Best single action for target shooting?

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AID_Admin

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Thanks to you guys I am now set with a beautiful Combat Magnum in case those zombies attack again! :p
However, considering that I am going on the range almost weekly now, shooting Magnum (even with 38 Spl loads) become pretty costly pretty quickly. So, it's an obvious thought to have a nice .22LR revolver, that I can put a few hundred rounds through when I am on the range, and only use Magnum for half-a-box of ammo for fun and practice...

My first though was K22, as everyone considers it just about the best double action target gun. One of the local stores actually has it for sale. The price seems a little high and condition a little "too tired", but I was able to hold it in my hands and it felt good. As I held it, in the next display window I saw a bunch of Ruger Single actions and just for fun I asked to see them. The store had a good variety: Single Ten, single Nine and a few Single Six with interchangeable cylinders - 22LR/22MAG. And they felt really good! All of them. I just loved that strange cowboy style handle! To my surprise it felt very comfortable. Especially on the models with wooden grips.

So now I am thinking... may be I should have a single action .22LR instead of double action? The pros of single action to me are the price and very cool look. The cons are inability to shoot double action and slower reloading (I own a Nagant Revolver with similar reloading process and I don't enjoy it too much).

I guess my questions are: how Ruger single action stands against K22 in accuracy and trigger pull in single action mode. And also, are there other single actions I can look at that are good quality and equipped with adjustable (target style) sights?

Thanks, and of course any thoughts on any 22LR revolvers are welcome! :D
 
Never owned a Smith (nor will I)... as I am a Single Action type of guy. My Ruger Single Six makes it to the range every time I go. Slow unloading is not a problem as you aren't after a lot of speed. Just a fun day target shooting, hip shooting, etc. You'll still be surprised how much 22 you go through! Trigger pull and creep is something you will have to deal with. A new lighter trigger spring is in order (or a PMTJ) helps a lot, but there is still the creep to deal with. Some are worse than others and do smooth out over time. Mine isn't to bad, but I still should get a trigger job done on it. I had Jeff Ault of Munden Enterprises work on one of my .45 Colt revolvers and it now functions extremely well. Still might turn my Single Six over to him to fix it up proper.

As for accuracy, mine shoots very well. Can't compare of course against the K22 as I don't have one. Single Actions do take a bit to get used to, due to the longer hammer fall. Sights are a matter of preference.
 
I went to an informal .22 match this week: an 8 inch K22, a six inch one, and a Single Six. The guy with the Single Six beat us fair and square.

Which goes to tell you, it is the Indian, not the arrow that counts. In the hands of all three of us, the K22s were more accurate and easier to shoot well. But the man with the SS was better- at least that day.
 
I have a 1952 6" K-22. Terrific revolver. I can't compare it to any SA since I don't one. I shot a friend's old single six, and it seemed accurate enough, but I didn't do a side-by-side with my K-22. Besides, to be valid, each would have to be fed the ammo it likes, and be shot from a Ransom rest.

Though I don't own one, I've always been leery of those .22LR/.22mag convertibles: Since the diameter of the .22LR bullet is a hair smaller than the mag, I've always been concerned they wouldn't deliver the kind of accuracy I wanted when shooting .22LR.

Other accurate SAs? Freedom Arms. Period.
 
As noted, a K-22 S&W is exceptionally accurate, one of the most accurate revolvers ever made. But, in most hands, the Single Six is equally accurate. Plus, with the Single Six, you have the possibility of quickly interchanbable cylinders. The K-22 can be a convertible, but not so readily done.

And, why shoot a .22 L.R. DA anyway? For defense practice you'd want a centerfire such as .38 Special for economy and familiarization.

Bob Wright
 
Bob, I agree about no need to shoot 22LR DA due to limited defense abilities of it. That was the sarcastic part of my original post: for those zombies I already have a Combat Magnum :rolleyes: There are two potential issues I see with SA Ruger that concern me a little, since I can not try it before I buy it.

1. Accuracy - I want it to be as accurate as possible, since it's going to be strictly a target gun. Everyone raves about accuracy of K22, but I've read very little about SA accuracy in 22 caliber. Nothing bad, just not enough info.

2. Reloading - not the speed of it, but the ease of it. The only reason I am concerned with that is because I shoot Nagant revolver and while I like the gun in general, cartridges get stock in it. Especially that Russian surplus ammo. Oh, man! Sometimes it stock to the point that I have to remove the cylinder and knock it against the counter. After this exercise you'll think twice before getting another wheel gun with a cylinder that does not open :eek:
 
AID_Admin said:
Bob, I agree about no need to shoot 22LR DA due to limited defense abilities of it.
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Maybe I should've explained a little bit :rolleyes:: A .22LR DA/SA revolver makes an excellent understudy to your combat magnum. Just as having a piano in one's living room doesn't make one a piano player, so is having a combat magnum; it'll take lots of trigger time to get proficient with it, and a .22LR understudy helps you get it without breaking the bank. Come to think of it, my 4" 617 is just about my most versatile gun - as an understudy, for rimfire steel (shot DA, of course), and for target work, where it's the equal of my 6" K-22.

