Back from a few gun shops. I liked them all! I wish I could buy them all. Even like the Ruger--forgive me father Charlton for I have sinned-- but not the 22/45. Wife liked the long barrelled Walther the most. Buckmark feels very nice and solid. A little heavier than I'd like though.
I'm kind of mentally wedded to snakeshot capability. So revolvers are in the lead. Handled a Taurus 94, but only a 2". DA trigger was heavy, as some have suggested. Didn't drop the hammer (no snaps caps or the plasticky cyl block thing) on the SA.
But that Smith 317.... very, very nice. Except the $500+ tax price. I may just bite the bullet anyway. Those sites are wacky, but the really seem to work. How rugged can those things be?
However, neither had used handguns. So I didn't see any of the other suggestions. I'll keep looking to see if I can get my paws on a cadet, woodsman, Hi Standard, or maybe a Rossi (if the price is right).
I'm going to have to spend more time mentally evaluating whether or not snakeshot and S/L/LR capability is a key requirement. Not sure if it should be that way. Haven't really had much of a need for snakeshot so far. My wife is really terrified of snakes, though, and this is a significant selling point for her. I feel a little bad about playing on that... just a little.
Subsonics 22 LR could be used in one of the automatics (even if I have to manually jack the slide) and would be nearly as quiet as a 22 Short if the situation called for less noise. So maybe S/L/LR isn't really that important. And while I'm at it, I will try to further evaluate whether or not light weight is really that important. I'm used to carry a fullsize weapon, so carrying a larger .22 isn't going to be an issue. For that matter, maybe I should reconsider the 5-6 inch barrels. I just need to shoot some used .22's at a shop with a range.
I have significant saddle time with full power handguns. Almost none with .22's. What are your experiences with 3 inch/4 inch vs. 5 inch/6 inch barrels (site radius) affecting accuracy?
I'm kind of mentally wedded to snakeshot capability. So revolvers are in the lead. Handled a Taurus 94, but only a 2". DA trigger was heavy, as some have suggested. Didn't drop the hammer (no snaps caps or the plasticky cyl block thing) on the SA.
But that Smith 317.... very, very nice. Except the $500+ tax price. I may just bite the bullet anyway. Those sites are wacky, but the really seem to work. How rugged can those things be?
However, neither had used handguns. So I didn't see any of the other suggestions. I'll keep looking to see if I can get my paws on a cadet, woodsman, Hi Standard, or maybe a Rossi (if the price is right).
I'm going to have to spend more time mentally evaluating whether or not snakeshot and S/L/LR capability is a key requirement. Not sure if it should be that way. Haven't really had much of a need for snakeshot so far. My wife is really terrified of snakes, though, and this is a significant selling point for her. I feel a little bad about playing on that... just a little.
Subsonics 22 LR could be used in one of the automatics (even if I have to manually jack the slide) and would be nearly as quiet as a 22 Short if the situation called for less noise. So maybe S/L/LR isn't really that important. And while I'm at it, I will try to further evaluate whether or not light weight is really that important. I'm used to carry a fullsize weapon, so carrying a larger .22 isn't going to be an issue. For that matter, maybe I should reconsider the 5-6 inch barrels. I just need to shoot some used .22's at a shop with a range.
I have significant saddle time with full power handguns. Almost none with .22's. What are your experiences with 3 inch/4 inch vs. 5 inch/6 inch barrels (site radius) affecting accuracy?
Last edited: