New 'Old' Revolver

[Hondo Kid]

Picked up a new-to-me old revolver today on a trade. Hi-Point Double Nine - W100 - I was looking to purchase a 22 caliber revolver and was considering Heritage / Ruger but when this deal came up I could not resist. Double action - 9 shot - excellent condition for it's age. I cocked the hammer and there was no play in the cylinder. I then held the hammer and pulled the trigger - no front to back play on the cylinder. Seems to have been a pistil purchased by the guys father new and maybe has 100-200 rounds thru it total. Anyone have experience in this revolver?

 

[.38 Special]

Cool! It is too bad it is upside down, though. I hope that brought the price down!

 

[nofendertom]

Hi-Point or High Standard Double Nine ?

 

[Mauser lover]

Hi Point, or High Standard? I know it is confusing (that’s marketing for you), but these are (were) two very different companies.

If I recall correctly, your Double 9 is a dressed up Sentinel. I have a Sentinel, and I’ve got two complaints. Mine is timed just slightly short of perfect, and it isn’t worth paying to have it fixed, and I haven’t bothered learning how to fix it myself. Yet. Second, my model (and it looks like yours too) doesn’t have a return spring under the extractor star. If you forget to manually pull it back after extracting empties, it scratches the recoil shield.

Other than that, it is a pretty nice lightweight plinker or packable utility arm for around the woods/farm! I really wish someone like Ruger or Heritage would make a fairly inexpensive double action .22, but they probably won’t.

 

[gobsauce]

Hi Point, or High Standard? I know it is confusing (that’s marketing for you), but these are (were) two very different companies.

If I recall correctly, your Double 9 is a dressed up Sentinel. I have a Sentinel, and I’ve got two complaints. Mine is timed just slightly short of perfect, and it isn’t worth paying to have it fixed, and I haven’t bothered learning how to fix it myself. Yet. Second, my model (and it looks like yours too) doesn’t have a return spring under the extractor star. If you forget to manually pull it back after extracting empties, it scratches the recoil shield.

Other than that, it is a pretty nice lightweight plinker or packable utility arm for around the woods/farm! I really wish someone like Ruger or Heritage would make a fairly inexpensive double action .22, but they probably won’t.

The diamondback sidekick is supposed to be just that, comes out next month.

 

[tubeshooter]

I really wish someone like Ruger or Heritage would make a fairly inexpensive double action .22, but they probably won’t.

But they have.

Taurus made the model 94 for years; it had a reputation for a heavy trigger. You can buy a new Taurus 942 today.

Charter Arms made budget-friendly .22 revolvers for years, and you can buy a Pathfinder today.

Rossi used to make .22 revos of hit-or-miss quality and made the Plinkster for a short time in recent years. They don't appear to offer anything as of today.

Ruger itself even offers the .22 SP101, but the cost is close to a S&W and it has never been particularly popular.

So it's not that people haven't tried. There are guns out there, but they won't get you too many "attaboys" on the message boards. And if you ask, everyone will tell you to hold out for a S&W.


Another case of the consumer wishes - but nobody actually buys.

 

[bassjam]

I have one. It was my great uncle's, my parent's remember backpacking with him in the 70's while he had it on his hip, and my grandpa and uncle remember going on canoeing fishing trips with him in the 80's while it was also strapped to his hip. As you can see it's had a lot of love, about 90% of the nickel is worn off the frame and it's had it's had the ejector scratch up the frame too. I still take it to the range, it's not quite as accurate as my Buckmark or Mark I, but it's surprisingly close. Many years ago I was out shooting with some buddies and they had bragged about their pistols before showing up; one had a Dan Wesson 1911 and the other a USP 9mm. They were blasting away at bowling pins at about 25 yards and hitting maybe one for every 10 shots. After watching for about 10 minutes I said "my turn" and pulled out the Double Nine. I knocked over 8 pins, and the 9th one wobbled but didn't fall. They decided to put the handguns away at that point and start shooting rifles lol.

 

[Mauser lover]

But they have.

Taurus made the model 94 for years; it had a reputation for a heavy trigger. You can buy a new Taurus 942 today.

Charter Arms made low-end .22 revolvers for years, and you can buy a Pathfinder today.

Rossi used to make .22 revos of hit-or-miss quality and made the Plinkster for a short time in recent years. They don't appear to offer anything as of today.

Ruger itself even offers the .22 SP101, but the cost is close to a Smith and it has never been particularly popular.

