22 LR Revolvers - Old vs New

[Toonces]

My wife and daughters have requested a .22 LR revolver. Somewhere along the way, I did some things right...

Use will be recreational shooting with family and friends.

There are not a whole lot of choices for "regular" medium frame guns with adjustable sights. Tanks like the GP-100 need not apply. Bad triggers need not apply.

Currently considered options:
1. New 4" S&W 617
2. Old 4" Pre-18 K-22 Combat Masterpiece https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1032873750
3. Old Model 18
4. Old 6" K-22
5. Old 6" Model 17
6. New 4" Colt King Cobra
7. Old Colt Officer's Model Match

The King Cobra fails to win the wife's approval based solely on looks. I'm concerned with maintenance on the Officer's Model Match - not a lot of Colt gunsmiths around anymore. I'm not a huge fan of the full underlug on the 617, but could live with it.

Is there any reason to not go with the Pre-18 I linked above? My wife currently has a 4" Model 66, so a 4" would be a closer "match" than a 6" K-22. My opinion is not set in stone, so I'm looking for other opinions or options I've missed.

Thanks in advance,

Toonces

[Chuck Whitlock]

I would submit the .22 Ruger SP-101 for consideration, particularly if any of the girls have smaller than K frame sized hands. I think the FO sight would be easier to use than the linked pre-18, bur other than that it is a fine choice.

https://ruger.com/products/sp101/specSheets/5765.html

[Half Moon]

My wife and daughters have requested a .22 LR revolver. Somewhere along the way, I did some things right...

Use will be recreational shooting with family and friends.

There are not a whole lot of choices for "regular" medium frame guns with adjustable sights. Tanks like the GP-100 need not apply. Bad triggers need not apply.

Currently considered options:
1. New 4" S&W 617
2. Old 4" Pre-18 K-22 Combat Masterpiece https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1032873750
3. Old Model 18
4. Old 6" K-22
5. Old 6" Model 17
6. New 4" Colt King Cobra
7. Old Colt Officer's Model Match

The King Cobra fails to win the wife's approval based solely on looks. I'm concerned with maintenance on the Officer's Model Match - not a lot of Colt gunsmiths around anymore. I'm not a huge fan of the full underlug on the 617, but could live with it.

Is there any reason to not go with the Pre-18 I linked above? My wife currently has a 4" Model 66, so a 4" would be a closer "match" than a 6" K-22. My opinion is not set in stone, so I'm looking for other opinions or options I've missed.

Thanks in advance,

Toonces

The Pre-Model, five-screw K-22's are a thing of joy. Smooth da stroke, crisp SA, laser accurate, well balanced. The numbered models are close but not built to the same standard and you can feel the quality drop as you get later into the Bangor Punta years. The 6" Target Masterpiece comes with the Patridge front sight which, for me, works a lot better than the Baughman ramp on the 4" Combat Masterpiece. If a trainer for her 66 is the aim then the 4" might be the better choice but if just pure shooting is the goal the 6" would be my nod. I'd make sure the daughters hands fit a K. My wife struggles with anything with trigger reach much greater than an SP101. If they've been able to handle the 66 should be good to go.

[oregon45]

One thing to keep in mind with K-frame 22's is that they often have tight chambers, which, after a few cylinders of fouling, can make extraction and loading difficult. This can be mitigated by keeping the chambers very clean--for my K-22's I run a nylon brush bore brush through each chamber every 24-36 rounds--and by choosing ammunition that loads and extracts freely. 22lr varies widely in case dimensions--particularly rim thickness, which can affect how well the ammunition seats in the chamber-- and my K22's have done best with higher quality match ammunition such as Eley and Norma. My 8 3/8" M617 exhibits the same behavior, and I have to clean the cylinder at the halfway point (20 rounds) of IHMSA matches to keep extraction smooth. Come to think of it, the M18-3 4" I had was the same way--it would stick cases when it began to heat up, or when there was any fouling. This was particularly the case with lubricated lead bullet ammunition. I switched to CCI Stingers for that gun and it helped. All of that is no reason not to choose a K-frame .22, but is something to keep in mind. I think the 4" 18 would be a perfect companion for your wife's 4" M66.

