Today’s review is the Rock Island Armory M200 .38 Special revolver with a 4 inch barrel.
I bet I’ve stumped you guys with this one… what on earth would a prepper/survivalist want with an inexpensive, imported .38 Special wheel gun that’s not rated for +P rounds? Read on, there is a method to my madness.
Here’s a picture of one of my Rock Island Armory M200 revolvers.
Philosophy Of Use For The Rock Island Armory M200:
The POU of the Rock Island Armory M200 is simple… it’s a “hand out” gun to supply non-prepared people who are unfamiliar with firearms a legitimate defensive weapon.
I am our group’s armorer, and I am in charge of the group’s armory. Each member of our group brings something to the table, whether it’s tactical skills, medical knowledge, homesteading skills, whatever. One of my jobs is to make sure that the group has adequate firepower both for existing members and if/when the group membership swells after “Bad things happen”.
The primary goal of the “reserve armory” is to have adequate “pass out” guns (they will stay within the group), and those guns MUST be inexpensive enough to purchase a reasonable quantity of and simple to operate in mostly untrained hands.
I have chosen the .38 special wheel guns for many reasons… several of our group members use .357 magnums, so we have ammo compatibility, .38 special is EXTREMELY economical to reload, the guns can be used with minimal training, and they are not damaged by extensive dry firing (although I do have a set of snap caps for each gun, to ease any strain on the gun whatever for dry firing). For a person just learning how to shoot, dry firing is a CRITICAL learning skill.
For a handgun, the Rock Island Armory M200 fits our needs perfectly. It’s affordable (street price is $200 if you get them bought right) and ammo is inexpensive (reloading). Each of our “spare” rigs contains basic GI surplus web gear with a holster and two “speed loaders” full of ammo in a speed loader pouch, along with an IFAK kit and pouches for rifle cartridges for our “loaner rifles” (Type 53 Mosins… yeah, not the greatest ever but I am not made of money).
One other “POU” for this gun is as a “truck gun”. They are easy to keep in the truck tucked into the pocket on the back of the seat. Just keep them well oiled and you are good to go.
Design Of The Rock Island Armory M200:
The Rock Island Armory M200 is a standard .38 Special design, along the lines of a Colt or S&W K-Frame. These guns shoot pretty much exactly like a S&W Model 10, though with much less smooth trigger action (a well-worked Model 10 can have a smooth-as-butter trigger that’s a delight to shoot). The 4 inch model comes with a polymer grip (the snubbies, same gun but with a snubby barrel, come with wood grips). The cylinder swings open to the left side of the gun, and it loads just like a Model 10.
The Rock Island Armory M200 has a nice parkerized finish, a front ramp sight and a rear groove. The sights are not adjustable so if you gun is not dead on, about the only thing you can do to adjust it is to file the front sight (not recommended) or just learn where to point it.
Build quality:
Surprisingly good. When I picked up my first Rock Island Armory M200 I was shocked at how well it was built, for that price point. It feels solid, the grip fits my hand well (my wife, who has small hands, thinks it’s a bigger than she would optimally want but not deal-breakingly big.
Rock Island Armory M200 Tale Of The Tape:
Caliber: .38 Special, NOT rated for +P
Weight unloaded: 1.76 lbs
Barrel: 4 inch
Magazine: 6 rounds
MSRP: Don’t know
Street: $200-$229
Shooting The Rock Island Armory M200:
The Rock Island Armory M200 revolvers I own are very accurate, they have excellent triggers that pull well both in single and double action. Very crisp release in double action, and in single action you can easily feel the break-point once you learn the gun. I have measured the trigger pulls on 3 of them, and they average 11.4 pounds in single action and 4.2 pounds in double action.
Recoil is what you would expect from a .38 Special, it’s right in line with the breed.
Timing has been perfect on every one of these I have.
Groups at 25 yards are generally within 3 inches in single action, and I can usually do 2 inches or under in double action. If I miss the target, it’s on me, not on the gun.
Verdict on the Rock Island Armory M200:
Would I make the Rock Island Armory M200 my primary carry gun? No. Having said that, I would not feel totally under gunned if all I had was this revolver and I was in hot water with other people who had nothing but handguns themselves.
The Rock Island Armory M200 is well made and has a decent fit and finish quality, and it’s cheap enough that I can have some on hand to pass out if necessary.
If it were me, I would much rather have a S&W Model 10 or some other similar revolver, but I am a gun guy who appreciates true quality.
These guns are affordable, they are not junk, and I would much rather my newly-joined post-SHTF group members have one of these than walk around unarmed.
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Do u have any problem with the cylinder able to be turned ccw mine does this but locks good to shoot ria 200
Well, I will give this a go next time I have my safe open and leave you a reply then!
You mention it’s similar to a K Frame. Have you ever tried putting K Frame grips on it? I’m curious about doing so but am unsure about compatibility.
No, and honestly until you mentioned it I’ve never considered doing so… I have a Model 19 I could give that a try and see how it fits… I’ll do that the next time I have the guns out.
I purchased one of these revolvers from Rural King last year. Took it to the range making sure I none +P ammo. Shot it 42 times and the gun would not close, closer inspection showed that the gun had catastrophically failed. The forcing cone had gone oblong and split up into the barrel. I contacted Armscor and spent 4 months fussing and arguing with them to get a refund.
Rock island has stated the gun can handle +p ammo but they don’t mark it as such because it wears the gun out faster if you feed it a steady diet of them. I’ve fired +p defensive ammo out of mine with no issues. To date I’ve fed mine over 500 standard pressure loads and around 100 +p loads. I save all my brass and reload standard pressure loads using a Lee loader classic. It’s super easy and inexpensive. I’d highly recommend the lee loader to anyone who preps.
