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Just wanted to give an initial impression review on my recently acquired Ruger Wrangler in .22lr. As most of you may know Ruger just put out what many are considering direct competition to the Heritage line of .22lr SA revolvers. Before Ruger came out with the Wrangler I was about to purchase a Heritage based on my brothers, which is a decent SA .22 for the money. When I saw the initial release from Ruger on the Wrangler I knew I wanted to try it out as their press on it seemed like it is worth the extra $50 over the Heritage. And on initial impressions my hunch was correct.
I will get out and shoot it hopefully this weekend as I’m too busy with work and home projects to get much free time during daylight hours but thought I would post my impressions.
First Glance – has a good look about it, albeit the barrel does have a chunky look to it compared to other .22 SA revolvers but don't feel it is really that much different, the finish from hands distance away looks very nice if one can look past the nostalgia and glamour of blued or stainless steel. Just looking at it gives the impression it is a revolver that will last and serve it’s user well.
Handling Impressions – the first thing I noticed when I ran my hand over the finish is that it has a slight rough feel to it, not abrasive by any means but definitely not smooth. I can see that this will more than likely attract grime from ones hands, as I’ve already noticed the metal schmutz on my hand from handling some metal before grabbing it adhered to it. It wiped off easily enough but it I have a feeling it will show grime and soot from firing. It has good balance to it, the grips are your basic set of plastic grips (one can see daylight through the front - see picture below with pencil point it out) which will be much improved by replacing them with an aftermarket set (and I believe initial reports are that Single Six grips will work with the Wrangler which is a big plus). There was no sharp edges or corners, and all the radius' were very well machined for a budget revolver, a testament to Ruger’s investment casting; they really do do a great job at it (one casting line can be seen like many of Ruger's revolvers under the cylinder when removed - see picture below with pencil point it out). The knurling on the hammer is nice balance between good control and not too aggressive. Trigger reach and hammer manipulation feels about right. The cylinder gate is a little stiff, but should lighten up with use.
Trigger and Hammer – The trigger and hammer had a little bit of grit to them initially, but after cocking and thumbing the hammer down about 200 times it has smoothed out significantly. The hammer has lightening cuts on the side, which are only slightly noticeable when the hammer is uncocked.
Cylinder and Ejector – The cylinder makes up a significant amount of weight of the overall firearm, after taking out the cylinder it was very obvious the substantial nature of the cylinder. All the cylinder mouths were recessed and lacked any obvious burrs and seemed in good condition. The ejector rod is steel and has a nice chamfer to aid in guiding it into the spent casing.
Sights – The rear sight has a nice concave portion just behind the notch to aid in drawing the shooters eye into the notch, this was appreciated by me as small detail they got right. The front sight is narrow enough that the shooter at shooting length away from their eye has gaps on either side which should make for greater precision than a front sight that fills the notch gap.
Fitment and Lockup – the fitment of the frames together is overall really good for a $180 revolver, there is a slight alignment issue from grip frame to cylinder frame but is hardly worth mentioning but is there to the naked eye. I’ll get a picture to show what I’m talking about.
Cons – one thing I noticed on my particular piece is if one is looking from underneath the grip frame is slightly out of alignment from the receiver frame (it isn’t even enough for me to worry about, but wanted to point it out for the sake of the review). The finish attracting grime and soot should be considered a con, I’ll let one to judge how much of one that is, and will base my judgements after a good deal of shooting and what it takes to clean.
Overall - I think Ruger will sell a boatload of these revolvers once they get out into peoples hands, barring no hiccups in function, as I haven't shot it yet. But it is a very nice revolver for $180. In my opinion I see no reason to buy a Heritage if this shoots as well as it looks and feels. If I want a nicer .22 SA revolver I would look at older H&R's with some of their case hardened looking receivers or a Ruger Single Six, Ten, Bearcat or Uberti. There are some nice options out there but none with the value it initially seems is in the Wrangler.
