Gun: RG 14
Manufacturer: RG Industries (Miami, Fla.)
Chambering: .22 LR
Manufactured: c. 1980
Condition: NRA Good (Modern Gun Standards)
Value: $125
Established as an industrial manufacturer in 1909, the Röhm company of Sontheim/Brenz, Germany, created a subsidiary, Röhm Gesellschaft, in the 1950s to manufacture the blank-firing, gas and alarm pistols that were popular in Europe at that time. It soon moved into producing firearms with a line of inexpensive handguns.
The Röhm product that most Americans are probably familiar with is the RG 10, a double-action/single-action, solid-frame, six-shot revolver chambered for .22 Short. Loading was done through a hinged loading gate, and a pin that mounted through the cylinder axis was unscrewed and removed for use as an ejector. The aesthetics of the RG 10 betrayed its blank-firing origins. In the 1960s, the revolver sold for a little more than $10. Adjusted for inflation, this is about the $150 mark that some budget .22 handguns sell for these days. It was marketed under various names, including Rosco, Valor and Zephyr.
The Gun Control Act of 1968 ended the importation of most Röhm products. RG Industries was established in Miami, Fla., to manufacture—using many German-made parts—the smallest Röhm-pattern handguns for domestic sale, as well as to import German-made firearms that were legal under the GCA. The company’s products with a European origin are clearly marked “Made in Germany” and bear that country’s proofmarks.
Röhm/RG model numbers run into the 1990s, and one could assume that either a prototype or an actual firearm that reached production is associated with each number (blank-firing guns were also numbered within this series). No fewer than 28 of these models were available on the U.S. market. RG revolvers are typically .22 rimfire fixed-frame or swing-out cylinder revolvers with a double-action/single-action trigger mechanism. Notable exceptions are its Remington 95-style over/under derringers, Western-style single- and double-action revolvers (due to their European origin, Röhm revolvers sometimes appeared in German and Italian Western films of the 1960s) and full-size “target” models with longer vent-rib barrels and adjustable rear sights. Finishes were typically blued/black, but sometimes part or all of the firearm was nickel-plated. Grips were usually of brown or “ivory” plastic, but some used wood. Certain models were available in an “S” configuration, which had a longer barrel and larger grip.
Röhm also ventured into the centerfire market, with everything from small, pocket-size, semi-automatics in .25 ACP to the steel-frame RG 57, which was chambered in .357 Mag., .41 Mag., .44 Mag. and .45 Colt. The company’s most popular centerfire products were compact revolvers chambered in .38 Spl., like the RG 31.
The model pictured is the RG 14. This revolver was chambered in .22 LR and has an action where unscrewing and removing a rod housed in the cylinder axis allows the cylinder to swing out from the frame on a crane. The rod can then be used to punch out empty cases. The firing mechanism is DA/SA with a rebounding hammer safety. The RG 14 was available with a 1.75-inch barrel—like the model pictured—or a 3-inch barrel. Construction is typical of a Röhm handgun. While the cylinder and barrel are made of steel, other major components, including the hammer, trigger and a partial barrel shroud, are constructed of a cast-aluminum alloy. Grips are brown plastic with “RG” molded into them. After the RG 10, the RG 14 is probably the most prolific Röhm firearm in this country. RG Industries closed in 1986, but the Röhm brand continues with a line of blank- and gas-firing guns marketed through Umarex.
The pistol pictured was an outdoorsman’s budget “kit gun,” as is evident by its finish wear. It is in NRA Good condition. While Röhm firearms have a checkered history, they tend to be surprisingly functional. But, there are much better “budget” firearms currently on the market, and the value of Röhm guns stays low. Consequently, the revolver pictured is worth $125.
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