Thinking of getting a new .22 Revolver.

M

Mosin-Marauder

New member
I am satisfied with my 22 Short Röhm Revolver, but .22 Short is even harder to come across than 22LR, which the new revolver I am wanting fires. It's a J.P Sauer (maybe some relation to Sig Sauer?) Single Action .22 Revolver. I'm wanting to get it just for plinking and so I can have a Double and a Single Action .22 Revolver and I have more LR than Short. There's also a Semi Auto .22 that I'd like to get more than the revolver, but I'd settle for the revolver. Does anyone have any experience with one of these? I will post more info tomorrow when I go back to the store. Thanks on advance.

Edit: The Revolver is a J.P. Sauer & Sohn "Western Six Shooter" Model. Six shot .22 LR Single Action Revolver.
 
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but I'd settle for the revolver.
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Check out the prices of the S&W model 17, model 18, the K22 and the newer 617....

While you're at it, check out the astronomical price tag on some of the Colt single actions and the hefty tag of the Colt Diamond back.

You'll find out PDQ that you aren't going to "settle" for anything.

Just because the holes in the cylinder are smaller and the bore is smaller, a .22 revolver has to be made to the exact same precise tolerances & possibly more so than a center fire.


Those two above are the more mundane offerings.
Make sure you're sitting down before you Google the price of a Freedom Arms.
:D


BTW - the Hawes is pretty much a faithful reproduction of, not a clone of, the Colt SAA.
It uses the same breakage prone flat springs as the original Colt.
I'm looking at a parts list on Numrich right now for the Hawes small frame - which I believe is what the JP Sauer is, and the parts are like 50/50 sold out.

If I'm not mistaken, you can buy a brand new Heritage Rough Rider single action for about the same money.
It won't be as nice a gun, but, it will be something you can fix or get fixed if/when it breaks.
 
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No way I could have known it is a cheap revolver. The only info I can find about it is in German and I'm not even in German 2 yet :P.

And Hal... To be quite honest I'm confused with your post. I never mentioned it was a Colt? But I will look at some of the S&W models though.
 
And Hal... To be quite honest I'm confused with your post. I never mentioned it was a Colt
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What I'm saying is - you said you'd "Settle for a revolver", as if you implied you could get a revolver for less than a semi auto.

What I'm saying is that the price of a good revolver is going to be well above what a semi auto is going to run you.


And - here:
http://www.gunpartscorp.com/Manufacturers/JPSauer-33326/LargeFrame-36754.htm

That appears to be the link to the parts for the JP Sauer.
As you can see, there are a lot of sold out parts for it.
 
Mosin,
It's a good thing you're asking here.
I'll re-iterate what I said to you elsewhere- Buy QUALITY, and your best bet in a .22 revolver is domestic.

Parts & service will be easier on a US-made gun by a major maker, if you need them.
Foreign guns, out-of-production guns, cheap guns, less durable guns, ALL stack the odds against you.

I test & shoot guns for a living, and while I'm not going to get heavily into specific recommendations, if you want a quality-made .22 revolver at a comparatively reasonable price that'll HOLD UP nearly forever, the Ruger Single-Six can't be beat in a single-action design.

For DA .22 revolver, the Ruger SP101 will be the most durable & has excellent factory support, but the action & hammer-cocking will be stiff.

S&W .22 revolvers will be a little easier to work than the Ruger SP, again with factory support. Probably a little more expensive than a Ruger.

Taurus has a mixed rep for quality & customer service. I've had no problems with any, but I've never held onto one longterm.

Used Colt .22s, if you can find one of any type, will be long out of production, with limited parts availability & limited (if any) factory support.

Ruger .22 autos are excellent bets, followed by Browning Buckmarks.
The S&W .22 pistols aren't quite as popular as either.

The little Browning 1911/22 has a good following so far.

For foreign .22 pistols, the Walthers have worked well for me & two sons-in-law, others have reported problems.

If you think you have to go foreign, at the very least go with CURRENT PRODUCTION BY A MAJOR NAME.

You're trying to buy out-of-production foreign stuff that'll only bite you sooner or later, and probably sooner.
Sauer stuff is usually pretty good, but you run into parts & service issues on older guns in limited circulation.

What semi are you considering?
Denis
 
.22

Do spend some time on the Ruger website looking at their .22 handguns, sem-auto and revolver, both single action and double action. Quality, customer service, reasonable prices...
 
Hey there again Denis. Thanks for all the help you've given me with my pistols. I'm not sure what kind of Semi it is but like I said I will get more info on it when I go to the store later.
 
In semi-autos, I like shooting my GSG-1911 when the mood strikes. Also have a Ruger Mark II that is a fine semi-auto. But for pure plinking fun, my Ruger Single Six is always in my range bag. That and a Henry Lever action .22 rifle and all is well in the world of .22. Of course with the continued .22 ammo shortage, I don't shoot it as much as I'd like to :o .

Here is thread on the GSG-1911 if interested:

http://rugerforum.net/pistols-revolvers/55745-gsg-1911-22-27-000-rounds.html
 
Just as a further note, the Ruger .22 semis offer many options in barrels, frames, sights, etc., and there are multiple grips & holsters available, which is not always the case with other .22 pistols.

Lotta options with the Buckmarks, too, but they're harder to find.

Suggest you get one with adjustable sights, whatever you end up with, there's a wide range of point of impact variations between different .22 loads.
Denis
 
They weren't bad, but long out of production.
Parts wouldn't be a guaranteed easy proposition, fixed sights, and subject to the same spring breakages of the Colt design.
Denis
 
Really it all depends on what you want? Revolver or semi-auto? There are lot's of good dependable 22 handguns out there - both new and used.

