Looking For Advice On A .22 Revolver

Ruger makes one .. i forget the exact model .. someone will know it im sure ..

I think you've got it a little off to begin with here. A gun chambered in ".22 magnum", is not to be used with .22 LR. Yes, it will chamber .22lr and even shorts, but the 22 mag cases are slightly bigger and longer.. and you will get split cases and other possibly dangerous issues with those chamberings. People do it, but it's one of those bad "bubba" moves that there seems to be a lot of bad information going around about.

The Ruger Single Six is what you are looking for. Single action revolver with two cylinders. One for .22LR (will probably shoot Short, too) and one for .22 WMR.

For a double action, you will probably want to pick up a double action .22LR revolver. You are not going to get both .22LR and .22WMR in a single double action revolver. Smith and Wesson made the K-22, which you will have to look for on the used market and a couple of others- but I know next to nothing about S&W...

Check out the Heritage Rough Rider.

I own both the Heritage Rough Rider and the Ruger Super Single Six in 6.5" barrels.

Heritage Rough Rider = $100-$139 new
Ruger Super Single Six = $300-$330 new

They both come with .22lr and .22WMR cylinders. The Heritage I have shoots quite well and I dispatch varmints around my property with it. The Ruger has a far better fit and finish but I can honestly say as far as accuracy goes I can shoot both of them the same, and I've gotten more than my moneys worth out of the Heritage.

The Ruger Single Six is what you are looking for. Single action revolver with two cylinders. One for .22LR (will probably shoot Short, too) and one for .22 WMR.

For a double action, you will probably want to pick up a double action .22LR revolver. You are not going to get both .22LR and .22WMR in a single double action revolver. Smith and Wesson made the K-22, which you will have to look for on the used market and a couple of others- but I know next to nothing about S&W...

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That pretty much covers it. Single Actions can be had with two different cylinders, one for Mag and one for LR. I think a lot of people assume a 22 Mag can also chamber 22 LR, kinda like 357 Mag and 38 Special.

If you want to shoot both, SA is the way to go. BTW, S&W doesn't make a SA 22 that I'm aware of. Both the Ruger Single Six and the Heritage Rough Rider have been mentioned. I owned the Heritage for a while, made a mistake in selling it. It was a great gun that was reliable and accurate (equal to a friend's Single Six). It can be purchased new for as little as $125 in some areas, whereas the Rugers run in the upper $200s/low 300s new. The Rugers are more nicely finished and will hold their value better than the Heritage. Both are great guns IMHO:

http://www.heritagemfg.com/site/

http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firearms/FAFamily?type=Revolver&subtype=Single Action&famlst=14

If you want a DA 22, you'll have to buy two guns or choose between LR and Mag. The DA 22LR is a great gun for inexpensive trigger control training. If you like S&W, they make their 10 shot 617 which is an excellent gun. They are expensive however. For less money, you can own a classic S&W: the K-22 / Model 18 Combat Masterpiece (4" barrel) or the K-22 / Model 17 Target Masterpiece (mainly 6", but some 8 3/8" and 4"). I am the proud owner of a Model 17-0. The K-22s (and pre-war Outdoorsman) are among the finer DA 22s ever created. Though not overly common, they can be found with patience. Prices vary widely, from $199 for a beater Model 17 on up (the 6" 17s are the most common, therefore they are usually a little cheaper). Mine set me back $430. Not a great deal, but reasonable given it's condition and the market for them.

Here's a pic of my beloved K-22:

an unmentioed SA dual cal revolver

another SA revolver that gets forgotten alot that shoots both LR & mag .22's is the Freedom Arms 252.

Heres a quote about the gun in a review done for the 1991 SHOT show

* Freedom Arms
Model 252 Silhouette & Varmint Models - .22LR, five-shot, single action, stainless steel with matte finish, 3-3/4 pounds. The Model 252 features a two-point firing pin which strikes the rimfire case head in two places, 180 degrees apart. The hammer has been lightened to speed lock time. It is built on the same frame as the 454 Casull. An extra cylinder in .22 WMR is available for the Varmint Class revolver Perhaps the best single action .22 made.

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They originally sold for about $1,200, they gotta be more than that now.

Also i believe that Colt made some two cylinder .22 SA gun a long time ago too, but they gotta cost a bunch by now.

-Eric

Another vote for the Single-Six.

The Colts referred to are the New Frontier (adjustable sights) and the Peacemaker (fixed sights). They've been out of production for a long time, and they sell in the $500 range with both LR and Magnum cylinders.

If it's a double action revolver you're after, make sure you check endshake. Lots of these little guns have a little too much play in them.

The best single action choices are: Colt New Frontier or Peacemaker with both the 22LR and 22WMR cylinders. Ruger Single Six with both cylinders also. No revolver shoots both cartridges without some modification.

Smith made the Model 48 (K-22 Masterpiece Magnum Rimfire)(Just looked it up) years ago which sometimes included both a 22LR and 22WMR cylinder. A friend had one and we used to plink together. To my knowledge, it is the only double action revolver to provide both cylinders. Supica shows the 22 LR cylinder as an option. These are as uncommon as hen's teeth these days. Production ran from 1959 through 1986.

Not familiar with all the old models, but it is possible that High Standard, Charter Arms, Rossi, or H&R made revolvers with both sets of cylinders. As far as I'm concerned, Heritage revolvers fall into this sub-company catagory.

