Inexpensive .22lr revolver?

A

aaronrkelly

New member
I am looking at adding a .22lr pistol to my wee aresenal. Originally I had planned to get a Browning Buckmark or Ruger but I recently bought my first revolver and decided that Im no longer an "automatic only" snob.

What inexpensive (but not junk) .22lr revolver should I look for. By inexpensive I mean under $200 - I was only planing on buying the base Buckmark at $239 so if I cant get a revolver cheaper thats what I will buy.
 
Errrrr, only three makes come to mind - Ruger, S&W, Taurus. And, at least here in the PRK, $200 might not get the job done.

Of the three makes above, for a .22 revo I gotta say S&W really has the firearm to beat. It's a gorgeous 10-shot - toss in a couple of speedloaders and you really have one of the best plinkers ever made. I have two autoload .22's and yet I lust after the S&W...
 
I'm sorry to be negative but I think there is no place in the World for a .22 revolver. A good autoloader is much much better. The thing about .22's is they are cheap and fun to shoot. Fiddling around loading and unloading a revolver is sort of anti-fun.
Besides that the cylinders can get tight quite quickly and need to be cleaned.

The Buckmark is a good .22 and relatively trouble free. Not only that, but they are popular and easy to re-sell.
Have a good think about it. Do you really want a .22 revolver that is harder to shoot than an auto (thinking double action here - you have to turn the cylinder as well as crank the hammer back.)

My advice would be to try one out. Any Smith would be good.
And another thing - the triggers are heavy, they need to be because the primer is brass cased - no light tap Federals here.

Forget about it (unless you love it - then you are doomed, as many of us are, to buy an orphan.)
 
A good .22 revolver is alot of fun and a great way to hone your shooting skills.
For a new .22, in your price range, about all you have to pick from is Heritage. They have improved their product line in recent years and make nice revolvers, all are single action.
If you are wiling to look at used guns, then Ruger Single Six comes to mind. My local shop just sold a nice used one for $189. It is the best single action .22 out there. Even used, the S&W 17 will be high. Taurus has a double action .22, I think it is the model 94. It would be more reasonable.
I think a good .22 revolver is a great gun. Look around, talk to the guys at the gun shops. You'll find a good one and have a great time with it.
 
I hate to say it but,,

A new mfg. semi auto is twice the gun for half the price in .22lr..

If you're bound and determined to get a .22 revolver, put it on the back burner and save up for it.
By all means keeep your eyes peeled because you never know when you'll stumble across a great buy.

Best bang for your buck in a high quality .22 revolver is probably going to say Dan Wesson on it.
A $225/$250 Dan revolver is better than most semi auto's costing twice as much.
 
I bought a High Standard Sentinel about 2 years ago off of gunbroker.com. This is a nine shot revolver and mine has been reliable and accurate. Paid about $150 for it. It's also light weight. I don't find that it takes any longer to load the revolver than it does to fill a magazine, and in the case of a ruger mag, the revolver is not as hard on the thumb.
 
i have a eaa bounty hunter .22lr/22mag it is a good little gun i dont know how much they are i got mine in a trade
 
Buy what you want, because you want it. I'm starting to bring my wife's opinion around to meet mine on shooting sports, and each time I take her out I ask her to try shooting a centerfire weapon, and she hates it.

But, she loves those .22 firearms. So do I, because for the price of 50 centerfire shots, I can have 550 .22 shots. I don't need flame and noise to have fun.

That said, I convinced her to try a handgun. She wanted a single action revolver because they're "pretty." Hey, whatever, I won't argue.

We looked at alot of 'em, lately. She liked the Ruger Bearcat's size, but agreed that larger revolvers fit her hand better (and mine, of course!). Also checked out the Ruger Single Six and Uberti.. Uhm.. whatever they're called.

We ended up with a Ruger Bisley New Vaquero Single Six (that's a mouthful), a .22 revolver that has the same top as the Vaquero and the Bisley frame. Cost me closer to $400 than $200, which was more than I planned on spending, but whatever.. We'll have it forever.

