An affordable .22 revolver???

[waco]

So my brother is looking for a DOUBLE action .22 revolver.
We love the smiths and colts but $$$ is a factor. 700-800$ Is not an option.
Is there anything out there with a decent trigger and has accuracy for around five bills?

[NoZombies]

I've got an older used Taurus model 96 that is both accurate and reliable. I also got it for less than 3 bills at a local shop. It honestly shoots as well as my Smith 17-4.

[Cmm_3940]

Assuming you are talking new, the Ruger LCR at $529 MSRP is probably about the closest you are going to get in that price range. Don't expect a great trigger on any DA rimfire revolver; they need an unusually strong spring to fire reliably.

[GhostHawk]

As I see it you have 2 main choices.

A forget about double action, lots of fairly decent single action .22lr's out there. Mine happens to be a Heritage, I've had others.

B Pay the big money for the DA.

Or

C Forget .22 and get a good little 9mm or 7.62x25 in a semi auto. No need for DA trigger. Cock it once and rock.

Cz-52's are built like a tank, can be found for around 200$, are 30 caliber, but higher speed than 9mm, and have very nice light recoil.

[Outpost75]

Look for a used High Standard Sentinel. They are quite accurate and smooth up with use.

Last one I bought in a pawn shop was $200 about a year ago. Seach GunBroker, they are out there:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=450905731

[MT Gianni]

Look for a used High Standard Sentinel. They are quite accurate and smooth up with use.

Last one I bought in a pawn shop was $200 about a year ago. Seach GunBroker, they are out there:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=450905731
Second this, as long as 22 lr are hard to find the deals will be out there.

[John Allen]

The high standards are nice guns for the money. I have one myself. It is has a lightweight frame and a 6inch barrel. Accuracy is good and I do not mind carrying it compared to my Smith 5 screw.

[atr]

for a good inexpensive revolver
look for a J.C. Higgins .22-9 shot revolver made by HighStandard....
or a High Standard .22-9 shot "Ranger" or Sentinel.....

[lefty o]

Assuming you are talking new, the Ruger LCR at $529 MSRP is probably about the closest you are going to get in that price range. Don't expect a great trigger on any DA rimfire revolver; they need an unusually strong spring to fire reliably.
here's my opinion on this. ive got an lcr 22lr on my bench, i wouldnt give $150 for one new in the box. full of mim/pot metal parts, horrible trigger.

[tazman]

I purchased a Taurus tracker 992 6inch revolver. 9 shot cylinder. I paid $325 and it may be the best money I have spent in some time.
Great trigger, at least in single action. I really haven't tried the double action pull.
This revolver shoots as well as my good rifle. I could put a scope on it and take it squirrel hunting.
I have put over 500 rounds through it with no problems and only found one type of ammo it didn't like.
There is absolutely no recoil with this gun. I don't think the sights even move when you shoot.

[nagantguy]

Heritage rough rider convertible!!!!! Favorite single action 22, got mine on sale years ago fer right around 100 USD. Still.see em.for $199 from time to time. Can't go wrong.

[bruce drake]

Why do you prefer a revolver? There are plenty of good semi-auto pistols in 22LR out there.

I own a Smith and Wesson M22A semi-automatic 4" barrel target pistol that is death to squirrels and rabbits out to 25 yards even with my shaky hands. It has click-adjustable iron sights as well as a railtop to mount a reddot or optical scope. 10 round magazine and American Made in Houlton Maine to boot.

[MarkP]

You should be able to find a S&W M 18 or M17 for around $500 if you are patient. Most of the K-22's listed online have been listed & re-listed for weeks with no bids as the starting prices are too high.

[Cmm_3940]

here's my opinion on this. ive got an lcr 22lr on my bench, i wouldnt give $150 for one new in the box. full of mim/pot metal parts, horrible trigger.


Does anyone have both a High Standard Sentinel and an LCR to compare the two directly? I have a Sentinel, but can't recommend it. It has an aluminum frame with a sprayed-on blue finish. The cylinder immediately developed a white line from the pawl the first time it was fired. The barrel is pinned into the frame. The trigger is bad enough that I would not try to hit anything with it from more than ~15 yds away. Yes, they are out there, and cheap, but I couldn't bring myself to recommend one.

[bruce drake]

http://www.gunbroker.com/All/BI.aspx?Keywords=22lr+revolver

A lot to choose from on Gunbroker.

[Mk42gunner]

I think your brother is going to have to look for a used Iver Johnson/ H&R/ High Standard/ Rossi/ Taurus of whatever model. From what I read, the new Taurus' are a guess if you get a serviceable one or not.