I’ll get my calipers out and see if I can give some details on how thick the barrel sleeve is, I can barely make out on the muzzle end the transition from steel to aluminum. Edit: it seems now that it is a solid steel barrel, when taking a magnet to the barrel it has a strong pull, stronger than I feel it would be if it was a sleeve, the pull is very similar to the magnet on the cylinder
I will get out and shoot it hopefully this weekend as I’m too busy with work and home projects to get much free time during daylight hours but thought I would post my impressions.
First Glance – has a good look about it, albeit the barrel does have a chunky look to it compared to other .22 SA revolvers but don't feel it is really that much different, the finish from hands distance away looks very nice if one can look past the nostalgia and glamour of blued or stainless steel. Just looking at it gives the impression it is a revolver that will last and serve it’s user well.
Handling Impressions – the first thing I noticed when I ran my hand over the finish is that it has a slight rough feel to it, not abrasive by any means but definitely not smooth. I can see that this will more than likely attract grime from ones hands, as I’ve already noticed the metal schmutz on my hand from handling some metal before grabbing it adhered to it. It wiped off easily enough but it I have a feeling it will show grime and soot from firing. It has good balance to it, the grips are your basic set of plastic grips (one can see daylight through the front - see picture below with pencil point it out) which will be much improved by replacing them with an aftermarket set (and I believe initial reports are that Single Six grips will work with the Wrangler which is a big plus). There was no sharp edges or corners, and all the radius' were very well machined for a budget revolver, a testament to Ruger’s investment casting; they really do do a great job at it (one casting line can be seen like many of Ruger's revolvers under the cylinder when removed - see picture below with pencil point it out). The knurling on the hammer is nice balance between good control and not too aggressive. Trigger reach and hammer manipulation feels about right. The cylinder gate is a little stiff, but should lighten up with use.
Trigger and Hammer – The trigger and hammer had a little bit of grit to them initially, but after cocking and thumbing the hammer down about 200 times it has smoothed out significantly. The hammer has lightening cuts on the side, which are only slightly noticeable when the hammer is uncocked.
Cylinder and Ejector – The cylinder makes up a significant amount of weight of the overall firearm, after taking out the cylinder it was very obvious the substantial nature of the cylinder. All the cylinder mouths were recessed and lacked any obvious burrs and seemed in good condition. The ejector rod is steel and has a nice chamfer to aid in guiding it into the spent casing.
Sights – The rear sight has a nice concave portion just behind the notch to aid in drawing the shooters eye into the notch, this was appreciated by me as small detail they got right. The front sight is narrow enough that the shooter at shooting length away from their eye has gaps on either side which should make for greater precision than a front sight that fills the notch gap.
Fitment and Lockup – the fitment of the frames together is overall really good for a $180 revolver, there is a slight alignment issue from grip frame to cylinder frame but is hardly worth mentioning but is there to the naked eye. I’ll get a picture to show what I’m talking about.
Cons – one thing I noticed on my particular piece is if one is looking from underneath the grip frame is slightly out of alignment from the receiver frame (it isn’t even enough for me to worry about, but wanted to point it out for the sake of the review). The finish attracting grime and soot should be considered a con, I’ll let one to judge how much of one that is, and will base my judgements after a good deal of shooting and what it takes to clean.
Overall - I think Ruger will sell a boatload of these revolvers once they get out into peoples hands, barring no hiccups in function, as I haven't shot it yet. But it is a very nice revolver for $180. In my opinion I see no reason to buy a Heritage if this shoots as well as it looks and feels. If I want a nicer .22 SA revolver I would look at older H&R's with some of their case hardened looking receivers or a Ruger Single Six, Ten, Bearcat or Uberti. There are some nice options out there but none with the value it initially seems is in the Wrangler.
I’ll get my calipers out and see if I can give some details on how thick the barrel sleeve is, I can barely make out on the muzzle end the transition from steel to aluminum. Edit: it seems now that it is a solid steel barrel, when taking a magnet to the barrel it has a strong pull, stronger than I feel it would be if it was a sleeve, the pull is very similar to the magnet on the cylinder
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