22 revolvers any suggestions........

psy-ops

psy-ops

Joined
Sep 27, 1999
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I am thinking of a 22. cal revolver for BOB.

any thoughts or comments, since a BOB has to be versatile for many types of situations a 22. covers it all + lightness of gun and ammo.

plus does anyone know a compact 6 shot brand?

thanks

chris
 
I've had the S&W Airlite (w/2" Barrel) for about 2 years.
I absolutely love it. Weighs about 12 oz empty, and in single action can hit a soda can every time at 25 ft. Double action is a VERY hard trigger pull.
My brother bought the 3" barrel Airlite with adjustable sights earlier this year. It's next on my list.
I also have the S&W .38 Special 5 round 3", that i love as much.
P.S. The Airlites hold 8 Rounds. I believe Taurus has a comperable revolver, but at last check only had a 2" barrel.:)
 
I have an older S & W K frame .22 (now the Model 17, I believe). It is extremely well made and accurate, but heavier by far than the Airweights. They would certainly be a lot more comfortable to tote.
 
I had a Harrington and Richardson 8-shot revolver with a 2 1/2" barrel until last year. I bought it around '89-'90. I paid $75 for it used, which is only about $25 less than a new one. The fit and finish were good; not as nice as a S&W of course but good for the money. I never realized how hard and gritty the trigger pull was until I bought a S&W. Still, the gun worked fine for what I used it for - light plinking and stay-in-the-truck-toolbox gun. I kept 2 boxes of .22 LR and about 10 snakeshot cartridges with it. The gunshop sold me an Uncle Mike's nylon belt holster for $10.When I went shopping for the gun I was looking for a S&W Kit Gun with a 4" barrel. It turns out that the H&R was a better choice because I wouldn't have wanted to leave a more expensive gun in the truck all of the time.
 
Unless you're absolutely wed to the idea of a revolver, I would suggest the Phoenix Arms Hp-22. I got one a little while ago, after shooting a buddy's. I had always though this looked like a neat gun, but wanted to try one before I took the plunge. The wait wasn't needed. I got the full "kit", which comes with both a 3 inch and 5 inch barrel, plus 2 magazines. Both mags hold the mandatory 10 max, but one has a pinkie rest so that you can get all 3 fingers on the butt of the gun. You should be able to get the whole kit for under $200.00, probably around $175.00 if you shop around. Also comes with a cleaning kit; all you need to add is ammo.

The gun is tiny, yet still nicely accurate. Not as accurate as my Buckmark, but easily capable of dispatching bunnies and squirells. They will even feed CB longs from the magazine, though you have to cycle the slide for each round. I've shot a wide variety of ammo through mine, and in the 200 or so rounds I've put through it on 2 seperate occasions, without cleaning, it has never bobbled. Great little "pocket" gun. As soon as I get my CCW, this baby is ging to be riding in my Urban Kit daily.
 
Pains me though it does to praise S&W after they made their "seperate peace" with the anti-2nd amendment lobby, the airweights are nice little guns. Very accurate for their bbl. length and the pack weight is unbeatable.

Although much heavier, I love my Ruger single-six. It comes equipped with interchangable cylinders, allowing you to shoot .22lr and .22 mag. Its also likely to be more accurate than a snubby, simply because of the longer sight radius on the 5.5" or 6.5" bbl. Still, one of these will weigh in at 4 or 5 times more than the airweight.

Another favorite, still heavy, is my Dad's older-than-me H&R sportsman's model 999. Very accurate, very FUN. 9-round cylinder and top-break loading with fully adjustable leaf-blade sights. I will own that gun one day.

At this point, I must ask what made you decide on a .22 revolver? My BOB has a Springfield M6 scout in it(.22 over .410) for max. versatility with min. weight. I'm still unsettled about including an additional handgun. If I do, it would be for "Big Trouble NOW" scenarios rather than game-getting, and it wouldn't be IN my BOB, it would be ON my hip. Is your approach max. bullets with min. weight?

I'm not arguing here, just want to compare notes.
 
A personal favorite of mine is the Ruger Bearcat. Although fixed sighted, the one I had was point of aim point of impact at 25yds. Great shooter and lightweight.

Mike
 
After years of experimenting with handguns I sold everything but my trusty Smith 650 .22mag kit gun. It has a 3" barrel and fixed sights that are dead on. It is so flat shooting that no compensation is needed untill you get past 50 yards and then it is only a little for 100 yards. I can hit a coke can half the time at 100 yards with it. At 50 yards it simply will not miss. It is stainless and has a sweet pair of Packmeyer grips with a Bianchi Ranger nylon holster. It is relatively light and compact and will take small game in a survival situation. It is the piece that I would rely on.
 
