22 LR Revolvers - Old vs New

[Malamute]

How are the triggers compared to a K frame? I do love how they are sized more appropriately to a 22.

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I had one for a while, the trigger action was one reason i sold it, it wasnt anywhere near as nice as a K frame that was well broken in. Its partly the heavy hammer or main spring the rimfires generally have.

The 4" nickel gun is interesting t see, its what I had. Dad got it as a 2" blued to carry, then later thought about getting the 4" barrel on it and I suggested also getting it nickeled. It was very cute, just not as easy to shoot really well as a K-22.

Ive never tried to clean up the action on a J frame rimfire, I did the 640 and it came out petty nice for a J frame, but I dont know what can be done with the rimfire.

[farscott]

I have a refinished Officer's Model Target from 1938 that got a rear Micro sight sometime in the last eighty-six years. I do shoot it, but I follow a few rules to minimize wear and tear. No fast DA shooting, slowly cocking hammer in the rare event I shoot SA, and gently opening and closing the cylinder. If I want to shoot rapid-fire DA, the Woodsman Match Targets or Ruger Standards get the call.

[Malamute]

I have a refinished Officer's Model Target from 1938 that got a rear Micro sight sometime in the last eighty-six years. I do shoot it, but I follow a few rules to minimize wear and tear. No fast DA shooting, slowly cocking hammer in the rare event I shoot SA, and gently opening and closing the cylinder. If I want to shoot rapid-fire DA, the Woodsman Match Targets or Ruger Standards get the call.

^^^ This post needs pictures.

[TDA]

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

I’m not going to say that you shouldn’t make a good faith effort to purchase all of those guns, especially if any of them might make your wife and/or daughters any increment of happier. That’s the kind of gamble where I’d buy all of them. That said, beautiful S&W .22 revolvers gumming up with fouled chambers is a real annoyance. I had not been aware that there were good solutions beyond nylon brushes and elbow grease. I’ll note that every Ruger Single Six .22 I’ve ever handled was a gun you knew you probably had to clean one day but you could run bricks of Walmart crap through. Accurate guns with good sights and good triggers, even on the new ones, IMO, although my sample size is like 4 guns.

[Duelist]

My vote for a .22LR revolver.

[farscott]

^^^ This post needs pictures.

Here are a few focusing on the sights.

[farscott]

Some of the Woodsman Match Targets. Both are 2nd Series and both have trigger shoes. The six-inch one has a modified front sight.

[APS-PF]

I bought this 4" M17 a few years ago. It started life as a 6" but the previous owner wanted a 4" barrel. Jerry Keefer found and installed a 4" M17 barrel (it's not tapered like an M18 barrel) and did one of his awesome action jobs on it. Tight chambers unfortunately but damn fun to shoot. I've got her twin too, a heavy barreled 4" M15 which belonged to a County Officer that also has a Keefer action job on it.

[BillSWPA]

I inherited a 6” model 17. That gun is perfect for teaching and practicing DA trigger squeeze. The long sight radius, good sights, and decent trigger will reward proper efforts with nice targets.