Comment: It is very likely that if you had a single action with both cylinders (22LR & 22WMR) that you would use one cylinder only anyway and more than likely it would be the 22LR. My suggestion is to buy two revolvers that are the same model such as the Colt Trooper Mark III in both 22LR and 22WMR. I have both. For just plinking, I would rarely shoot the 22WMR Trooper due to the cost of ammo. If I want to plink or shoot with something more substantial, I shoot a center fire. You could add a third revolver to the Trooper Mark III list and that is one in 357 mag; my favorite 357 for general shooting is my Trooper Mark III.

If you must have .22WMR, the Ruger Single Six is your best option ($200 used, $350 new). If you want a smaller/compact 4" barrel single-action gun, there's the Ruger Bearcat (.22LR only), $325 new in stainless or blue.

If you want DA revo, you pretty much have to give up the .22WMR option. The main quality .22 revos that I'm familiar with are the S&W 34 and 63 (J frame, blued and stainless), running $325-450 used (out of production). The S&W 617 is the modern equivalent of the K22, and is still in production as a K-frame stainless .22LR revo in 6- or 10- shot variations.

Rossi, Charter, and Taurus also make DA .22LR revos, but of somewhat lower quality. Ruger used to make a .22LR DA SP-101, but those are hard to find.

Hope this helps, -MV

Some people seem to be quite happy with the Heritage revolvers and I considered one but finally bought this used Single Six which I'm very happy with. As noted above, the .22 Mag ammo although fun to shoot is just too expensive for my lean wallet except for a few occasionally. You might be better served with either a good single or double action in plain old .22 LR.

I bought a single six last month. It's a nice gun but if I had to do it over again I would probably go with the S&W Model 617 22lr revolver(10 round version) I guess I didn't do my homework enough.At the time I was making my buying decision I didn't know S&W made a .22 revolver despite visiting their website,I just didn't notice it on the site.
I like the S&W for it's DA...I would gladly give up the .22 mag option for DA.

Billy, I totally agree with you. And if you later want a 22 WMR revolver, just go and buy one. The 22 WMR is just not that great in a revolver. You are better off with a rifle in that caliber which best utilizes the round.

I see it the other way. I picked up a stainless SS convertible. I wanted a trainer for my son in .22LR. And I wanted something with a bit more whack for porkies and such when I'm on the tractor. As it turns out my SS likes .22 Mag ammo very much and shoots to the same POI as with minimags.

Moreover, I have zero need of double action in a .22 handgun.

Sam

Model4006, Don't know about other areas of the country but where I live in Louisville the Heritages run at least $30 to $40 or maybe just a bit higher than what I seen quoted here. Still pretty darn good prices though.

reply to "Ignorant in ND"

dbublitz
I cannot imagine coming home to my wife and trying to justify the need to pay over $1200.00 for a .22 calibre revolver. I may be the odd man out here, but if you have that kind of money for a .22 then we need to create a board for the "more money than I know what to do with crowd". The reason I enjoy this board is the fact that I enjoy conversing with other "blue-collar" hard working folks, therefore to mention a $1200.00 dollar .22 is just plain ignorant

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Holy smokes! little sensitive on the money i see. i too am very blue collar, im in the lower income bracket myself. self employed . we scrape by month to month.. i only mentioned the freedom arms gun in the interest of naming guns that were built to fire both calibers. it was just meant as a point of freindly conversation, cant understand why your knickers are in a knot over this.

The next time you call someone ignorant, you really need to look in the mirror, your knee jerk, over reaction as a working class, long suffering, hero crap and misspent envy of wealthier people was not only unfreindly, but very rude. thankfully i take no offense at your post seeing as how i dont let others offend me unless i allow them to. your reaction gives me some clear insight as to what kind of a person you are both in your temperment and politically. if you take offense to that you must walk around all day every day mad at the world. relax some, dont take it so serious - Signed, Mr. "Ignorant.

PS. so, let me get this right... blue collar workers work really hard and are good people, white collar workers do not work hard, long hours and are lazy and living off the backs of the "poor" then. ok, thank you Karl Marx.

Borrowed;

Gee, I was just gonna say that small minds have limited imaginations.

900F

I don't see why some people think you need to go cheap with a .22 caliber pistol.

So if the pistol doesn't shoot expensive ammo then its only worth putting $200 into the purchase?

If anything you can afford to spend the most on a .22 revolver because the ammo will be so cheap over the long haul that you can invest more in the gun.

I guess I don't look down on people because they worked hard in college and on the job and are reaping the benefits of that hard work by being paid well.

I bought the Single Six because I wanted a SA revolver. Well-made, shoots .22lr and mags well. Loads of fun to shoot and at a price I was willing to pay. If I ever get in the mood for a DA .22 revolver, I'd give the smiths a hard look. I've looked at Rough Riders. They didn't feel as good as the Single Six (personal preference) and had fixed sights (my preference, especially with .22's is adjutable sights). If mood, meets price and opportunity, I'd have no problems buying either an S&W DA or a Rough Rider. Bet I'd enjoy the heck out of shooting either.

I must have accidentally wandered onto the Daily Kos gun forum. Class envy, anyone?

As to the question at hand, I'm inexperienced with the Single Six, but its a very attractive package. Had I not just found a great condition S&W 17-3, I probably would have gone to fondle the Ruger.

I don't know about you, but I am very envious of anyone who can afford to pay the price of some collector grade Colts and Smiths these days. Makes me want to work harder so I can play too!!

Most well made 22 revolvers are pricey. But, for the most part, you do get what you pay for. The Ruger Single Six or Bearcat are fine revolvers. Ruger filled a very important niche in the 1950's as they produced a 22 Colt clone revolver when Colt didn't make one and produced a very cost effective practical 22 semi-auto pistol that competed VERY well with Colt at that time. My hat is off to Bill Ruger!