Speaking of target work, you'd be surprised how accurate one can be with a DA trigger. Most aren't, but it's more a matter of practice and mindset than the inherent quality of the trigger pull.
 
Speaking of target work, you'd be surprised how accurate one can be with a DA trigger.
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Oh, I believe it! I practice DA shooting regularly (mostly with a rental 617) and actually get very similar results to SA. Now, I am not saying I am any good, I just say I am almost equally bad in both SA and DA shooting :D

I Find 617 6" being a little too bulky for me, but it's a very nice and accurate gun!
 
As far as a cartridge getting stuck, not as much problem with a single action, as you're ejecting only one cartridge, whereas with a side break revolver, you're trying to eject six at once.

Bit a swollen case in a .22 is unlikely with most ammunition.

But as to accuracy, all of my .22 single actions have been accurate enough for squirrel hunting. Even .22L.R./.22 Mag convertibles.

Bob Wright
 
I've been browsing around for a K-22, and would buy one in a heartbeat. They say..."that if you can shoot a double action accurately, you should be proficient in shooting anything else accurately." I like my six-shot SA Ruger Hunter 22lr/22 mag...it does have a V-notch {hunter} rear sight. I put the front gold bead at the bottom of the V-notch for a 50 yard zero --- have it level at the top of the rear for a 100 yard zero --- with a 3X Nikon pistol scope mounted on top.

The Ruger Repair Shop...has a very good reputation, for dealing with customer's.

You should be able to load/unload a single action blindfolded --- in a timely fashion --- that warrants a look-see condition for bad guys when not blindfolded; while loading and unloading. {You should inspect each cartridge before loading.}

Currently...the back order for a Ruger Hunter --- is a one year wait. If the store has a Ruger SA in stock...consider yourself lucky --- and buy it --- while you still have the chance.
 
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The Single Six is an excellent revolver. The 5.5 and 6.5 barrel seem to have a really good balance and are very accurate. They may be a bit slow to load and unload but to me thats all part of the fun. You can get pretty quick shucking the empties out if you spend enough time at it.
 
The single six and the K22 are both great guns. As for trigger pull, there isn't a Ruger of any kind that compares with a K22. You will need a trigger job on the Ruger to come even close and then it'll probably have a little creep in it. I have both guns and got lucky on the trigger job. The SS is my holster gun.
 
Been awhile but as I recall, the Single Six, like most SAs, has a long and somewhat heavy hammer fall compared to the DA Smith 17 or 617, and the
Smith has a better single action letoff from the get-go.
 
How accurate do you have to be? For most people there's not going to be enough accuracy difference to tell.

What makes the difference is how the gun fits in your hand.
 
How accurate do you have to be? For most people there's not going to be enough accuracy difference to tell.
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Ha-ha, good question! It's all relative. I am more accurate with S&W 686 than with my Nagant. But there is an obvious difference between those two guns and loads they use.
I guess the accuracy question should be rephrased to "Is there a noticeable difference in accuracy between K22 and Ruger Single Six". But from what I gather so far: there isn't. The main difference is the smoothness of the trigger where K22 has and edge...
 
AID_Admin said:
Do empties mostly fall out when you turn the gun muzzle up, or do you really need to use an extractor?
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You'll need to use the extractor. At least the K-22 and 617 chambers are pretty tight, and rimfire brass is pretty thin. And rimfire pressures are surprisingly high.

AID_Admin said:
How accurate do you have to be? For most people there's not going to be enough accuracy difference to tell.
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Ha-ha, good question! It's all relative.
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It's relative, yes. Compared to the folks you'll see at your local indoor range, you don't have to be very good to be a relative crack marksman. Get out some, though, and you'll see a whole 'nuther world.

FWIW, my metric for good (but not outstanding) marksmanship is honest and consistent 3" at 25 yards. That's 5 rounds, shot standing, unsupported (without time constraints) with a capable service-sized handgun, consistently shot into 3" (c-c) groups. A "good" revolver shooter should be able to do this in DA, of course. And "honest" means everything counts. No "fliers". :rolleyes:
 
Most accurate 22LR I have ever used is the S&W model 17 6 inch. I used to rent this revolver at the range and had a blast shooting it. But I just could not justify paying the kind of money most shops want for one.
I settled on a Ruger single six 6.5 convertible. Accurate enough and just as much fun. Plus the cost for a good used one is around $300. A S&W model 17 around $600 used in my area.
Howard
 
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