Slide-Out V.S. Load Gate

D

Dan*Smith

New member
I have been scouring the internet for a .22 revolver for my first firearm. I have found the Ruger Single-Six which looks very nice if I can find it at a good price, or a Heritage Arms Rough Rider in case I can't. I like the old style of the ones modeled after the timeless Single Action Army, but I have been thinking about some things.

I like the idea of being able to pop out the cylinder, slide in those little cases, and keep firing or even just slip on a moon clip (provided I find one). The modern Slide-outs also have a kind of modern (I already said that) look. It's kind of hard to decide. If any of you have any opinions on the matter, feel free to share as well as give me more ideas for .22 revolvers.

Note: My main purposes for the gun would be plinking, maybe small animal hunting, maybe home defense against possible prowlers, though a .357 may be better for that. I'm not looking toward a .357 or a .38 now, just something cheapand fun to shoot. Thanks in advance.
 
By the way, I thought I'd mention my strange thought about revolver capacity. See... I wouldn't mind using a six shot or a seven shot. However I don't care for eight. Nine is okay, but I don't like the thought of ten. I also don't like five. It doesn't make sense, I know, but that's just how I am. Working away from the classic SAA too much seems wrong. Maybe i'm just a Colt fancier. :confused:
 
I keep thinking about new questions to ask you expirienced gunners. First, I've heard things of a sort of elbow-twisting stance for use with a revolver, rather than a straight-armed position. What's that about? Is that just for the SAA types or what?

Second, tell me about .22 shells containing shot. Wouldn't that be the equivalent of packing a .22 with sand and melting a layer of wax over the tip? What would that be for and wouldn't it have awful range? Excuse my... inexpirience.
 
Pop out a loaded cylinder and now you need to pick or push each cartridge out of the chambers. Even if you have moonclips custom made you would still have to remove the cylinder to load and unload. Moonclips only work on swingout cylinder revolvers.
.22lr Shotshells have #12 shot in them I think. There isn't a lot of power or accuracy in them, but for quick shots at close by rats they can be fun.
 
I think it comes down to single versus double action, and then you take it from there.

The single action guns all use a loading gate, and let you do one cartridge at a time... It takes some getting used to, but once you've got it down you can pop 'em out in one rotation then fill 'em back up on a second pretty quickly. My only single action revolver is a .22 (like you're looking for), so I will say that my fat fingers can have some issues pushing those little rimfires in sometimes, but its not too much.

Besides, isn't taking your time part of the appeal of a single action pistol? I thought it was, but I tend to be a little behind the times favouring pipes over cigarettes and view cameras over digital. :)

Double action pistols use the swing out cylinder. You still have to load each chamber by hand, unless you use a speed loader (which means you have to load that by hand, anyways). Moonclips on a .22? Are there such a thing? Even still, you have to load the moonclips by hand, so, in the end... you're never really saving yourself any work or time, you're just changing the point at which its done.

On the Heritage versus the Ruger... Well, when I finally convinced my wife to go shooting, she found she enjoyed it somewhat. We then progressed to looking to find her a .22 pistol to shoot, and she decided she wanted a single action revovler based on the lines (it was looks before all other concerns with her, heh). I found some Heritage RRs online, but in none of the stores. There were a few things that didn't make it appeal to me, but the #1 reason was I decided if I was buying a single action revolver, I wanted it to last for an eternity so I could give it to some kids (coz I'm surely not havin' any ;) ) when I got old and wrinkly. The Ruger Bearcat appealed to her and I both (her for the size and the engraved cylinder, me because of its Ruger legacy to endure all punishment), and finally I found several Uberti revolvers that I really liked (I am pro cased colouring) that she hated (she is anti cased colouring).

In the end, we actually found a limited run Ruger New Model Single Six Bisley (how's that for a snappy name?). Was bigger than the Bearcat for my meathooks, was engraved and stainless for her tastes.

gfen, not a cowboy, nor does he play one on TV.
 
I'm not sure that I ever saw moon clips for .22s. I have seen a few speed loaders available for them, but the ones that I've used for centerfire cartridges usually have a little bit of wiggle to the held cases, and I can imagine that the smaller the caliber, the harder it would be to get them all perfectly lined up with the charge holes. Larger holes for larger calibers make these reloads easier. Neither are really applicable to the single action revolver though, since you have to leave the cylinder in the gun to extract the spent cases anyway.

The single sixes are great guns. I highly recomend them. It's true that they are not fast to reload, but they are a great learning tool. Nothing beats a lot of cheap rimfire practice to upgrade your sight alignment and trigger control skills for more serious shooting later.
 
I would suggest going to a gun show for the opportnity to handle different brands and models, but in the end, you will probably want a Ruger. Concerning the shot shells, they are stouter than you might think. They will shoot through both sides of a steel soup can at 6-8 feet. Big fun, and effective on pests at that range. Enjoy!!!
 
DA vs. SA

I have less than a year's shooting experience myself, but I have an opinion.

I've shot about 1000 rounds through DA revolvers with swing-out cylinders. I tried a couple revolvers with loading gates and didn't like them. (As a matter of fact, one was a Russian SA/DA revolver, so DA revolvers with gates do exist.) It's much faster to eject a full cylinder of empties all at once, than to poke them out one at a time through the gate. I also find that pushing fresh rounds through the gate is fiddly, compared to loading an open cylinder.

I got a modern SA/DA revolver for home defense. I recently bought a .22 revolver for a trainer, and SA/DA action was a must. I expect to shoot DA in self defense, so that's how I train.

You don't say that size or price are issues. I tried out a full size S&W .22 revolver that was a dream to shoot. Expensive, though. You should visit a target range that rents guns and try out a few different models before you buy.
 
re:d/a v s/a

Imho you would be well served with the s/a. The Ruger is a classic piece, and will be a keeper for years to come.
Also starting with s/a will teach shot discipline,make each one count, something that will serve you well in the future.
There is pleanty of time for learning rapid fire,but in the end it doesn't matter how many rounds you shoot, it's where they go.
The stance you mention is called the Weaver stance, and is designed to use a push, pull tension to create a stable platform for the weapon. A quick search in this site should reveal alot on this.
Hope this has been of some help, and welcome to shooting!
Blair
 
Thanks Warwagon, I was wondering about that. Seems viable. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I like single actions because Ishoot single-action anyway. I have a break-open pellet revolver I sometimes use. It's double-action but I always pull back the hammer before firing anyway.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top