And y'know what, ya haters.. Its awesomely fun to shoot. ;)

There's a guy selling a GORGEOUS Bearcat just the other day on here. If I hadn't just bought that other revolver, I would totally own that gun. Its BEAUTIFUL!
 
How can anyone say don't buy a revolver because you have to load it.What about those damn clips you have to stop and load every 20 or 30 shots.I would rather shoot a revolver than have to load clips any time. You might find a Ruger Single Six around for that price,that is what I sold mine for :)
 
While revolvers do slow you down with the loading process I have yet to find any automatic that feels the same way in your hand as a good single-action wheelgun. aaronrkelly, buy what makes you happy! You might get lucky at a show or a gun shop and run across a used Ruger single six for the right money. Good luck, and let us know what you come up with.
 
I'm sorry to be negative but I think there is no place in the World for a .22 revolver. A good autoloader is much much better. The thing about .22's is they are cheap and fun to shoot. Fiddling around loading and unloading a revolver is sort of anti-fun.

:confused: :rolleyes: :barf:
 
The main advantage of the .22 Revolver over the SemiAuto in my eyes is the ability to shoot all kinds of ammunition. Part of the beauty of .22 lr, besides cost, is the availability of all types of ammunition. Rat shot for... well... rats (snakes too)... Colibris and CB caps for bird or small animal dispatch, Shorts for backyard shooting, HV HPs for hunting and/or SD, cheap bulk pack solids for target practice... the revolver is the only option that'll actually feed all this stuff no sweat. Semi-Autos are limited by their design in this aspect.

As far as what to actually buy, the Heritage guns are probably your best bet in this price range. If you'd be willing to accept a smaller gun that's not really a "target piece" you may look into the NAA Black Widows or something similar. A used Ruger or Taurus would be a fair bet as well...

http://naaminis.com/index02.html
http://www.heritagemfg.com/
 
I have a Heritage alloy frame 6" gun, and while it is an inexpensive gun, it shoots quite well. I have the LR and Mag cylinders, and both are extremely accurate. Definitely a good buy for 129.00 brand new.

Sure, it doesnt have the prestige and pride of ownership the single six does, but for my uses, it is just as good.
 
I don't condemn .22 revolvers because I don't know anything about them. I didn't say I don't know how to use one either.
I have had several. I even had speedloaders for one (S&W M17), they were not very efficient, unlike the jet-loaders I use in my other revolvers.

The original enquirer seemed in two minds about whether he should buy a revolver or an auto (Buckmark) - my response was aimed at steering him towards the best choice. Obviously I think it's the auto, and I gave my reasons.

Sure almost any gun is fun, even if one struggles with it's perversity and lack of utility.

So, look at it as I did - Which one for starters and why?
Generally I prefer revolvers ahead of autos, just not in .22 cal.
 
I dunno, the pleasure of rotating the cylinder and using the ejector to push out each empty from a single action revolver is incredibly relaxing and enjoyable after meticulously taking aim, easing back that hammer and then letting it drop.

But hey, what do I know? I also smoke a pipe that takes about 5 minutes to carefully prepare to smoke an an hour to finish; and take photographs with a camera that takes about a half hour to setup, only to carefully develop each sheet by hand.

Sure, I could smoke a cigarette or use a digicam, but where's the fun in doing something quickly, when you can relax and take your time?

gfen, old before his time.
 
I have nothing against slow and relaxed living. I even think it's healthy.
If that's your preference, then go for it by all means.

I know some precision rifle shooters who are pretty much like that. Everything has to be right and time is immaterial. Can't say I disagree with them either.

Getting back to the point, which is: .22 revolver or auto? ( you can shoot an auto slowly too, if you like) - If money is no object, then buy both. In this case that's not the situation. So it's one or the other.

For me, it's hands down the auto, and a popular easy re-seller, like the Buckmark is a good choice. I don't think there is much more to say about why. Maybe, in favor of the revolver I could say it's less likely to burn up as much ammo - using an auto on full song for extended periods will do that.
Another good thing about a revolver is that it doesn't spray cases everywhere. I still recommend the auto.
 
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