UPDATED - New S&W 22 Thunder Ranch!

HarrishMasher

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I have had my eye on the 22 TR for a couple of years. I think it is a beautiful classic looking wheelgun. I was just waiting for the right deal to come along and someone to take the trade I was offering.

I love the 45acp round for many reasons. Finding the right platform for the short and fat 45 round has proven a challenge for me. One would think the 1911 is the correct and natural platform for the good old 45. Fifteen years ago I tried to get into 1911s. I bought 3 at the same time. A blued Colt 1991-A1, A blued Loaded Springfield 1911, and a blued Kimber Classic. All of them had some kind of issue. Either they didn't feed well, would jam up from time to time, or they didn't feed hollowpoints well. I didn't want to be bothered at the time and I traded them off. In the continued quest to find the perfect 45ACP pistol for me, I traded them for a Glock 21, HK 45USP and a Sig P220.

All three guns were 100% reliable and accurate. But the double stacked plastic guns were just too big, blocky and uncomfortable. Long story short, I sold the Glock and HK and kept the Sig.

About 8 months ago I decided I wanted to try a 1911 again. I bought a new Ruger Talo Night Watchman. Much to my surprise, extensive research suggested the Ruger 1911 variant was the best bang for the buck in the world of mid-range 1911s. Beautiful looking gun and was 100% reliable. Very accurate as well. But once again I didn't bond with it at all. I finally decided once and for all 1911s are just not for me. I tucked it away until I found a SW 22 TR I could trade it for.

I had reached out to quite a few sellers over the last bunch of months, but no luck. Last week, however, it finally happened! I found this 22 TR on GB in as new condition and the seller was open to my trade. It arrived today and I just picked it up.

The 22 TR looks even better in person than in pictures. The mirror blue finish is stunning. The gun is in 99% condition and was clearly fired very little. The only defect is a tiny scratch on the cylinder.

Though I think the factory grips are very nice looking, and knew I wanted to keep them on the gun, I knew they would not fill my hand. Right after I made the deal on the 22 TR, I bought a new Tyler T grip on Ebay which coincidentally arrive this AM as well.

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My initial impression...I love this gun! If it wasn't for the internal lock I would believe this gun was made in the 1950s with its square butt, old school half moon front sight, beautiful mirror blue finish, case colored hammer and trigger, and older style cylinder release latch.

The balance on this gun is perfect. I own a lot of S&W revolvers, and this particular model balances better than any handgun I own. It feels like you are holding nothing in your hand.

The factory trigger is quite nice as well. While the DA pull is a little heavier than I like, it is extremely smooth. Much smoother than any recently manufactured S&W that I own or have played around with. For example, the trigger on this gun is much smoother than the trigger on my 625 JM.

I am a big fan of fixed sights, especially when they shoot to the point of aim :) And it seems they do!

My LGS has a shooting range and i had enough time to put two cylinders through it once the background check was completed. I had to get back to work so today was not the day for a full range test. I shot two cylinders at 25' DA with some 230gr Winchester White Box ball ammo.

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While I didn't get to shoot it nearly as much as I would have liked, I am very pleased thus far. The gun seems to shoot to the point of aim. You can see in the first group I shot on the top I was trying to figure out the sights. In the second group on the bottom you can see it was starting to come together for me.

While the 22 TR and my 625 JM are both 45ACP N Frames with 4" barrels, they feel like very different guns. The 22 looks and feels like a much smaller gun. The perfect balance of the 22 makes it feel much lighter than the 625 and the thinner barrel profile makes the 22 look quite a bit smaller. I could actually see carrying this gun as a CCW, but I would never consider the 625 for that purpose.

I look forward to spending more time with my new 22 TR, I think we are going to become very good friends :)
 
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Congratulations on a very good acquisition. I agree that the 22 feels much more "lively" in the hand than the full lug 625.

I shoot 45AR in my 22-4, because I happen to have a lot of AR brass. But moon clips give the fastest reload possible in a revolver.

These are excellent self defense revolvers but the cool factor is off the scale. You are styling old school now.
 
