.22 Rimfire Revolver Musings

Fishinfool

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This past weekend, I traveled out to CT. to visit a fellow gun nut buddy. He had picked up a couple new toys in the past several days, and it would be a chance for both of us to try them out.

First up was a NIB Ruger GP-100 in .22 with a 6 inch barrel. The gun looked good, the grips felt fine in my big hands, and it balanced well. Now for the not so good - Machining, especially around the chamber holes and star / ratchet were fresh off the CNC, with no smoothing or polishing, as in sharp enough edges to cut your hand. This might explain why the gun couldn't go thru a full 10 round cylinder.

Tried several brands of good .22 lr ammo, and inevitably, it would become impossible to rotate the cylinder, DA or SA, to fire the last two, sometimes one cartridge. It did not "jam up" consistently on any one or two chambers. Fired cartridge rims seem distorted, which may have contributed to the cycling issues, as well as the difficult extraction. And the SA hammer pull was about the worst I have experienced on a revolver. DA and SA trigger pull seemed just "OK", as was accuracy. Sights were adjustable rear with a fiber optic front and worked well. This gun clearly needs work, and is the first Ruger in my experience that should have never left the factory.

Gun two was a NIB Colt King Cobra, 6 inch, also in .22 rimfire. Very nicely fit and finished, with none of the rough & sharp machining of the Ruger. SA and DA trigger were both very nice, and the difference between the Colt's SA cocking feel / weight and the Rugers were frankly like night and day.

Grips were comfortable, but a little small for my hands. Also a 10 shot gun, the Colt is much thinner and overall smaller than the Ruger, or a model 17 for that matter - It's a petite 6 inch revolver. Balance was good, as was accuracy at 25 yards. No malfunctions or misfires. Ejection was smooth. I really liked it, and may change my mind about getting a 4 inch version.

Beare in mind that the above is just my opinions about two guns I have never shot before, with a sample of only one each.

Oh, and my Smith 18-3 that I brought along was more accurate than either of the above, about as nicely fit and finished as the Colt, with about an equally good DA trigger. The Smiths SA was by far the best feeling. My only complaint with the 18 is it has those tight chambers, which can make loading a pain, especially when dirty.

The above are just some observations I thought I would post while they were fresh in my mind. And this aint a Ruger bashing thing - I own quite a few Rugers, and have been well pleased with them.

Comments and experiences welcome.

Larry
 
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Nice reviews! I too, have found the Colt 10 shot to be my favorite .22 of late. Mine's the 4.25" model and it really feels even smaller. Decent trigger, plenty accurate, 10 shots onboard and it's a great looking and feeling gun.
 
I have a 4" Model 18 as well, and enjoy shooting it. Had my gunsmith chamfer the cylinder chambers which lessened the spent cartridges sticking in the chamber to a considerable degree. Makes it more fun to shoot a bunch at the range.
 
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Finally put the first brick through my new GP100. So far, so good. I didn't notice any machining anomalies. During inspection, it actually looked very refined.

Mine also came with a typical Ruger DA pull that was pretty heavy, but without any grit. My Colt KC trigger was noticeably smoother, and the smaller frame lightened up the overall feel. Never warmed up to my 17 due to timing problems, but the 4" model 18 felt just about perfect in my hands.
 
This past weekend, I traveled out to CT. to visit a fellow gun nut buddy. He had picked up a couple new toys in the past several days, and it would be a chance for both of us to try them out.

First up was a NIB Ruger GP-100 in .22 with a 6 inch barrel. The gun looked good, the grips felt fine in my big hands, and it balanced well. Now for the not so good - Machining, especially around the chamber holes and star / ratchet were fresh off the CNC, with no smoothing or polishing, as in sharp enough edges to cut your hand. This might explain why the gun couldn't go thru a full 10 round cylinder.

Tried several brands of good .22 lr ammo, and inevitably, it would become impossible to rotate the cylinder, DA or SA, to fire the last two, sometimes one cartridge. It did not "jam up" consistently on any one or two chambers. Fired cartridge rims seem distorted, which may have contributed to the cycling issues, as well as the difficult extraction. And the SA hammer pull was about the worst I have experienced on a revolver. DA and SA trigger pull seemed just "OK", as was accuracy. Sights were adjustable rear with a fiber optic front and worked well. This gun clearly needs work, and is the first Ruger in my experience that should have never left the factory.

Gun two was a NIB Colt King Cobra, 6 inch, also in .22 rimfire. Very nicely fit and finished, with none of the rough & sharp machining of the Ruger. SA and DA trigger were both very nice, and the difference between the Colt's SA cocking feel / weight and the Rugers were frankly like night and day.

Grips were comfortable, but a little small for my hands. Also a 10 shot gun, the Colt is much thinner and overall smaller than the Ruger, or a model 17 for that matter - It's a petite 6 inch revolver. Balance was good, as was accuracy at 25 yards. No malfunctions or misfires. Ejection was smooth. I really liked it, and may change my mind about getting a 4 inch version.

Beare in mind that the above is just my opinions about two guns I have never shot before, with a sample of only one each.

Oh, and my Smith 18-3 that I brought along was more accurate than either of the above, about as nicely fit and finished as the Colt, with about an equally good DA trigger. The Smiths SA was by far the best feeling. My only complaint with the 18 is it has those tight chambers, which can make loading a pain, especially when dirty.

The above are just some observations I thought I would post while they were fresh in my mind. And this aint a Ruger bashing thing - I own quite a few Rugers, and have been well pleased with them.

Comments and experiences welcome.

