Rossi Circuit Judge 22LR/22Mag Revolving Carbine

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There's been lots of talk about the new Rossi line of Circuit Judge carbines, however, most seems to focus on the .410 shotgun models. I see little talk about the 22LR/22Mag model.

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So I figure I will start a thread discussing this specific gun. This thread should ONLY discuss the 22LR/22Mag model. Please don't bring in the .410 model because it's irrelevant as far as this model is concerned.

Now, on with my thoughts on this model.

I see this gun as filling a niche that has never been filled. I like the increased power the 22 mag gives, but have never bought a 22 magnum rifle because that increase was never, to me, worth buying a dedicated rifle for it. If I needed more than a 22 LR I grabbed my .223. I however own two convertible 22LR/22 mag handguns, a Ruger 3-Screw 22LR/22 Mag and a H&R 650 22LR/22 Mag (Because I wanted a DA/SA trigger.) I can shoot cheap 22 LR and with a quick swap shoot the more powerful 22 mag.

This gun serves the same purpose. I now can get the benefits of these convertible revolvers in a rifle package, not to mention I can now get a swing out convertible handgun, as that is another model they are releasing.

On the NFA side of things, I also see this as a prime SBR candidate. I haven't seen any hard numbers, but the barrel looks like it is about 18" long. Chop that to about an inch past the end of the forearm should get you about 9". Would make a dandy camping/survival rifle. The barrel would still be plenty long to realize the potential of the 22 mag.

Add to the fact that it comes with open sights makes it even better for that purpose. The front sight seems like it is held on with a screw, so moving it to the front of the shortened barrel should be simple.

You also combine the reliability of a revolver with the followup shot ability of an autoloader. Need accuracy? Cock the hammer for SA mode Need a quick followup shot? Just pull the trigger again.

Does anyone know the MSRP on this thing? I can't seem to find one.

Does anyone know availability at this point?

Now some concerns:

How accurate will this be? I don't care about shooting pennies at 50 yards, but I do care about being accurate enough to say, have a good chance of hitting a rabbit at 50 yards if I do my part.

What kind of POI shift will we see when switching between cartridges? If the change is just elevation I see no problem. If the POI shift includes any significant left/right movement then there are going to be problems.

How much performance from the 22 mag will we lose through the barrel/cylinder gap?

What are your thoughts?
 
The convertabity factor is cool, but the question is how much will the POI shift when switching between magnums and LRs. You could save money over having one gun for each caliber if you put a good scope on it, but if you have to switch scopes when you switch wheels I would just as soon have two seperate rifles, especially considering how cheap 22 rifles are.
 
Rossi 22 cal LR/22 Mag Revolving Carbine Rifle

Folks,

I am looking for a reliable 22 cal. rifle for target practice and varmint hunting. I have a lever action, semi-auto, and a pump 22 that have all jammed at the worse times possible. My 22 cal. 40 year old revolver pistol has fired flawlessly over the years. I am considering the Rossi Circuit Judge 22LR/22Mag Revolving Carbine for the revolving action reliability. Other than the $500 price I’ve been quoted, are there any drawbacks to this rifle? I’d like something I can pass on to my son that will still work years from now. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
when is this .22lr/.22mag revolver rifle coming out!? i want some reviews on quality/accuracy/trigger pull before i even consider spending $500.

great idea though. i too have bad luck with .22s. semi autos and even levers sometimes. levers, pumps, bolt actions, they all require feeding and extraction and a .22lr isn't good at that compared to other rounds.

the .22lr revolver rifle should have been popular long ago. i don't get it.
 
I am looking for a reliable 22 cal. rifle for target practice and varmint hunting. I have a lever action, semi-auto, and a pump 22 that have all jammed at the worse times possible. My 22 cal. 40 year old revolver pistol has fired flawlessly over the years. I am considering the Rossi Circuit Judge 22LR/22Mag Revolving Carbine for the revolving action reliability. Other than the $500 price I’ve been quoted, are there any drawbacks to this rifle? I’d like something I can pass on to my son that will still work years from now. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.
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I would just buy a quality bolt action rifle .22 lr and be done with it if you aren't satisfied with your current rifles. For $500 you can have a good .22 lr and Mag that you and your son could hunt small game together with no need to wait to pass it down. That said I'm sure the Rossi is a reliable firearm, since revolvers are about as dependable as you can get in a handgun.
 
taylorce1 + 1

I would just buy a quality bolt action rifle .22 lr and be done with it if you aren't satisfied with your current rifles.
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I've always thought that just about any firearm had a time and place. That would include the Judge type handguns. I'm sure these revolver rifles do as well but hard pressed to come up with a "good" service that couldn't be filled with something better. It's certainly you call and your money. ..... ;)

Be Safe !!!
 
