High quality vintage handgun- RG10

[fatelk]

You know, the .22 short revolver with the pot metal frame, good for a box or two of ammo before it's worn out?

This one is in pretty good shape, but since it's made with the quality of a cap gun I'm not terribly interested in shooting it much, probably a good candidate for getting a gift card at a "buy back". I'm not a gun snob, but there is kind of a limit.

On the other hand, I do have a few boxes of Aguila .22 "Super Colibri" ammo. It has a little 20gr bullet that's primer powered, no gunpowder. It has long brass but with the short bullet it fits fine in the little unthroated short cylinder. Being seriously underpowered ammo I assume it should be fine to shoot in this "Fine High Quality Firearm".

Any thoughts?

[Tom W.]

Brave, ain't you......

[bouncer50]

The last one i had i paid 20 bucks for it. I traded a women the pistol for a Savage 22-410.

[buckwheatpaul]

The RG10 has killed a passel of folks over the years....havent seen one in years.....they went the way of the other revolvers when semi-autos began to catch on....it was truly a poor mans gun with no precision but was yet a killing machine.

[725]

Like buckwheatpaul, I've seen lots of intentional damage done by those little guns. Until the Saturday Night Special craze sponsored by the anti's got popular, they were everywhere. I was very, very sad to see them go the way of the dodo bird. Instead of facing a perp with one of those in .22 or a .25 acp, suddenly I had to face some actual & reliable 9mm, 40S&W, .357 mag and .45acp firepower. Seemed like within a year the vast majority of those disappeared and were replaced by Smith's, Sig's, Colt's, & Glock's. Thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanks to you lefty so & so's.

[Bent Ramrod]

I bumped off a pack rat with Super Colibris in my Buffalo SA pot-metal frame revolver. No damage to the gun. Even regular Colibris will exit the barrel on a .22 pistol. The Colibris start getting vertical dispersion past maybe 10 yards, while the Supers give around another 5 yards range.

You do need Long or Long Rifle chambers for Colibris. Remington sells a CB Short, and RWS offers CB and BB caps that would fit in a Short chamber. All of them are in there with the Colibris as far as operating pressure and stress on the gun.

[dubber123]

Pretty sure my friend has the same gun in .32 S&W, and I fired it a few times recently. It was actually kind of fun, we had to handload ammo for it, but it did indeed function, and nothing unpleasant happened. Give it a go, you may have a good time with your high end shooter :)

[fatelk]

I tried a couple rounds into a 2x4 in the garage. They worked fine. I figure these rounds must have a fraction of the chamber pressure of standard .22 shorts.

The gun is "chambered" for .22 short, but the cylinder is unthroated, meaning a long rifle round will go in just fine except the bullet will stick out the end of the short cylinder. The Colibri rounds with their short little bullet chamber and fire just fine. Next time I see some CB Shorts I'll pick up a box or two.

Not that I think I'll shoot it much. I'm just not brave enough to fire it much with regular ammo.

[Drm50]

They make good snake guns if you stick it in their ear before you shoot.:Fire:

[hendere]

I had an RG 38 (38 Special) that my Dad had picked up for some silly reason. It had the tightest throats I've ever seen. Never actually measured them but the thing shot incredibly well. It scared me so I sold it.

[Biggin]

I know it ain't it nothing to brag about but my daddy gave me one for my 10th birthday and I shot a pile of 22lr out of it until I could buy something better. Still got it. It had a crappy trigger but It was my woods running gun back in the day when a young boy could do that without getting in trouble.

[NoAngel]

Had one, traded mine for a mil-surp arctic sleeping bag. I felt like I screwed the guy.

[bouncer50]

Back when K-Mart sold guns the RG-22 short was 9.97 and the 22 long rifle was 12.97. I beg my dad to buy me one. He told me if i got all A on my report card he would buy it. So i never got one.

[fatelk]

Well I think this one is a good candidate for a "buy-back". For kicks I took it to the range with me and shot some Colibri rounds. It shaves lead pretty bad. I suppose I could fix it if I wanted to, but somehow I don't think it's worth the effort.

