Recommend me a DA .22 LR that's actually in stock

[TTv2]

It's been two years, the Taurus 942 is unobtainable outside of Gougebroker and I'm not willing to pay the $550 OTD prices for them, so I'm looking at alternatives for a DA .22 revolver. This is where normally I'd go Ruger, the LCRx was originally what I wanted before Taurus came out with the 942, but Ruger's are also scarce and same story with prices on GB.

If you're asking why it's gotta be a revolver, I believe there's still a rule at my range that one area where we shoot steel plates .22 is not allowed, so instead of leaving hundreds of cases on the ground I dump the empties from the revolvers into a bag and take them with me.

Right now I'm just looking for a plinker revolver to burn ammo when I go to the range and I'm tired of the single actions and how slow they are to unload and reload.

Only other brands I can think of that aren't crazy high in price are Charter and used H&R revolvers. Charters are pretty meh, but some people swear by them as far as the .22's being very decent for the money. The H&R's interest me more and a top break .22 like the 999 would be a really cool addition to my growing H&R collection even if they do run me $500. Not looking for super accuracy, but the likelihood is I'd be shooting these a lot, like 500 rounds a month and IDK if the H&R's can hold up to that.

What would you recommend? Appreciate the feedback.

 

[jdc1244]

I managed to locate an RIA AL22 for under $600.

Manufactured in the Czech Republic, the fit and finish are quite good.

I’ve read two reviews where the guns tested experienced a failure with the cylinder stop plunger, but mine has been functioning fine.

 

[TTv2]

I managed to locate an RIA AL22 for under $600.

Manufactured in the Czech Republic, the fit and finish are quite good.

I’ve read two reviews where the guns tested experienced a failure with the cylinder stop plunger, but mine has been functioning fine.

Guess I could check them out. How is the trigger?

 

[toivo]

Iver Johnson? I've got a Supershot Sealed Eight that's a lot of fun.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

As much as I like My H&R single shot, their old revolvers were made to a low price point, of rather soft steel, and they will not stand up to 500 rounds a month without going out of time or breaking a spring and parts are either unobtainium or priced so high its not cost-effective to repair them. Indeed, they are all over 30 years old at this point and most have already been shot loose.

Iver Johnson .22s were a little better initial quality, but are even older with correspondingly higher round counts.

Even if you can find a clean, mechanically sound example these days, sellers think they are gold.

The Alphas are quality guns, priced reasonably, but availability is spotty.

Theres the new Diamondack DA, whch is a copy of an old High-standard design. Too early to tell if the DB version will hold up. IF you can find an
original HS Sentinal, they are good guns, but once again sellers seem to think they are made of unicorn horn now.

Honestly, if you are going to be shooting one a lot, Id say save up your money and get on a notification list for a 617 or a GP100. In the long run those will be money well spent, with warranty support and available accessories.

 

[Rodfac]

Keep watching GB and note the prices...don't bid on items that are beyond your expectations. If you blanket dismiss GB, you may miss out on something you'll not find anywhere else. Best Regards, Rod

 

[Larry in wyoming]

Well, I saw a ROHM on gun broker last night for $30.00. For that money I was actually tempted. LOL

 

[wcwhitey]

I know you mentioned it but Charter Arms Pathfinder is a neat gun. Charter’s customer service is very good. For brand new or not over a grand that’s all I can think of in Double Action. Most of the older revolvers you mentioned are good options but personally I have to be able to check a used revolver out in person. Just not enough decent Gunsmiths in my area anymore to take the chance on something. That’s why I think customer support is important.

 

[doubleh]

Guess I could check them out. How is the trigger?

I played with one at the LGS. The trigger was very nice in both double and single action but the price was right up there with the Taurus. Personally I would go with the Taurus

 

[Tallball]

I was on the same road. I really needed a better 22 revolver for my daughter to shoot. Luckily I rescued a Ruger Single Six that needed some TLC and a couple of parts.

The Single Six is a fine 22 revolver. They are accurate and will last a lifetime.

I still wanted a decent DA 22 revolver, though. I tried different ones for years. I wanted to beat the odds and get an old funky one for cheap that shot lights-out. I had a couple of Taurii, a Rossi, an H&R, a High Standard, a Ruger, and a Charter Arms. It was educational, but also something of a waste of time and money.

I finally lucked onto an affordable K22 Masterpiece, so my search more or less ended.

If I had it to do over, the Taurus Tracker in 22lr/22mag had promise. It just needed better springs and some polishing to have a decent trigger. It was accurate. The rest were bad designs, poorly executed, and/or worn/broken.

I bought the CA Pathfinder NiB to finally have a decent 22 snubby. Its DA trigger was good. However, it had occasional light strikes. I sent it to the factory, and they returned it with good strikes, but a horribly stiff DA trigger. I need to return it again. Haven't gotten around to it yet. With the original nice trigger pull and functional strikes, the Pathfinder would be a decent little revolver.

 

[CraigC]

K-22's always in stock at Gunbroker.

 

[gobsauce]

Diamondback Sidekick? 9 shot DA/SA revolver with a swing out cylinder.

 

[TTv2]

As much as I like My H&R single shot, their old revolvers were made to a low price point, of rather soft steel, and they will not stand up to 500 rounds a month without going out of time or breaking a spring and parts are either unobtainium or priced so high its not cost-effective to repair them. Indeed, they are all over 30 years old at this point and most have already been shot loose.

Iver Johnson .22s were a little better initial quality, but are even older with correspondingly higher round counts.

Even if you can find a clean, mechanically sound example these days, sellers think they are gold.

The Alphas are quality guns, priced reasonably, but availability is spotty.

