Wanting a new 22----Buckmark or Revolver

[Bill2e]

Well the title says it all. I want to buy another 22lr handgun. Either a Browning Buckmark or a revolver. I will probably put a cheap red dot sight on either. Any suggestions. I already have a P22, but want something bigger for cheap range time.

As the revolver goes, I know Smith is king, but the Tausas Tracker can be had sheap & it's only a plinking gun, not to protect the fort.


Thanks for your thoughts in advance.

 

[Timthinker]

Smith is LORD. Sorry, I could not resist that. Seriously, the S&W 617 is one of the finest .22 revolvers I have fired. The down side to it is the cost. But, you can rest assured that it is one of the most accurate .22 DA revolvers in production. If the opportunity presented itself, I would prefer the 617 to a Buckmark or a Ruger Mark III.


Timthinker

 

[NGIB]

The real advantage of a revolver is that it will NOT be picky about ammo. I've had a Buckmark and 2 Rugers and both were very picky.

My little Taurus is dead reliable, tough DA trigger pull though. My Dan Wesson is perfect as I couldn't find a S&W at anywhere near a reasonable price...

 

[ClemY]

Everything I hear about Taurus indicates that QC is inconsistent. If you want a revolver, consider a S&W 17 or 617 for a full sized gun or a 63 for a smaller gun. I love my 5" 63. Shoots Colibri very well.

 

[enfield]

The Ruger Super Single-Six is a fine single-action revolver IMO.

 

[mjrodney]

Another strong vote for the S&W 617.

It's definitely on top of my "I'll never sell it" list.

 

[WC145]

I recently traded a Sig Mosquito for a new Ruger 22/45 with the 5 1/2" barrel. I've found it to be very accurate and fun to shoot and has been 100% reliable with 5 different brands/types of ammo. It came with two mags and a rail that you could attach to mount a scope or red dot. Plus it was very reasonable priced at $245 (the Ruger web site shows msrp as $316).

 

[GEM]

Get both! I have a Ruger SS Bearcat and a Buckmark.

That's easy!

 

[GearHead_1]

If you opt for the the revolver, you could buy the Smith and likely never look back (no regrets or "I should've got's"). On the other hand you might buy the Taurus and be satisfied with it. That said and having experienced both scenarios I would recommend the Smith. As I've gotten deeper (way to deep) into collecting nice firearms I look at each purchase very simply. This may be the last firearm I ever buy (yeah, right). It might cost me a little more now but I won't ever regret having had it. There are some that can say the opposite with regard to their Tarus but the vast majority would choose the Smith assuming the could swing the extra $$$'s. A little off the subject because you didn't mention this. I've got BuckMark's, nice pistols. I've also got Mark II's and Mark III's, I would pick up a nice used Mark II slab side before any of the BuckMark's. I'm glad I own several of each brand but I value the Ruger's more.

 

[Bill2e]

Good Points to all, Thanks.

Looks like I'll be looking for a Smith 617. Now the fun starts. Barrel length & 6 or 10 shots?

How much easier is the 6 to Load/ Unload?

 

[PaladinX13]

I have both, prefer the revolver...
If you use good ammo and keep your gun clean, there should be no difference between unloading a 10 or 6 shot. The 10 shot has shorter cylinder travel and a thus a "lighter" double action (it feels different, I'm not sure lighter is the right word)... and, of course, more capacity.

I prefer the 6 myself, however, because the timing matches my .357, this means my fire discipline is trained to think about 6 shots as well, and cleaning 6 holes is a little less annoying.

 

[MrBorland]

I've got a 10-shot 4" 617 and a 6-shot 6" K-22.

In a 617, the 4" barrel felt more balanced to me. The K-22 doesn't have an underlug, so the 6" barrel feels good to me. IMO, if you're going to put a red-dot on it, the issue of a longer sight radius is moot.

I feel the 10-shot and 6-shot are similar as far as ease of loading: True, you have to load 4 additional rounds, but the spacing of the chambers is such that I can grab about 4 rounds at a time by the rim and drop them in. Can't do that with my 6-shot, so it takes about the same total time to reload.

Another issue is cleaning the chambers (10 vs 6): the chambers tend to be tight, so I find it helps to keep the chambers clean so the rounds insert and eject easy. I try to keep the chambers clean by quickly running a brush through them after I've shot it. It's a quick process, so to me, 10 isn't much more a hassle than 6. If you clean infrequently and really hate doing it, though, you might find 6 easier to live with.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Interesting that that is your question, seeing as how the two .22 handguns I have are a Buckmark Camper and a Taurus 94 (not the Tracker, but the smaller/smallest frame) 9-shot revolver with a 5" bbl. I like them both -they both shoot very well. I like the 94 in particular because it shoots Aguila Colibri and other light rounds just fine. Answer - get them both. I got the revolver first.

 

[machinisttx]

The real advantage of a revolver is that it will NOT be picky about ammo.

Wanna bet? I just picked up a 1965 vintage M17-2. The chambers are freakin tight on this gun, as in after two cylinders worth of ammo, they need to be brushed out so rounds will chamber easily again. From my limited accuracy testing yesterday, it's also somewhat selective about what it wants to shoot really well. Below are some targets with notations on what ammo was used---shot at 25 yards from a rested(not bench rest) sitting position, using my knees to rest my forearms on. I replaced the rebound spring last night and knocked a couple pounds off the formerly too heavy trigger. Hopefully when I shoot today I'll have better results than yesterday.

 

[ArmedBear]

2 Rugers and both were very picky.

Really? My 22/45 shoots everything I feed it, is very reliable, and its overall excellent accuracy varies only a little bit. I mean, the thing still surprises me, even though I've had it for a while and put many thousands of rounds through it.

I liked it so much, I bought a 10/22, figuring it was similar. It's not. The 10/22 got sold again, but the 22/45 is one of the last guns I'd let go.

 

[Bill2e]

From: PaladinX

I prefer the 6 myself, however, because the timing matches my .357, this means my fire discipline is trained to think about 6 shots as well

That is what I was thinking as well. It would match my 686.

 

[MrBorland]

I prefer the 6 myself, however, because the timing matches my .357

eh, so the question is whether, because of the closer spacing, the trigger pull is shorter or quicker with the 10-shot? Others ought to chime in, but I shoot all 3 interchangeably and never noticed a change in trigger pull or timing. I'm guessing that the innards were designed to compensate for the spacing difference between the 10- and 6-shot.

 

[machinisttx]

eh, so the question is whether, because of the closer spacing, the trigger pull is shorter or quicker with the 10-shot? Others ought to chime in, but I shoot all 3 interchangeably and never noticed a change in trigger pull or timing. I'm guessing that the innards were designed to compensate for the spacing difference between the 10- and 6-shot.

I haven't fooled with the ten shot guns, but I suspect the feel of the action is somewhat different.

 

[woad_yurt]

I'd go revolver for my first .22. They shoot everything. I like 9 shot DA H&Rs or the six shot H&R DA convertibles myself. I am, however, hot on the trail of a vintage but mint High Standard Double Nine, a 9 shot double action convertible .22 revolver. 9 rounds of .22 WMR! Wish me luck with the seller!