LR rimfire and has a 2·36in barrel. Finish, butt size, hammer spur and other features are subject to great variety.
RG-10: Maker: Rohm GmbH, Sontheim an der Brenz. Type: solid-frame revolver. Chambering: ·22 LR rimfire. Length overall:
5·91in/150mm. Weight, unladen: 11·5oz/325gm. Barrel: 2·36in/60mm, rifled. Magazine: six-chamber cylinder.
RG-10S: A variant of the preceding RG-10, this has a rounded trigger guard—instead of the usual squared shape—and a much larger butt than normal.
RG-11: Offered in ·22 LR with a 3·63in barrel, this solid frame non-ejector has front strap of the butt formed into finger grips.
RG-12: Essentially similar to the RG-11, this gun has a loading gate and an ejector rod.
RG-14: Chambered for ·22 LR rimfire and offered with a
l·75in barrel, this six-shot revolver has a swing-out cylinder retained by a spring catch on the crane.
RG-20: A version of the RG-14 in ·22 Short, this is usually found with a three-inch barrel.
RG-23: Little more than a minor variant of the RG-14, this offers a 1·5in barrel.
RG-24: An RG-23 with 3·5in barrel.
RG-31: Chambered for ·38 Special, this five-shot revolver has a two-inch barrel and a swing-out cylinder retained by a crane catch.
RG-34: Offered only in ·22 Short, this best-quality Rohm has a ribbed barrel and a swing-out cylinder locked by thumb catch on the left side of the frame ahead of the hammer. Models
34A and 34T both have an adjustable back sight and broadened hammer spur, the 34T also featuring a ramped front sight, a heavy barrel, a broad trigger and wooden anatomical grips.
RG-34: Maker: Rohm GmbH, Sontheim an der Brenz. Type: solid-frame revolver. Chambering: ·22 LR rimfire.
Length overall: 10·75in/273mm. Weight, unladen: 34·6oz/980gm. Barrel: 5·91in/150mm, rifled. Magazine: seven-chamber cylinder.
RG-35: This is simply an RG-34 in ·22 LR.
RG-36: Another variant of the RG-34, this accepts ·32 S&W Long ammunition.
RG-36T:. Chambering ·22 WMRF, this is a minor adaption of the RG-34T described above.
RG-38: Otherwise identical with the Rohm RG-34, this accepts the ·38 Special cartridge. The RG-38S has an adjustable back sight and a broad hammer spur; RG-38T has an additional barrel ventilated rib.
RG-40: The swinging cylinder of this ·38 Special gun is retained by a thumb catch. A two-inch barrel is standard.
RG-57: A strengthened version of the high-quality Rohm six-shot swinging cylinder revolver, this is available in ·38 Special, ·357 Magnum, ·41 Magnum, ·44 Special, ·44 Magnum or ·45 Colt. Four- or six-inch barrels are standard. The otherwise identical RG-57T has adjustable sights.
RG-63: This Western-style single-action solid frame design, based on the Colt Single Action Army, may be obtained in ·22, ·32, ·38, and ·38 Special chamberings.
RG-63: Maker: Rohm GmbH, Sontheim an der Brenz. Type: solid-frame revolver. Chambering: ·22 LR rimfire. Length overall:
10·24in/260mm. Weight, unladen: 34·0oz/965gm. Barrel: 5·00in/127mm, rifled. Magazine: eight-chamber cylinder.
RG-66: Similar to the RG-63, this has an adjustable back sight and interchangeable cylinders for ·22 LR and
·22 WMRF combinations. Barrels measure 4·75in or 6in. The RG-66T is a target version with adjustable sights and an adjustable trigger stop.
RG-86: Basically a strengthened RG-66, this offers the same interchangeability of cylinders.
RG-88: A very good quality ·38 Special/·357 Magnum six-shot revolver, this offers a ventilated rib and fixed sights; the RG-88T has adjustable sights. A six-inch barrel is standard on both models, shorter lengths being supplied to order.
Romo: An RG-10 sold by an unknown US dealer.
Thalco: This was an RG-10 sold in the USA as the 'Thalco Plinker' by the Thalson Import Company.
Valor: Another RG-10 variant, this was sold with an additional safety catch identical with that of the Hy-Score. It has yet to be identified with a particular distributor.
Vestpocket: Sold by the otherwise anonymous Rosco Arms Company, this was a standard RG-10.
Western Style: Applied to a modified RG-10 with a rod ejector beneath the barrel, this gun bears no resemblance to truly Western-style RG-63.
Zephyr: Yet another name for an RG-10 of unknown sponsorship.