[Bigslug]

Run it to destruction with the ammo it was intended to run, while giving it a decent modicum of indoctrinated gun owner's maintenance that the typical RG owner wouldn't. All in the name of SCIENCE.

[rintinglen]

Run it to destruction with the ammo it was intended to run, while giving it a decent modicum of indoctrinated gun owner's maintenance that the typical RG owner wouldn't. All in the name of SCIENCE.

I doubt he'll go broke buying ammo! I tried to steer a good friend of mine into saving up for a good used Smith and Wesson or Ruger, but he just had to have a gun right now. He bought an RG in 32 that would put 5 shots in a group, and two shots sideways in the target at 20 yards. He felt better for being armed, but I wonder how that turned out for him.

[tazman]

Back in the day, I owned an RG 357 mag. It didn't live long. The barrel blew out between the cylinder and the frame before I finished the first box of ammo.
It was replaced by the store and I immediately traded it off without firing it, for a much better handgun.

[fatelk]

Run it to destruction with the ammo it was intended to run, while giving it a decent modicum of indoctrinated gun owner's maintenance that the typical RG owner wouldn't. All in the name of SCIENCE.

I think about all I'd need would be maybe one box of .22 shorts. I shot a couple regular short rounds through it, and the bottom of the brass was bulged out a little. The Colibri rounds worked fine other than shaving. If I get time I might tinker with it more, try to stretch the hand so it stops shaving, but even then I think all it's good for is primer-powered rounds or blanks.

Funny thing is I noticed a bunch of "kits" on EBay- looks like whole guns minus the frame, or remnants of the frame still attached, selling for $60. I wouldn't pay $60 for the whole gun even brand new!

[LAGS]

A co worker found one at a Yard Sale.
He brought it to me to safety check it before he gave it to his daughter.
The front sight was bent over to the side, but it looks mechanicly in good condition.
It timed up fine and so I decided to give it a go.
In the 5 th shot of standard Remington 22 short, the Barrel and the whole front of the frame went flying down range.
Armoredman was there when it happened, and he said before I shot it that I was crazy to even put a live round in it.
I picked up the pieces and called my friend.
He said Keep it for parts.
So I thought I would crazy glue it all back together, so at least he could use it as a paperweight or hang it on the wall.
It looked pretty good, so I took it out to my test fire chamber and fired another 10 rounds thru it.
(It was clamped in a jig , so I wasnt holding it)
But I noticed that the edges of the glue had started to turn white like it was crystalizing.
So I thought, If I can Glue the gun back together, then why not solder it back together.
That was a Bad Idea.
The frame is such cheap pot metal, that it Melted before the solder did.
And that was with 450 degree solder.
I am thinking about making a Mold and casting another frame out of salvaged Zinc Wheelweights.
Cant let that Zinc go to waste.

[Thin Man]

I remember when the RG family had a corner on the Saturday Night Special market. The RG14 had an ejector rod that screwed into the cylinder retainer, had to be removed and used to eject live or empty cases from the cylinder. Then there was the deluxe RG23 with a swing-out cylinder with spring loaded ejector. Only well healed folk could afford that pricier model. I still have a load of parts from several of those models we "de-commissioned" back in the day.

[Sagebrush7]

I have my Mother-in-laws RG 23 deluxe 22 LR. Shoots shotgun pattern. Put it back in the drawer. Waiting for a hard up deal!

[LAGS]

I have a ROHM Model 63 that was my girfriends Late Husbands pistol.
Her daughter wanted me to Safety Check it , so she could have at as a memory of he dad.
It is a ,38 Special Cowboy Style double action.
I showed them that the Top Strap is Flame Cut from the .38 special loads that he had been shooting.
They were Lead Target loads.
I told them it is not Safe to shoot, But I will unscrew the firing pin, place it inside the grip for safe keeping, and then build her daughter a Shadow Box to display the gun in along with other memories of her dad.
But with the firing pin removed, it lessens the chance of one of her daughters boyfrieends talking her into taking it out and trying to shoot it.

