Shopping for a .22 revolver

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Well, that sucks. I can see now why you're looking for a low cost but decent option just to keep your hand in.

Although I badmouthed them a bit the H&R and Hi Standard Double 9 are not bad options. With the D9 I just treated as the SA only gun that it resembles and forget that it even has a DA mode. Then it's not all that bad at all.

And I get much the same results from the H&R if it's used more as a SA gun in order to avoid the heavy DA pull.

There may well be other options as well but these are the two budget guns that I've personally shot.

I'll leave it to the others to offer up other "good bang for the buck" options. Then it's time for you to go into "hunting" mode to find something.

Don't be afraid to ask when you see other options too. I walked into one of my LGS's a couple of months back to find a well used but well cared for older 3 screw Ruger Single Six for just $150 with the .22LR cylinder only. It was an estate sale and priced to move quick. Here and there you come across such things and just need to be ready to jump when it happens.
 
Yeah. The LGS I like (great owners and staff, they are a much smaller shop though and their prices are a tad higher) did have a Single Six without the Magnum cylinder. I don't remember the cost... They also had an H&R, NIB I believe that was complete, also don't know the cost. They also have quite a few semi-auto's too. I am just not a fan, but reading in that forum is slowly making me rethink things... The LGS I don't like (tons of inventory, type of store that won't give you the time of day unless you walk out spending over $1000, they are your best friends then) had a bunch of the Rugers, ranging from beat to hell to BNIB. Their prices are somewhat better too. There is a third LGS near, but they cater more to the LEO's in the area, not a single .22 pistol of any kind in the store, unless its one of those AR/AK types.

My wrists usually don't cause me any issues, but it doesn't take much if the force is applied in the right spot. I went bowling once and one tiny bone in my wrist was out of whack for nearly a year before going bowling again and the bone re-centered itself. The J-frame I shot made my wrist sound like rice-krispies with recoil. It didn't hurt, but in a panic situation, it would be a very bad thing to happen.
 
How about cruising Gunbroker et al for an H&R 676 DA convertible? I have one with a 7.5" barrel and it's a true tack-driver. You can pick a nice one up for $200-$250.

Some folks will poo-poo H&Rs because of an alleged heavy trigger pull but my experience has been that they have a medium pull, no worse. Also, H&R had different models with more or less finish quality. The 676s, 949s, etc are the better ones while the 922s were the economy models.
 
I will look into those as well. Sucks living in CA, cannot do an FFL transfer on an off roster pistol. Makes shipping a nightmare.
 
Keep this in mind about the triggers on guns like the H&R, Hi-Standard etc. No, they won't be up to the level of a good S&W or Colt.... BUT........ and this is important IMO....


IF you get good and practice a lot with one of those revolvers, and master the heavier double action trigger, you'll find your shooting will likely be much improved when you grab a hold of a more premium double action revolver.

My little Iver Johnson is GREAT for that... When I grab my Colt Officers Model Target, it's all that much easier to shoot well.

Something to think about.
 
Being as this is the revolver forum and how much we obviously love our wheelguns I still have to say that your budget will buy a much nicer semi than it will a wheelgun. And.... I know I'm showing my dark side here :D.... semis can be fun too. Trigger time is trigger time. And if you look around I'll bet you can find a club that has some sort of action match events that include .22. If not then why not jump in and offer to organize such an event? Most clubs are just itching for folks to step up and run such things. And if it means you end up with a bunch of like minded folks that enjoy their .22's then you may just find that having to "settle" for a .22 isn't so bad after all.

My local club does a Speed Steel match each month. It allows entering all handguns other than full on Magnums (hard on the targets) along with handgun caliber carbines. Included are classes for rimfire semi, revolver and Open (any gun using a red dot or telescopic sight). It's hellish fun to shoot in and leaves me feeling quite satisfied and at Peace With The World at the end of the day:D The day is split into two matches before and after lunch. Each of the 5 stages involves 5 steel targets to keep things revovler friendly. 1, 2 or 4 white targets to be shot with 4 shots in any order (obviously 4, 2 or 1 hit each respectively) and a black "finisher" to end the string. Often the finisher is set up in close proximity to a white to test the shooter's accuracy. Hitting the finisher ends the string with penalties for any "misses" on the whites. The shooter shoots each stage with a total of 6 strings of shots with the worst time being a throw away. The other 5 being added for a total score for that stage. Misses don't count, only hits. So revolvers have ONE grace miss shot. Makes a bloke concentrate a little more when one goes astray... :D