Larry

You sir..........Had the best .22 revolver there.
 
MarkAlt - I am glad your GP-100 is working out for you. I have a feeling my friends' gun somehow missed a final fitting stage. Too much was off, and not at all my normal experience with Ruger.

And yea, I really like that model 18. Keep wanting to finish ream those chambers, but you know how that goes.. And I do appreciate those modern fiber optic front sights sometimes.

Larry
 
I also agree that the 18 was the best gun there. Mine spits empties out almost by turning it muzzle up, so I'm guessing a previous caretaker finish reamed it. Accuracy is all one hole if you take me out of the equation. I am considering a new K C though, 10 shots is 66% more fun than 6.
 
For a different viewpoint on .22 revolvers, check out this currently active thread:


I'm sure there are some interesting views on the "old vs new" aspect, especially if you compare Colts side by side.
 
Many yrs ago when I bought my first single 6, model 17-18-34-51-17 (full lug)....I think 17-6??? QC was better.....whats sad is todays metal is better ,but attention to detail is not.
 
Thank God I've been lucky as my 16, 17 and 18 function perfectly as they are older and have very little use. 16 is 4" and guess I like it the most. Range trip next week.
Mein friend you need an 8" model 48...I will help with ammo cost....love those models 16s......mine is a dash 4
 
The 48s and 51s are not well liked here.....ammo cost ........to loud......too pricey .......I get it , but at what point flashing your carry to the local pimp does not get you respect a Glock 19 with full mag NEVER WILL
 
The Model 18 is hard to beat. Mine is an 18-2 from 1965, about the time I was starting 8th grade at Lee-Davis High School. It wasn't cheap, but it was worth it.

image_50435073.webp

(that light spot under the hammer is just light reflecting)

I've got a couple more 22's and have owned a bunch of them over the years, but this one stays.

I need to shoot it this weekend.
 
This past weekend, I traveled out to CT. to visit a fellow gun nut buddy. He had picked up a couple new toys in the past several days, and it would be a chance for both of us to try them out.

First up was a NIB Ruger GP-100 in .22 with a 6 inch barrel. The gun looked good, the grips felt fine in my big hands, and it balanced well. Now for the not so good - Machining, especially around the chamber holes and star / ratchet were fresh off the CNC, with no smoothing or polishing, as in sharp enough edges to cut your hand. This might explain why the gun couldn't go thru a full 10 round cylinder.

Tried several brands of good .22 lr ammo, and inevitably, it would become impossible to rotate the cylinder, DA or SA, to fire the last two, sometimes one cartridge. It did not "jam up" consistently on any one or two chambers. Fired cartridge rims seem distorted, which may have contributed to the cycling issues, as well as the difficult extraction. And the SA hammer pull was about the worst I have experienced on a revolver. DA and SA trigger pull seemed just "OK", as was accuracy. Sights were adjustable rear with a fiber optic front and worked well. This gun clearly needs work, and is the first Ruger in my experience that should have never left the factory.

Gun two was a NIB Colt King Cobra, 6 inch, also in .22 rimfire. Very nicely fit and finished, with none of the rough & sharp machining of the Ruger. SA and DA trigger were both very nice, and the difference between the Colt's SA cocking feel / weight and the Rugers were frankly like night and day.

Grips were comfortable, but a little small for my hands. Also a 10 shot gun, the Colt is much thinner and overall smaller than the Ruger, or a model 17 for that matter - It's a petite 6 inch revolver. Balance was good, as was accuracy at 25 yards. No malfunctions or misfires. Ejection was smooth. I really liked it, and may change my mind about getting a 4 inch version.

Beare in mind that the above is just my opinions about two guns I have never shot before, with a sample of only one each.

Oh, and my Smith 18-3 that I brought along was more accurate than either of the above, about as nicely fit and finished as the Colt, with about an equally good DA trigger. The Smiths SA was by far the best feeling. My only complaint with the 18 is it has those tight chambers, which can make loading a pain, especially when dirty.

The above are just some observations I thought I would post while they were fresh in my mind. And this aint a Ruger bashing thing - I own quite a few Rugers, and have been well pleased with them.

Comments and experiences welcome.

Larry
Ruger guns have always had too many sharp edges.
 
Just to update this old thread - My buddy has since sent the GP-100 back to Ruger. They replaced the cylinder / ratchet assembly, as well as a few other tweaks. He now reports very good accuracy, as well as reliability and a much smoother DA trigger pull. S/A pull is only "OK". Good to see they made it right. I have owned a couple MK .22's, a Redhawk, Service Six, and a bunch of SA's without any issues. My full stock 10/22 is a squirrel / bunny favorite.

Larry
 
IMO the vintage S&W Model 18's (and 17's) are about the best .22 RF revolvers ever made! The Colt .22 RF's are a close second & some even like them better but I personally favor the S&W's. Ruger has never been a consideration to me as far as revolvers are concerned. They have always been too bulky, heavy and clunky with horrible triggers. While mechanically they usually work OK out if the box, I'd never buy one and they never "looked pleasing" to me.

IMHO, Colt is now the premier revolver maker in fit, finish and overall quality. Their production over the last few years has been excellent in all the examples I have shot and inspected. If I was looking for a brand new revolver a Colt is what I'd buy. The vintage S&W's from 3 - 6 decades ago are outstanding and would be my #1 choice for a used revolver. That said, buying a used revolver requires a full and careful inspection from someone who truly knows and understands S&W wheel guns. Get a good one and you've got a great six gun for life! Get a bad one and we shall read about it here - lol.
 
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