Double action .22s

[9mmepiphany]

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.

if you're not going to be practicing DA shooting, there's not reason to get a .22LR DA revolver (unless you just want one) you'd be just as well served by a SA revolver...and i think moist of us would then recommend the Ruger Single-Six

the point of practicing with a .22lr revolver is to learn the handling qualities of the larger calibre gun. a DA SD/HD revolver should always be shot DA

 

[David E]

Mastering the DA pull is a good thing to do. It may come in very handy and at the very least, you'd get maximum benefit out of your gear. Besides, it's fun.

 

[9mmepiphany]

...and it will make you a better SA shooter too

 

[CajunBass]

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.

Well, it is faster, but it's not all that much faster for range shooting. What's the rush? You in a hurry to shoot up your ammo? With practice you can kick those empties out pretty quick. (Combat is different, but neither of us is likely to carry a 22 revolver into battle.)

As you can see from the picture I've got both, and at least to me it just isn't an issue. Even the semi-autos, although they've faster to shoot, and hold more rounds, you spend more time reloading them. It all balances out.

 

[KJS]

a DA SD/HD revolver should always be shot DA

What does SD/HD stand for?

As for other comments above, I'd never before given any thought to mastering the art of DA shooting. I always assumed that everyone cocked the hammer on their DA revolvers except in an emergency like when a grizzly bear is on top of you and you need your .454 Alaskan to kill it before it makes you into dinner.

Or in the case of concealed carry revolvers that are often DAO because the hammer is covered so as to not snag when drawn in an emergency.

The idea of intentionally shooting DA never even crossed my mind. I always thought DA vs SA was a trade-off of speed vs accuracy: cocking the hammer takes slightly longer, but gives greater accuracy due to very light & short trigger pull.

 

[KJS]

Even the semi-autos, although they've faster to shoot, and hold more rounds, you spend more time reloading them. It all balances out.

Yeah, I noticed the same issue when I rented a Ruger .22 pistol, the only semi-auto I've ever shot thus far.

They're only really fast if you have a pile of magazines pre-loaded. I'm not sure a semi-auto is really that much faster if you started with empty cylinder/empty magazine and a box of ammo and put a revolver head to head with a semi-auto.

 

[gazpacho]

The DA trigger pull of the Taurus is in the 20 to 25 pound range, and not very smooth. If you get a reliable one, it should last many 10s of thousands of rounds. I have the Taurus 942 (2" snubbie). If you buy one, I recommend:

1) Flush the action with a full small can of a quality cleaner like gunscrubber.
2) Liberally lube the revolver and fire 500 rounds of quality ammo.
3) Without cleaning the action, and with spent brass in the cylinder, dryfire the revolver 5000 times DA. Space these out in many sessions, unless you don't like your fingers.
4) repeat step #1.
5) properly clean the revolver.

The trigger pull will still be a bit heavy, but very smooth.

You will never find a good DA/SA trigger that will be as good as a good SA trigger.

 

[KJS]

The DA trigger pull of the Taurus is in the 20 to 25 pound range...

Well, I think we can safely say that won't be going off by accident. Also won't be going off if handled by the elderly.

 

[9mmepiphany]

What does SD/HD stand for

Self-defense/Home defense

The idea of intentionally shooting DA never even crossed my mind. I always thought DA vs SA was a trade-off of speed vs accuracy: cocking the hammer takes slightly longer, but gives greater accuracy due to very light & short trigger pull.

the only time that the SA trigger stroke is an advantage is in formal one-handed target shooting. the only time it is even debatable is when handgun hunting. the light and short trigger stroke is a major contributor to trigger flinch and jerk, while the DA can be just as accurate and faster too.

you might want to take a look at this thread, for a more detailed explanation of the advantages of the DA trigger:

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

 

[KJS]

I must say I'm quite surprised by how many think DA shooting is something vital to be skilled at and the best way to fire a DA revolver.

This strikes me as odd when it seems 1911 pistols are the most highly regarded handguns in the land. Some worship them to a degree that I saw a forum devoted to nothing but 1911-style pistols and 1911s are all SA, aren't they? While semi-auto in that case, the issue still remains the same since there are DAO semi-autos out there as well.

