Need to recommend .22 and where to buy?

[Retread]

A good friend has moved somewhere into the Nevada desert about 60 miles from Henderson, I think. He's looking for a .22 pistol as a snake gun and general shooter. I'm recommending one of the 22/45s which I'm trying to shoot in bulls eye for the first time in my life (former combat competitor). 22/45 for the grip angle to avoid the hand position of the other Mark IIIs. And probably for him, the 5 1/2" target because he has big hands and two of these guns come with replaceable laminate grips. (I wish I could do something about the thin grips on my Mark II era 22/45s. This seems to be solved on the Models 10140 and 10158 22/45s).

He's a casual shooter who was looking for a .22 revolver for his purposes. I don't know much about them but when I suggested the Ruger semi-autos he lit up at the idea of having an "automatic". My take on the .22 revolvers is that their double actions are always very stiff. They may have an advantage as a snake gun - which will end up being a small part of his actual use - because they'll function as designed every time. I'm wondering - but don't know - whether the 22/45 will recycle with .22 shot shells and what would be the solution if they don't? I'm guessing it would just be a matter of operating the slide by hand? Kindergarten question, but I don't know for sure.

He's looked online and found that Cheaper Than Dirt sells the non-laminate grip version for about $289 and the laminate grip for about $329. Is this a good way to buy a pistol? I've never thought of buying a gun through the internet. I'm guessing there are more than a few added expenses. Any ideas on where to get the best price on a 22/45 in Nevada or online?

Finally, I'll recommend that he get a VQ Exact Edge Extractor ($11.95 at RimFire Sports and Custom) and I thought I'd recommend an action job by Clark Custom but it's cost is now $125 and it doesn't make sense for him. But VQ has 2 packages costing $45 and described as either a "Competition Kit" or an "Accurizing" of either Mark II or Mark III Rugers (I hope this includes 22/45s). If the Competition Kit includes some trigger improvement that sounds perfect. Has anyone had VQ do either of these tweaks on your Mark guns?

The prices of most of the Mark III non-22/45 guns are much higher than the 22/45s? Is this because of the polymer frames of the 22/45s? I expect that, being Rugers, they're both equally high quality guns.

Hope someone can help. It's hard living in a small town (or in the middle of nowhere as my friend and his wife do) to know how to get this kind of stuff done.


Thanks

 

[huntsman22]

And probably for him, the 5 1/2" target because he has big hands

What does barrel length and weight have to do with having 'big hands'?......


I'm glad I don't have to rely on you for advice on what I need/want.....

 

[mm6mm6]

You've pretty much got almost all of your ducks in a row I think. The .22 shotshells are not going to function in the semi-auto though. Racking the slide by hand will probably include clearing a jam. Maybe not the best idea for a second follow up shot after missing a rattler. If he's serious about snakes, I would recommend a Ruger Super Single Six with the .22lr and .22 Magnum interchangeable cylinders. He can shoot .22 short, long, long rifle and then Magnum rounds, keep it on his hip in a quality leather holster and have that whole "cowboy" thing going on.

If he would really like a semi-auto, then he'd have to live with the jams caused by the shot loads or just be a darn good shot with hollow points.

I know what you're saying about him having big hands. The SR22 may not be a great choice for him or the standard MK III. The bigger grip on the 22/45 would probably work.

I think he should get a 22/45 and try it from there. Pretty accurate and reliable gun right out of the box and he can decide at a later time he wants to customize or tune it up.

Buying new Ruger guns off the internet is a great way to keep your prices down if you find a good deal. If there's a problem with the gun, Ruger will take care of you with their awesome warranty service. You probably won't have a problem though.

I like to always check www.Gunbroker.com to see what asking prices and selling prices are before I buy anywhere else. A smart idea is to find the part number for the gun you want on Ruger's website and then google that number to find the same gun for sale all over the internet. Then you can compare prices.

Good luck!

 

[57Frontier]

And probably for him, the 5 1/2" target because he has big hands

What does barrel length and weight have to do with having 'big hands'?......


I'm glad I don't have to rely on you for advice on what I need/want.....

Wow, I'm glad I don't have to come to YOU for advice.

 

[Danno]

Retread....the 22/45 is a superb little pistol. Accurate, super reliable and has eaten every brand of ammo I've stuffed into it.

But the .22 snake shot shells don't have nearly enough oomph to cycle the bolt. They'll fire but each case has to be cleared manually. At least in my experience. I would doubt they'd cycle in any semiauto .22.

Of course, a revolver would be the way to go if your friend is really wanting to load in a few snake shot rounds. The Ruger and S&W revolvers can be considerably more expensive than a 22/45.

Your friend might keep an eye out for an old High Standard R-100 - R-107 or Doublenine revolver. They show up from time to time....probably around $225 or so for one in good condition. I have an old R-100 made in about 1955 that is dead nuts reliable, accurate - although not as accurate as my 22/45 - and handles a snake shot round as well as any other type of ammo. DA is pretty smooth as it should be after 60 years!

For me this old High Standard revolver is a great kit gun and perfect for knocking around. I sure don't mind if it picks up another ding or two.

 

[Retread]

Thanks Danno and mm6mm6 for reminding me of what I thought I knew about the shot shells in a semi-auto. Been a long time and memory about details fades a bit. I think my friend will look for a new gun as he's new to shooting. But, I'll keep my eyes open for one of the High Standard's you recommend. Sounds like a good gun to have and I didn't know about older High Standard DA .22 revolvers. Cool.

