Suggest me a .22 Mag DA that holds over 6rds

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TTv2

TTv2

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Not a fan of .22 Mag, but I will concede it's got more power than .22 LR does.

So, I recently decided to get a Chiappa Double Badger .410/22WMR and now I'm thinking about a companion gun to go with it in .22 Mag. No interest in a single action, already have one. Key features I'd like would be lightweight (under 29oz), hold over 6 rds in the cylinder, and priced under $600.

Not sure what barrel length I'd want to choose, I know I don't want it to be a 2 inch snub. Would appreciate advice on that.

I'm probably gonna find that I'm more content with my single actions, but I don't think it'd be fair or smart of me to not consider a double action in .22 Mag.
 
The Smith 48 is around and a bit pricey. Usually have 6” barrels. The 648 is the stainless model that may or may not be more common. Both of these came in 6 shot variations but more recently at least the 648s are available in 8 shot.

The Taurus 94 is also around and I saw one at a gun show I should have bought for $300 back in late 2019. These often have 6” barrels as well but can be found with 4”.
 
ThomasT said:
The Taurus model 94 is an 8 shot 22 mag. I am guessing they still make them. They have a heavy double action pull but the single action isn't too bad. Problem is I am not sure they still make them. It may be a used gun search.
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They have the 942, but the Aluminum frame is in the 2 inch snub only. The 3 inch models are all steel frame, but they're only 25oz. Still, if I they'd make them in the Aluminum with the 3 inch, I'd probably get that.

What rimfire revolver doesn't have a heavy DA trigger? This is one of the reasons I don't own .22 revolvers other than single action, but I'm quite tired of how long it takes to reload them.
 
There is Rock Island Armory, Taurus and the double barrel real ugly Thunderstruck Double barrel 8 shot revolver. The thunder struck shoots 2 rounds at the same time with a single pull of the trigger. Standard Mfg. Co. makes it.
 
It will be hard to find a lightweight with a longer barrel. I don’t think there is a 22 Mag version of the 317 Smith. That would be quite awesome though.

Im unsure of the Ruger LCR 22 Mag lineup. Perhaps they make a 3” barrel version. I am also unsure of the capacity.
 
The Taurus 941 .22 Mag isn’t a bad gun at all, but as was stated the DA trigger pull isn’t match quality by any means.

It holds 8, and is pretty accurate if you do your part. The 941 has the full lug at the bottom, the 94 9-shot .22 LR is the second gun at top. I bought the 94 used at an LGS about 20 years ago... the 941 was one of my first Gun Broker auction purchases about two years after I found the 94.

73081351-C0B3-4C1E-BA89-2D2B4B8997A9.jpeg

I believe these may have been replaced with a switch-cylinder .22/.22 Mag model. I don’t know how many that gun holds, but the idea of a two-caliber DA Rimfire is pretty cool.

Good luck with your search. :thumbup:

Stay safe.
 
I have a stainless Taurus 941 with the three-inch barrel, made maybe around 1996 or so. It's actually a pretty handsome gun. The Taurus 94 is in .22LR (have one of those, too.)
 
I had a Taurus Tracker that had a spare cylinder so that you could quickly switch back and forth between 22lr and 22 magnum. I think it held more than six. It had the aforementioned "stiff DA trigger and the SA trigger wasn't too bad".
 
TTv2 said:
They have the 942, but the Aluminum frame is in the 2 inch snub only. The 3 inch models are all steel frame, but they're only 25oz. Still, if I they'd make them in the Aluminum with the 3 inch, I'd probably get that.

What rimfire revolver doesn't have a heavy DA trigger? This is one of the reasons I don't own .22 revolvers other than single action, but I'm quite tired of how long it takes to reload them.
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I'd lean to the steel frame over the alloy frame, unless you just have to save weight.

My reason comes from my experience with my Taurus 85UL with alloy frame. The spring loaded steel center pin of the cylinder made a groove in the softer alloy frame at the recoil shield from all the opening and closing of that cylinder. I polished the center pin tip and would add a tiny dab of grease to keep the wear down, but it's still cutting that groove.

Back to 25 oz. on that 3" barrel Taurus, that's right in line with my Ruger Bearcat Shopkeeper 3" at 23 oz. It feels dense in the hand compared to the 85UL, but not too heavy on the hip or in a pocket.

Regarding heavy DA triggers in rimfire revolvers, I don't think there is a way to engineer around that in a small frame revolver. In my small frame .22 LR DA/SA revolvers, I pretty much just thumb cock to shoot anyway. I mostly save DA for the "unthinkable" situations, like being overrun by a hoard of large paper targets on cable systems at the local indoor range. :D

If it helps, I do think the shorter lock time in a DA/SA .22 LR revolver makes it a bit easier to shoot well compared to a long hammer swing of a SA revolver like a Ruger Single Six. At least in my personal experience.
 
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I suggest looking at the ballisticsbytheinch website for the results of shooting .22 Mag in a handgun. The round was clearly designed for barrels longer than what most handguns have. Lots of flash and noise with little velocity improvement.
 
beag_nut said:
I suggest looking at the ballisticsbytheinch website for the results of shooting .22 Mag in a handgun. The round was clearly designed for barrels longer than what most handguns have. Lots of flash and noise with little velocity improvement.
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That test is several years old and is seriously flawed for a couple of reasons:

1. Right in the introduction they mention that when they got down to the shortest barrel lengths, they were having trouble getting accurate chrono readings.
However, towards the end of the tests (when the barrel was starting to get very short) accuracy became an increasingly difficult proposition. At that point we switched to a more expensive Oehler brand chrono system, which uses twin chronographs to automatically calculate one reading. For the last measurements in the chop tests - when the barrel was only 2" - we were only able to obtain one or two readings for each type of ammo. The readings were consistent with the curves we had seen through the rest of the testing, but doesn't have the same degree of supporting data.
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The readings were consistent with the curves we had been seeing, so we feel confident using 1 or 2 readings. Really?

2. In addition to the barrel chop tests, they also do tests with real weapons. For .22lr, they tested 6 real guns with barrel lengths between 1" (NAA Mini) and 3.5" (Walther P22). For the .22WMR, they didn't test a single real gun with a barrel length less than 4.625" (Heritage Rough Rider).

I don't mean to be dumping on BBTI, but that particular test is garbage. You can find multiple .22WMR ballistics tests on YouTube showing 1000fps from short barrels, including one from ShootingTheBull410 using an NAA Black Widow with a 2" barrel.
 
It stands to reason that in equal length barrels the 22 WMR will outperform the 22LR. It has more powder. Obviously you will lose some performance with your WMR going from a long barrel to a short barrel but will still get more than you would from a LR of the same barrel length.
 
Not Scientific but my 351pd put one through a 4x4 and stuck in the board behind it.( cci solid) The 3" LCR has an easier trigger but i believe only 6 rounds.
 
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