Quality .22 Revolver & Current Prices

I'm a "Single-Action Revolver" kind of guy, so I will always put in a plug for the Ruger Single-Six with the Convertible option (.22LR & .22Mag cylinders).

That being said, my first .22 revolver was a Smith & Wesson "Kit Gun". Taught my children to shoot with that one, oldest son has beeen teching HIS clildren to shoot with it.

{Probably never get it back....sigh!}

Not sure how prices are right now; that also seems to vary by region.

Get a High-Standard or Harrington & Richardson. Yea, they're no Colt or S&W but they'll tide you over.

It seems to me that some gun prices have dropped considerably recently due to the economy, especially in the black rifle area.
Manufactures have lowered prices on new ones and used ones are not able to command the inflated prices they had during the last election cycle. That plus production has finally caught up with demand.

This doesn't seem to have effected older S&W & Colt prices as much, or at all.
So if you find a real good older S&W or Colt .22, buy it.

They aren't going anywhere but up in the future, with less & less of them in circulation as the years go by.

rc

+1 on what RC said, prices are not that high now. Recently I bought a S&W model 18 in excellent condition for $400. Also , the used 617 is a fine choice and so are the Ruger Single action for plinking.

As someone that has a S&W 17 and an older 3 screw Single Six I would suggest that you bite the bullet and buy whenever a decent sounding deal comes up. In the meantime start now to watch the usual aution and ad sites locally and nationally to get a feel for the cost of each gun.

You're also fighting the fact that folks that like .22 revolvers WANT those same guns. So deals rarely come up and the average cost of these specific guns is generally going to be the same or higher than the same guns in .38/357.

I've also gone down the H&R, Hi Standard and Iver Johnson road. Yes, they are cheaper. Roughly half the cost in fact. But they lack the trigger feel and overall fit of the parts that comes on the S&W, Colt and Ruger guns. As a result my H&R's shoot OK but I can easily get better groups from my Ruger SS or S&W 17. And the Hi Standard Double 9 I had was so bad in double action that it was essentially a single action gun that STILL had a heavy trigger compared to my Single Six. To top it off it still didn't shoot all that great a group even when rested.

All in all for someone that wants to have a fun plinker for off the porch I'd say you won't beat a Ruger Single Ten. You get 10 shots of fun at a crack and with a little practice you can load the cylinder through the port pretty quickly. Some folks with them are reporting that they can put two rounds at a time into the gun even if they can only shuck them out one at a time. Another option would be the new Ruger SP101-22. 8 shots of swing out cylinder, hand ejector goodness. With its compact size and perhaps some grips to fit your hand well it stands to be one of the most useable modern plinkers of all. And from what I've seen you can buy one new for pretty much what you'd pay for a used S&W 17 or K22.

take your time and troll the gun auction boards.

I bought 3 .22 revolvers in the last year. 2 K-22s from the 50s and a Officer's Model Special...I have less than $1200 in the bunch.

None are beauty queens but all are great shooters.

Take your time...the deals are there. While not what you are looking for, today I am sending a $260 check for Model 15 230 + 30 S&H. Be patient. There are some nice guns just waiting for a good home.

Prices are generally higher this year than last year on the better double action 22 revolvers. You can sometimes find a good deal, but you have to be ready to buy when the opportunity presents itself. I expect the prices to be higher next year regardless of who is president.

Read about a recent Colt Diamondback 22 going for $800 in the last month or so. But you can buy a pristine M17 for that easily. The ColtTrooper Mark III is the least expensive Colt DA 22 revolver that you are likely to see. They are good revolvers. Some find them a little heavy "for a 22". The prices have been climbing on these too.

Just keep your eyes open. Even locally, I run onto a M17, M18 or Colt from time to time and I suspect it may be the same in your area.

Look at the going prices and keep your eyes open. You see one you like at a fair price, buy it.

I got a current gen 6" 617 for $650 from my local gun store. I'm pretty happy with it but It's not nearly as satisfying to shoot as a .357. The DA trigger really helped with my Glock accuracy surprisingly (or not).

come on, just sell me one of yours!

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Actually...one of my K22s I am planning on giving to my daughter for Christmas...BUT

I am happy to meet you at the range and let you play with them.

PM me

BCRider said:

All in all for someone that wants to have a fun plinker for off the porch I'd say you won't beat a Ruger Single Ten. You get 10 shots of fun at a crack and with a little practice you can load the cylinder through the port pretty quickly. Some folks with them are reporting that they can put two rounds at a time into the gun even if they can only shuck them out one at a time.