AUTOMATIC PISTOLS
The first of these appeared in the 1970s, based on Rohm's existing range of starting pistols.
RG-26: This is a simple 6·35mm striker-fired automatic with an alloy frame, a steel slide, and a six round magazine.
RG-26: Maker: Rohm GmbH, Sontheim an der Brenz. Type: automatic pistol (blowback). Chambering: 6·35mm Auto. Length overall:
Weight, unladen: 12·0oz/340gm. Barrel: 2·13in/54mm, rifled. Magazine; six-round detachable box.
RG-27: A much more advanced design than the RG-26, with elements of the Walther TPH in it, this offers a double-action lock, an exposed hammer and a safety catch on the slide.
Rohm: ·22 LR RG-34T.
Rohm: ·22 LR RG-66.
RONGE (BELGIUM)
Known for a series of revolvers produced in Liege in the 1880-1900 period, J.B. Ronge" et fils concentrated on cheap ·320, ·380 and ·450 Bulldogs, as well as a ·32 or ·38 swing cylinder gun inspired by patents granted to Warnant and Mercennier. Pulling the trigger guard downward and to the right unlatches the cylinder before swinging it out of the frame; pulling the guard farther forward then ejects spent cartridges.
The company also made larger military-style weapons. These included the ·41 solid-frame, six-shot Frontier model, with a double-action lock, a loading gate and a rod ejector. Possibly the best-known Ronge-made military handgun is the M1891 officers' revolver, six hundred of which were supplied to the Danish navy. This hinged-frame six-shot pattern has a safety lever on the right side of the frame beneath the hammer and a distinctive chequered-spur locking catch above the standing breech.
Ronge appears to have been a 'trade house', supplying revolvers throughout Europe. As gunsmiths applied their own names, so many oddly-named revolvers prove to be Ronge products. Most will display an inconspicuous 'RF' mark on the frame.
M1891 navy revolver: Maker: J.B Ronge fils, Liege. Type: hinged-frame revolver. Calibre: 9mm. Length overall: 10·3in/262mm.
Weight, unladen: 32·3oz/915gm. Barrel: 5·31in/135mm, rifled. Magazine: six-chamber cylinder.
ROSSI (BRAZIL)
Amadeo Rossi SA, Metalurgica e Municoes, of Sao Leopoldo was founded in 1881 by an immigrant Italian gunsmith and is currently the largest independent gunmaker in South America. The company makes all types of sporting arms, from rifles and shotguns to pistols and revolvers. The revolvers are generally based on solid frame swing-cylinder Smith & Wesson's, their cylinders being retained by a thumb-catch on the frame ahead of the hammer and a lug under the barrel. The earliest guns, dating from the 1950s, offered either a l·5in barrel ·38 Special model or a ·22 LR pattern with a five-inch barrel. Cylinder-cranes were retained by a spring sleeve around the ejector rod.
Later production—imported into the USA by the Garcia Corporation of Teaneck, New Jersey—comprised a three-inch barrel blue or nickelled pattern in ·22 LR, ·22 WMRF, ·32 S&W Long or ·38 Special, and a ·22 LR target revolver with a six-inch barrel.
Excepting the five-shot ·38, the guns all had six-chamber cylinders;
sights were almost always adjustable.
Most revolvers display AMADEO ROSSI S/A above SAO LEOPOLDO
R.S. on the left side of the barrel, a calibre mark on the right side of the barrel, the company trademark on the right side of the frame and ROSSI on the grip medallion. The marks of the principal US distributor -Interarms of Alexandria, Virgina may also be present.
Princess series: The current version of the early model in which the cylinder is locked by a sleeve on the ejector rod, the ·22 LR six-shot Model 13 has a 75mm barrel, an alloy frame, and (usually) nickel finish. The Model 25, dating from 1965, is a 40mm-barrelled version of the Model 13.
Princess M13: Maker: Amadeo Rossi SA, Sao Leopoldo-RS. Type: solid-frame revolver. Chambering: ·22 LR rimfire. Length overall: Weight, unladen:
11·6oz/330gm. Barrel: 3·00in/76mm, rifled. Magazine; seven-chamber cylinder.
Ranger series: Introduced in 1964, the Model 20 is a ·32 six-shot revolver with a 75mm barrel and an improved trigger mechanism. The cylinder is locked by a thumb-catch and barrel lug. The Model 28 is simply a smaller ·32 calibre six shot version of the Model 27 Pioneer.
Pioneer series: Made only in ·38 calibre, the five-shot Model 27 appeared in 1966. Derived from the Model 20 Ranger, it is generally found with a 100mm barrel. The Model 31 of 1967 is a ·38 Model 27
with a 100mm barrel. Introduced simultaneously with the Model 31, the Model 32 is simply a Model 27 with a 150mm barrel while the Model 33 has a 75mm barrel.