I guess I viewed a DA revolver as basically being like a SA revolver except with a cylinder that swings out for easy loading/unloading and that one could fire it DA, but likely never would.

 

[9mmepiphany]

^^^

there's always more to learn

 

[KJS]

there's always more to learn

I've noticed. The more I learn about guns the less I seem to know. Every new thing I learn just brings up new questions that I'd never have even thought of before.

 

[Stainz]

I had converted most of my long gun collection to mostly Ruger revolvers some years back - and they to S&W revolvers by last year. My last new S&W was a 4" 617 x10 9/08; my last revolver purchase was a once shot 5" 63 from a friend's estate 9/09.



I still have a couple of CZ bolt action .22s - and a Puma 1892 in .45 Colt. My S&W revolvers are exactly what I want. My regrets are that I waited so long to get a 617. It is too much fun! The 63 is fun, too... although I'd rather have my friend back. I've tweaked both, of course, so they are better. The J-frame 63 is not up to the current trigger in my 617, although it is far better than it was - and better than the stock 617 was, for sure. I have far fewer firearms today - but I shoot them all. Every revolver is DA capable - the way I like them.

Shooting DA isn't difficult - you simply 'learn' your trigger. If you compete - in SPC, for example, you'll need DA capability. If you have S&W K, L, & N frames, they will be similar. J-frames are more stout. Of course, a 10, 64, 67, etc, will be a lot easier on the trigger finger than a 617 - the .22 rimfire just takes more energy to lite. If you buy a Taurus, particularly a .22 94, get an 1895 Nagant for DA prep. Seriously, that is a stout trigger. From the experiences my friends have had with Taurus, including a 4" .22 94, I'd save my sheckles longer - until I could afford a 617. It will be worth it. Looking locally, they run $349 & $679 - about $350 with s/t more for the S&W. If you eat out for lunch, that's about 50 footlongs and drinks from the sandwich shop Jared likes. If you smoke - and quit, that will cover the cost in two months or so. Believe me, it's worth a little extra effort. My 617 - and 63 - are keepers. I just wish I had bought them years ago!

Stainz

 

[Old John]

Jerry Mikuleck & 18 rounds..........

Isn't it Jerry Mikuleck who can fire 18 rounds out of his DA revolver........
in 6 seconds, using full-moon clips holding 6 rounds. And he hits the steel target each time too.
I've seen him do it on the Outdoor channel, on Dish TV......
Wednesday evening is Gun Night.
He beats a 1911.......

 

[Chuck Perry]

Has anyone tried out a Taurus Tracker in 22LR. I wonder how they compare to the Taurus Model 94's?

 

[Virginian]

The Wolff Spring kits come with multiple weight springs. I put in the lightest main and trigger springs and go from there. To get 100% reliability I had to go back up to the medium main spring, which was still worlds lighter than the factory's spring, on a Taurus Model 431 .44 Special. On none of the others have I had any issues at all.
I put Wolff springs in my S&Ws too, but I didn't see as big an effect/improvement. I have been tempted to get some more springs and try trimming the trigger and rebound springs in an S&W a little more even.
Whenever I go to sell a gun I will tell them it has aftermarket springs in it, and I usually get the "Oh, I want the factory springs in it." When they come to pick it up I let them feel it, and it's usually "Oh man, this feels good." I haven't had one person yet who wanted me to change them back, they were happy to take the little envelope of original springs with them.

 

[Chuck Perry]

Has anyone tried out a Taurus Tracker in 22LR? I wonder how they compare to the Taurus Model 94's?

 

[BlindJustice]

My first handgun at age 14 'bout '65 was a Model 18 K-22 Combat
Masterpiece. It was $78 - probably more than twice the cost of
any of my buddies with H&R top break action or cheap 'Great Western?"
Single Action revolvers. Today those cheapies can be had for little cost
but used Model 18s are in the $500 range

Today, I have a S&W 617 6" bbl. 10 shot cyl. and I find it a great gun
for warming up at the range for Double Action practice before moving up to
my S&W 625 5" Bbl. They are both the same weight empty 45 oz and though
the 617 has a shorter length frame the longer Bbl. gives them about the
same sight radius. Having the same weight and near to the same balance I think is a good thing for gun handling.