There's no lack of very nice semis to be had. In my case I found a S&W 422 that I really liked the feel of. A couple of years later I tripped over a short 4.3 inch barrel 2206 version of the same gun in stainless. I've shot thousands of rounds through these two guns and neither has had a single failure that I can remember other than the odd FTF which seems to be endemic to .22 bulk ammo. And even those are rare with these two guns. They both shoot better than me and both have nice triggers. I may have gotten lucky as I find the odd thread on forums saying that these older S&W's were problematic. But such "information" seems to show up rarely enough compared to the legions of happy owners that I'm not at all worried. If you find a nice condition 422 or 2206 in either barrel length you will likely find that you will have found a nice shooting .22.

My local Rent-A-Gun range has a brace of Ruger Mk II and III's and recently added a few 22/45's. The Rugers do see to be like the Energizer bunny in that they just keep on shooting. The odd time they'll begin to complain when they've shot so much that they scared away the last traces of oil on the slide. Two or three drops of CLP later they are as happy as lambs in a fresh field with butterflies to chase. Get the one with the grip angle that suits your needs and I suspect you'll be a happy camper. They have a rep as a great gun because that is exactly what they are. There's a "trick" to stripping them and re-assembly. But from all accounts it's not all THAT hard to learn to do it easily.

From my own playing around I found that I prefer the Luger like swept angle for single handed target shooting and the 1911 like grip angle for two handed "action" shooting. Each seems to just click with the respective shooting styles. YMMV on that count. We are very adaptive creatures.

Whichever way you go all the best on finding a nice shooting gun to carry you through this tight spot with a smile on your face.
 
Thanks for all the help everyone. I really appreciate the specific model numbers to look at, helps me shop.

BCRider, I see you over on Rimfire Central, thanks for your insight and the time you took to write me some "books"... Really appreciate it.

Hitting the LGS tomorrow, will see what they got and I will report back with my findings.
 
You're most welcome.

Being able to type with all 10 fingers really helps me spit out the long ones before I even know they've gotten long... :D

Be patient. The "right" one for you may not be out there just yet. It may take a couple of months to find a gun that hits the pocket book just right and that "fits" you. I know that when I picked up my 422 it was more than "this seems decent for the money". There was something about the feel and look that I knew was just right for me that hasn't been there with a lot of other guns. Take your time and "cop a feel" on as many as you can find and somewhere the "right" one will pop out of the woodwork.
 
I'm in the same boat; trying to find an affordable .22 LR revolver. I have a Taurus 94 which in the process of selling - too many issues to list (but it DOES go bang).

My summation; wait and buy a new SP101 or a new S&W. The used ones are too close in price to the used ones - so for another $100 bucks you can get a new one.

Personally, I'm leaning towards waiting for the SP101 in .22LR.
 
I do like the look of the new Ruger for sure. I will be out at the LGS in about 2 hours. Hope they have something workable for me.
 
Jerry Miculek did a 200m+ shot (230 something yards?) with a Smith 617 6" and a red dot held upside down --and fired DA using the pinkie. Shot a balloon. I have a 317 snub though, and I can't hit anything with it and neither can my wife or army buddy. The trigger HAS to be getting close to 20lbs. I hate it, but she won't let me sell it.

The 617 is supposed to be closer to the 686, and I LOVE that revolver. Doubt you'll find one for $300 though. Might be better to save up and get one you'll love rather than just any old .22 revolver you can afford now.

I sure wish my wife would have done that before picking up that 317.
 
I picked up a K22 for 290 last month (20 S&H, 10ffl)

Incredibly accurate and easy to shoot

Take your time...deals are out there
 
Well the LGS was a bust. They had a Rough Rider complete in box and that was it. When I looked at it, the SA trigger was quite nice, but one of the cylinders was damaged (oval shaped instead or round like the rest) so I passed on it. They had a bunch of th Ruger Mk 1-3's and they felt very awkward in my hands. They had a Walther P22 that looked really nice, but it also didn't fit my hand well.

I went ahead and picked up the M36-2 I had in "jail" and am going to give it a go. The one I got to try had stock grips, the one I have has an enormous set of Houge Monogrips. They should help with recoil. I took a look at the rifling again and at first it looked like lands were worn down level with the grooves. We ran a bore brush through and it turned out to be heavy leading. Now that it's clean, looks totally good. I will give it a shot (tee-hee) and if it kills my wrists, I can always sell.
 
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