Features
New for 2025, Rossi’s single-shot Brawler in .300 BLK builds on the company’s young family of break-actions launched in 2023. The Brawler family keeps things incredibly simple. The guns feature a manually cocked hammer, beefy chamber, and a short 9-inch barrel.
The barrel is threaded with the common 5/8x24 TPI for .30-caliber cans, and it hosts 4 inches of Picatinny rail up top for optics. The short length and .300 Blackout chambering make it a gun that begs to be shot suppressed.
There are no iron sights on this model, which is fine for a gun that serves best with some form of optic over the extra-short barrel.
Shooting is a slow affair with the single-shot Brawler. The hammer has grippy serrations and comes with a removable knurled extension handle. This must be manually cocked for each shot, and the action is locked when the hammer is pulled back. Similarly, the extractor pulls cases out of the chamber, but they must be removed by hand from there.
At 3.03 pounds without any accessories, this is a chunky pistol, but that weight eats recoil and lends itself to accurate shooting. I topped my Brawler with a Vortex Crossfire HD 1.5-5.5x32 Scout scope and a Vortex Defender-ST red dot. Both fit without issue on the Picatinny rail.
If you are thinking about adding a scope, remember the hammer requires some space to move freely. I used extra-high scope rings for my Crossfire HD 1.5-5.5x32 Scout scope. This offered a comfortable amount of space for the hammer.
The Brawler has a simple cross-bolt safety. The hammer is locked when the safety is on, but you can activate the safety after cocking the hammer.
I found the trigger broke at a predictable 2.8 pounds. That’s appreciated on a single-shot gun that relies on first-shot accuracy. Some older models chambered for .45 Colt/.410 seem to have trigger pulls closer to 5 pounds. The trigger is crisp, with effectively no travel before the short wall. Personally, I cannot discern any trigger movement between the wall and the break.
While .300 Blackout might sound like a hefty round for a handgun, the Brawler is a soft-recoiling gun in the hand. At 5.8 pounds with a Vortex Crossfire HD and Banish 30 Gold V2 suppressor, both subsonic and supersonic .300 BLK are easy to control when shooting one-handed.
Rossi added aggressive grip texture to the short forend. This is aided by a rubberized pistol grip featuring moderate finger grooves and a recoil-absorbing blue backstrap. There are also aftermarket options for pistol-grip braces and stocks, along with a trigger-guard laser for those who want to get extra tactical.
Specifications
Here’s a quick breakdown of the basic specs for the Rossi Brawler in .300 Blackout.
Weight: 3.03 pounds
Weight (Optic): 4.9 pounds (Vortex Crossfire HD 1.5-5.5x32 Scout scope)
Weight (Optic + Suppressor): 5.8 pounds (Crossfire HD + Banish 30 Gold V2)
Length: 14 inches
Length (Suppressor): 22.2 inches, with Banish 30 Gold V2
Barrel Length: 9 inches
Height: 5.9 inches
Width: 1.3 inches
Picatinny Rail: 4 inches, high/extra-high scope rings recommended with scopes
Barrel Thread Pitch: 5/8x24 TPI
Barrel Grooves: Six
Twist Rate: 1:8 RH
Frame Material: Polymer
Finish: Matte black
Barrel Material: Alloy steel
Trigger Pull: 2.8 pounds
Safety: Cross bolt
Accuracy & Reliability
It should come as no surprise to anyone that this single-shot, break-action pistol was plenty reliable over 100 rounds of testing.
My test ammo included 40 rounds of 220-grain DoubleTap subsonic ammo, 40 rounds of 147-grain DoubleTap match ammo, 20 rounds of 124-grain Sellier & Bellot tactical FMJ loads, 20 rounds of 150-grain Winchester Deer Season XP polymer-tipped ammo, and 20 rounds of 200-grain Winchester Super Suppressed loads.
I also ran two different optics on this gun: the Vortex Defend ST 6-MOA red dot and a Vortex Crossfire HD 1.5-5.5x32 Scout scope. If you opt for a red dot, I recommend a smaller dot size. I simply used the one I had available for testing, and it worked well even with a 6-MOA dot size.
I did much of my shooting during the early stages of winter up here in Wisconsin. That left my trigger finger a bit frozen. Temperatures dipped to just 9 degrees Fahrenheit during my last range trip to get some accuracy targets.
That is a common temperature for hunting where I live, but it does make things a bit more challenging. Regardless, I was able to get the groups below with my DoubleTap match ammo at 50 yards using the Vortex Crossfire HD 1.5-5.5x32 Scout scope.
Using Vortex’s non-magnified 6-MOA Defender-ST red dot, I was still able to get the groups below at 50 yards with both DoubleTap match and subsonic ammo.
Between the cold temperatures and short 9-inch barrel, I was more than pleased with the Brawler’s overall accuracy.
I see this gun as a relatively close-range shooter. Hunters in my state commonly cull deer at ranges from 40 to 70 yards. The Brawler is more than capable of doing that work with some practice and the right ammo.
Suppressor Test
I think the Brawler puts its best foot forward when it has a can on the end of it. I ran a Banish 30 Gold V2 non-flow-through suppressor for nearly all my shooting. It kept even supersonic ammo at a comfortable decibel level.
However, the real win came when I tested my subsonic ammo in the pistol. Offering just 757 fps at the muzzle when using 220-grain DoubleTap subsonic .300 Blackout, the Brawler becomes a compact bullet-slinger that’s remarkably quiet.
Honestly, the video above doesn’t quite do it justice.
I found the Brawler to be an ideal suppressor host because it has a closed single-shot action. Coupled with the long Banish 30 Gold V2 suppressor and its non-flow-through design, this setup became the quietest centerfire gun I’ve tested all year.
Pros & Cons
Here’s my short list of the pros and cons of the Rossi Brawler in .300 Blackout.
Pros:
- Very budget-friendly price
- Accurate
- Reliable
- Very simple to use
- Good grip texture
- Easy to clean and maintain
- Picatinny rail for optics
- Suppressor-ready, with 5/8x24 TPI threads
- Nice, light trigger with a short pull
- Comfortable rubberized grip
- Low felt recoil
- Hammer comes with a side extension
- .300 BLK is very quiet when suppressed
- Potent .300 Blackout chambering
Cons:
- Reloads are slow
- Hammer must be manually cocked
- The high safety location is not very ergonomic
- Cases must be extracted by hand
- Heavy for a single-shot pistol
- No iron sights
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Requires high/extra-high rings for scopes
Final Thoughts
The Rossi Brawler is a bit of an overlooked gem given its price, suppressor-ready barrel, and .300 BLK chambering. The gun is simple but fun to shoot. Beyond that, it could certainly put meat on the table for those capable of finding shootable game at ranges around 50 yards.
This firearm is a great place to start for those looking to test the waters when it comes to handgun hunting. It would also be a great base for a suppressor build, and there are aftermarket options to add a stock or brace to the design.
The short barrel makes it wieldy even with a long suppressor. You do have to sacrifice some velocity with the short 9-inch barrel, but that Brawler makes up for that in accuracy and reliability.