Sometimes you can luck into an ugly Colt or S&W cheap, too.

Robert

[Cmm_3940]

Important question. Is a hammer shroud required? Is the gun meant to be fired from concealment, possibly without drawing?

as others have pointed out, there are a lot of .22 pistols out there, but not much is DA/cheap/good/available. Dropping any of these requirements will immediately broaden your choices. :)

[waco]

Why do you prefer a revolver? There are plenty of good semi-auto pistols in 22LR out there.

I own a Smith and Wesson M22A semi-automatic 4" barrel target pistol that is death to squirrels and rabbits out to 25 yards even with my shaky hands. It has click-adjustable iron sights as well as a railtop to mount a reddot or optical scope. 10 round magazine and American Made in Houlton Maine to boot.

Because we already have several Colt and Ruger semi autos. And we like revolvers. :)

[rking22]

I'll second the used S&W suggesion. I bought a nice M18 no dash in March for 450$ out the door. It had no box or papers and had been shot. It was tight with only a slight turn ring. Slight blueing wear and a turn ring will bring the price down as collectors aren't interested. The box and papers mean absoutely nothing when you want to shoot it. A nice older Smith will be head and shoulders beyond anything you can buy new(including Smiths ,sadly). I gave 350$ about 10 years ago for a 617 no dash ,same, no box or anything, shoots great. Gave 250$ aboout 5 years ago for a 3screw single six if you like single actions.Used Bearcats are in that under500$ realm. Last Colt I saw was outa line price wise, like all Colts I see nowadays, but the Diamondback is awesome. They are out there and well worth it, don't rule out used.

Oh yeah, when/if you decide to sell/trade you will get ALL your money back. Unlike new stuff.

[WALLNUTT]

Doesn't the Ruger SP101 come in .22? I think you can get one for around 500.

[jimbo1950]

My suggestion would be a H & R ot a Iver Johnson 22 lr revolver.Both are easy to find and inexpensive. I just bought a mint H&R 9 shot revolver for 200 bucks and shoots great. I personally like the Sportsman breakopen revolver but they run a little bit more money.

[Wayne Smith]

My suggestion would be a H & R ot a Iver Johnson 22 lr revolver.Both are easy to find and inexpensive. I just bought a mint H&R 9 shot revolver for 200 bucks and shoots great. I personally like the Sportsman breakopen revolver but they run a little bit more money.
I'll second this. I bought my 999 Sportsman for $200 at a pawn shop years ago and it is my favorite .22 and I have a Convertable Single Six as well.

[Noah Mercy]

The Ruger SP101 is an well made and durable revolver. With minimal "slicking" (that can be done by an owner with minimal mechanical ability), and a drop-in spring kit, the trigger is excellent. Accuracy is fantastic, as well. My SP101s are among my favorite revolvers, and I am a MAJOR wheelgun fanatic.

I have seen far too many Taurus revolvers with problems (eight years as a range officer & three more managing one of the biggest sporting goods departments in Wyoming) to ever recommend them again. The last rimfire DA Taurus I worked with shaved lead so badly that only about 3/4 of the bullet made it down the barrel! It got sent back, and 9 months later, the owner is still waiting for it.

[starmac]

Delete, wrong thread.

[Petrol & Powder]

The Ruger SP101 is an well made and durable revolver. With minimal "slicking" (that can be done by an owner with minimal mechanical ability), and a drop-in spring kit, the trigger is excellent. Accuracy is fantastic, as well. My SP101s are among my favorite revolvers, and I am a MAJOR wheelgun fanatic.
.............


You beat me to it. My vote is also for a SP101 in .22LR. If you take your time you can find a used one and they are generally in very good condition. Springs & judicious stoning do wonders for a Ruger DA. While it is often possible to find other brands of DA .22 revolvers for a little less money, the Ruger is almost always a safe bet.

[BigAl52]

I will go along with the other guys also and say that the Ruger Sp101 for the money is a great little 22 revolver. I put a spring kit in mine and have just shot it. I had a Taurus 992 that shaved the lead and the grip was terrible. I sold it and bought the Ruger. I have several of the sp 101's and they are a great pistol. Hogue also makes a great wood grip for the sp101 that really changes the way they feel. Al

[dilly]

They made an SP–101 in 22 with a 4 inch barrel fairly recently. You should be able to find one in the $525-$550 range.

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/mobile/product/77795/ruger_5765_sp101_ksp-242-8_8rd_22lr_42

They are out of stock, but you get the idea.

[FLHTC]

Llama made a decent double action 22lr if you can find them. Taurus Tracker is another decent 22. I wish the Raging Bee was still produced

[375supermag]

HI...

