Help me choose, Old 22 Wheelguns.

B

bullfrog99

New member
I am trying to choose between two old rimfire 22lr wheelguns and I was looking for some options. I gave up on magazine fed auto's, as none I could afford were very reliable, and loading mags is a pain after awhile. Looking at wheelguns, I figured i'de get the best, a smith combat masterpiece model 18, great action, pretty gun, hate the serrated wide target trigger and sights and would not feel compfortable mutilating it by re-doing the trigger to a smooth thin one and filing the sights to my tastes. I decided I wanted an H&R 999 breaktop with a 4" barrel. Running 30 or so ounces, many people say they are accurate, but mostly I like the breaktop concept, and the fact I can reload it fast, I have never handled a four inch model but the concept seem sound. Then I ran accross and shot a buddys old model Ruger Bearcat, 2 screw with the alloy frame, no prefix or anything. Trigger is good, accuracy is very good and it weighs less then 18 oz loaded. Using this gun for both field work(whatever a 22 is used in the field for, rabbits, snakes, wild dogs/cats) and for plinking, choosing between the H&R sportsman (999 breaktop) and the Ruger Bearcat alloy, which would you go with and why.
 
Both are decent shooters, but the Bearcat wins by a mile in sheer class.

Also, if the two are even remotely in the same price class, either you're getting ripped off on the H&R, or you're ripping somebody off on the Bearcat. ;)
 
The Bearcat, definately. Not only is it a Ruger, but it's a cute little booger.
 
My long time favorite has been the Smith & Wesson
model 18, .22 caliber Combat Masterpiece with a 4"
barrel. Discontinued, but still available although
kind'a pricey.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
 
I LOOVVEEE my S&W 18, one of if not my very single favorite handguns that i own.

Between the two you listed, Bearcat hands down. Very light, very handy little gun. Slower to reload, but most likely a better single action trigger than the H&R. Very nifty little gun.
 
I'd give that Smitty a second thought... MOSTfeelthat that WIDE trigger is half the appeal... and BOY, do they shoot!
 
I would lean toward the Smith. It being pre-agreement and a fine gun, would lean heavy in that direction. If it is truly good.

Could also justify either of the others. A lot would depend on the condition of the individual guns and the prices. And what I wanted to use it for.

Here is a really good thread on checkin out revolvers. http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=57816

Sounds like you can't really go wrong, just maby less right.

Sam
 
Bearcat or H&R 999?

Well to quote a famous gunwrighter fellow "Buy-em both!"
Seriously I actually have both guns, through myn999 is a 6" not a 4". Both guns have much to offer but to chose between them it has to be the Ruger. The action is much better and the gun will outlast you(as will the 999) I find my bearcat is more accurate then my999 and is just as much fun to shoot. You may just want to look into a Ruger single six convertable with a 5.5" barrel. Especially if you want to shoot the larger critters you mentioned the magnum cylinder and adjustable sights will come in handy. Yet another option is getting one of the new bearcats (they are being released in stainless soon I hear too) and do a fellow sixgunner has done to his. He had one chamber reamed out to take the 22 magnum round. It works real well in his gun and he shoots the LR most of the time but when more power is called for he just slips a magnum round in the 6th chamber. He has so far made three of these conversions as he so rarely gets to keep one long. His friends trade him out of it! JMHO YMMV
 
I agree with C.R.Sam.
Those K frame S&W .22's are hard to beat. They are some of the most accurate revolvers I've shot.
Personally, I like the wide triggers. They grow on you.
They make them with narrow triggers too though if you want to keep looking.
 
My preference would be the Model 18, with the Ruger second. I have had too many of those H&Rs to fix that I really don't recommend them, although they are fast to reload, which is not true of any of the single actions. If I wanted a Ruger .22, it would be the Single Six, though, not the Bearcat.

Jim
 
someone said the trigger on the 18 can be changed out easily, how? as for the other two, I probably will go with the bearcat, it sounds like the most logical if i don't keep the smith.
 
This won't answer your question, but I have to tell you that recently my father gave me a 39-yr-old .22 revolver that HAD NEVER been fired. He owned it since 1962, and had never put a single round through it. Sounds good, right? I thought so too until I went to the range with it. Its an Iver Johnson, which I knew absolutely nothing about. Anyway, this has got to be one of the biggest pieces of junk guns ever made. Bad accuracy, horrible trigger, terrible ergonomics, poor sights. The cylinder spins freely until the trigger is partially cocked and wobbles otherwise. All that sadi, I will keep it because, until recently, it was the only gun my father ever owned.
 
re; old .22 wheelguns

Go for the .22 Combat Masterpiece... I've owned one for 40 years. Great gun, just a K22 with a 4" barrel. Compact and easy to pack while hunting or hiking... Also, if you look around you can find factory triggers and hammers for sale. They were quite common in gun stores in the sixties and seventies...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top