A GP100 is high on my list. I'd like something lighter for places that don't have big bruins wandering around. I'll save my 686 for the range.
Thinking about a “wheel gun”
- Thread starter neil0311
- Start date
Talyn
SAINT
I just got an AL22B (blued .22lr) last week.
Basically they used the same gun for the three cartridges.
My AL22B is just as nice as the 9mm version. Very nice single-action pull and the double-action is nice also.
The AL22M is the .22 mag version.
There's supposed to be stainless versions but I haven't seen those on the market yet.
After being unobtainable for the whole year a bunch suddenly appeared from various vendors (notification lists) and on GB. I wanted to buy mine from the local Armscor outlet store but they weren't getting them in. So I jumped on one on-line before they were all gone the next day.
Same thing happened with the AL9.0 & got mine last spring.
So, apparently folks know about them & when some come in-country (made in the Czech Republic NOT the Philippines like Armscor's other revolvers) they go quick.
youngolddude
Professional
Revolvers are more involved when cleaning as you have every cylinder besides the barrel. Besides this you also have the cylinder window which also gets pretty filthy.
If I were to get a rimless gun, it would probably be the S&W 625 in .45 acp. It's big bore, accurate and handsome looking. There are a number of other candidates in 9 and .45 so it really is personal preference depending on your desires and aesthetics.
If I were to get a rimless gun, it would probably be the S&W 625 in .45 acp. It's big bore, accurate and handsome looking. There are a number of other candidates in 9 and .45 so it really is personal preference depending on your desires and aesthetics.
HansGruber
Ronin
As somebody who has both 686’s and a GP100…
Get another 686. You’ll be slightly disappointed by the GP when you compare.
Plus, in equal barrel lengths, the GP100 is slightly heavier than a 686 (40oz vs 39oz).
I meant lighter than the Super Redhawk.
Recusant
Hellcat
Also, the trigger pull is not as smooth on Ruger revolvers as it is on older S & W or Colt revolvers which may also disappoint. If the trigger pull is still heavy or gritty after several hundred rounds a trigger job can improve the action if necessary.
HansGruber
Ronin
Look at an older Model 28 4”. You can still pick up forner cop guns that have a lot of finish wear, but very little use.
I traded a beat up
Recusant
Hellcat
If you don't plan on carry a revolver for CC and you are looking for something to shoot only at the range then the AL22B might be a good choice. There are also a lot of other older .22 revolvers out there that are convertible to .22mag. The .22 cal is available and cheaper to shoot and the .22mag gives you the extra power if you need it.
Sld1959
Ronin
Sweet, and plenty of character too.
Jfal
Professional
Don't skimp on whatever you choose. My first handgun purchase was a 1986 Taurus .38-special (I got it in 1989, I didn't know any better and didn't have much money). The revolver is fine for what it is, still have it, but the sights are impossible to see, thus making it very inaccurate at any indoor range (usually dark in the booth). The Smiths, Colts, Rugers have MUCH better sights (usually)...
Still a very, very nice HG Hans.
Snake45
Professional
Neil, you're getting a lot of good advice here. I'll add:
Look at and handle (and, if possible, shoot) as many different revolvers as you can. Go to gun shops, and ask all your friends and rangemates. You're looking for something that feels particularly good in your hand. Sooner or later you'll run across one that "speaks to you."
Don't rule out a good .22. Few things in life will return more pure joy for the dollar spent than a top-quality .22 revolver. I speak from decades of (very happy) experience.
One special area to watch in cleaning is under the extractor star of a DA revolver (even more so with a .22). Crud can slowly (or quickly) build up under there and cause "mystery problems," unless you're aware of the area. Not a big deal.
Look at and handle (and, if possible, shoot) as many different revolvers as you can. Go to gun shops, and ask all your friends and rangemates. You're looking for something that feels particularly good in your hand. Sooner or later you'll run across one that "speaks to you."
Don't rule out a good .22. Few things in life will return more pure joy for the dollar spent than a top-quality .22 revolver. I speak from decades of (very happy) experience.
One special area to watch in cleaning is under the extractor star of a DA revolver (even more so with a .22). Crud can slowly (or quickly) build up under there and cause "mystery problems," unless you're aware of the area. Not a big deal.
"Don't skimp on whatever you choose." - Some of the best words out there.
Snake45
Professional
Yes. Remember, when you buy the best, you only cry once.
HansGruber
Ronin
Very true.Yes. Remember, when you buy the best, you only cry once.
In a .22? Hard to beat a S&W 617; 10 shot. Accurate…my second favorite after my Colt Officer’s Model Special .22 (which, I admit, I don’t shoot very much).
Annihilator
Emissary
Hey, since you got back your 686, how does it work now?
Snake45
Professional
617 might be the best made today, but I wouldn't swap my mid-'70s 6-shot blue 17 for three of them. Or my Colt Diamondback, either. (When will Colt give us a new .22 Diamondback?)
Not long ago I got to handle (but, sadly, not shoot) a new Ruger SP101 4" in .22. I was overall very impressed with it. If I didn't already have my old Smiths and Colts, I'd probably buy one.
HansGruber
Ronin
I got one of the new Cobras when they released them…I was not impressed. It patterned, not grouped, with every load from 110 to 158gr, and with several shooters.
Soured me big time on the new snakes.
But if they come out with a new Diamondback .22? I’ll be interested.
U
USS Callister
Guest
...or as Mark Twain once said, "I am always satisfied with the best."Yes. Remember, when you buy the best, you only cry once.
Like everything in life, you get what you pay for.
A .22 revolver is intriguing, but aren't .22's an "iffy" type of ammo? I imagine it's more reliable in a revolver, instead of a semi-auto, because there's no action needed to load the next round in place (a point of failure), but don't let anybody kid you that it isn't deadly--there are plenty of people killed annually by .22's.