The reason why .22s on the same frame and barrel len. / style weigh a little more than a centerfire on is that the .22s have more metal in the barrel
and cylinder - The 617 weighs so much because of the full length underlug
Barrel. I think a Model 18 with the 4" bbl. and just the
ejector shroud on the barrel runs 37 oz. empty weight.

If you can find a J frame Model 34 ( blued carbon steel ) or a
Model 63 ( stainless steel ) "Kit" gun with the 3 1/2" Bbl. len. buy it
they are handy and weight drops to about 24 oz. They are hard
to find though These are 6 shot revolvers. The newly introduced
model 63 has an 8 shot cylinder but is only offered in an ungainly imo
5" Bbl Len. I'm looking for one of these for my grandkids - have 5-7
years before they'll be old enough.

Yah gets what yah pays for, and if you ever want to pass it down
you'll forget about the price now when you pass it along later.

Randall

 

[HexHead]

I probably shouldn't have sold my S&W Model 63 in retrospect. Then again it did help fund my first 1911 so I guess it's all good.

 

[BCRider]

Locally we have a monthly club match for shooting Speed Steel. There's classes of all sorts so any handgun and even pistol caliber carbines can compete and be enjoyed. As a result of this and similar events ALL of my guns must be useable for such timed events. And when the clock is running then DA is king for shooting a revolver. And while few would take a .22 with them for SD if you have a .22 that faithfully replicates a bigger caliber DA pull it's a good way to practice for cheap. So I wouldn't say that obsessing over a nice DA pull for a .22 revolver is a bad thing.

 

[KJS]

The 617 weighs so much because of the full length underlug

I get the point of a full-lug barrel on a .357 or .44 Mag -- you want weight up front to make it muzzle-heavy to help reduce muzzle rise while firing potent Magnum rounds.

If your revolver is producing nearly 600 or 1,000 ft/lbs of muzzle energy, I can very clearly see why more weight is good. But I have some trouble seeing the point of so much weight when firing a mere .22 LR, a cartridge that only looks potent when compared to a .25 Auto.

 

[9mmepiphany]

But I have some trouble seeing the point of so much weight when firing a mere .22 LR

they did it for the same reason the L-frame copied the Colt Python...it's cool

in a slow game like PPC, which is where the M-686/586 competed with the Python, the extra weight allows the gun to "hang" better. in a game with target transitions, the weight actually works against you for quick shots.

the M-617 is a follow on model to the M-17, which came from the "Target Masterpiece" series. the series was composed of 3 guns chambered in .22lr, .32 Long and .38 Spl. they varied the thickness of the barrels and width of their top ribs to match their weight/handling characteristics

 

[PzGren]

The reputable rimfire match pistols like the Walther GSP, Hämmerli 208, and so on all have different weights that can be attached to the front of the pistol. This is not just to look cool!

 

[christcorp]

Until yesterday, I never owned a Dan Wesson before. I was able to pick up a 4" Dan Wesson 22. Excellent condition. Blued. Double Action. 5 digit serial number. Made in Monson, Mass; which supposedly is the better production lot. Point is, I picked it up for $215. I had a 3 way deal going on with some ammo and some other stuff, so out of pocket cash for the Dan Wesson was about $55. $105 if I include the value of another cheap 22 pistol I had. Anyway; the point is, there are definitely deals to be found. And from everyone told me on the other threads, the Dan Wesson 22lr is one of the best. Especially in revolvers. I only shot about 20-25 rounds today. Just to see how it fired. Pretty nice. I didn't even set up a target yet. Just checking out the mechanics. I'm happy with it. Any of the Dan Wessons, Colt, Rugers, or S&W you should do fine with.

 

[9mmepiphany]

The reputable rimfire match pistols like the Walther GSP, Hämmerli 208, and so on all have different weights that can be attached to the front of the pistol. This is not just to look cool!

if that was directed at my post above yours...it is more than a little off topic

the question was about why the S&W M-617 had an underlugged barrel and the title of the thread is "Double action .22s" being posted in the "Revolver" section.

while the GSP and 208 are fine pistols, i don't think they would be classed as double action nor revolvers

might you have mis-posted in the wrong thread?