Where have all the Ruger .22 revolvers gone.?

A

AL45

New member
I've been wanting a Ruger single six or Bearcat for a long time and decided to get one. I called 4 local gunshops and they had nothing. I called 2 shops 90 miles away and one of them had 1 Bearcat which I bought. My wife has been wanting a SP101 in .22 and while they didn't have that, they had a GP100. Our Anniversary is coming up, so I figured I better get it before it disappears. I got a big hug, so I guess I done good. I realize that all the rage right now is black plastics guns that spit out a lot of ammo, but surely there is enough of us old revolver dinosaurs left to warrant carrying a better selection of revolvers.
 
There's this thing called the net that even the old cantankerous wheelgunners use to gather their .22s.

I personally think Ruger makes better .22 autos than revolvers, but then again I'm just a bloke.
 
I suspect a lot of dealers, especially small to mid sized ones, don't stock them because they don't move fast. They're on the expensive side, both wholesale and retail, so the shop has a fairly big investment in the case that may not move quickly. I'm sure they'd be happy to order one. The same may go for Smith & Wesson's 617. A lot of people balk at spending $500-700 for "just a 22." You know and I know that it costs just as much to make a good 22 as it does to make a good 38 or 357, but a lot of people seem to think a 22 should sell for less.

I've got a Single-Six, the only Ruger 22 I've got now, and probably the only Ruger revolver I'd buy. I like the single-action, but their double actions leave me sort of "meh." Not bad, but I see nothing to make me want to spend money on one. YMMV.

Of course I do have a two Smith & Wesson Model 18's, plus the single-six, so I'm not really in the market for a 22. If I was, I might look at them differently.
 
I think the long term 22LR ammo shortage made a substantial dent in 22LR gun sales. That in addition to the cost as Cajun said have greatly dampened the market for good quality 22s.

My 22LR handguns and rifles sat unfired for several years during the shortage, and only within the last year have they seen the range again.

22LR ammo is finally getting back to sane price levels, in the $0.05 or less range for the plinking stuff. So demand might start to pick up a little, and if so, you might start to see more of the firearms in stock at local dealers.
 
Try gunbroker...and don't get carried away with bidding...it's worked successfully for me for 12 guns now with no bad experiences. I use US Postal Service Money Orders for payment, making it a federal crime to defraud. And even if you don't buy off GB, you can see what various models are going for, nationwide. Best Regards, Rod
 
Bear Cat and MKII

My little Bearcat is a nice little handgun. It sho0ts very well and is accurate.I'd don't shoot it very much. Kinda looking for a holster. There's no way I would let that little gun go.

LGS: Come to think of it none have shown up where I go.

I have a Mark II that has no telling how many round have gone through this handgun. It's been used for informal target and Bullseye matches for twenty years. For my use the revolver will not do. The Bearcat is rarely used. Good gun but some places the self-loader proves more satisfactory. K22's and the like are out of my price range.
 
Just checked Gallery of Guns and they have a number of Single Sixes in stock.

I've used them before and the transactions were very smooth.
 
I've been a revolver guy for 55 years but my observation is this . . . go to a couple of gun stores that sell a lot of hand guns - stand back and watch what goes on .. . if it's anything like my observations in the stores I've been in, the younger folks don't want revolvers or such things a lever guns, etc. - they want semi auto hand guns and semi auto ARs. lSo, if you own a gun store, what are you gigot to put your working capital in to - slower moving revolvers or fast selling semi-autos. I was in a fairly close guns store range the other day and I asked about used revolvers - the young clerks just sort of stared at me until one said - "we don't sell used guns but we have plenty of new semi auto handguns and rifles if you'd like to look at any."

Look around for what you're wanting and you'll find it eventually. I consigned a like new New Vaquero 357 blued 5 1/2" a couple of weeks ago - I just didn't use it anymore since I got my Uberti 357 4 3/4" Bisley. Six months ago, I watched the store's"used" list on the "net" and as soon as a NV was listed in 357, it was sold in a couple of days. Mine is still listed and on consignment. It goes in spurts and you never know what will show up. New ones such as the Ruger wheel guns? They can always be ordered.
 
Ruger only kicks the less popular models out once to thrice a year (if that). If you don't catch them after a production run, you need to do some searching to find one still in stock.

Gallery of Guns (Davidson's) shows several versions of the Single-Six in stock. Currently no SP101s, but they do have the LCRx.
 
There is a pretty nice gun shop in little town I live in. Only been open a few years. Guy has indoor range and does CCW classes. I would say he's got 100+
new handguns in stock & 50 rifles and shotguns. He does my transfers and will
call me if he gets a trade in he thinks I might want.