It should be granted that a $200 revolver would not have the same quality of machining as a $1000 revolver. And a lot of precision is required to make sure that the sights are on the mark.
The trigger was very nice – the break was crisp at 6.b for the single action. The double action was light – I would estimate 12-b, but my gauge does not go this far.
I got the snub model. Apparently RIA cloned the colt detective model. It s a ok gun. Once you figure out the sights it s not terrible and range. I like revolver shooting for one particular reason. They don t throw brass which is nice when you reload you own ammo. And it could be useful in other situations as well.
I recently purchased a Rock Island M200 38 spl 4″ barrel revolver for concealed carry. (The snub nose wasn’t available.) The weight of that gun, the grip, the double action trigger pull, pulling the hammer, are all very nice on that gun.
I bought 100 rounds and took it to the range to give it a break in. I was going to fire all shots double action, to simulate a real-life situation. Around shot #72, the mechanism locked up. I let go of the trigger and pulled it again, and the round fired. (There was only one firing pin mark on the round, so the firing pin hit it only the 2nd time, not the 1st time.) I reloaded and shot six more rounds; the sixth one locked again. I removed all rounds, and the unshot one didn’t have a mark on it – the firing pin never hit it. I shot that round, plus all remaining rounds, in single action mode.
I did all of the above with one hand – 2/3 of the shots were with my right hand, and 1/3 with my left hand. Both double action and single action were done entirely with the hand holding the gun. And it was all very nice action, except when the mechanism locked up those two times.
I sent the gun in for repair under warranty. I hope they will fix whatever was wrong, because I sure do like the feel of this gun when I am shooting it.
An odd thing about this gun is that there is oil seeping out from every possible place. Apparently they put a lot of oil inside the gun before closing up the case. I have never seen that on any other revolver.
Update: I have purchased another handgun – the Beretta Px4 Storm Subcompact. (It’s hard to find, but you might find one at Cabela’s or Bass Pro, if you’re willing to drive a ways to get it – I had to drive two hours to get mine.)
I feel revolver-safe carrying this gun with a bullet loaded in the chamber, because it has a decocker, which means that after I rack the slide and load a bullet into the chamber, I can decock the gun and then shoot the first shot as double-action (about 10 lbs). That moderately heavy (and very smooth) DA trigger gives me the confidence I need to carry it locked and loaded.
I just bought the gun, so I haven’t had a chance to shoot it yet; but it sure feels right in every way when I dry-fire it. It has rave reviews for reliability, accuracy, and ergonomics, so I bought it.
Update on the above comment: I took my Beretta Px4 Storm Subcompact to the range and shot 50 rounds. It shoots very smooth and very nice. Very little kick. However, each shot is very loud – I have found 9mm to be that way, so that has nothing to do with the gun, and everything to do with the ammunition caliber.
I REALLY like this gun. It fills my hand, but it doesn’t overfill it – it is a perfect fit for me. And it is small enough to comfortably conceal-carry. I carry at the 3 o’clock position, with the barrel just in front of 3 o’clock, and my shirt tail out. It draws easy, and is quickly in my hand and ready to shoot.
I have heard many say that they don’t like having a safety on this gun, so they changed to a decocker-only, eliminating the safety. They don’t want the safety to be on inadvertently if they have to shoot fast. I’m the opposite – I like the safety on, and the gun decocked. In this way I can have a bullet loaded in the chamber at all times, and not have continual panic attacks. I often practice drawing the weapon and flipping the safety off with my thumb while drawing; I am getting pretty good at it.
By the way, here is the holster I use for IWB carry:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/IWB-Soft-Leather-Holster-Houston-Youll-Forget-Youre-Wearing-It-Choose-Model/112409018547?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=413900654463&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
It is $18.99 on Ebay, with free shipping. It works great with my Beretta.
2nd Update:
Rock Island M200: I got the gun back from repair. The action isn’t quite as smooth, but it hasn’t locked up on me since. I took the side cover off and put some “Gun Butter” lubricant wherever metal rubs against metal. The gun shoots well enough, so I keep it in the nightstand as a home defense gun. And I take it to the range and fire a few shots a couple of times a month.
Beretta Px4 Storm Subcompact: I got a new IWB holster – a kydex holster with a leather and cloth backing — Black Arch Dual Clip IWB Protos-M with Dri-Matrix breathable Backer. After wearing it for a couple of weeks, it is now extremely comfortable to carry with that holster. It was molded for my specific gun, so I feel confident carrying the gun with the safety off when it is in this holster, if the gun is in double action mode. Here’s what I do: I fill the magazine, rack the slide to load one in the chamber, then decock the gun and put the safety on. I now holster it with the safety on; then once it is securely in the holster, I turn the safety off. I now confidently carry it with the safety off, in double action mode. (However, if I use a soft holster (non-kydex), I carry it with the safety on.)
Thoughts:
* One less than the max in the magazine means less wear and tear on my magazine spring.
* Carrying in double action is safer than carrying in single action – I don’t want to carry a gun that is cocked!
* First shot in double action means that the longer and heavier trigger pull reminds me that I am about to shoot the gun – gives me a chance to abort at the last second if I change my mind. Also, double action means less chance of an accidental discharge – I might be distracted. Once I have fired the first shot, that loud “BOOM” has made me fully awake and aware that I am shooting, so I will naturally be fully focused on being careful at the trigger, because 2nd shot will be very easy and short.
Great information, Jim, thanks for the updates!