Is Freedom Arms 97 .22 $1300 better than a ruger bisley .22

J

jlbpa

New member
Saw a writeup of the freedom arms 97 .22. It said it was wonderful and wonderfully accurate. Anybody have a ruger bisley 6 1/2 and happy with it's accurracy?
 
I have a 5.5" Single Six stainless and it is a fairly accurate revolver. As to your question - is the FA better by $1300? For the average shooter I would say no. Plinking grade accuracy is probably enough for most 22 revolver shooters.

For someone competing in revolver rimfire silhouette or wanting extreme revolver accuracy for hunting the FA would certainly meet their needs.

If you are debating on getting a Bisley I would say go ahead and get one. My Single Six is a true pleasure to shoot! True , they won't shoot the one inch groups at 50 yards but I have no plans to part with mine anytime soon!
 
The Ruger is a good revolver, but it can't compare to the FA. Think of the Ruger as a plinker and the FA as a precision machine.
 
I got an adjustable sighted 1970's 5 1/2" Single Six that will shoot 1" groups all day at 25 yards with an old brick of Federal .22 longs.

Anyone who reads my posts will know that I'm no fan of the guns they've been stamping Ruger on lately....
 
bisleytargets.jpg

Very likely, the FA will shoot tighter groups than this. But, so will the Bisley. The limiting factor here is my shooting. The FA is very nice but there is something to be said for a gun that will shoot sub-one-inch groups at 25 yards and has coil springs throughout.
 
When I first got my Bisley I was very dissapointed in its accuracy, probably the worst of any gun I have handled. Someone on this forum mentioned replacing the base pin. Once I did that I was very surprised at how the accuracy improved. After shooting it a whole lot more it is a keeper.
 
I don't have any revolvers yet so I don't know what a base pin is or where it is located. Please expound on what characteristics of a new base pin cause accuracy improvements.

Thank you.
 
The cylinder revolves around the base pin. A tighter base pin means less axial movement of the cylinder which creates a more precise alignment of the chamber to the bore.
 
Majic explained it a lot better than I could. Buyiing and installing the Belt Mountian base pin was a much cheaper alternative than trading and buying a new gun.
 
A Ford Focus has essentially all of the functionality of a top of the line Mercedes...it depends on how you want to get there. I have an FA 83 and a Ruger SBH. Both work very well, but the FA does everything better. In real life, I'm not sure I need it done that much better, but it is enjoyable.

One thought...you can trim that $1300 delta a good bit by buying one used. It's not like someone can burn out the forcing cone on a .22 RF or anything... :D
 
1300

Why not buy your choice of reasonable .22lr (i bet there are a bunch) and use the rest of your moolah you woulda spent on the FA and buy another gun? Thats what I would do, my list of desired firearms is long, and $ is short. :cool:
 
I look at it like this: Would I get more use/enjoyment from that money if I put it elsewhere? The answer is ususally "Yes" but you'll have to make that determination for yourself. $1300 is a lot of money that can go tward other guns, ammo, reloading, television, car, motorcycle, home improvments, etc . . .
 
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