.22 revolver

A

another okie

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I have an early Ruger standard which I would like to preserve a little since it's a family heirloom. (from wife's grandfather, have promised to hand it down) For a plinker I would like another .22 handgun. I have a revolver in mind so I can shoot shorts and those little colibri rounds for quiet plinking.

I have looked at Ruger bearcats and single-sixes, and I like the idea of the light weight of the bearcat, but the flexibility of the single-six is appealing. I know Ruger also makes the SP 101 in .22lr, but that seems like a very heavy handgun for .22.

What other brands and models should I look at? Taurus? I hate to sound bitter, but I'm still not really willing to buy a Smith.
 
Dan Wesson Model 22 or 722 if you prefer stainless.

Not exactly light, built on their "small" frame designed around the .357 Mag Model 15 / 715. Very accurate, and barrel length can be changed in 10 minutes.
Take Care
 
I have an old Ruger Standard Model myself that I've had since 1976. Thousands of rounds through it with no appreciable wear (other than holster wear on the blueing). My impression is these things are like hammers - and will pound out as many rounds as a hammer can nails with little apparent wear. In other words, I wouldn't be too shy about shooting it. That's what it was built and bought for - so why not use it.

As far as DA revolvers go, Taurus has a Model 94 that looks like a good gun for a reasonable price. The down side of the SP101 in .22 is weight and only a 6 round capacity. S&W has some nice ones, but they will be a lot more expensive than a comparable Taurus. If SA revolvers are suitable, the Rugers are great. Especially if you want the .22LR / .22 Mag conversion option (can't get such "convertable" guns in any DA revolver that I'm aware of).
 
I have a Taurus 94 stainless 4 inch. Love it. Was just at a gun show. Saw lots of them at $300. Used $250. Get one for each hand.
 
I'm with Butch on this one . Can't beat the model 17 Smith for pure shooting joy. Had mine since '73 & still enjoy shooting it more than any other gun I own
 
I agree with charleym3. You could almost buy 2 Taurus 94's for the price of 1 S&W. I now own several Taurus revolvers and love them (several hundred rounds in both). I know that there is some negative comments regarding Taurus, but I am positive that all gun makers make a lemon once in a while!
 
Well, you could always get a Heritage Rough Rider. Not a bad little plinking revolver. Mine is surprisingly accurate. They are quite inexpensive, if money is a factor. I picked up my .22LR about seven years ago (new) for $75.00. For about $15.00 more you can get a magnum cylinder in addition to the LR on most models.

http://www.heritagemfg.com/
 
Ruger Bearcat. Small and light enough to slip into a pocket. Fun to shoot. Slow to load so kids can't waste a brick in 10 minutes.
 
I went to the gun show in Tulsa yesterday and looked at all the choices mentioned above. I think if I were looking for a target-plinker it would definitely be the Smith 17, but I decided I wanted something smaller, so I bought a Taurus ultra 9, a nine-shot snubbie. I was partly thinking that since I already have a Taurus 85 this would fit the holsters for it, and be easier to stick in my pocket and walk around the place that a big gun. The Ruger bearcat is cute, but was not really comfortable in the hand, and the bigger rugger .22s had the same problem (size) as the Smith, with the extra disadvantage of single action. All seemed to be well-made weapons, and we're really talking about taste, not quality or function.

I shot it a little when I got home. The short sight picture does require concentration. The Colibris are a gas! Really almost no noise - it sounds like a small cap pistol. I think in a slightly longer barrel they would make almost no noise.
 
22 ,favoites

I bought a new Ruger 22/45 ,to learn how to shoot lefty after having an index and middle finger basically reattached. It was great ,
but I wanted something with a little more trigger pull tension to stretch the formerly cut tendon. I came close to buying a Taurus ss steel 4" but found a
ss steel S&W w/ an 8 3/8 bbl for $100 more . It was like new and came with
a scope, AWESOME!!. A cheap way to play "Dirty Harry" :D
 
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My first handgun was a Ruger Super Single Six that my father bought me for painting houses with him for a whole summer back when I was about 11 or 12. I still shoot it fairly often.

But, for everything from plinking to target work, my 6-shot S&W 617 6" barrel is hard to beat. I bought it used, missing the rear sight assy, for $100. I've found it just as accurate at my S&W M41.

I know that you say you won't buy a S&W, and I had that attitude for a while back when the Brits owned the company. That's what forced me to buy a Taurus M85 UltraLite. What a POS. The cylinder would bind up after almost every shot, and the factory couldn't fix it. They wanted to "try" to repair it 3 times before they would consider replacement, and they wanted me to keep paying for shipping to them! I know some people like Taurus's and have great luck with them. They are good guns, if you get a good one. But, if you don't, their customer service and their "Lifetime (what a joke) Warranty" is horrible.
 
Paid $150 for a used Charter Arms Pathfinder w/adj.sgts. and 3" bbl. last week. Haven't shot it yet but it checked out tight as all get out. Next to it was a nice used K-22 blued w/ 6" bbl, for $550. Maybe I should have put something down on the K-22, but I believe I'd rather have what I got. I'm not going to abuse it, but want a working gun I won't cry over if it gets scratched up or a bit of rust.
 
Rusty, I have one of those little pathfinders. Kind of like a S&W kit gun ripoff. Mine has a great action and is pretty accurate. ( although liek a kit gun, it can be hard to shoot consistantly due to it's size.) I think you'll like it allot.
As for the k-22, a true pre-17 k-22 might be worth $550 ( or more) but there are LOTS of 6" m-17 K-22's ( ro 617's) around that can be had for $300-$400. Don't give up. They are THE .22 revolver to own IMHO.
 
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