I was shooting a lot of 22 until the shortage hit. Now, my 22s just sit and gather dust - I can reload 38 spl a lot cheaper than the price of rthe 22 ammo - if you can find it.

I have a Sig Saur 1911-22, a Ruger MK III Target, a vintage Ruger Super Bearcat and a Heritage Rough Rider - all different price ranges and all are good shooters. I have also shot a friend's Ruger SR22 - another fun gun. I have owned over 22 handguns over the years - some good, some bad.

If I could only keep one of mine - it would be the Ruger MK III Target. I have a blued model - a great shooter and very accurate. It shoots pretty much anything you feed it. As far as a revolver - I like the size of my Heritage Rough Rider - 4 3/4" barrel. Cost me under $200 and it shoots great. I got it for a "knock around" gun to carry on the farm. Certainly not a Ruger or a Smith but I have no complaints on the one I have at all.

I just wish that the ammo supply issue would improve - I hate having pistols and rifles I can't shoot. I do have some 22 ammo left but don't want to plink with it - I'm saving it for the woodchucks and other little pesky critters.

Good luck and let us know what you end up with! :)
 
When it comes to revolvers you will never go wrong if it says smith&wesson or ruger on the side..I'd go for a single six they can be had used for fairly cheap and are good shooters..as far as ammo availability online is about the only way to go anymore..have you ever heard of the site slickguns??they keep track of current deals and I saw some 22 short listed on there yesterday as for lr If you already have it go easy on it no knowing when it will come back..I have 1700 rounds for my 22's right now I'm trying to make last because I haven't seen any on the shelves in 6 months now and 22 always seems to go 10x faster at the range than all my other calibers shooting a 550 round brick in a single trip use is an easy task but I have tryed to get out of that lately
 
If the JP Sauer .22 is in really good shape, it probably won't let you down.
Being long out of production, and a lack of over the counter parts, might not be a big deal.
I had two of them in .44 Mag.
Mostly only shot full power loads in them, and in large quantities, too.
Never had a problem with either, and no need to replace a single part, over many years of use.
If it was a real nice one and priced reasonably, I'd buy another of them, without hesitation.
And a nice auto loader, too, of course.
.22 ammo will be back, one day.
Can't have too many .22s.
 
Used Rugers are double the price tag he is talking about in my area.

If you want modern production than the Heritage is a good bet in your price range. I have my eye out for a used one right now. Even though I have a Ruger Single Six. I hate handing my Single Six to new shooters.

The Ruger series autos are great guns. I am on my third, all target guns used, and the one I kept has all the aftermarket parts from the other two in it. If you can hold on until you save the money it isn't a bad idea to get one.
 
If you buy a revolver chambered for 22lr then you can shoot 22lr, 22 short or 22 longs in it, opening up your ammo options. I cannot think of a semi-auto that can do that.
For single action rimfire revolvers you can't beat the Ruger Single Six or a Single Ten. They are built like tanks and are a lifetime handgun that your grandkids will probably inherit. You can find a decent used one for less than $300 with a little luck. I have a Single Six convertible 22lr/2mag with a 9.5 bbl that I love. That being said, my brother bought a Heritage Arms SA convertible revolver that shoots well and can be had for around $200 new. They are pretty decent for the price though I don't like the safety which seems odd on a revolver.
When it comes to double action you cannot beat a Smith and Wesson and I have a 10 shot 617 with a 6"bbl. This is my favorite handguns and it's trigger and hammer out of the box is exceptional. The drawback is they are pricy ($700-800) and hard to find.
Ruger SP101 is also excellent and about $200 cheaper, I have one but the trigger and hammer is very stiff and I am hoping it will smooth out with time. If not I will probably have a trigger job done.
Ruger MKI, MKII, and MKIII are nice but are a bitch to break down and clean. I have a S&W 22a, accurate and pretty cheap to purchase and pretty easy to break down and clean.
 
Good thread. I agree with others here that the most cost-effective .22 handgun to purchase is a Ruger Mark pistol. Buying an obscure foreign gun or out-of-production gun is just asking for trouble later. When you buy a gun you want to know that there is a quality manufacturer standing behind it.

I bought a very old Mark I used, which had a parts failure shortly after I bought it. I think that the gun had been sitting for decades until the owner died and his wife put it up for sale on consignment. I sent it to Ruger and they literally rebuilt the innards of the gun. No charge, if you can believe that. They stand behind their products and they don't want people running around with defective Rugers.

The Ruger SP101 .22LR revolver is a good choice if you don't mind a pretty stiff trigger pull. Wolff just came out with a spring kit for this gun to lighten the pull. I am having it put on this weekend by my Smith and I will report as to how that works out. Even stock the gun is OK to shoot although after maybe 100-150 rounds my trigger finger gets tired. I am hoping that the Wolff kit alleviates this a bit. We'll see.

The Smith & Wesson 617 is a big and beautiful .22 LR revolver but it is very expensive and is very large. If you don't mind those things it can be a great choice.

As BBQBob said, if you only want single action there is no better choice than the Ruger Single series -- Single Six, Single Nine (for .22WMR only) and Single Ten (.22 non-magnum only).

The cool thing about a .22 revolver is that it will shoot .22 longs and shorts as well. I have had great fun shooting these through my SP101.

But you cannot beat a Mark pistol for what it is, IMHO.
 
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