Recommend me a 22 cal revolvers

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This gun is not for me but for a close family friend.Its his first gun and is new to shooting sports.I love S&W wheel guns he is worried about cost$.How are Taurusus wheel guns in 22 or are there any others we should be looking at or maybe some older ones I have not thought about
 
Thanks for thwe quick reply

I love S&W he is a bit of a tight wad if you know what I mean.He was looking at the EAA @ $300 when I told him the were single action. LOL
 
Have an old High Standard .22 snubbie wheel gun thats ok and a Taurus stainless .22. Like the Smith & Wesson .22 revolvers better but never see any but six inch barrels never four for some reason. Taurus is so so...probably better with longer barrel...mine is snubbie and not too terrific in accuracy dept. Bought it for "fun" & thought might be training tool for my S&W snubbies I carry as a back up. I liked look of SP101 in 22 if you can find one...not sure if they make them anymore. Also older Smith & Wessons were REALLY good 22 revolvers in my opinion wished I had picked one up when they were plentiful.
 
Hi Retired,
While there are a number of low end revolvers in .22LR floating around I recommend he pass. Particularly on the EAA (I owned one for about three days). The problems associated with building a quality revolver seems to increase as caliber diminishes.

So for a .22 Revolver I say go upper end or pass. On the other hand a fixed barrel auto is the likely most accurate. A decent used Ruger is easy on the wallet and a great plinker.
 
I like my h&r 686, their cheap if you can find one and mines held up very well. It's a double action. Nowhere near the looks or quality of the pic above ^^^^
 
Harrington & Richardson, and Taurus make revolvers just for the use your friend has in mind, either should work just fine.
 
I used to avoid Taurus revolvers, I wouldn't hesitate to try one,(22lr only) Saw a bunch of people have problems, they send em back and they get fixed.
 
The Smiths are very nice, but we all know pricey!

I have had a few Taurus .22's Older 6 shot and newer 9 Shot...liked all of them!
They now offer Model 992 just this year a convertible version with switch out cylinders..so you get 9 shot .22 & .22 Magnum and I like 6.5" barrel.

Another good option and I believe maybe the best for a new shooter would be a Ruger Single Six Convertible 22/22 Mag....You should be able to find a used one in stainless for $350-400 range.

He will be able to practice cheap with .22 LR and possibly hunt with the .22 magnum. I recommend the longer barrels 5.5 - 6" + And these revolvers are just built very well for many,many years of service.

The one below is on Gunbroker for $485.00 with a nice Kirkpatrick Holster.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=238207817

it is in beautiful condition and prob worth the price, however you could shop around and I believe find one in range I stated above.

Good Luck and Make sure we see the results of first outing with whatever he gets.
 

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The main problems with the Taurus revolvers is people do not like the DA pull, its very stiff, someone posted they gotten a gun with 25lb PULL...... Most people change out the spring for a model 85 spring which works.
 
Unless your friend absolutely needs to have a revolver right now, it would be worth his while to save toward a good quality gun. A high quality .22 revolver is an investment for at least one lifetime.
 
Yes, a good 22 revolver is expensive. There is a reason for that.

They're worth it.

Go ahead. Bite the bullet and get a Smith & Wesson. I'm a fan of the old blue Model 17's and 18's, but the 617's are good too.

Get a good one, and it will last you the rest of your life. You will shoot it more than you do any other gun you'll ever own. When you break the price you pay down over time, it is pennies.

I'll bet you won't find many people who'll tell you they're sorry they didn't get something cheaper.
 
Thanks folk I am leaving for Las Vegas tomorrow will check in from time to time.Again if it WAS ME I would go with the S&W.But this piece is for a friend it really is.We are going to a bunch of gun stores in Vegas will report back when the deed is done.Also going to shoot me some Class 3 action woohoo
 
Tell him to go hit up some gun shows and search for some older used H&R/NEF revolvers.
 
Hi Standard and H&R/NEF are out of production, of course. .22's tend to get shot a lot, and there may be serious wear or parts breakage in a used one. Whether you can get parts will depend on which parts you need, and for which model, though there is some parts support from the usual vendors.

Anybody know what the quality is like on the new production Charter Arms revolvers? They have some DA .22's listed on their web site.
 
The Taurus 94 has been written up by some owners as being a nice gun with a good trigger once some tuning is done to them. But as well as these success stories I see a fair number of reports of issues that require that the guns be sent back. Once the issues are cured they seem to be solid enough performers.

For an "out of the box" good gun there really is only two options. The first is the S&W 17 or 617 and the other is one of the old Colt "Officer's Match" .22 models. Those are the ones which will have the sort of smooth DA trigger that he wants.

In addition to my S&W 17 I've got an H&R Sportman top break 9 shot gun. The DA pull on the stock gun was so horrendously strong that the gun is in reality better off considered as being a SA gun with easy loading. I also had a Hi Standard Double 9 for about a year which was the same way.

The other thought for a .22 wheelgun if he isn't willing to pay for one of the two best S&W or Colt options and doesn't want to have to deal with a smith for slicking up a Taurus is to just skip the DA mode and get a used Ruger Single Six. Or if he's on a tight budget or doesn't want to tie up that much money in one toy then perhaps a Heritage Roughrider.
 
I was a tight wad too when I bought my first 22 revolver. I got a H&R 999 Sportsman. Worked just fine. But I hated getting burnt by hot powder and lead residue and the sights working loose. I suspect this did not reflect all H&R's, but after a couple years, I was fed up.

Got a Colt. Best handgun purchase I ever made. X-wife kept it however.... oh well... But I have replaced it and then some since then.

I would suggest your friend get a S&W of his choice new or used, or find a used Colt. Costs. Yep. Quality costs and he won't have to buy another unless he feels like it for the rest of his life.

If he wants something less expensive, go with a Ruger Single Six or Ruger or Browning semi-auto 22 pistol.
 
Taurus will work fine. Just look it over well before purchase as per the sticky on inspecting revolvers posted here. DA is a might stiff, but SA works great on 'em. Smith and Wesson ain't what it used to be and the dollars ain't worth it IMHO. But, it's your money.

Me, i have a few .22s, auto and revolver. My favorite little revolver is a Rossi 511. It is very accurate and serves me well for range plinkin' or kit gun carry IWB when I'm fishing. I like having a small rimfire afield.

I have three NAA minis, too, but the Rossi shoots rings around 'em. :D They are for other purposes AND they're fun range guns to boot.
 
I bought a little Heritage arms Roughrider .22LR / .22WMR a couple months ago for my wife (She loves the Colt SAA look). ran me about 280$ brand new, and we've put several thousand rounds through it, and absolutely love it. It is a trapdoor loader though, and if that's not what you're after, be forewarned.
 
Does it have to be DA? The Ruger Bearcats are cute little SA guns.

And horrors, if it's for plinking - a semi? Cheaper, easier to shoot well.
 
Seems Ruger is bringing out the SP-101 again in 22LR. It would certainly be the middle price revolver. I am hoping that the new one has a reasonable DA trigger. Probably worth the wait. I might even buy one of these and God knows I don't need another 22 revolver.

From another thread and per Tom327:
Guns & Ammo, August 2011, pp. 78-81.

Specs: .22LR, 8 shot, 4.3 in. barrel, 8.7 in. overall, 30 oz., adjustable rear/ Hi Viz front sights, polymer stock w/walnut inserts, $645 msrp.
 
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