Double action .22s

[KJS]

Given the high cost to feed a .38 or a .357 like I have, I was thinking about maybe getting a .22 that has a less costly diet.

Any suggestions on a nice double action .22? I'm a novice shooter and having a .22 would let me blast away for a price that's not too obscene.

I rented a Ruger MKIII pistol, which was nice, but I must say I like the simplicity of a double action revolver.

I know there is the Ruger Single Six, but I can't figure out the point of a single action in a .22. Single action isn't really going to matter if you have some big bore hunting revolver, but what's the point of having something that's slow to load & unload when you're dealing with .22s, the cheapest ammo around?

Any ideas or suggestions appreciated.

 

[Ed Harris]

I picked up two High Standard Sentinel DA revolvers at pawn shops for around $150-200 each. These are strictly "plain vanilla" but are serviceable and accurate enough to use for basic revolver instruction and general plinking. I use them as "school guns" for new shooter classes. They aren't target grade guns, but are cheap and they work. Expect 2 inch groups at 50 feet.

http://www.theothersideofkim.com/index.php/ggps/5358/

 

[RidgwayCO]

IMHO you need a 10-shot model 617. Get either a 4" or a 6" to match your .38 Special or .357 Magnum revolver. I've got both barrel lengths and shoot them all the time. Accurate and fun shooting!

 

[bestseller92]

I had a Smith 18-3 K-frame that I liked a lot. If you can find one of those they're great. I traded it to my brother because he really wanted it and needed it more than I did, but it was and is a great little revolver.

 

[KJS]

An S&W 617 costs more than my Ruger GP-100. It's also just as long & heavy as my 6" Ruger. I've never been able to figure out why a .22 frequently weighs as much as some of the heaviest .357s in current production. All that weight is nice to tame the recoil of a Magnum load, but seems a bit much to handle a .22 that doesn't have enough power to even put a hole through a windshield. A doctor even told me about some idiot he treated who tried to kill himself with a .22 and gave up after 4 shots failed to penetrate his skull (which clearly wasn't protecting much of a brain).

Cost was the reason I bought a GP-100. An S&W 686 seemed substantially the same, but $150 more for no apparent reason other than a world famous name.

The idea of going with a Ruger MKIII pistol looks a lot better when one looks at the price of .22 S&W revolvers.

 

[NGIB]

Probably the best buy in a quality DA .22 revolver is an older Dan Wesson. These can be had on Gunbroker for $350 or so and are great guns. I've owned 2 of them and they're reliable, accurate, and built like a tank...

 

[woad_yurt]

You can get a S&W for a bunch of money or you can go to gunbroker.com and pick up an H&R or High Standard .22 any day of the week for pretty cheap. I prefer the H&Rs; they seem to be a bit more robust.

 

[Deanimator]

I've got a S&W Model 17. It's the only .22lr revolver I'll ever need.

 

[22-rimfire]

Most of the 22 DA revolvers were first 38 caliber revolvers as a model (frame size and so forth) and the 22 chambering was accomplished by making a smaller bore and cylinder holes. Hence you have a heavier revolver. The Colt Trooper Mark III is a good example.

Paying for the "big name" is worth it. Because you are getting a much better product on the average as compared to the second and third tier company products.

 

[jad0110]

The gold standard in DA 22 revolvers, IMO, are the S&W K-22s (later Model 17 and 18) and Colt Diamondbacks. All command a hefty price when you can find them, especially the rare 22LR Diamondbacks. I've seen only one 22 Diamondback, last week, for $900. Most K-22s start in the high $400s and work up into the $600s. Still cheaper than a new 617 though, and even sweeter IMO. And when you consider the cost of 22LR vs even 38 Spl, even a pricey 22 revolver will pay for itself rather quickly.

Just be warned that S&W revolver prices are all over the map right now. Just last week I saw a freakin' 38 Special 4" S&W 10-5 for $675!!! Not to mention a Charter Arms Undercover for $575 at the same shop . Crack smokers. Then 15 minutes later I saw a 4" 10-2 in identical condition at another shop for $209.

I've seen 6" K-22 / Model 17-3s priced at $499 in one place and $799 on the other side of town.

In summary if you see a K-22 / Model 17 / Model 18 for under $500 that passes the revolver checkout sticky at the top of the revolver forum, buy it in an instant.

But for the money, an H&R is a tough gun to beat. Good ones can be found for under $200. I had never considered used Dan Wesson 22s; don't know much about them, maybe worth a look.

 

[22-rimfire]

I think Dan Wessons are worth a look if you can find one. Never owned one. The perfect shooter for me is a Smith Model 18 (4") or 4" Colt Diamondback in about 95% condition. The condition is important so the "should I have shot it or not" dreams don't haunt you. Other very good ones are the Colt Officers Model Match, Colt Trooper Mark III, Smith Model 17, and ofcourse the current Smith 617. You pay for quality, but you seldom think about the price later if you have shot other the lesser priced DA 22 revolvers. But everyone has their priorities when it comes to value.

 

[sheepdog]

+1, Ed Harris

...I bought a High Standard 4" Sentinel Deluxe in '66...when they were $41.50 + tax, and put 500 rds of short HP through it every weekend for months...I learned to shoot revolver with it...very well...gave it to a friend when I went into the Corps, and just last year found the same model in good shape...for $219.00 + tax...glad to get it and looking for another...they are excellent to learn on...keep on ticking, and well worth the $100-200 you'll pay for them....learn to shoot well on these basic guns and you'll enjoy the more expensive ones more when you buy them....