Congrats on one real sweet .45! :)

Thanks for the photos and looking forward to the range report.

Man, that's one good looking revolver.
 
Very nice revolver, I am a .45 junkie, as well. All of mine are semi-auto pistols, but I love the caliber. I carry a CS 45.
 
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I have the same revolver..... I LOVE it!!!!! I agree it is perfectly balanced and shoots very accurately to the point of aim. Great looking also. Welcome to the 22TR club.
 
I have the same revolver..... I LOVE it!!!!! I agree it is perfectly balanced and shoots very accurately to the point of aim. Great looking also. Welcome to the 22TR club.

Do you have a holster for it? I am thinking I want to get a nice leather OWB holster for it. If you or anyone has pics of a holster please post them.
 
That's great! I still appreciate the 1911 and will always have one or two but I will some day have one of these.

I came very close to picking up one when a very nice 4" 625-3 came up for sale. The 625 actually turned out be cheaper and is a great first .45acp wheel gun. I say first because I will add one of these as my next S&W revolver. :D
 
Great report, and I especially like how you described the search for the "best" platform for 45 ACP, for YOU!

Exactly, guns, like so many things, are very subjective. I can totally understand why many folks love 1911s. They are just not for me.
 
That is a nice classic looking gun & complimented by the t-grip adds to the classic look. The gun looks like a square butt which is not the norm for newer S&W's. I still like 1911's but at the present time I only have an emp9 but I think if I can ever stop buying revolvers I will get another 1911 45 acp. You see what happens when you get one 45 acp revolver one is not enough. I think back 8 months ago I had no 45 revolvers now I have 3.
 
Well mine aren't Thunder Ranch models, but I really like them anyway. :)

I lucked into these nickel-plated 22-4's from a local private seller and couldn't resist picking them both up. I call them my "poor man's mountain gun", since the weight is considerably lighter than my equivalent barrel length 625. I also really like the fixed sights for a woods/mountain carry gun.

The grips in the picture are more "show" than "go", so I have rubber Hogues on them for more practical use. I might break down and look for a square butt Ahrends retro target grip one of these days.

I know I posted this pic on the forum before, but everyone likes pictures, right?

Lou

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Well mine aren't Thunder Ranch models, but I really like them anyway. :)

I lucked into these nickel-plated 22-4's from a local private seller and couldn't resist picking them both up. I call them my "poor man's mountain gun", since the weight is considerably lighter than my equivalent barrel length 625. I also really like the fixed sights for a woods/mountain carry gun.

The grips in the picture are more "show" than "go", so I have rubber Hogues on them for more practical use. I might break down and look for a square butt Ahrends retro target grip one of these days.

I know I posted this pic on the forum before, but everyone likes pictures, right?

Lou

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Of course we do! I post the same pics all the time :) Keep it coming.
 
Where can I get these holsters?

Since I have two 22-4's I was actually thinking of looking for a pair of holsters like these to go with them:

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Not sure how much I'd be willing to pay because other than Halloween, I'm not sure when I'd actually wear them! :)

Lou
 
Great catch...I have owned three of the 22-4s and sold them due to advancing age and failing eyesight. They are excellent guns and old school cool besides.
 
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I have 12K rounds through mine and couldn’t be happier. I filed the front sight so it shoots at point of aim with 452423. I've tried light bullets (200 gr), and they shoot slightly low. But, they are close enough that you can still hit the target with a minor aiming correction.

Only two small gripes:
1. Glare off the front sight
2. Inconsistent ignition unless Auto Rim cases or moon clips are used. Not using 452423 for this issue.
 
I have 12K rounds through mine and couldn’t be happier. I filed the front sight so it shoots at point of aim with 452423. I've tried light bullets (200 gr), and they shoot slightly low. But, they are close enough that you can still hit the target with a minor aiming correction.

Only two small gripes:
1. Glare off the front sight
2. Inconsistent ignition unless Auto Rim cases or moon clips are used. Not using 452423 for this issue.






What is "452423"?
 
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