Anyone shoot long barreled 22 revolvers?

[msp2640]

Gents - I have a bunch or 22's in all shapes and sizes, but lately I've been interested in finding a long barreled 22 revolver. For no other reason than I don't have one and think it would fill the void in my life, that I believe I have. I know they're 2 different "animals" but I'm considering older model S&W 17s with the 8 3/8" barrel and the Ruger Single Six with the 9 1/2" barrel. It would be for range use, not really interested in holstering it. I have a few older S&Ws and know, for the most part, that their triggers can be much nicer than some Rugers. I do like the idea of having a spare cylinder in 22 Mag with the Ruger though, as I have several 22 Mags, as well. Anyone with first hand knowledge or input? I really have no need for one, I just think I need one - Thanks Bill in MA

[prsman23]

I had a single six with the interchangeable cylinder. It was fun. On the single actions Rugers trigger is more than adequate.

[jeepyj]

One of the fellows is shoot with passes around a ruger single 6 with the 9.5 quite often. We generally compete with it for some medium distance between 4-6 of us trying to shoot a skeet or small piece of steel 40-60 yards. One more toy to change things things up at the pit. I don't often see them at the local LGS but I wouldn't hesitate to add one to my collection.
jeepyj

[bobthenailer]

After Having numerous handguns with barrels of 8+inches for many years I now prefer barrels of 5 to 6 inches , most now have red dot sights & some scopes instead of factory sights so the longer sight radius now does not add any accuracy advantage just a larger handgun. but the red dot sight really helps in the accuracy over iron sights as lighting condtions & background can vary.

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IMO a TC contender with a 10" barrel in 22 lr match would be perfect , I don't like the 12 & 14 " barrel lengths, too unweilding for me, the same as other long barreled handguns over 6.5 "

[NSB]

I've owned three S&W model 17s in my life. They were all well made guns and shot reasonably well. I owned one Ruger Single Six convertible. I also shot silhouette for many years and really did well in rimfire silhouette. Here's my take on the comparison. Right out of the box the S&W wins hands down....better trigger by far. The S&W shoots well right out of the box also. The Ruger I had needed a trigger job and it shot two of the chambers in different places than the other four were shooting. It went back to Ruger after a phone call to detail my problem. When I got it back with a new cylinder I took it to a gunsmith who did a pretty good job of cleaning up the trigger. After all of that, the Ruger shot WAY better than any of the three model 17s I owned. I took the Ruger to the 1991 IHMSA Internationals and shot a 77x80 with it. The model 17s were good, but not even close to that good. The best part about the Ruger was that it shot the .22mags extremely well also. That's something the S&W can't do. FWIW, I ended up with two model 648s from S&W that shot better than the model 17s did.....strange, but true. In spite of all of that, I like the looks and feel of the S&W better. Just wished it shot better than it did.

[msp2640]

Thanks for the responses, I am somewhat torn over the decision making on this one as it's really a want, rather than a need. I have an older S&W 48 6" version, which I love. There is something about that round that I really like, but since this would be more of a range gun, all 22 holes are the same in the paper. I realize the entry level price of a nice condition, long barrel 17 will probably be more than a well tuned Ruger with both cylinders. Its not really a DA vs SA question either. Just not sure which direction I want to head in. Not up against any time frame, so I'll spend some time on this before proceeding. Thanks for your help and added opinions are more than appreciated - Bill in MA

[opos]

I just delivered a 9 1/2" bbl single six to a buyer yesterday morning..it was a NIB 1978 and was a beautiful little gun..I'd had one like it that I shot some...never did quite get the hang of the balance....everyone wanted to shoot it and I was glad to have it...the one I sold was just a complete safe queen...cleaned it a time or two to keep it fresh and the guy that got it is really happy....he grew up with one and he can't wait to start to "break it in"...for info the price was $500.

150165

150166

[Hickok]

I have an Model S&W model 17 with an 8 3/8" barrel I bought many years ago. It is a pure joy to shoot. Wouldn't take any amount for it.

[smkummer]

Couldn't pass up a late 50's Colt buntline scout for $300 plus shipping that didn't get any bids on gun broker. I bought it for its oddity but found it is really accurate and really easy to hit a 10" metal target at 50 yards standing. Now no one could talk me out of it. Just a little muzzle heavy for one handed shooting so the later peacemaker or New frontier with a 7 1/2 would probably balance just about right.

[Topstrap44]

I like your comment about not having a need for one but wanting one. Me and a couple buddies all have ranges set up for longrange rimfire matches here in Eastern Ohio. Two of ours shoot from 25 yards out to 200 yards and the other shoots from 50 yards out to 300 yards. All of us have swinging steel target racks of varying shapes and sizes with some being really small.

Anyway, I like to shoot all types of guns and have put together a couple pistols to compete with the rifle guys. First I modified my Anschutz Exemplar with a SWFA 16x scope on top of a 50moa mount I made. It shoots really well and places well at the matches.

156892

I have always wanted a longrange revolver and have thought about it for a few years. I finally snagged a 10" Freedom Arms Silhouette model 252. Perfect for my plan. Wanted it to be able to shoot from 25 yards out thru 300 yards and possibly 400 yards when I drag it out to Rayners. I wanted to have a rifle scope on it, 40moa mount, bipod and had to be able load and unload normally.

Had some scrap aluminum and started whittling and this is what I came up with. I'll add a couple more threads in the rimfire section to show better what I came up with. Shot it yesterday to see how it groups, first shots on paper including cold bore shot. Not too bad, these revolvers will shoot pretty good given a bit of love.

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Target used for setting up the scope and tracking was set at 50 yards. Used Wolf MT, tried Tac-22 but it didn't seem to like it. More testing on better weather day when I have more time. The scope is a SWFA 16x mil-quad.

156895 156896

Yeah, the long barreled revolvers aren't really made for offhand use but when they are set up for a certain purpose they can be very accurate. I'll go into more detail in the thread showing more closeups of the mount and gun if anyone is interested. If not there are quite a few threads on Rimfire Central in the long-range section showing these two rimfires with closeups and also links to videos on YouTube about our summer long-range matches.

Topstrap

[454PB]

I have a High Standard Double Nine Longhorn.....which has a 9 1/2" barrel. The action sucks, but once it is cocked, it's amazingly accurate.

[onehousecat]

I have a Dan Wesson pistol pac 22 LR. The 8 inch barrel gets the most usage.

[MakeMineLead]

Having tried, and own most of 'em, I perfer a 5", even in the centerfire's.

If I had to choose between a 4 or 6, I'd go w/ the 4" every time.

[John J]

you asked for it...sorry its a 38 and not the 22

https://www.gunsamerica.com/942677423/Smith-Wesson-14-3.htm

and hes close also

give him a call...very nice guy to talk to

John J

[mikeingeorgia]

I was at a range one time plinking my 8" steel spinner target on the 100 yd line with my Ruger 6 1/2" Single-Six, and along comes a guy and his grandson to the table next to me with a Colt Buntline revolver with a 9 1/2" barrel. After comparing them for a few minutes, we had to try them out for sure. The Buntline was very enjoyable to shoot and had no problem hitting that spinner target either. Either one would be a nice choice.

[saleen322]

I have a Dan Wesson with 6" and 8" barrels that I just got new front sights for. I still have my Ruger 9.5" that I shot silhouette with back in the day. It is no Freedom Arms but it groups around 1.5" @ 50 yards.

http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt98/saleen322/22%20Pistols/Ruger22SA.jpg