 

[9mmepiphany]

i have a 6" S&W M-17 and a 4" Colt Diamonback and would love to be able to find a Dan Wesson Pistol-Pac in .22lr...but

...i certainly would not pass up a chance to pick up a High Standard Sentinel. they're fun to hand to folks who don't know about them and watch them look for the cylinder release

 

[mordechaianiliewicz]

HS is a good cheap way to go. S&W model 17 is the more expensive way to go. Realize that with any of these, you are talking about a gun that almost certainly will never break as long as you aren't plain out abusive.

 

[wyohome]

I have a S&W K-22 that I like a lot.

 

[PO2Hammer]

I have a S&W model 63 (J frame 5") that I like a lot. It's considerably lighter than the K frame .22's.
I think I'd trade it for that classic K-22 pictured above though.

 

[Virginian]

A Taurus, Model 94 I think it is, is fine, IF you install a Wolff Spring kit. Awful DA pull from the factory, but not bad at all after the spring change. Taurus' action is simpler than S&W's and appears to respond even better to spring changes in my opinion.

 

[Ed Harris]

Do you have any problems with misfiring in DA after installing the spring kit? I could see reducing the trigger return spring a bit, but not anything which reduces hammer throw or strength of indent.

 

[danbrew]

Just bought a 4" 617. Can't wait to go try it out.

 

[CajunBass]

I don't see why a S/A revolver is always thought of as a lot slower to load/unload than a D/A. Personally I don't see much difference other than a few more seconds spend kicking out the empties. I still have to pick the rounds up one at a time to put them in the chambers. No different than a S/A.

But you said you want a D/A and that's good enough. I'll go along with a lot of the others and say the Smith & Wesson 17 or 617 are the "gold standard." The old Colts probably are too, but I've never shot one.

A couple of people have said Dan Wesson. I've got both a Smith & Wesson 17 and a Dan Wesson 22. Both with 6" barrels. The S&W edges out the Dan Wesson, but it's just by a hair, and it's only because it's lighter, has better target sights, and I like the grip better. The Dan Wesson grip is fine, for me, in S/A mode, but it's a long reach for D/A. Not really important since I almost almost always thumbcock a D/A anyway. I shoot the Smith a little better, but I attribute that more to the better target type sights than anything else.

 

[jad0110]

Do you have any problems with misfiring in DA after installing the spring kit? I could see reducing the trigger return spring a bit, but not anything which reduces hammer throw or strength of indent.

Just talked to a friend today who did this with his Taurus 94. Stock, the gun was 100% reliable with a horrid (unuseable) DA trigger. After the spring swap, the trigger pull is now "acceptable" and he now has a misfire about every 100 rounds, but since the gun is only used for plinking, a small sacrifice in reliability is no biggie.

Okay, since I've seen pictures of a couple of really marvelous K-22s (among other fine 22 handguns ... CB's pics remind me that I need a semi auto 22 now ), I'll whip out a picture of my K-22 / M17-0. Picked it up about 3 years ago for $430 or so...

 

[KJS]

A Taurus, Model 94 I think it is, is fine, IF you install a Wolff Spring kit. Awful DA pull from the factory, but not bad at all after the spring change.

How's the SA pull from the factory?

I can't imagine I'll ever fire a revolver DA on a target range so DA pull doesn't really matter to me.

To me DA shooting is something to be saved for a life & death situation where you have to stop an attacker and don't have time to leisurely cock the hammer. Of course, I wouldn't expect to use a .22 for self-defense unless it was the only gun handy at the moment and in that situation I suspect one wouldn't care how the trigger feels while putting 10 small holes in a bad guy.

 

[KJS]

I don't see why a S/A revolver is always thought of as a lot slower to load/unload than a D/A. Personally I don't see much difference other than a few more seconds spend kicking out the empties. I still have to pick the rounds up one at a time to put them in the chambers. No different than a S/A.

I'm a novice and have never used a single action revolver. Just seems slower than swinging open the cylinder and tossing out all the empties at once and then having the entire cylinder exposed to put in rounds instead of using a loading gate that exposes one chamber at a time.

Perhaps an SA revolver really isn't an issue. Wish a local gun shop had a SA to rent so I could find out what they're like. They don't, but have at least three .22 semi-autos (two Rugers and one S&W -- is it model 41? [well it's the real expensive S&W .22 pistol whatever the model number is]).

 

[jad0110]

I can't imagine I'll ever fire a revolver DA on a target range so DA pull doesn't really matter to me.

Check this thread out; its long, but it is a great read:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=479645

Quote:
A Taurus, Model 94 I think it is, is fine, IF you install a Wolff Spring kit. Awful DA pull from the factory, but not bad at all after the spring change.

How's the SA pull from the factory?

My 94 had an acceptable SA trigger. It was a little gritty with a bit too much overtravel, but it was fine. It was by no means a crisp, clean S&W SA trigger that breaks like the proverbial glass rod.

Taurus 94s are one of those hit or miss guns, so if you find one, be sure to check it out very carefully before buying.

 

[ClemY]

As a training device I like .22 cal. surrogates. I like them to be matched as closely as possible in weight and balance to my large caliber gun. My favorite pair is a 5” S&W 627PC and a 5” 617. The 627 weighs 46.2 oz. and the 617 weighs 46.6 oz. They both have Pachmayr Presentation grips and both have the same excellent double action triggers. I can practice inexpensively with the .22 and then only practice a little with the .357.

If you have a 6” GP-100, your closest match may be an older 6” Model 17. I found one in beautiful condition for $500.