If you can find them on the used market, Rossi made a stainless copy of the 22/34 S&W kit gun that even though it was a Rossi, was a great gun for the money.

I owned 3 Rossie .22 revolvers over the years and all of them were reliable and VERY accurate.
 
My father inlaw told me I could have his american arms 22. cal with 6" barrel.

I have shot this one a few times. I wasn't into the idea at first since I felt I was a 9mm only type of person. but now I am thinking a 22. cal is much more versatile in the BOB than a 9. I also read a web link someone posted which talked about the 22. as an all around self defense and game procurement.

I haven't decided whether a short or long barrel would be best. for self defense a short and for in the woods a long.


the S&W sounds great, at a recent gun show I saw a taurus titanium 38. it was a real beauty!

Thanks

chris
 
Either the Smith K-22 with a 4" bbl. or a Ruger Single Six with the extra .22Mag cylinder. In a survival situation, the .22 mag will do a bit better job on larger game and extend your range if you practice with it.
Doc
 
I have a stainless M6 and the .22 barrel is astonishingly accurate for such a basic design. However, the 410 barrel is pretty tricky to use on any moving targets (unless maybe you practice a heck of a lot more than I have). My friends and I are hitting about 50% of machine thrown clays. The tiny stock and unusual trigger take a little getting used to on moving targets. However, even my first group on a stationary target with the .22 barrel was outstanding.

The M6 weighs a lot more than a light .22 revolver so I'd probably carry it only when using pack animals, rafting, canoeing, etc. Probably not while backpacking.
 
Once you make your choice the fun just begins. You really need to test different brands of ammo in it to see which is the most accurate in that revolver. Winchester Super X works the very best in mine. All ammo brands are not created equal, and some definately do better in some revolvers than others.
 
chrisaloia
I'd take a quick look at the Taurus. I've got a 9 shot Taurus revolver that shoots great. Have even used it in bowling pin matches and won with it. 9 shots give you plenty of firepower (at least in numbers). The 22 while a little weak will supply meat for the pot, and if used properly can stop the 2 legged varmits. Can shoot LR, longs, shorts or cb caps (very quiet) and ammo is available everywhere and in most countries. You can also carry a lot of rounds in a small and relatively lite package. The Taurus is Stainless and is quite sturdy.
I've thought about a derringer or NA Arms Mini revolver also, both in 22, but the Taurus is a lot more gun.
Good luck!
 
I love taurus's how long is the barrel? and cost?



danceswithknives, thanks for the feed back on the M6, I think you are right about the weight thing. a revolver.


boy, My father inlaw uses that brand as well. never new it was a choice load?

thanks

I got a bit more research to do but it is narrowed down to taurus or s&w.
 
Hello Again,
To give you more info in choosing, I have:
.22 S&W Airlite 2" BBL, as previously mentioned

.38 +P S&W Airlite Ti, 3.2" BBL Shoots Great, I love it.

.38 +P Taurus 85, Alum Frame, Stainless Cylinder,2" BBL, with the Crimson Trace Laser Grip- Shoots great I like it very much +.

.357 Taurus Titanium 2" Ported BBL, 7 shot. Sitting here at my keyboard i MIGHT be able to shoot my 15" Monitor. This is with several .357 Mag loads, several .38+P loads, and std .38's.
It Sucks. However not bad enough to stop me from buying:

.357 Taurus Titanium Tracker with 4" BBL. Shoots great I love it.

For carrying weight in a backback vs. power, I think the S&W .38 shooting HOT +P's, is more than enough for defense. With std .38 loads rabbits and such are easy meat.
If you do want to stick with the .22, go with a 3" BBl and adjustable sights on the S&W. At 12(?)Oz. it is superb, but costly.

Good Luck
 
I'm a big fan of the Ruger Single Six in stainless. The .22 Winchester Magnum is a decent little round, and you can carry quite a bit of ammo without much weight or bulk. Mine is quite accurate, as long as you use decent ammunition.
 
chrisaloia
The Taurus has a 4" barrel. Also the price was right.
I'd throw in a photo if I can figure out how.
 
Chris
You might check out the Model 999 22 made by H&R. They are no longer made but they are easy to find and probably cost $120-$160 depending on their condition. I had good luck with it. It's accuracy was good enough for thumping squirrels or rabbits. It's worth looking at...although I sold it so I could by a Ruger MK2 with the 6 and 7/8 bull barrel. I think that it would be better for accuracy and firepower. But check out the 999. It comes in a 4 inch barrel and 6 r 7 incher model.
Lukers
 
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