Theres the new Diamondack DA, whch is a copy of an old High-standard design. Too early to tell if the DB version will hold up. IF you can find an
original HS Sentinal, they are good guns, but once again sellers seem to think they are made of unicorn horn now.

Honestly, if you are going to be shooting one a lot, Id say save up your money and get on a notification list for a 617 or a GP100. In the long run those will be money well spent, with warranty support and available accessories.

Diamondback would interest me if it wasn't stuck with those horrible traditional SAA fixed sights.

Ruger SP101 and GP100's in .22 I have zero interest in their price or super heavy triggers. I'm sure the GP100 .22 has a better DA pull than the SP, but that gun is so freakin' large and heavy that I'd get tired of just holding it up to shoot after 10 minutes.

S&W... that's one I've thought of and I'm not normally a S&W guy, but I have the feeling their DA triggers won't be bad, what holds me back is the price and current QC.

 

[TTv2]

K-22's always in stock at Gunbroker.

Lemme check my credit limit...

 

[TTv2]

I played with one at the LGS. The trigger was very nice in both double and single action but the price was right up there with the Taurus. Personally I would go with the Taurus

Taurus revolvers right now are either unavailable or they're getting the GougeBroker special of $100 over MSRP. I'll keep my eye out on Gouger, but after 2+ yrs I'm waving the white flag, it's time to consider and act on an alternative.

 

[cjwils]

I had a Taurus .22 revolver about 15 years ago. It was junk. Sent it back to Taurus twice for repair, but it still was still bad. Don't know about the 942, but I would not buy another Taurus .22 revolver.

 

[12Bravo20]

I have a Taurus 942 and it has been good to go for me. The double action is heavy, like most any DA/SA revolvers are. The single action trigger pull isn't bad at all. No it isn't as smooth as a well tuned S&W but it doesn't cost as much either. Plus the 942 is a good trainer to go with my older Taurus 85 and new Taurus 856. I bought my 942 in 20 or 21 and have shot plenty of ammo through it.

 

[Tacoma]

I've owned near two dozen .22 DA revolvers to include S&W, Ruger, High Standard, Charter Arms, Taurus , Rossi and H&R. Trust me, bite the bullet and buy a used S*W or Ruger and be done with it. The other brands suffer from spotty quality , unpredictable accuracy, poor resale and lousy aftermarket support. If you shop right and be just a little patient, a nice SW 617 /gp100 can be had in the $600+/- range. Buy once, Cry once.

 

[J-Bar]

I don’t understand why one would accept poor accuracy from any firearm. Even a “plinker”. You could save a lot of money by holding the cartridges in your hand and then just tossing them down range. At least it would be less noisy.

Used quality DA revolvers can still be found. As with most material things, we usually get what we pay for.

 

[ontarget]

I don’t understand why one would accept poor accuracy from any firearm. Even a “plinker”. You could save a lot of money by holding the cartridges in your hand and then just tossing them down range. At least it would be less noisy.

Used quality DA revolvers can still be found. As with most material things, we usually get what we pay for.

Agreed. Let's be honest. The very vast majority of us are not shooting in any sort of competition. So, most of our shooting boils down to "plinking", even if there is a paper target involved.
For me personally, once I check up on the sights of a new acquisition, I rarely even shoot at paper targets again. Steel at random distances, and empty cans mostly.
Plinking or not I still expect to hit what I'm aiming at.

 

[BeornLS]

Some of the Ruger LCR and LCRx .22 LR are out and about. I spotted a couple on gunbroker and actually found the 3” LCRx .22LR at a gun show today for $540 out the door. It was shipped in 2022 according to Ruger serial tracking. So maybe there is a batch that just went out?

 

[12Bravo20]

I don’t understand why one would accept poor accuracy from any firearm. Even a “plinker”. You could save a lot of money by holding the cartridges in your hand and then just tossing them down range. At least it would be less noisy.

Used quality DA revolvers can still be found. As with most material things, we usually get what we pay for.

I know I wouldn't accept poor accuracy. It doesn't matter what brand either, if they don't shoot well then I get rid of them. My 2" Taurus 942 definitely isn't as accurate as my 5 1/2" H&R 949 but I don't expect it too. Both are quite capable of hitting tin cans and clay birds out to 50-60 yards with ease when I do my part.

 

[TTv2]

I don’t understand why one would accept poor accuracy from any firearm. Even a “plinker”. You could save a lot of money by holding the cartridges in your hand and then just tossing them down range. At least it would be less noisy.

Used quality DA revolvers can still be found. As with most material things, we usually get what we pay for.

What do you consider "poor" accuracy? I'm shooting at steel plates 10 yards away, I'm not looking to win bullseye competitions.

 

[Tallball]

I bought a NiB LCRx 22lr and was extremely disappointed with the trigger. Yes, I ordered it from GB.

I lost some money trading the LCRx towards something else. Like the Taurus Tracker, some patience and work and new springs probably would have made it into a decent little handgun. Live and learn.

The larger 22lr revolvers tend to have better triggers. J-frames usually have stiffer triggers than K-frames, and rimfire tends to have stiffer triggers than centerfire.

 

[LeftyRed]

When you look at a manufacturing POV, it’s ten times easier to produce a good shooting semi auto 22lr pistol than a revolver. And the cool kids want a new cool looking pistol that hold a lot of rounds instead of an old six shooter.

If I was looking for an accurate 22lr DA revolver, with a good trigger and action, I would spend the money on an old K22 or older SW K frame pistol. I would steer away from the ten shot 617s too. The older six shot versions are better. The things I would do for an SW model 18 worries me sometimes……..