[Wayne Smith]

I have a ROHM Model 63 that was my girfriends Late Husbands pistol.
Her daughter wanted me to Safety Check it , so she could have at as a memory of he dad.
It is a ,38 Special Cowboy Style double action.
I showed them that the Top Strap is Flame Cut from the .38 special loads that he had been shooting.
They were Lead Target loads.
I told them it is not Safe to shoot, But I will unscrew the firing pin, place it inside the grip for safe keeping, and then build her daughter a Shadow Box to display the gun in along with other memories of her dad.
But with the firing pin removed, it lessens the chance of one of her daughters boyfrieends talking her into taking it out and trying to shoot it.

How serious is the flame cutting? That is usually a self limiting issue. Not unsafe unless it has gone so far as to weaken the topstrap.

[LAGS]

After the incedent with the RG in 22 short blowing up, And having seen lots of Rohm, RG and IMP guns that have Blown Up I dont want to take any chances.
It probably means more to the girl as a momento of her late father, than something she can shoot or sell.
But if it blows up, even if no one gets hurt, then she has Nothing.
She does have some of his other guns, like a Ruger Single Six Early Model that I will take her out and teach her to shoot it, and maintain it properly.

I have seen what you say about the Self Limiting issue with Flame cutting.
But that was on Good Steel like a Ruger .357 Max.
But this is Mystery Pot Metal that was Investment cast, and does not have a Consistant Molectural Structure, being Cast and stamped.

[Tenbender]

I have one of those with a 3" barrel. I use it with rat shot to shoot snakes while groundhog hunting . Lots of copperheads around here. Been shooting it for 30 years and it's not worn out yet .

[LAGS]

I told her that the pistol would probably be safe to fire Shot Shells , or Wax or Plastic Practice bullets, and maybe a small dose of light loaded .38's or Squib loads.
But not being the one in control of the firearms use, I dont want to take the chance that someone would shoot a regular .38 , especially a jacketed load in the gun.
She does not know enough about firearms right now, and she would be easially talked into, If it shoots Rat Shot, then it is fine with everything I can stuff in the chamber.
So disabling it for the time being, but keeping the firing pin with the pistol, will help to retain the High Collectors Price as still being All Original.

P.S.
I just recently found out that here in Arizona, Rattlesnakes are protected and you cant kill them.
But dead snakes tell no tales.
I can claim Self Defense if I have to.

[Charlie in Co]

I have an RG that I found in a house we bought. Scary looking thing and just kept it not wanting to shoot it. It has now found a purpose using it as a blank pistol for dog training. Not sure how well it will hold up shooting 22 blanks

[rintinglen]

Actually, it does.

[beagle]

Actually, the initials RG stand for "rotten gun". What do you guys expect for $19.95????/beagle

[Lloyd Smale]

was stationed in VA in the early 70s and a buddy and I bought one new at a local gunshop. I think they were like 30 bucks a piece. We each bought a box of 22 shells at the same time. Took them out in the woods and found they went bang about half the time and when they did they wouldn't hit a tree 10 steps away. Both of them ended up in the trash.

[Harry O]

Waaaaay back when I was a teenager, a kid I knew got one of the cheap .22 solid frame versions. He pulled it out of his pocket to show me. Evidently the center pin caught on his pants because it came out. Without the center pin, the cylinder went flying. When the cylinder went flying, the .22's scattered in all directions. It was certainly a spectacular entrance. It took him quite a while to gather up all the parts and reassemble them. I heard later that it blew out the cylinder/topstrap shooting hi-velocity .22LR's.

[rondog]

I have an RG-10, it was my grandpa's nightstand gun so I can't get rid of it, even have the box and a sissy little holster for it. But man, what a steaming turd it is.....

[Tom W.]

My friend had one, and once he parked his truck and was going to the kennel to take care of his dogs when he wandered upon a fat Georgia rattlesnake. He shot not one but TWO cylinders full at the snake, who probably was a bit lethargic due to the temperature. Didn't hit him once.He went back to the truck and got a hoe. That worked well. The rattlesnake ended up as part of dinner that evening.