I've been thinking I might like a long barreled. 22LR pistol to pack in the squirrel woods. 9 1/2" or so. Just wondering if anyone here has had experience with one and what your thoughts/likes/dislikes are?
Thanks for looking.
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I've been thinking I might like a long barreled. 22LR pistol to pack in the squirrel woods. 9 1/2" or so. Just wondering if anyone here has had experience with one and what your thoughts/likes/dislikes are?
Thanks for looking.
Used a Ruger single six with the long barrel for pistol silhouette competition. Dandy accuracy. I have seen the new Heritage Rough Riders with long barrel but had no experience with those.
During my teens I hunted squirrel with an early Ruger Super Single Six with 6.5 inch barrel. I was one of the most accurate 22 single actions I've ever owned. Got quite a few squirrels with it. I don't think you need a really long barrel. The very short barrels you have aim precisely.
Long ago I sent a 6-1/2” Ruger SSM to Ruger to rebarrel with a 9-1/2” barrel.
It turned out that I didn’t like it as well as the shorter barrel.
I also shortened a 9-1/2” Single Six to 5-1/2” for a cousin on the High Plains.
He still has it decades later.
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I have a Ruger Stainless Hunter with 7.5" bbl...it is wickedly accurate...easy to scope if ya need to as well!
Years ago I hunted squirrels with a 12" scoped contender. Deadly accurate, and I preferred to take head shots when I could to keep from tearing up the meat. Sadly, while I still have the gun, it doesn't get taken out nearly enough. Thanks for reminding me it deserves a trip to the range.
I remember one morning I was doing pretty well. The guy I was hunting with commented more than once that I was doing better with the pistol than he was doing with a 12 guage.
I had a single six with the 9 1/2" barrel, got rid of it and bought a 5 1/2". What I wanted was the 4 5/8" The longer barrel did shoot very well but I find barrels longer than 6 1/2" a pain to carry.
Long barrel has the advantage of sight radius if you're using irons. Scoped, no advantage except slightly higher MV.
That's what I've been trying to decide basically. Either a scoped pistol or a long barrel pistol is going to be harder to carry so that's probably nearly a wash. I'm just not sure which I would like shooting better. A long barreled revolver has a unique appearance so I don't know. I'm on the fence over it.
I wonder if the need for hearing protection disappears at some point that's still practical for a pistol?
22LR is the only thing I shoot without ears, but that's out of a 18"+ rifle barrel. I tried it once out of a 5" pistol. Instant regret.
I never had one of the 9˝" Single Sixes, but I did have a 7˝" Colt .22. Fun to shoot, but a PITA to carry. I would figure out just how you are going to carry it in the field first.
I am somewhat in the same boat, I have an 8 3/8" K-38 that is begging to be taken after squirrels, but strong side belt carry is pretty awkward with anything over 6". Crossdraw or even shoulder holsters aren't all that common for the smaller framed guns either.
This all presupposes that you can still see the front sight clearly, I am getting to the point that I can't.
Robert
I used to hunt squirrels with my competition gun, a Buckmark Silhouette. Super accurate and long enough to shoot from the creedmoor position in the field. Something you generally don't want to do with a revolver.
I have a Crickett bolt action pistol now, it was cheaper than another Contender barrel and is also very accurate. Haven't tried hunting with it yet, maybe I'll remember this fall. It has a rifle scope on it, so it's shot close.
If you can shoot a revolver well, the NR-9 can be one of the true bargains in revolvers. Simple to do a trigger job. If you do not change sights settings regularly, the aluminum body rear is serviceable. You can replace the rear with steel adjustable sights, the Standard Auto target undercut partridge fits the NR-9 front
For large hands, the Packmeyer Signature grips increase the grip size quite nicely.
The 10" bull barrel Contender shoots better than most rifles.
That little bit of sound is still harming your ears. One of my best friends was a finish trim carpenter. After all those years of those pneumatic nail guns and stapler, that little psssh psssh, has totally ruined his hearing. My hears is shot, but I still wear muff when shooting all firearms and all calibers. I ever wear muff riding my riding lawn mower. Trying to preserve what I have left.
If you are a veteran and you have bad hearing especially witn tinnitus (most bad hearing has tinnitus with it) the VA will give you hearing aids and a disability benefit. Ask Larry Gibson, I believe that's what he said.
I bought an H&R with a 12" bbl while in High School... dad signed the papers it feels a little nose heavy, I have holster for it and it carries pretty well. A friend bought a Ruger Gov't Model MKII auto I do not recall exact bbl length (10" I think) it was very nose heavy. These would have been available around 1988 or so.
I've taken my Ruger Mk V? sillywett with 10" Bbl. out into the boonies and I will admit it is a little nose heavy but DANG is it accurate! Truth be told the T/C Contender 10" is better balanced and I like shooting it but, the Ruger is just sooo much fun!
I have 3 of the Ruger MKI T pistols two scoped and one not. Two of the 6 7/8" barrels and one with the short bull barrel. They are all very accurate and are not overly long, balance well and are easy to carry.
I also have an early Walthers Olympic target pistol with a 9+ inch barrel that is very accurate but harder to carry because of length. I rarely use it.
Ruger is coming out with the Super Wrangler. 5.5 or 6.5 barrel, adjustable sights, steel frame, two cylinders all for a very reasonable price. That would be my first choice.
10" contender isn't terrible in size. Mine is an octagon so the weight isnt bad.
8 3/8" Smith will fit a large frame shoulder rig, but loosely. Don't do a lot of jumping or wear a jacket over it and it's doable.