.22LR revolver choice: Ruger SP101 vs Taurus Model 94.

[Chuck Dye]

Cheaper Than Dirt was selling Super Colibri for $5/brick and I bought a bunch. Now the nuisance value of single loading the Ruger MkII has combined with the new job, greatly increased income, and ongoing material lust to get me shopping for a .22 revolver. I have more or less come down to a choice between the Ruger SP101 4" and the Taurus Model 94 5" or 6".

Favoring the Ruger is its (putatively) higher quality and the frame design that mounts the grips to a relatively slender peg. The frame design will allow the purchase or modification of some grips which will better fit the hands of the kids I often shoot with.

Favoring the Taurus are its price, nine round capacity, and longer barrels.

Input from those who own or have shot either extensively is welcome.

 

[telomerase]

Only have the 94. DA pull is awful, trigger actually bites me, grips are not right for me. SA trigger is OK. Maybe a smith and a new grip could improve the DA a little. Some people like their Tauri, but reviews are mixed. I like the Ruger grip a lot.

The truly knowledgable seem to favor old Smith & Wessons, though.

 

[magsnubby]

I don't have any experience with the SP101 in .22 (mine is a .357) but i've owned a 94 for several years.

It an okay gun. It's easy to carry, accurate, has a nice S/A trigger but a very, very heavy D/A trigger. Even after several thousand rounds it's still very heavy. I just can't get excited about a D/A wheelgun that i can't enjoy shooting D/A. I was going to change the main spring with a Wolf spring but their web site advises against it. Now it just mostly lays in the safe while one of my S&W's (18 & 64) goes shootin'.

I would recommend the Ruger or try and find a used S&W kit gun. If you don't necessarily need a D/A then i would check out a Ruger Bearcat or Single Six.

 

[Chuck Dye]

Telomerase and magsnubby, thanks. I fibbed a bit in the thread starter: the search is definitely on for a used Colt or S&W but has produced little as yet, hence the interest in the new purchase. Not sure, still, whether I want a post agreement S&W anything. Double action, or at least a swingout cylinder, is a must, so the Bearcat, Single-Six and other single actions are out, unless Ruger comes through with the hinted at adjustable sight Bearcat. An adjustable sight Bearcat stretches the credit card balance the instant I become aware of it, regardless of what occurs on the DA front. Actually, two of them: the best friend and his kids get the first one.

Again, thanks for the input.

 

[telomerase]

>unless Ruger comes through with the hinted at adjustable sight Bearcat

Hint? Hint? Rumor? Is this really being considered?

How hard is it for a gunsmith to add an adjustable to a fixed-sight Bearcat?

 

[Chuck Dye]

Many months ago Tom Gresham had a representative from Ruger on his GunTalk radio program. I called and asked about adjustable sights for the Bearcat. The answer seemed to imply that such would soon be offered. Certainly the answer was not negative. I may have read more into the answer than was there, the victim of my own wishful thinking. As for adding an aftermarket sight, I have not found one yet.

 

[Nick96]

Between the two, I'd recommend the Ruger. I compared both and got the Ruger myself. Actually the Ruger was used - but the quality was so much better than a brand new Taurus'.

Thousands of rounds later and I'm glad I got it. In fact, it's probably the most used gun I have (with a pre-Mark II Ruger auto a very close second). You will likely find the same thing will hold true for you. .22's are so inexpensive, and so enjoyable to shoot, that you will be amazed at the huge numbers you will go through. So you want something that's going to be satisfactory from the start and for years to come.

 

[craig]

i own a taurus 94. buy the ruger.

 

[stans]

I own only one Taurus, model 96 (discontinued). If I were looking for a 22 revolver, I would look for a Ruger, Colt or S&W. The Taurus may be o.k. for a defensive type weapon, but it does not seem to be target grade.

 

[mtnbkr]

I had the Taurus for a while. It had a terrible DA pull. Part of it was the DA stroke on a 9shot cylinder. It just didn't feel right. Also, I could never shoot well with that gun. I'd get the Ruger or hold out for a Smith.

Chris

 

[GEM]

I had a 94 and got rid of it. It need too many trips to the shop. I just wanted a plinker revolver, so I got a Ruger SS Bearcat. Nice gun so far.

 

[tulsamal]

I've got an old style Bearcat and love it. It has been my fishing companion since I was a teenager.

I've got a 10" bull barrel Ruger MK II that I've put a lot of rounds through. Very accurate.

But the .22 handgun I fire the most now is my S&W M63. Stainless with 4" barrel. Square butt. It is a great little gun and would be easy for teenagers to get their hands around. I shoot it so much because I finally realized what a great trainer it is. When I got it and tried it on targets I thought there must be something wrong with it. It fired all over the paper. Got out Ruger MK II, tiny groups. M63, no groups at all. I worked and worked at mastering that little revolver and finally have it down pretty well now. It is just totally unforgiving. Even more so than my Bearcat. You must hold it consistently. You must pull the trigger straight back and with your finger pressure right in the middle of the trigger. You must really pay attention to your front sight. I've come to the conclusion that it could make anybody a much better shot if they force themselves to take the time to master it. Really great little J frame revolver.

