22lr tip-out revolver options?

[tlatoani]

Hi everyone,
I don't know revolvers too well, so excuse any ignorance here. I have a pair of rough riders, that's about as far as my experience goes beyond occasionally shooting a friend's 357.


Anyway, my brother asked for advice. He wants a 22lr revolver. He recently shot a 6-shot S&W at the range, but we can't find one for sale. I see a 10-shot, but he doesn't like it for whatever reason (I think it looks pretty good personally).

Are there any other decent options? He wants a flip out cylinder for loading.

thanks!

 

[MCgunner]

You're talking about a DOUBLE ACTION, though there are DAs that load like SAs or at least look like 'em (High Standard double nine).. Come to think of it, I think the double nine's cylinder does swing out. I'd shy away from the very expensive and chancy new Smith stuff and look around for a good M17 Smith, vintage. They aren't cheap, either, but they're wonderful shooters with great triggers and since you're new, not really into the workings of inspecting a revolver (see sticky above), IMHO you're better off looking for a USED M17. You're more apt to get a decent gun and a gun that actually works buying uninspected. Not that I wouldn't buy a new Smith, but I'd look it over real close first. New production S&W is hit and miss and they cost way more than they're worth, but that's just MHO.

 

[jad0110]

I'd shy away from the very expensive and chancy new Smith stuff and look around for a good M17 Smith, vintage. They aren't cheap, either, but they're wonderful shooters with great triggers and since you're new, not really into the workings of inspecting a revolver (see sticky above), IMHO you're better off looking for a USED M17.

Love my model 17, it is one of my favorite guns. They aren't cheap ($500 and up these days), but they are worth every penny IMO. Finely crafted, highly accurate and very smooth.

 

[BCRider]

How much mony is he willing to spend on this?

By far the nicest options are the S&W K framed guns. Those would be the K22, 17, 18 and more recently the 617 stainless in both the older 6 shot and the new 10 shot versions. These aren't cheap even used however. They are highly sought after and hold their price well up there.

S&W has a number of revolvers based on the J frame in .22 but they are fairly well recognized as not having as nice a double action trigger. But if he won't be using the DA option much these would be an option. They would be the models 34 and 63.

Colt also made a couple of .22 target models. Again they aren't cheap and would be used as they have not made any of them for years now.

Taurus 94 seem to have their share of troubles when new but once settled in and with some trigger work they could be a nice option. But plan on dealing with some "teething troubles" getting to where it's stable. Some have issues with them when new and others don't. But enough do that odds are you could easily have stuff to deal with. Once stable the owners all seem to like them.

Dan Wesson also made a very nice high end double action .22. If you find one at a decent price it would be worth looking at.

Some older cheaper guns that he could consider. Hi Standard made a Double 9. It is a 9 shot swing out cylinder that when together looks more like a cowboy single action gun. It has a double action trigger but the DA pull is so abominable that you may as well treat it as a single action with easy loading. Harrington &Richarson made a like of break top 9 shot guns. The Sportsman being one of them. These have a heavy but managable DA pull and are actually very nice shot in SA. And the break open system works very nicely to dump all the empties at one time and is wide open for loading.

There's some other "Saturday Night Specials" in .22 out there but you really don't want to get into them.

 

[MCgunner]

Rossi M511 sportsman is an inexpensive option if you run across one. I have one and it's very accurate. DA not up to K22 standards, but SA is wonderful. Compares well with the Smith J frames, actually. It might lack a little in fit/finish to a Smith J frame, but it's miles above any High Standard or H&R for a little bit more money, usually. You'll have to look for a used one, though.

 

[MCgunner]

Read this thread for more ideas on what the guns look like and what's out there. A pic of my Rossi is in there along with a lot of beautiful Smith and Wesson vintage K frames and some J frames and Colts and H&Rs etc.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=599016

 

[tlatoani]

Thanks guys. Will probably just point him to this thread. He was looking at $700 S&W, so I'm guessing that price range.

 

[toivo]

I paid $350 for this Model 17 from a guy at my club:



Beats paying $700 for a new one, IMO. But it's a six-shooter, not a ten.

If he'd go for something a little more funky and old-school, he could look into a top-break like the Iver-Johnson Supershot:

http://www.auctionarms.com/closed/displayitem.cfm?itemnum=9666702.0

It's an eight-shot that will eject all the spent shells when you break it open. Single/double action. IIRC, they were made into the 1980s, and you can still find clean ones on the auction sites. That one's a little pricey, but I've seen them go for around $200.

 

[22-rimfire]

My favorites are Colts and Smith's. Mostly collect Colts now although I still shoot them occasionally. The S&W M617 is a fine double action revolver. I prefer the 4" but a 6" is offered too. It's predacessors are the M17 and M18 (both six shot cylinders); very good 22 revolvers. S&W offers a M63 with a 3" barrel which I intend to buy when I see one at a fair price. It has a smaller frame (J-frame) than the M617/M17/18. I have a 5" M63 which I like a lot.

These revolvers cost a fair penny. But once you buy one, you're probably set for a lifetime of trouble free shooting. They also have very strong re-sale values which are increasing as the cost of the new models goes up and interest in the older M17/M18 continues strongly.

Of the Colts, the least expensive is the Trooper Mark III which is available in 4, 6, and 8" barrel lengths in various finishes. These are generally the lowest priced Colt DA 22 revolvers and they are fine revolvers to boot. They stopped making these in 1986 which is when Colt discontinued many of their revolvers. Colt went into bankruptcy in 1992 and has not been the same company since. But they still work on their older products when problems crop up.

 

[jad0110]

I paid $350 for this Model 17 from a guy at my club

Beats paying $700 for a new one, IMO. But it's a six-shooter, not a ten.

It also beats the tar out of paying about the same $350 for a NIB Taurus 94. What a deal! You did great on that one.

As for 6 vs 10 shots, unless the gun will serve a defensive purpose I actually prefer the 6 shot models. Fewer chambers to clean.