I was looking for a good quality .22LR revolver last summer.
I really like the S&W 17 platform, but the price for new seems a bit much and used models seem to command almost the same tariff.

I was about ready to buy a Ruger SA in stainless. It would have been primarily a paper puncher and an occasional squirrel and groundhog getter.

On a whim, my son and I stopped at a local gun show and I stumbled across a private dealer who had a Dan Wesson DA .22LR revolver for $450.
An excellent revolver and very accurate. I have about 500 rounds through it now and it has shot about 6 different bullet styles from various manufacturers at varying velocities with no problem. The longest distance I have shot it so far is 25yds and it is definitely capable of making head shots on a squirrel at that range if I have a good rest.

When the spring shooting season starts, it will be evaluated to see which ammo it likes best out to 50yds.
I really like this revolver a lot...money well spent.

I am also still looking at a Ruger SA in .22LR/22Mag in stainless with a 9-1/2" barrel and a standard front sight(no fiber optic) as a second rimfire revolver. I really prefer the added impact and terminal effects of the .22Mag on groundhogs, so I suppose I will just have to bite the bullet and buy another rimfire handgun.

It truly never ends, does it?

[pietro]

.

I wrassled with that same question, in 2008.

My decision was Charter Pathfinder, so I bought a then newly-introduced 4" stainless dual cylinder (LR.WMR) @ $400, and a blued steel 1970's 3" .22WMR (only) @ $250.

http://i354.photobucket.com/albums/r431/pwawryk/DSCN0341-1.jpg

That decision hasn't failed my expectations yet.


.

[crashguy]

I have the Ruger sp-101 ...nice piece all around for my use... but be fore warned it is on the smallish side for those with big mitts.

[gifford]

I like my High Standard double nine, looks like a single action but has both single and double action capability. Also picked up a Sentinel, that has a very hard double action trigger pull but excellent single action trigger pull. I'm more than pleased with both of them.

[Doc1]

Does anyone have both a High Standard Sentinel and an LCR to compare the two directly? I have a Sentinel, but can't recommend it. It has an aluminum frame with a sprayed-on blue finish. The cylinder immediately developed a white line from the pawl the first time it was fired. The barrel is pinned into the frame. The trigger is bad enough that I would not try to hit anything with it from more than ~15 yds away. Yes, they are out there, and cheap, but I couldn't bring myself to recommend one.

Just a couple of notes on the High Standard Sentinel: Unlike Cmm_3940, I have owned many .22 Sentinels over the years and find them to be excellent, US-made revolvers. Why "many"? Because I like them and search them out at gun shows! At the moment, DW and I have three of them. The double-action trigger is very stiff, but its single action trigger pull is a delight. Yes, the frames are an aluminum alloy, but there is no attempt to conceal this by the manufacturer. It does have a protective coating - as it should - but it's not a "spray on blue." High Standard manufactured the Sentinel for Sears many years ago and branded them as the "J.C. Higgins Model 88." Same gun, different name and slightly different grips. Whereas a High Standard Sentinel in good condition often sells for around $250, I have found the Model 88 for as little as $125 recently. Most people don't realize that it's the same gun. These little revolvers are strong, accurate and very lightweight. I think they're the perfect camp, trapline or kit gun...and they won't break the bank.

Now I come to a bit of a mystery. Over the past year or two I have been seeing what appear to be brand new High Standard Sentinels at the gun shows, but these are finished differently and executed a bit more crudely. Since the Sentinel/Model 88 hasn't been produced since the 1950s and 1960s, I find this to be inexplicable and my questioning has brought no satifactory answers. Could it be that some Asian or Eastern European country is now producing these? Whatever the case, these "new" Sentinels do not display the quality and finish of the old High Standard product. Perhaps Cmm-3940 picked up one of these inferior copies and resulted in his unfavorable experience.

Best regards
Doc

[skeettx]

How about this one??
I like it !!!
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=456749708

[Multigunner]

Exterior finish of the H&R Sentinel can vary from finely done to barely adequate.
I like mine just fine despite its so so finish. Looks like anodised unfinished cast alloy. Probably better that having the surface ground and polished as far as strength and durability goes.
This revolver it far more accurate than other .22 handguns I've owned, perhaps the long cylinder has something to do with that, more of the powder charge being burned before the bullet reaches the forcing cone.
Trigger pull in both DA and SA mode is pretty good.
It was well worn when I got it, quite a few rounds had traveled down the bore and theres a bit of end shake, but the interior parts show no visible wear at all.

The action and cylinder crane and ejector rod is very similar in design to that of the Charter Arms revolvers.

For a low cost .22 revolver its a pretty good one.