I looked up the costs of both Ruger and S&W revolvers. Blew me away. They are quality guns, though didn't expect them to be so expensive. The 22/45s are looking better. The .22 magnum isn't a bad defense load given its penetrating power. A guy I knew in Utah told me about a .22 mag putting down an old buffalo in his friend's corral after other larger calibers didn't do the job. But, the cost of the Ruger revolver is too much in this case.

My two 22/45s (Mk IIs) have the good grip angle but are too thin for me. The idea of getting one of the new ones with laminate panels is that this may add to their bulk, filling large hands more easily. Or, because these panels can be taken off (the pics on the Ruger site show they are screwed into the frame), and larger, more hand filling grips can be used. Like, I said, I wish I had that option with my older 22/45s.

BUYING A GUN ON THE INTERNET sounds really iffy to me, but after going to Gunbroker.com and especially after Googling the model number and seeing so many offerings from gun stores of new 22/45s, it looks like it could be the way to go. When I lived in L.A. we knew which gun stores sold new guns at the best price. Googling the model # sure showed what the guns are going for. A big help that I didn't know was there.

My impression of clearing an expended shot shell case from a semi auto is that most of the time it's just a matter of racking the slide. I hope that's true. Think next time I'm in snake country (I live at 7800 ft in the Rockies - not many poisonous serpents), I'll have some shot shells just in case. I'm going to go on the assumption that it's just a matter of working the slide. My friend isn't a snake hunter nor is he likely to fall into a den of snakes like Mattie Ross in True Grit. Most of his use will be with whatever store bought .22 HV rounds he can get his hands on these days.

The price he saw at the Cheaper Than Dirt site matches the prices I saw after Googling the Ruger 22/45 model number. This may be easier than I expected.

Any other thoughts are welcome. And a great big thanks to the two detailed responses AS Well as to 57Frontier for saying the obvious before I did !

One question from looking at the pictures of Mark III era Target Model 22/45s. One or two showed front straps that had really large finger holds - something I've always hated and avoided. (In competitions, having to draw from holsters precluded using fingered contouring on the frontstrap). But the Ruger site shows both flavors of the 22/45 Target Model without any front strap contraptions at all. Guess that can work itself out when he purchases a gun.

Thanks, again for lots of good info in only two posts.

 

[hammie]

Since this gun will be used for just plinking and pests and not competition, your friend may want to consider a ruger single six. A revolver will function with any kind of ammunition and you will have the versatility of using either .22 long rifle or .22 Win Magnum Rimfire (WMR). The .22 WMR will have more power for pests and in some loadings, has twice the amount of #12 shot as the long rifle shot shell. And if you really want to get exotic, you can also shoot .22 win rimfire (WRF) in the magnum cylinder, as a mid range load between the long rifle and magnum.

Based on retail prices, the incremental cost for a single six versus and 22/45 is only 120$. That's not much more, amortized over the life of the gun, which will likely be way longer than the life of your friend.

 

[Retread]

I see what you mean. Didn't think they'd be that close at retail. Very different guns with different advantages and no inherent disadvantages based on quality or design. The availability of the magnum round is the main reason for consideration of the Single Six. I'll let him decide based on all that's available to him.

We're both retired and my thumbs probably wouldn't last much longer having to cock the revolver. I'm due for thumb surgery anyway, so maybe afterwards .

His first thought was to get an inexpensive revolver. Are there any others, outside the Ruger line, that would fit THAT description. He's probably better off looking for a new gun in this case because it's a little hard for either of us to scramble around now looking for good used guns. We live in different states. If we lived near a larger market, finding a used revolver would be a piece of cake.

When you think about it, the 22/45 and the Single Six are pretty d... good choices - two fairly unique high quality guns that would last anyone two or more generations - thanks to Bill Ruger !

 

[hammie]

@retread: As for inexpensive revolvers outside the ruger line, there is taurus and charter arms. However, when I mull it over, I keep coming back to your original opinions and conclusions: a ruger 22/45 or consider a single six.

Another possibility for an autoloader is a browning buckmark (even though this is a ruger forum). I've seen some new, "no-frills" buckmarks go for around 350$ as a street price. Plus the buckmarks are a lot easier to field strip than the ruger.

 

[sourdough44]

There are more than 1 or 2 great options. 1st off one doesn't need 'snake shot' to kill a snake. When the need arises you nay have to act fast, no time to change ammo. Reliable cycling in a semi-auto if fairly important, I'd just leave the main ammo chambered.

Weight can become an issue if much walking is involved. Often one's main CC gun easily makes the transition to trail carry. I could be happy with all mentioned, Single-Six, Buckmark or one of the Ruger Mark series.

 

[gramps]

Heritage arms has a .22 LR/.22 mag in a SA. Sells new for $275 around mid-Tn, used H&R's ( DA), Charter arms pathfinder (DA), High Standards. Good Luck!
gramps

 

[ankrklankr]

If you're going to be chasing snakes out that way, be smart and use a shotgun. I can't speak for Nevada specifically, but rattlesnakes in some parts of the West can get to right respectable sizes and shooting them with something like a shot shell will only piss them off.

 

[Geoff Timm]

A good friend has moved somewhere into the Nevada desert about 60 miles from Henderson, I think. He's looking for a .22 pistol as a snake gun and general shooter. I'm recommending one of the 22/45s which I'm trying to shoot in bulls eye for the first time in my life (former combat competitor).
Thanks

For a carrying gun the lightweight can't be beat. Except maybe by the plastic Browning.

Geoff
Who still misses the 4" Mk I...for holster use.