It is kind of hard to compare energy since they rarely use the same bullets. Using 40 grain bullets the .22 WMR will have 200 ft-lbs more energy at the muzzle and about 75 ft-lbs more at 150 yards. At 150 yards the .22 WMR is usually only a few ft-lbs less energy than the .22 lr at the muzzle.
 
it's a cool concept and I would think about one as well as the taurus convertible DA revolver but honestly I don't trust them to build a reliable gun based on my own personal experience. if you get one and it works for you that's awesome.
 
Tidbits:

A .22 Mag is twice as powerful as the .22 LR.

A .22 Mag at 100 yards has the same velocity as a .22 LR at the muzzle.

A 5" .22 Mag pistol is more powerful than any .22 LR rifle

A .22 Mag rifle has the same energy as a .44 Special

Gehr
 
I doubt that the "rifle" will be as accurate as a bolt action, perhaps even a semi-auto. Each chamber could have a different POI, not as noticeable in a handgun, but probably very distracting in a rifle, which is supposed to be more accurate.

I also don't like the idea of having a cylinder so close to my face, should a case rupture or a slight chamber misalignment should occur. I'm still trying to figure out why anyone would buy the .410/45 LC model, but the "build it and they will come" philosophy has worked for other guns. Time will tell.
 
Uberti put out a revolving carbine in .22lr with a spare .22 mag cylinder that you could drop in. I purchased one of these about 30 years go. The point of aim is different depending on what ammunition & cartridge is used.
The concept is good, the action is reliable, but the revolving carbine is nowhere near as accurate as a bolt action. The Uberti had a habit of sending the occassional bit of shrapnel out the side of the cylinder, but maybe the "new" Rossi design has overcome this issue.
The revolving carbines with inter-changeable cylinders are a fun, unique rifle, but after the novelty wears off, you will wish you had something more accurate - I know I did.
The first revolving carbines were made over a century ago. The reason the revolving carbine never really took off, is they really arent that good.
 
Regarding the Circuit Judge .22 LR/Mag

I read a whole lot of opinons from people have never shot this particular rifle. I have had one for several months. Even though the original post says not to mention it I also own the .45/410 version as well and the original Judge revolver and Raging Judge. Back on track, the .22 cal circuit judge is my favorite rifle to shoot. It is fun it is accurate. I boresighted it in my home at around 30 feet. The scope I mounted on elevated rings to retain use of very adequate adjustable sights. I have put several hundred rounds down range. It is very accurate left to right. I shot the orange out of my target at the range today at 25 yards. Very, very tight groups. At 50 yards was shooting about 6" high, still very good left to right. Did not shoot at 100 today, will check it out at 100 then decide what range I will sight scope in for. Adjusting for the 6" elevation change was still able to put lead on the orange from 50 yrds. Love this rife very fun to shoot. Light, accurate, and an attention getter at the range. Guy next to me today wanted to shoot it. Let him shoot it as well. First time he shot it after a couple of shots he was in the paint at 25 yrds. Hope this helps. Later
 
Update on Circuit Judge .22 cal

Took the rifle back out to the range and sited it in at 50 yards. Can literally sit and put every shot within the inner circle with groups of 1.5". Do I have more accurate weapons. Yes. Do I have more fun shooting them definitely not. This is just a fun gun to shoot. Was able to shoot the orange completely out of the center with just a few shots. Also able to shoot groups of about 3-4" at 100 yards, very near center by aiming around 6" high of center. This is all shooting LR Winchester and Remington LR golden. 550 rounds for less than 20 bucks. Just a lot of fun. Especially when you are outshooting most of the novice shooters with their AR, AKs etc at 100 yrds using a .22.
PS.
Not knocking the tactical stuff. Yeh, I got that too. But, I have them set up properly so I can hit what I am shooting at, instead of making noise. Also put a couple hundred rounds of .556 / 75 grain downrange with my Colt LE6920 this day shooting the orange.
Hope this helps.

Later
 
I had been thinking about getting one of these but then I read this review. Apparently, there is an issue with the forcing cone that radically reduces muzzle velocity down to pistol levels. Has anyone else chronographed this gun?

(I know this thread is old but it gets top Google indexing for this gun on our forum so I figured I should ask the question here instead of starting a new one.)
 
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