So it's not that people haven't tried. There are guns out there, but they won't get you too many "attaboys" on the message boards. And if you ask, everyone will tell you to hold out for a Smith.


Another case of the consumer wishes - but nobody actually buys.

I have a couple of issues with these suggested options...

1. Cost. A gun/pawn shop near me has both the Ruger Wrangler and Heritage Rough Rider for $185. Rural King has Rough Riders for $130. I couldn't find the Taurus anywhere but Gunbroker, and it was more than $400. Pretty close to the same with the Charter (and some of them only have six shots, I'd prefer eight or nine). The Ruger LCR in .22 is in that range as well. Ruger SP 101 is more.

2. Availability. I can't bring myself to buy a non-warrantied revolver without being assured of proper timing before I lay down the money. Taurus or Ruger will probably fix it if I ordered a new one from them, but it is still a pain. A used Rossi? No way it's getting warranty work done, so no way I'm ordering one off the internet.

The diamondback sidekick is supposed to be just that, comes out next month.

Wow, that's hideous. And ridiculous. It has a fake ejector rod, atrocious grips, sights reminiscent of a Colt SAA, etc. It's made to look like the western revolvers of yesteryear, but (unlike the Double Nine) doesn't look anything like them. I must have one. It looks like a copy of this High Standard Double Nine. Just in time for black Friday too! Hopefully some youtubers will get some in a week or two to do reviews. That's exactly what I was looking for. If a Wrangler is an economy version of Single Six with cheaper materials, then I'm looking for a similar simple DA revolver and I'm happy for it to be zink, assuming the mechanical parts are properly heat treated to last a while.

 

[gobsauce]

Wow, that's hideous. And ridiculous. It has a fake ejector rod, atrocious grips, sights reminiscent of a Colt SAA, etc. It's made to look like the western revolvers of yesteryear, but (unlike the Double Nine) doesn't look anything like them. I must have one.

That's akin to "it's ugly ,I want it ". You and I think quite similar. I thought the same thing.

 

[tubeshooter]

I have a couple of issues with these suggested options...

Your original post said you wished somebody made. It didn't say anything about > 6 shots, or warranty repair, or what exactly your cutoff for inexpensive happens to be. You can't get any warranty work done on any High Standard revolvers at this point, either.

It also said double-action revolver, which is specifically why I didn't bring the Wrangler or Rough Rider into the conversation.


If you've got a series of unspoken and baked-in caveats to having a cheap DA revolver, then that's a whole different kettle of fish. If you're asking said cheap DA revolver to compete with even cheaper SA offerings that will do 95% of what is asked, then that's a whole different bucket of fish and it starts to make much more sense why the market does not compete very hard for said dollars.

 

[Mauser lover]

I'm sorry, did I offend you in something I said? I didn't intend to nitpick or say that the options you gave were bad options, just that they didn't fit what I meant by inexpensive.

Your original post said you wished somebody made. It didn't say anything about > 6 shots, or warranty repair, or what exactly your cutoff for inexpensive happens to be. You can't get any warranty work done on any High Standard revolvers at this point, either.

Ah, yes. I should have used the proper grammar to match my subjunctive and exclude the past. In my everyday life I do try to pay attention to my grammar and communicate accurately. I will have to try to be more precise in the future. I meant to say, "I wish someone would make..." or something equivalent to refer to current production. I also never said anything about more than six shots until my response after the Diamondback got mentioned when I was comparing different models of revolver. I mentioned repair in my first post by saying that mine is worn out and that I haven't fixed it yet. When I did mention it, it was only to try to differentiate between the two versions of the Charter (the eight-shot runs a few dollars more) and even then it was the same price as the Taurus.

It also said double-action revolver, which is specifically why I didn't bring the Wrangler or Rough Rider into the conversation.

I brought Ruger and Heritage into the conversation when I first posted. Only because it stands to reason that if they can make single actions that work well with zinc frames, they could also make doubles that work well with the same cost-saving measures. The problem with the Taurus, Charter, and Ruger (SP 101 and LCR) options is that their rimfire options are not cheaper than the centerfire versions of their revolvers. I think to require that I bring up my exact cutoff for "inexpensive" in a one-sentence pine for an inexpensive revolver is just a little bit burdensome.

