The Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous has quickly become the debut arena for some of the biggest names in the firearms industry. As with years past, Rossi was in attendance for 2023 and brought out plenty of interesting offerings. Among them was the Tuffy Survival Rifle, a compact, single-shot firearm that can be tucked into a go-bag and is chambered to .45 Colt pistol ammo or .410 shotshells up to 3 inches in length. Shooting the Rossi Tuffy Survival Rifle became a highlight of the event.

Shooting the Rossi Tuffy Survival Rifle

Considering that most survival rifles are chambered in anemic .22 LR, the Tuffy immediately caught my eye. As the staff took me through some of the features, I dropped a round in and centered it on one of the DOA targets. Expecting the tiny rifle to kick like a mule, I was delighted and quickly followed up with three more. A sucker for minimalist firearms, this was all it took for me to know I wanted to get one back home for more testing.

If you’re familiar with the Brawler pistol that Rossi released earlier last year, the Tuffy shares the same action. A frame-mounted release is located on the right side, which allows the shooter to crack the breach and load or unload a round. As you reach the bottom of the stroke, an ejector activates and aggressively kicks out whatever is in the chamber. After loading a fresh round and snapping it closed, the shooter can then decide to cock the hammer and fire or carry it safely in the down position as a transfer bar protects against accidental discharge. A secondary hammer block safety is present for anybody who prefers the cocked-and-locked method, but aside from that, the gun is void of any other controls. 

Performance Feature Set

For a design that is supposed to be bare bones, the Tuffy Survival comes with a promising set of features. The stock is built with a generous thumbhole that cuts weight while making it more comfortable to grip. It leaves just enough meat to mount a bilateral shell holder, letting you keep eight rounds on board so you can just drop the gun in a bag and forget about it. It’s entirely removable, too, should you wish to shed some weight or affix it somewhere else, like a belt or a vehicle. A deeply-grooved rubber butt pad completes the furniture, making it one cozy little gun overall. Lastly, the gun features a pair of fixed iron sights and a Picatinny Rail to give the end user an easy means of adding an optic if they so wish.

Like most guns of this style, Taurus built the Tuffy as a takedown system. Underneath the polymer forend, you’ll find a knurled knob around the sling swivel. By loosening it with your fingers, it can be removed, followed by the forend itself. From here, just open the action, and the barrel will fall free from the receiver. In this state, I was able to fit the entire rifle into the 5.11 All Hazards Nitro backpack that we were issued to cover the event. Assembling it is as simple as reversing the steps, which again does not require any tools to complete.

Optic-Ready Platform

Although the gun comes with a set of sights, I wanted to see just how well it could do if I stretched it to carbine distance. To that end, I mounted one of Leupold’s new Mark 4HD LVPOs to the integrated Picatinny rail to ensure a repeatable sight picture and add 4.5x magnification to the package. I know what you’re thinking: I just quadrupled the value of the gun by doing so, but glass is a “get what you pay for” endeavor, so if you’re in a situation where the only source of food comes out during twilight, you better be able to see it. 

Guns that shoot multiple types of ammunition have double the utility and equal twice the fun, so I dipped into two buckets to feed it. Shotshells are excellent for birds and small game, while .45 Colt can easily dispatch a whitetail or even a black bear, should the need present itself. Built explicitly for hunting, Winchester’s Big Bore line features a semi-jacketed hollow-point bullet tuned to expand at the Colt’s inherent low velocity.

For my scattergun needs, I chose Remington’s Premier TSS Turkey load. Being that the Tuffy can accept 3-inch shells, it paid to carry the hardest-hitting option possible. Additionally, the Tuffy comes with a more constrictive “straight-rifled” choke to tighten the pattern, so I was curious to see what a 50-yard shot would produce. Lastly, because the gun is enjoyable to shoot, I added a few boxes of Freedom Munition’s jacketed flat-point fodder to my range pile and was set to go have a little fun in the back 40. 

Rounds Downrange – Shooting the Rossi Tuffy Survival Rifle

I began my day by zeroing the optic with the Winchester load and gathering some velocity data. Almost always subsonic, the .45 Colt is a fair bit quieter than most other centerfire rounds and is always nice for the neighborhood. With minute-of-deer-sized groups from both .45 Colt loads, I was happy enough to swap in the more constrictive choke and lay into a Birchwood Casey turkey target with the Remington TSS Shells.

Shooting a target built to scale, putting an average tally of 16 pellets in the head and neck area thrilled me. This is terrific performance for the paltry .410 shotshell, especially at 50 yards. I wrapped things up by addressing the stationary Caldwell steel army that has established a camp on the northeast corner of our property. Landing 125-yard shots with the Freedom Munitions load proved entirely feasible; I just needed to come up with a hold before being able to do so.

Final testing involved shooting the woods walk with the Tuffy, where I found its true value was in its maneuverability. Offhand shots were a cinch, as it barely felt like I was shooting a rifle. Shooting off a knee was also excellent, and its compact nature minimized my silhouette, making me more effective in a hunting situation. There are plenty of reasons to pick one of these up, but at less than $375, the only question to ask is, why not?

5.11 A/T 8” Side Zip Boots

Survival requires being able to transverse whatever terrain is between you and sustenance. 5.11 Tactical’s A/T boots ensure that you make it, regardless of how rugged, steep, or even wet your road may be. The waterproof side-zip construction enables putting them on at a moment’s notice. The ATLAS system helps keep you comfortable, no matter how heavy your loadout is or how far you need to hump it. A polishable toe also makes them excellent for dress wear because they deserve a little use while the world isn’t completely in shambles, for now, at least. (511tactical.com)

5.11 V.XI XTU Pants

If you’ve got to bug out, it pays to stow away a pair of pants that can endure anything. The 5.11 V.XI XTU pants make up part of a complete uniform set of the same name. The design serves rough use without limiting mobility. Above all, they feature a three-piece modular kneepad system that is fully adjustable. This assures that they align with your knee when you land. A lace hook on each leg helps them return to this point without having to shimmy them into place, and a specialized ventilation system keeps you cool when things get hot. (511tactical.com)

Accuracy Results

Taurus Tuffy Survival Rifle Specs:

• Caliber: .45 Colt/.410, 3-inch
• Barrel: 16 inches
• Overall Length: 30.9 inches
• Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Stock: Polymer
• Action: Hinge action
• Capacity: 1
• Finish: Black Oxide
• Trigger: Single action – 5 pounds, 14 ounces
• MSRP: $356.99