The ·38 Special Model 87 Pioneer, dating from 1981, derived
from the Model 27, has a one-piece hammer instead of having a separate firing pin retained by a cross-pin. It is made of stainless steel. The Model 88 is similar, but has a 150mm barrel and an adjustable back sight.
Pioneer M27: Maker: Amadeo Rossi SA, Sao Leopoldo-RS. Type: solid-frame revolver. Chambering: ·38 Special. Length overall: 6·30in/160mm. Weight, unladen:
20·1oz/570gm. Barrel: 1·97in/50mm, rifled. Magazine: five-chamber cylinder.
Champion series: Developed from the Model 27, the Model 38 features a 100mm barrel and an adjustable back sight. The similar ·32 Model 39 offers six cylinder chambers instead of five.
Announced in 1969, the Model 40 is a strengthened Model 38 with a heavier 150mm barrel.
Model 41 is simply a Model 39 with a 150mm barrel.
Senator series: Introduced in 1970, the ·22 LR six-shot Model 42 has a 50mm barrel and fixed sights. Model 43 is essentially similar, but has a 75mm barrel.
Senator M42: Maker: Amadeo Rossi SA, Sao Leopoldo-RS. Type: solid-frame revolver. Chambering: ·22 LR rimfire. Length overall:
6·30in/160mm. Weight, unladen: 20·5oz/580gm. Barrel: 1·97in/50mm, rifled. Magazine: six-chamber cylinder.
Sportsman series: Another adaption of the Model 42, the Model 47 features an adjustable back sight and a 47mm barrel. The otherwise similar Model 48 has a 75mm barrel; Model 49 has a 100mm barrel and generally heavier lines; Model 50 is a Model 49 with a 125mm barrel, while the Model 51 barrel measures 150mm.
Champion II series: The first of these guns, the Model 68, appeared in 1973. It is based on the Pioneer (q.v.) but has an adjustable back sight and a ramped front sight. The five-shot ·38 Special Model 68 has a 75mm barrel. Model 69 is a six-shot ·32 version and the Model 70 is a ·22 LR rimfire.
Champion II M68: Maker: Amadeo Rossi SA, Sao Leopoldo-RS. Type: solid-frame revolver. Chambering: ·38 Special. Length overall:
7·32in/186mm. Weight, unladen: 21·2oz/600gm. Barrel: 2·95in/75mm, rifled. Magazine: five-chamber cylinder.
Rossi: ·22 Model 13 Princess.
Rossi: Model 511.
ROTH (AUSTRIA-HUNGARY)
Georg Roth was primarily an ammunition engineer, eventually operating two factories in Vienna and Pressburg (now Bratislava), but he was also interested in firearms. In 1898 he employed Karel Krnka (q.v.) to manage one of his factories; since Krnka was already an experienced gun designer, the two men soon began to collaborate. Most of the work was apparently done by Krnka, Roth merely contributing ideas and—most importantly—suitable ammunition. Roth's name attaches to several pistol designs by virtue of his status as Krnka's employer. The designs were invariably due to Roth and Krnka (and possibly also Rudolf Frommer), but they were licensed to gunmakers as Roth had no manufacturing capability.
Roth-Sauer: Patented by Roth and Krnka in 1900 and manufactured by J.P. Sauer &
Sohn (q.v.), this, like so many of Krnka's designs, used an unnecessarily
complicated long recoil action. The barrel and bolt recoiled together, locked by a lug on the bolt engaging a recess in the breech. The bolt struck a cam at the end of the recoil stroke, rotating it through 20° to unlock, and was then held while the barrel ran forward alone. A spent case was extracted and ejected during this phase; the barrel tripped the bolt as it stopped, allowing the bolt to come forward to chamber a fresh round. The bolt was rotated back to its locked position as it entered the breech, whereupon the entire locked assembly ran forward to the firing position.
The Roth-Sauer was fired by a partially self-cocking striker mechanism; as the bolt closed, the sear held the striker with its spring under partial compression.
Pulling the trigger completed compression of this spring and then released the striker. The mechanism was not fully self-cocking, however; once the striker had been released, it could only be re-cocked by manually re-cycling the bolt.
All this complication seems unnecessary in relation to the special 7·65mm cartridge designed by Roth for the Roth-Sauer, but somewhat weaker than the normal 7·65mm Auto round. Additional features of interest include use of the cocking knob as a safety, locking the action when rotated, and an integral butt magazine which required charger- loading through the open bolt-way. Pistols are marked PATENT ROTH on top of the frame, while Sauer's savage-hunter trademark appears in an oval on the grips.
