Looking to get a new .22 revolver, options?

[baldguy637]

Ok guys, here's the deal. I'm wanting to purchase a new revolver for plinking/small game hunting. I have a few .22 handguns (naa mini, colt new frontier, and high standard dura-matic) but i'd like to have a DA/SA revolver.

My conditions are that it has to be stainless, at least a 7 shot, and a minimum of a 6" barrel. The only two manufacturers i've found with all the conditions i want are Smith and Wesson and Taurus. I've never owned a smith revolver, but have had a taurus though i never put that many rounds through it.

I don't have a problem paying for quality, but is the smith ($650+ new) that much better than the taurus ($300-400 new)? Do any other manufacturers have what i'm looking for that i have missed?

Any input would be appreciated.

 

[Joe Williams]

Yeah, the S&W 17 variants are worth the money, IMHO.

Cathy had a Taurus Tracker .22 that was EXTREMELY accurate, and the single action pull rocked, but the DA was pretty sucky. It was a great gun, but they are more in the $450 range. I just think the Smith .22s and the greater refinement they bring are worth spending the money on, since you are already spending more than you really have to to get a nice .22 handgun.

 

[baldguy637]

Yeah, the S&W 17 variants are worth the money, IMHO.

Cathy had a Taurus Tracker .22 that was EXTREMELY accurate, and the single action pull rocked, but the DA was pretty sucky. It was a great gun, but they are more in the $450 range. I just think the Smith .22s and the greater refinement they bring are worth spending the money on, since you are already spending more than you really have to to get a nice .22 handgun.

Thanks for the advise Joe, accuracy and reliability are my top priorities as i plan on shooting this gun a LOT.

 

[JLawsonTXRH]

I have a Taurus 94 (2nd owner) and was confident in purchasing it, as I have a few Taurus handguns. In fact, as a teenager my first handgun was a Taurus 357. With that said, I really can't stand the trigger on the Taurus 94. I wish I had done some more research and bought a S&W.

 

[AccuRat]

I don't have a problem paying for quality

Sounds like a new Smith is in your future.

That said, I, too, was looking for a .22 caliber DA/SA wheel gun many years ago. I wanted something portable in stainless and settled on a Smith M63. Wonderful revolver. However, I've found that I shoot it in the SA mode 90% of the time, hence making the DA redundant. I just picked up a nice bearcat and will probably sell/trade the M63 down the road. Just something to think about.

 

[singlesix]

Why a min. of seven shots? You are leaving many excellent revolvers out of the running. Ruger Singlesix to name one.

 

[baldguy637]

Sounds like a new Smith is in your future.

That said, I, too, was looking for a .22 caliber DA/SA wheel gun many years ago. I wanted something portable in stainless and settled on a Smith M63. Wonderful revolver. However, I've found that I shoot it in the SA mode 90% of the time, hence making the DA redundant. I just picked up a nice bearcat and will probably sell/trade the M63 down the road. Just something to think about.

Yeah, i'm leaning toward the 617 6", I've already got a colt SA .22, i just gave the itch for a DA/SA.

Why a min. of seven shots? You are leaving many excellent revolvers out of the running. Ruger Singlesix to name one.

If Ruger made a DA/SA in .22, i'd be all over it. I already own four rugers and love them. As for the shot count, , it's just what i've been looking at.

 

[singlesix]

Ah didn't see the part about SA/DA.

 

[Hoosier45]

If you could find a Smith model 17/18/K22 you will be very happy. I have a model 18 that I will never sell. But only a 6 shot...

 

[451_Detonics]

S&W K-Frame 22's are top notch and hard to beat but you do pay for them. Good news is they hold their value quite well. Another one to watch for if you don't mind used (and in this case I wouldn't) would be a 6 inch Colt Diamondback. On gunbroker you have guys wanting extremely high prices that are just showing off their Diamondbacks and you have those who want to sell theirs asking a fair price. Right now you can pick up a very nice one for the same price as a new S&W. The Colts are 6 shot but they are between the J and K frame in size making them a smaller gun that is very nice to shoot.

 

[baldguy637]

If you could find a Smith model 17/18/K22 you will be very happy. I have a model 18 that I will never sell. But only a 6 shot...

I've been looking at the 17 and the k22, thanks!

S&W K-Frame 22's are top notch and hard to beat but you do pay for them. Good news is they hold their value quite well. Another one to watch for if you don't mind used (and in this case I wouldn't) would be a 6 inch Colt Diamondback. On gunbroker you have guys wanting extremely high prices that are just showing off their Diamondbacks and you have those who want to sell theirs asking a fair price. Right now you can pick up a very nice one for the same price as a new S&W. The Colts are 6 shot but they are between the J and K frame in size making them a smaller gun that is very nice to shoot.

I might just have to look into the diamondback. I love shooting the new frontier, it's the first handgun i ever shot and still put over 2k shells through it a year.

 

[redsuperduty]

I have a stainless 617 6'' 10 shot that I bought this past summer. It was a little expensive, but worth every penny! Very accurate and looks awesome in my cabinet, It's my favorite target gun.

 

[Dog1]

Model 17, K22...absolutely the best, bar none, .22lr wheel gun out there.

 

[singlesix]

Model 17, K22...absolutely the best, bar none, .22lr wheel gun out there.

DROOL ... been looking for one for a while now. Question is why would anyone want to get rid of it.

 

[Nizidramaniiyt]

My wife has a stainless Taurus 94 that works pretty well for her. Personally I can't stand the trigger, especially in DA, but I heard that it'll smooth out over time.

The best .22 revolver I ever shot was a decades old K22. That was one smooth wheelgun.

 

[Claddagh]

I bought my 4" stainless Taurus M 94 over 25 years ago. At the time, what I really wanted was a 4" M 63 S&W, but the approximately doubled cost was prohibitive. Especially for a pure utility tool that was going to get knocked around in a tackle box, etc. for most of its life. I haven't had cause to regret that decision so far.

Uncounted thousands of rounds later the timing is still very good, it still locks up snugly and it hits where I point it whenever it's asked to. And it still looks pretty darn good for something that's been used so thoroughly under all sorts or crummy conditions, too.

I believe I've gotten my $215's worth outta it for sure.

There's a cheap and easy DIY fix for the heavy DA pull, at least on the older models. Brownell's sells a Wolff "Shooter's Pack" spring kit for the small frame Tauruses for around $10. It consists of a reduced power main (hammer) spring and two reduced power rebound/trigger return springs.

The bulk of the extra pull weight comes from the whopping 14# rating of the factory rebound spring (the mainspring is only rated at 11#). It took some experimenting with different combos of factory and Wolff springs to find the best reduction in DA pull while retaining quick, reliable trigger return and as close to 100% ignition as one can expect from a RF revolver. In mine, that was keeping the factory mainspring and using the heavier (9#) Wolff rebound spring. The change was remarkable, and the whole action has slicked-up beautifully with proper lubrication and use. The only other changes have been Pachmayr Compac grips and removing the serrations from the face of the trigger.

OMMV, but I don't really think I'd have gotten twice the service or the fun from the S&W.

 

[leedawg77]

I second the thoughts on the Smiths.

 

[SCriswell]

Buy a Smith 617

 

[silkpoet]

I have a NAA, and while it is fun to shoot sometimes, and very concealable, I am not really going to advocate it as anything but a deep concealment gun. My wife just loves it though, so everytime she gets talking about saving money, I pull that out and it like I gave her a puppy to play with haha!

 

[bstewrat3]

Check out the H&R top break 22lr revolvers. I've had a couple and they have always been accurate and reliable.