Bottom line the only new revolvers he has in stock is a Heritage Arms 22 and a
S&W snubby 38sp. Autos, he got everything under the sun. Long guns are 90%
Black Guns. That's what is keeping companies in business, not the Traditional
Classic stuff.

Quality revolvers cost a lot more to make than Tupperware and new generation
are into the hi tech stuff. I buy a lot of older S&W revolvers on line. When I
go down to pick them up the loafers just can't see why anybody would want
one of those " Cowboy 6-shooters", when for less money you could get a 19
Shot XX whatever the latest plastic fantastic is.

Revolvers are going to end up specialty items, with bigger price tags. The bulk
of new ones sold are DA snubbies for CCW market. The autos have taken over
match shooting and all the new games are geared to autos. That leaves the
Cowboy shooters and handgun hunters as the market for SAs. Not a big market
compared to CCW, Law Enforcement and Military.
 
but surely there is enough of us old revolver dinosaurs left to warrant carrying a better selection of revolvers.
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I sure hope so. I just don't get the fascination with slab-sided handguns... At least for civilian purposes. Seems like a couple weeks ago I saw a Single Six at a local gun shop. I think they are out there.
 
I haven't checked lately, but prices used to be really high around here. I used to have a Single Six or maybe a Bearcat on my short list. For quite a while, all of the new ones I saw were way more expensive than online, and the used ones not really any cheaper. And they all sold anyways. I'm not sure why nor what it means since I don't think there wasn't a shortage. Maybe SA rimfire fans are older and less prone to order online? I dunno.

Then the Panic started getting silly and I lost my interest in rimfire.

Honestly, the rimfire market has soured a lot for me.

If I ever want to buy another .22, then I need to think hard about how much I'm going to shoot. I will need to buy a few thousand rounds immediately just in case, and then work up to at least a 5 year supply. And with the next election around the corner, that would have to happen pretty quick. And that bugs me when I'm not sure I wouldn't rather have a centerfire or use that money for reloading instead.
 
Honestly, the rimfire market has soured a lot for me.

If I ever want to buy another .22, then I need to think hard about how much I'm going to shoot. I will need to buy a few thousand rounds immediately just in case, and then work up to at least a 5 year supply. And with the next election around the corner, that would have to happen pretty quick. And that bugs me when I'm not sure I wouldn't rather have a centerfire or use that money for reloading instead.
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A quick cursory search is showing cases of typical, garden variety .22 for about $200, with about $20 for shipping. At least at the one place I checked.

That's pretty cheap. 5000 rounds will last a lot of folks a good long time. Another $200 and you're at 10,000 rounds.

Yeah I know... "reloading". Which is great, but not everybody does it. 9mm is pretty cheap also, but not quite THAT cheap.



I know the shortage left a bad taste in many mouths... but at this point, if you want to shoot .22 you pretty much can. There may be pockets of low stock in some parts of the country and you might have to think beyond Wal-Mart, but it's around. It's not unobtainium like a few years ago. That said, to each his own.
 
Well...

Have had a RUGER MkII 6-7/8" Target for decades, and then a few years ago added a 5" RUGER Super-Six (Target sights) SA revolver as a trainer for my boys.

Both are outstanding, and get a lot of use both on the range and in the field.




Red
 
My single six is from the 70's and I will never part with it. It was my first handgun and I learned the ropes with that gun. It's excellent. Hope you find what you are looking for.
 
This pistol is on my radar as well. I shot a buddy of mines last weekend both 22lr and 22mag. It was a hoot to shoot. The only problem was the sights. He had an older 6.5 in barrel model with black on black sights. My 50+ eyes had a hard time picking up the front sights so a fiber optic front is a must. Great pistol. Used ones here are going for near $400 plus. Thats crazy. I have a few safe queens that I'm going to unload to fund this. Will see.
 
$$$$$$$

It is my belief that Ruger Single-6 and the Bearcat are losing sales to the Roughrider Heritage series. It's a matter of price.

The other aspect is that currently, even in .22 handguns, the semiauto is more popular.
 
Guns are alot like watches, some folks want a mechanical watch like a self winding Rolex or an antique wind up Hamilton. Like a revolver those mechanical watches are expensive. Other folks are happy with a casio digital or an apple i-watch. Glock , HK or Smith M&P autos are the i-watch of firearms. When I go to my clubs on a regular basis about half of the regular shooters always bring a revolver, and many times it's an older S&W and a .22lr. The New members usually show up with a polymer wonder gun and a need for basic instruction. As far as cheap revolvers go that may be the newbies first revolver experience, but I see way more Smiths and Rugers, in .22lr the K22 and the single six way outnumber the cheaper guns like the Rough rider.
 
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