If I were looking for a newly produced 22lr revolver for higher volume shooting without the fuss of cleaning or being selective about ammunition, I'd go for an SP101 with the knowledge that you might not get a good one the first time around. Careful inspection of any newly produced Ruger is a must. The last three .22lr SP-101's I've had were not picky about ammunition and their triggers improved greatly with use. They all also arrived from the factory in dire need of an oiling and light de-burring of the extractor star assembly.

[Malamute]

Id say either a 17 or 18. Im not so sure having the exact barrel length as your other gun is as much an issue as some feel. its the trigger time thats the main thing, and a 6" K-22 makes you feel like its easy to shoot tight groups or make tough shots.

I had a Smith 22 with tight chambers and one without. if i had another one with tight chambers id hone or ream them so it wasnt a problem. The family K-22/model 17 would easily shoot 500-1000 rds without any problem, even the old waxy Winchester Wildcat economy ammo. I cant see any reason to settle for less. Accuracy didnt seem to be impeded, and can be tinkered with with various ammo if one needed whatever final fraction the chamber size may or may not represent.

[medmo]

H&R 999 Sportsman

Yeah, the trigger isn't awesome, sights aren't supreme but there is something about it that is soul soothing when busting open the break open action and dumping 9 hot smoking pieces of 22rl brass. Especially after hitting what you wanted to hit 9x.

[1slow]

H&R 999 Sportsman

Yeah, the trigger isn't awesome, sights aren't supreme but there is something about it that is soul soothing when busting open the break open action and dumping 9 hot smoking pieces of 22rl brass. Especially after hitting what you wanted to hit 9x.

Had a 999 in 1971, it didn’t hold up to a lot of shooting and I always wanted a K .22.

Of the current .22s I like the 4” King Cobra .22. GB has had a fair number sold less than $1000 bid price.

Of the older guns l really like 4” K frame pre lock and 617. 4” pre lock 10 shot. Also like the model 63, .22 and model 34, .22.

No experience with Ruger DA .22 revolvers.

[gato naranja]

If I were looking for a newly produced 22lr revolver for higher volume shooting without the fuss of cleaning or being selective about ammunition, I'd go for an SP101 with the knowledge that you might not get a good one the first time around. Careful inspection of any newly produced Ruger is a must. The last three .22lr SP-101's I've had were not picky about ammunition and their triggers improved greatly with use. They all also arrived from the factory in dire need of an oiling and light de-burring of the extractor star assembly.

This.
All of it.

[gato naranja]

Had a 999 in 1971, it didn’t hold up to a lot of shooting and I always wanted a K .22.

True more often than not. Many of us of the Boomer persuasion wanted at least a Single Six or a Bearcat over any H&R, let alone a K-22. We knew... or at least we had suspicions.

The metallurgy of the H&Rs seemed to be all over the place, some of them being not too bad (comparatively speaking); the ones that were well cared for and not treated like a farm tool naturally survived longer, but they were what they were. Some of them were like the One Hoss Shay in that they would work fine until one day they started to hiccup here... and here... and... then a trip to the gunsmith was made. Once you started putting money into fixing one of them, the outflow didn't really stop until you threw it away.

To this day I can get warm fuzzies thinking about carefree days spent with an H&R along the river or the local branch line, but my glasses do get a deeper rose tint as time goes on.

[CSW]

One of the biggest regrets I have was selling a model 18 about 2 decades ago. It was a wonderful gun.

I have but one 22 revolver at the moment, a Colt Official Police, a six inch, from the original year of introduction. While it is in pristine condition for a handgun from 1930, it does not keep me from shooting it. A 4 digit serial.

The balance is amazing, and for slow fire target, plinking and squirrels, it's crazy accurate.
The below target was 20 yards with crap ammo....Wildcats and waxy Remington. Just a really fun gun.