Roth-Sauer: Maker: J.P. Sauer & Sohn. Suhl. Type: automatic pistol (recoil operated). Chambering: 7·65mm Auto. Length overall:
6·69in/170mm. Weight, unladen: 23·1oz/655gm. Barrel: 3·94in/100mm, rifled. Magazine: seven-round detachable box.
Roth-Steyr: Georg Roth's association with the Steyr factory began in the early 1900s, and the prototype Roth-Steyr pistol appeared in 1904. Development continued until the finalised design was adopted for the Austro-Hungarian cavalry in 1907.
The pistol chambered a unique 8mm rimless cartridge. Its mechanism is also unique, as well as one of the few Roth-Krnka designs using something other than long recoil. The most remarkable feature is the bolt extending for the full length of the receiver. The hollow front of the bolt
completely surrounds the barrel, the rear portion being solid except for the striker tunnel. This bolt fits inside the tubular receiver, forged and machined as part of the pistol frame.
Two lugs on the barrel-breech engage with cam grooves in the inner surface of the hollowed bolt, while two lugs on the outer surface of the muzzle fit grooves in the muzzle bush.
Bolt and barrel recoil for about 12mm on firing, locked together by the engagement of the rear barrel cams in the bolt grooves; simultaneously, the muzzle cams move backward in
the helical grooves in the muzzle bush. The grooves in the bolt rotate the barrel lugs through 90° during this early recoil phase. When the barrel has been rotated, the muzzle lugs reach the end of the grooves in the muzzle bush and stop the barrel. However, the lugs in the breech align with a straight section of the grooves inside the bolt. This releases the bolt to run back alone, extracting and ejecting the spent case. The top round in the integral butt magazine then rises through a slot in the bolt, to be pushed forward into the chamber as the bolt returns. Counter-rotation of grooves and lugs then rotates the barrel back to its locked position as the return spring pushes the entire bolt/barrel mechanism forward again.
The Roth-Steyr also has an unusual striker mechanism. As the bolt goes forward, the striker is held by the sear with minimal compression of the striker spring. Pulling the trigger forces the striker back, compressing the striker spring, until it is released by the sear to fire the cartridge. This mechanism, very similar to the Roth-Sauer pattern, is said to have been demanded by the cavalry; demanding a conscious effort to fire, it guards against a skittish horse jolting a conventional cocked hammer out of engagement with the sear.
The Roth-Steyr was never marketed commercially. It was made by Osterreichische Waffenfabriks-Gesellschaft in Steyr for Austrian contingents of the Austro Hungarian army, and by Femaru Fegyver es Gegyvergyar in Budapest for the Hungarians. The period of manufacture seem to have been 1908-13 and 1911-14 respectively, totals amounting to a little over 50,000 and 30,000 respectively. The place of manufacture will be found marked on top of the barrel. Most Roth-Steyrs (including those made in Hungary) carry a military 'W-n' military proof mark, applied by the Austrian government arsenal in Wiener-Neustadt, together with the Hapsburg eagle; a brass disc in the right grip may display unit identification marks. No Austro-Hungarian guns have been encountered dated later than 1914, though a few were assembled after the end of the First World War. Some guns, obtained as war reparations in 1919, were still used by the Italian Army as late as 1941.
Roth-Steyr: Maker: Osterreichische Waffenfabriks-Gesellschaft, Steyr; Femaru Fegyver es Gepgyar, Budapest. Type: automatic pistol (recoil operated). Calibre: 8mm. Length overall: 9·17in/233mm. Weight, unladen: 36·3oz/1,030gm. Barrel: 5·16in/131mm, rifled.
Magazine: ten-round charger-loaded integral box
Roth: Roth-Sauer.
Roth: Austro-Hungarian M1907 Roth-Steyr.
RPM (USA)
Formed in Brea, California, R&R Sporting Arms, Inc., makes the RPM XL target pistol for long range silhouette shooting. The hammer-fired single-shot gun has a hinged barrel and can be fitted with a variety of barrel lengths ranging from 8in to 14in, in chamberings from ·22 LR to ·454 Casull.
RPM XL: Maker: R&R Industries, Inc., Brea, California. Type: single-shot pistol. Chambering: ·225 Winchester. Length overall: Weight, unladen: Barrel: 8·00in/203mm, rifled. Magazine: none.
RPM XL: Maker: R&R Industries, Inc., Brea, California. Type: single-shot pistol. Chambering: ·225 Winchester. Length overall: Weight, unladen: Barrel: 8·00in/203mm, rifled. Magazine: none.