I am looking to get back into pistol shooting after many moons away. My thought is that due to the price of ammo I should consider a twin pistol in 22 to practice with. So my dilemma is between that Ruger GP 100 357 & 22 or the Ruger Blackhawk 357 & Super Single Six. Any and all help is appreciated. Ps , holsters are needed Mitch
The single six is a stand alone, stand out....Best pick imho. Blackhawk/ single-six for the win! ......exxxxxxxcept...... If I were starting over, I would do single-six/Blackhawk. 45colt.
I have both S/A and D/A revolvers. I shoot in S/A. My 1st revolver was my Ruger SBH. Old habits die hard sometimes.
I do own a Uberti / Colt Walker and a Pietta Army so I am familiar with the beauties of single actions. The 357 would be be my woods walking/camping Gun.
DA guns allow for more varied types of shooting and games down the road. Maybe split the difference, a GP100 and a Single Six.
Another vote for the GP100 (.357) and the Single Six (.22LR/.22WMR). I have one of each myself. (Normally I’d insert some insightful reasons to pick a DA/SA .357 and a SA .22 made by Ruger, but I’m just dog tired from work this week.)
I don’t think you can wrong either way. Some days I like my single actions, some days I like my double actions. A few years ago I bought a Smith & Wesson model 19. I then decided to get a matching model 17. My model 19 is a dash 4 with target hammer and wide trigger. The 17 is a dash 3 with a standard trigger and hammer. I love shooting both but rarely ever shoot them together and I don’t shoot the 17 to practice cheaper than the 19. That was the original plan, but it just never worked for me. Oh, I didn’t waste my money on either. I shoot them both often. If I want to practice with my 19 I shoot my 19. I never consider using the 17 for that. The 17 stands on its own as a fun gun. I like @UncleEd and @chicharrones idea. Get a GP100 and a single six and have fun with them.
A man can do a lot with a 357 and a 22 - worked with a guy who said the 357 j frame 3” and 22lr j frame 3” would do all he ever needed. Yet he was a cowboy action fella and really Loved his six with 22mag cylinder. I’m a double action fan- Yet I don’t think you can go wrong. I enjoy my pre lock 686 and 617, both 4”
Win/Win I almost bought a GP100 in 22lr. It had a nice trigger. I came back the next day to trade for it, and it was gone. If the GP100 sights are considerably larger than Single Six sights (which I suspect they are), it will be easier to shoot. At least that's the case with my aging eyes and my K22 vs. Single Six. My FiL has a very nice GP100 in 357 magnum. He shoots it better than any of his auto pistols. My 357 Blackhawk is a lot of fun and very accurate. SA revolvers point more naturally for me and I generally like their triggers a lot. The 9mm cylinder is a nice bonus. A Single Six was my first firearm. This is its replacement, a "rescue gun" that had been neglected/abused. It's accurate and fun to shoot. I would take any two of the above and be happy with them. For target shooting, either 22 would be fine. However, for anything involving walking and carrying stuff, I would lean towards the Single Six. GP100's are heavy revolvers. The Single Six is smaller than the Blackhawk, and the Single Six also has an aluminum frame. It's a light, handy revolver. Lugging a GP100 around just to plink with seems like a lot of effort. Further note: It's pointless to ask how durable any of those four revolvers are, unless the OP is relatively young. If I'd been given those four at age 21 and shot them exclusively, I doubt I'd have worn any of them out by now (35 years later). Ruger makes some very sturdy revolvers. I prefer to buy them used for that reason. Win/Win Ruger Single Six 22lr after by Tallball posted Feb 19, 2019 at 5:26 PM Ruger Blackhawk 357 Magnum by Tallball posted Jul 30, 2018 at 9:22 AM
When it comes to .22’s I like DA revolvers. I love SA revolvers but I find that unloading and reloading .22’s through a gate becomes a tedious operation quickly.
Id go with the DA. SA are fun, but youll learn more shooting the DA, DAO, and the benefits are across everything you shoot.
The sights on my early 90s GP100 and my 2000s Single Six look virtually the same when sighting the gun. Both with adjustable sights, of course.
My thoughts for today are to go with GP100’s and put the single actions on the wish list. Seems like finding a used Single Six is not as difficult as finding a GP Anywhere. One thing about the Blackhawk is the possibility of getting a 9mm. cylinder.
I have a .357 BH. Excellent shooter built like a tank. Wish I had bought the convertible, to get the 9mm cylinder. Even though, I don't own a 9mm and never have. Since buying mine, I have shot with 4, who have the convertible. They all say, the 9mm is fun to plink with, but accuracy is not great. The .357 shoots a .358 bullet and 9mm is .355. Not conducive to great accuracy I would still like to have one, though.
I don' t want to spend my shooting day, loading & unloading a single action. Or a T/C Contender single shot type. DA or Autos, ty.
It would be single action for both for me. I just like single action revolvers. I own a couple of DA/SA revolvers and neither get shot very much.
14 years ago when I lived in the Suburbs and paid by the hour to shoot on an indoor range, I would've completely agreed with you. I would've gone further and said 22LR pistols aren't worth shooting on an indoor range. Too much work for so little a pop. Now being able to shoot whenever I want in my backyard / field - I have all the time in the world to shoot a single action. Loading 22LR magazines annoys me. I have both and would rather shoot my Colt SA or S&W DA 22LR revolver over loading 22LR into a magazine.
I like SA and DA's equally for target shooting but I tend to shoot a little fast. SA guns slow me down a bit and make the shooting experience more fun.
