I want a .22LR revolver as a survival/no-magazine gun. I want to be able to throw it in a pack and be able to hunt small game with it. Why do you ask? I am eventually going to be a bush pilot in AK and I also have 5k rounds of .22LR and no .22lr gun I want to shoot. Something that is pocket sized and able to take small game would be awesome. For more serious threats, I am thinking a throw away M44 or a mauser carbine if I can find one, but that is a different topic.
I have looked at the Taurus offering and was turned off by the reviews. I fingered a S&W 2" bbl .22lr and it didn’t feel all that great for various reasons. Can someone give me direction or maybea specific model to look at? IIRC, the Model 60 is no longer made, but I would be open to other options as well.
I have a 4" model 63, it’s a J target frame, it’s a 6 shot 4 inch, yet very light weight I saw one like it on Gunbroker for $400. The only downside is that the chambers need to be polished for reliable extraction.
Four or two inch barrel s&W 34 or 63. If you do not mind some extra weight the larger k frames (blue 17 stainless 617) tend to be very accurate. While I detest stainless and have never been in an environment where my blued guns had a rust issue, my niece lives in Alaska and I understand it can be hard on guns and stainless may be a wiser choice there.
Look for used - you can not wear out a smith 22 revolver and it is going to be a hard use gun save some money and buy used
I grew up on a stainless Ruger Single-Six with a 6.5 inch barrel that my dad has probably had since the early 80s. There is no telling how many tens or hell maybe hundreds of thousands of rounds I have shot through that pistol. It still runs like a top. I bought myself a stainless 5.5 barreled one a few years ago. Cool thing about the Single-Six is you can get the models with the magnum cylinder and use both calibers in one pistol.
I would have to recommend the Ruger single six as well. Some of the most fun I have had has been going after ground squirrels out to 50-60 or so yards. Didn’t connect every time. In fact it was the opposite but the pistol wasn’t the reason. Barrel is longer than you want but it is a nice pistol and they can be had at your starting budget. Also the option to shoot 22 mag is nice with the availability of ammo lately.
My grandfather has one that he bought in the late 50s or early 60s. No telling how much ammo has been through that pistol and still just as tight as you’d want. His is the convertible model that came with the .22WMR. .22MWR capability is nice when you need a little extra “oomph” out of it.
Another vote for Ruger New Single Six. I’ve had mine (5.5" barrel, blue with just the right amount of holster wear) since the late 1970s when I got it for Christmas as a young teenager along with a fancy custom flapped holster, gun belt, and spare cylinder pouch. It’s been my hunting side arm for all of those years, and it’s one of three firearms that I would never, ever consider selling. I like that it comes with a .22 WMR cylinder that takes seconds to swap and gives you that option.
My vote goes to the Ruger Single-Six also. Stainless versions are 100% steel, whereas blue versions have an aluminum grip frame. Weight difference is several ounces and might be significant for a handgun carried in a survival situation. If hitting small targets at squirrel hunting distances is important, then I suggest the 51/2 inch or longer barrel. As an old bulls-eye shooter, I can’t emphasize too much that sight radius is a big determinate in precise handgun shooting–which is much different from defense type shooting emphasized in our discussions. If you select a revolver, don’t screw the pooch by adding an optical sight. If you must have an optical sight, then buy a .22 semi-auto which can be an excellent platform for optics.
I lived in Alaska for over a decade. If you are really going to be a bush pilot your concerns with being stranded include both acquiring food and not becoming food (bear protection). You also don’t want weight and bulk in your plane.
When camping I always carried a 44 mag pistol. It was as much as I could handle and still shoot well in a bear gun (and have on my person all the time). I have shot heads off of ptarmagain with it for camp meat.
The best answer for bear protection is a rifle or a shotgun with slugs and buck. That shotgun will also kill birds and hares with ease.
Best survival gun in Alaska is a shotgun. What would you shoot with the 22? Spruce hens, Ruffs, willow ptarmagain, and maybe a hare or a beaver. All could be done more reliably with a takedown shotgun and you’d have bear protection in the same package.
If you want a 22, I get it. Tons of fun and useful too. But not a bush pilot’s gun.
As far as DA or DA/SA .22lr revolvers go, what would be recommended? The only revo I’ve ever owned was a Heritage Rough Rider a long time ago, and while it was reliable and accurate, SAO just irks me for the slow reloading time. Intended use would be for something reliable, accurate, reloading as quickly as possible without need for a detachable magazine (nor Eastwood-style Pale Rider reloads, either), preferably 8-9 rounds, and not a 3’ long HunterTargetOlympicSniper barrel.
I’m basically torn between the Ruger LCR, Taurus Ultralite 94, S&W “Kit” 317, or S&W 43C. Any input?