If you've got a series of unspoken and baked-in caveats to having a cheap DA revolver, then that's a whole different kettle of fish. If you're asking said cheap DA revolver to compete with even cheaper SA offerings that will do 95% of what is asked, then that's a whole different bucket of fish and it starts to make much more sense why the market does not compete very hard for said dollars.

But... it seems that the market is beginning to see and compete for my desire. Diamondback is releasing exactly what I am looking for next month, a zinc framed inexpensive revolver. I understand that a DA revolver is going to require more work just in the fact that it is DA. An MSRP of $320 for the Diamondback vs $215 (depending on the model) MSRP for the Heritage I consider reasonable. I know it is more than the SA guns, I'm fine with that, but it is cheaper than even a forged and milled Aluminum revolver. My High Standard .22 was more money than the Heritage. My H&R .22 was more than the Heritage. I don't think I've actually purchased any arms less expensive than the Heritage, come to think of it. I don't expect absolute direct competition, just similar application of cost saving manufacture so I can have a DA revolver suitable to toss in my tackle box when I go fishing.

 

[tubeshooter]

I'm sorry, did I offend you in something I said? I didn't intend to nitpick or say that the options you gave were bad options, just that they didn't fit what I meant by inexpensive.

No, not offended at all. Just noting that people have tried making budget DA revolvers in years past and traditionally they haven't sold. Your post made it sound like nobody ever tried.

DA revolvers made of all steel that manufacturers stood behind, by the way.
Some are still being made.
No, none of them are quite $200 or less.

But... it seems that the market is beginning to see and compete for my desire. Diamondback is releasing exactly what I am looking for next month, a zinc framed inexpensive revolver. I understand that a DA revolver is going to require more work just in the fact that it is DA. An MSRP of $320 for the Diamondback vs $215 (depending on the model) MSRP for the Heritage I consider reasonable. I know it is more than the SA guns, I'm fine with that, but it is cheaper than even a forged and milled Aluminum revolver. My High Standard .22 was more money than the Heritage. My H&R .22 was more than the Heritage. I don't think I've actually purchased any arms less expensive than the Heritage, come to think of it. I don't expect absolute direct competition, just similar application of cost saving manufacture so I can have a DA revolver suitable to toss in my tackle box when I go fishing.

Great - let's see if it sells.
They traditionally have not.

Maybe the cheap alloy and a super-low price point will be the difference.
We will see.

 

[Mr. Mosin]

Hi Point, or High Standard? I know it is confusing (that’s marketing for you), but these are (were) two very different companies.

If I recall correctly, your Double 9 is a dressed up Sentinel. I have a Sentinel, and I’ve got two complaints. Mine is timed just slightly short of perfect, and it isn’t worth paying to have it fixed, and I haven’t bothered learning how to fix it myself. Yet. Second, my model (and it looks like yours too) doesn’t have a return spring under the extractor star. If you forget to manually pull it back after extracting empties, it scratches the recoil shield.

Other than that, it is a pretty nice lightweight plinker or packable utility arm for around the woods/farm! I really wish someone like Ruger or Heritage would make a fairly inexpensive double action .22, but they probably won’t.

I want the Wrangler in .38 Spl

 

[gobsauce]

I want the Wrangler in .38 Spl

Why specifically the wrangler? Would you also get a Rough Rider in .38?

 

[Mr. Mosin]

Why specifically the wrangler? Would you also get a Rough Rider in .38?

Nope.

 

[gobsauce]

Nope.

Still doesn't answer the question, why specifically a wrangler? Just curious is all.

 

[Iggy]

I wanted one of those Double Nine so bad when I was a kid. That was more than 60 years ago.
I wound up getting a Ruger Single Six when I was old enough. I still have it.
Yours is the first I have seen since then.
Now you got me jealous.

 

[Hondo Kid]

OK - a little late but I finally got to the range and shot the gun Sunday. What a blast!!! It shoots straight and tight. I even ran some "rat" shot thru it for fun. A friend of mine was with me and when he shot it he stopped at 6 rounds. I told him to pull again, and again, and again.........he was blown away. Best fun I have had in a while and cheap fun at that!!

 

[chicharrones]

OK - a little late but I finally got to the range and shot the gun Sunday. What a blast!!! It shoots straight and tight. Best fun I have had in a while and cheap fun at that!!

Congrats on a cool old gun.

A friend of mine was with me and when he shot it he stopped at 6 rounds. I told him to pull again, and again, and again.....

Gotta love having half a reload already in the gun.