For a more conventional double action I like the looks of the Charter Arms but I don't know anything about these other than having fired and cleaned up one of the .38 revolvers and one in .44 special. These appear to be very serviceable.

[Multigunner]

Now I come to a bit of a mystery. Over the past year or two I have been seeing what appear to be brand new High Standard Sentinels at the gun shows, but these are finished differently and executed a bit more crudely. Since the Sentinel/Model 88 hasn't been produced since the 1950s and 1960s, I find this to be inexplicable and my questioning has brought no satifactory answers. Could it be that some Asian or Eastern European country is now producing these? Whatever the case, these "new" Sentinels do not display the quality and finish of the old High Standard product. Perhaps Cmm-3940 picked up one of these inferior copies and resulted in his unfavorable experience.

Best regards
Doc
Theres a German made revolver that looks very much like the Sentinel but has an 8 round cylinder instead of 9. I think it was made by Arminus.

[Doc1]

Words of praise about the Sentinel from well-known gun writer Massad Ayoob:

The following review is an excerpt from Massad Ayoob’s Greatest Handguns of the World VOLUME ONE: (http://www.gundigeststore.com/massad-ayoobs-greatest-handguns-of-the-world?lid=CPgdbl041013)

Introduced as an inexpensive plinker and woods gun, the High Standard Sentinal .22 revolver was ahead of its time with landmark revolver design features. Perhaps most important, it broke a more than half-century logjam of design stagnation. Unfairly tarnished with a “junk gun” image, it may be the best buy in a used handgun (http://www.gundigest.com/gun-blogs/books/tips-to-buy-used-handgun) available today.

More at the link
http://www.gundigest.com/gun-blogs/books/gun-review-the-sentinel-22-revolver

Best regards
Doc

[MarkP]

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=457510906

[Lefty Red]

I purchased a Taurus tracker 992 6inch revolver. 9 shot cylinder. I paid $325 and it may be the best money I have spent in some time.
Great trigger, at least in single action. I really haven't tried the double action pull.
This revolver shoots as well as my good rifle. I could put a scope on it and take it squirrel hunting.
I have put over 500 rounds through it with no problems and only found one type of ammo it didn't like.
There is absolutely no recoil with this gun. I don't think the sights even move when you shoot.

Taurus 992 is a great handgun! You can even get it with a 22 magnum cylclinder as well. Trigger is good and everyone I have seen is laser like. Everyone has shot allot fo ammo through them and I know of one that is seven or six years old. No faults to date.

Jerry

[waco]

Man. I saw a nice 6" Dan Wesson go on GB for only like $500. It was really nice. I was cash poor of course. LOL!

[Mk42gunner]

Man. I saw a nice 6" Dan Wesson go on GB for only like $500. It was really nice. I was cash poor of course. LOL!
That seems to be the story of my life here lately. I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, I just hope it isn't a train heading this way...

Robert

[rintinglen]

All you have to do to keep from being tempted by good deals on guns is keep you pocket full of money. They sense poverty and come out in droves when you don't have any jingle in your jeans.:cry:

[crazy mark]

Waco, Cabelas in Springfield had a nice H&R 22 last Monday if I remember right. Might have been an other brand but I don't think so. $200 and was a 9 shot.

[enfieldphile]

It's amazing, One expects the high quality, S&W, Colt, Ruger guns to really appreicate in value, but the H&R, while a solid, well made gun, aren't anything special. I recall when they had a MSRLP of $100.00, the discount store price was about $85.00

The Colt (NOTE) & S&W guns have increased about 5X their original selling price. Rugers have increased not quite as much. Even the H&R guns are now 2X their original price.

NOTE a Cold Diamondback .22 will set a buyer back (depending on finish, barrel lenght, having the box etc) anywhere from $1.500.00 to $1,800.00!


Waco, Cabelas in Springfield had a nice H&R 22 last Monday if I remember right. Might have been an other brand but I don't think so. $200 and was a 9 shot.

[rking22]

thought I would resurrect this thread as I just ran across a good inexpensive 22 revolver. A Rossi 511, it's a copy of a S&W M63. And a pretty good one at that! Picked it up today, after seeing it friday and hurriedy putting 100$ on it till I could get back. It's tight and shoot very well, althou I need to remove .034 off the top of the rear blade to get it sighted in. It is 4 1/2 inches high at 20 yards, rear bottomed out. Nothing a file wont fix :) 300$ later and I'm a happy camper with a late 80s Rossi M511. No problems with double action either, shot every round of 550 carton I stuck in it, can't say that for the last Taurus I shot. Going rabbit hunting in the morning with it.