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You can load two at a time, but I more often just grip it by the cylinder with my off hand and roll it as I center empty chambers in the loading area, plunking fresh rounds in. It's surprisingly fast and painless. I would not recommend it for the OP, though, primarily due to the slim, short grips. If I'm just plinking, I think I want a gun with more comfortable, hand-conforming grips. The Single Ten looks great, though, and has nice sights. Considered any autoloaders?

I like the idea of trying to find a Colt or S&W 17 or early 617 used. Since I'm just now looking at prices for the first time I'm not sure if the current prices on the auction sites are reasonable or higher due to the political season.

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Just keep in mind the difference between asking price, and selling price. I see many guns that are listed over and over again on Gun Broker without a single bid, becuase they are asking more than the market is willing to pay.

Also, for a fun to shoot gun I would also consider one of Ruger's single actions. I just bought one of the new Ruger Single-Ten's a couple months ago, and its a hoot to shoot.

Colts are running around $700-900 and up. Smiths are running about $200 less. The obvious reason for the price difference is the Colts are no longer made.

I handled one of these at a local gun shop today, might be worth a look.
http://www.ruger.com/products/sp101/models.html

I think the higher cost of center fire ammo, in general, is what is driving the inflated cost of 22 revolvers. You can blame the cost of centerfire on: politics, raw component price, etc. Regardless, people want to shoot the cheap 22LR in nice pistols. As demand increased so has price. I just went thru this process. I debated getting a Ruger SP101, becuase they were at least $100 cheaper than the S&W 617 I really wanted. I ended up going for the S&W and found a decent deal on a used one. It was still over $600, but I'm glad I did it. The S&W goes on EVERY range trip now, without fail. It is my most used hand gun now, and probably that I've ever had.

Nice examples of good used revolvers are expensive regardless of whether it's rimfire or centerfire. If you want well made, beautiful blue/nickel guns expect to pay.

In the meantime, plink with an autoloader. More bang for the buck. I see Ruger Mk 2s used at the gun shows, they're everywhere and they're fantastic deals under 300 dollars and will shoot the wheels off most wheel guns. Mine will put ordinary cheap Federal bulk pack into a 1" groups for 10 shots at 50 yards (LER scope to help my eyes and kill more squirrels).

The only wheelguns I have in .22 are a favorite Rossi M511 Sportsman that's 1" at 25 yards accurate with Federal Automatch, 2" at 25 with Federal bulk pack. The Automatch is cheap enough to feed it those even for plinking. My other .22 revolvers are NAA minis which may or may not qualify. I can hit with 'em, but they're not all THAT accurate for plinking cans at 25 yards. The .22 mag Black Widow can put 'em all inside 4" at that range, though, off the bench. I've often thought a minimaster (4" barrel and adjustable sights) would be fun,

Yeah, if you can find an old Smith K22 in good shape, they're wonderful. New Smiths, look 'em over REAL close for flaws, but I don't worry so much about the Hillary hole on a .22. Fugly, but ain't like the .22 recoils or that I'd be packin' it concealed for self defense.

New Taurus 94s ALL have stiff DA triggers, nature of the beast, but are quite accurate for single action plinking. Look 'em over real good before purchase just like the Smiths.

Nothing wrong with a Single Six. I love my Rugers. Of course, it's a single action. Not a problem by me. And, SP101s are one of my favorite revolvers. Ruger makes a .22 LCR now, too, DAO.

I don't think prices have inflated except on some no longer made guns like the Python. Just keep watching Gunbroker and local dealers. However, if you see one you think is reasonable don't wait or it will be gone.

I'd say go ahead and spend the $500 - $750 on a classic S&W Model 17 or 18.

The classics aren't inflated. They have merely appreciated.

More like hoarded. I blame Old Fuff & G. for the great shortage of '12.

FWIW I've offloaded my 617, kept my Model 18.

Oh, I know several speculating fools who are overpaying and hoarding hoping to see some guns continue to increase in value rapidly like they have over the past couple of years. I think some of them are gonna be sorely disappointed and either be stuck with a gun longer than they intended or have to sell at a slight loss.

I don't think either of those two will lose out. They could skin a coyote then sell his pelt back to him.

But in general yes, I don't doubt there are some people looking for a store of value that can't be inflated away that are going to be disappointed. The trick is to buy at the true value or a little lower.