Gregg

 

[Chuck Dye]

...easy for teenagers to get their hands around...

The kids I have in mind have half a decade to go before they are that old.

 

[magsnubby]

Oops. I said 64 instead of 63.

I bought mine nib in 1980. It's had a zillion rounds through it and it taught my son and several other people how to shoot. IMO it's the best small D/A .22 revolver ever made.

 

[mrwiggins]

i'm in the same situation.

i want a double action 22lr revolver to use down the river for critters and stuff, maybe some plinking. i plan to get a sig 22lr semiauto later. i'm on a budget myself, i've limited my self to no more than 450$, a price i feel is really high for a revolver in 22lr. i think i'm going to get an sp101 22lr, but i wish i would have acted sooner and gotten a smith model 63 i saw. glad i didn't get a taurus 94 thats for sure.

 

[quatin]

.22 Super Colibri out of a revolver is really loud. I wonder if the longer barrel on the Taurus will bring it down.

 

[Cougfan2]

If you really want to dream big, see if you can find an old Colt .22 Diamondback! They are scarce as hens teeth and expensive when you can find them, but it is quite possibly the finest .22 wheelgun ever made IMHO.

 

[P. Plainsman]

As you probably know, the .22-chambered Ruger SP101s are now out of production, though still pretty findable.

Your original post didn't mention the S&W 617, which is in current production and easy to find at any gun store. The 617 is more expensive than the two guns you mentioned. Still, I have been really, really pleased with my 4", ten-shot 617, bought new this spring. I have put over 1,000 rounds through it so far. The DA trigger is decent -- rare on a .22 revolver these days. Very useable. The SA trigger is great.

I was at the range with a gaggle of new shooters recently, with a variety of guns for them to try. The two they enjoyed and shot best were my 617 and my CZ 75B 9mm.

Like you, I have some concerns about "post-agreement S&Ws" -- I don't like the internal lock -- but I object to the lock less in my 617 than in virtually any other Smith. A steel K-frame in .22 LR is about the lightest-recoiling revolver imaginable, making lock failure very unlikely indeed. The gun is most likely to be used as a target/plinking/small game piece, anyway, rather than for life-or-death defense.

It was painful to pony up the scratch for a new 617 (right around $600), but man it's a nice revolver. I'll never sell it. There's an argument that you should be willing to pay as much or more for a good .22 handgun as for any of your centerfire pieces. Most avid shooters blow through a lot of .22. Might as well make all that shooting as pleasurable and rewarding as possible. One of these days I'll add a S&W 41 (their snazz semi-auto rimfire target pistol). Worth saving for.

RANDOM ASIDE: Interesting to hear rumors about an adjustable-sighted Bearcat. I don't get along well with Single Sixes, but the li'l Bearcat is so cute and handy I might have to pick one up if Ruger makes it with adjustable sights, as a proper "kit gun" should have.

 

[ronto]

Get the Ruger...If you can find one.

 

[Matt King]

Skip the 94. Mine is an ok gun, but heavy DA trigger pull, small grips, and small sights. All in all, I prefer autoloaders when it comes to .22 pistols.

 

[P. Plainsman]

A little more on the topic:

SP101s are good guns. I'm not anti-Taurus, but I'd go with the Ruger if you can find a nice one.

Some people speak well of the Taurus Tracker 970 revolver in .22 LR -- different frame than the 94 -- I think different mechanicals, too.

 

[borrowedtime69]

Ruger , Ruger, Ruger, and Ruger.... 'nuff said? - Eric

 

[10-Ring]

I've had a 4" Taurus 94 for a long time & I've put tons of rounds through it, but I would not make that mistake again, nor would I encourage anyone to make that mistake either. The trigger has been awful -- heavy & mushy, while the sights have been tiny & at times, self-adjusting (would drift left & right on their own ). The reason I kept it was because I figured that if I got good with it, I could shoot anything!
My suggestion would be to go w/ the Ruger!
I went w/ a S&W mod 17 to fun range time

 

[ArchAngelCD]

What about a Fire Storm Comanche? I read somewhere they were well made and less than $300 new. I don't know for sure, maybe someone here knows a little more about them.

S&W just re-released their Model 63 with a 5" barrel. It's a J frame so it's not huge but it has a 8 round cylinder. The price is very high like all the guns they are bringing back but it looks like a great revolver. It's Stainless unlike the Model 317 so it's heavier thus a more stable platform for plinking.

 

[Master Blaster]

I have the Taurus 94 made in 1997, I have shot many, many thousands of rounds through mine. Its my 10 year old daughter's favorite to shoot.
There is nothing wrong with the trigger on my 94, its extremely accurate and reliable.

I keep hearing over and over from other folks how heavy the DA trigger is.
Perhaps they have never owned a J-frame smith and wesson to comapre it to.
I have a 1973 vintage kit gun a model 43 (the airweight version) and it has a heavy DA trigger heavier than on my model 94.