.22 calibers

[shurshot]

JAR, that IS a cool old H&R!!! I love old rigs like that. Imagine being 12 and having that set up!! :.
My Grandmother carried an old H&R pull pin / .22, a 922 if I recall. It was a solid, heavy snubnosed revolver.

[jetinteriorguy]

I would carry my .22 with full confidence for SD. It just happens to be a 22TCM.

[Lavan]

Hearing aid sellers hate 22s!

[ksblazer]

Have a 1 5/8 NAA mini revolver, NAA 4" Earl, NAA Pug and a Ruger Single Six. Happy with all of them.

Had a Taurus model 92 I think it was. But it had a heavy DA trigger pull and some timing issue's. So I traded it.

Browning buckmark that is my favorite rimfire in my collection to shoot.

Ruger Single six in 22 mag. It's an older 3 screw. Got it from a shop that was going out of business for 30% off. Price with discount made it one of my best purchases.

[franco45]

I have no problem carrying a 22 mag revolver. I have a 351c that rides in a jacket pocket in cold weather. I also own a couple of NAA minis that I carry as back up from time to time.

[Obambulate]

The 43c and 351c are great choices. They are lightweight, reliable, safe to carry, simple to shoot, hold 8 or 7 shots, and you could toss one to a non-gun person in a pinch and they would immediately know how to use it.

[shurshot]

My new favorite .22 is my six shot Uberti Stallion SAA. I had to send it back for warranty work yesterday, as the hammer occassionally slips out of full cock. Can't have that happening.

They didn't send me a shipping label... $109.00 to overnight fed ex! Hopefully they will reimburse me. Probably would have just been cheaper to just order a new hammer and fix it myself.

I'll be happy to get it back though. Well balanced, accurate. Fun little backyard plinker. Great tool for destroying outdated eggs and tin cans. Can't wait to try it out on small game at some point. Would work in a pinch too as a self defense weapon.

[USNRet93]

Originally Posted by shurshot

My new favorite .22 is my six shot Uberti Stallion SAA. I had to send it back for warranty work yesterday, as the hammer occassionally slips out of full cock. Can't have that happening.

They didn't send me a shipping label... $109.00 to overnight fed ex! Hopefully they will reimburse me. Probably would have just been cheaper to just order a new hammer and fix it myself.

I'll be happy to get it back though. Well balanced, accurate. Fun little backyard plinker. Great tool for destroying outdated eggs and tin cans. Can't wait to try it out on small game at some point. Would work in a pinch too as a self defense weapon.

You carry it?

Who carries a .22 besides me? I've switched to it because of my arthritic wrist.

[shurshot]

No, I haven't carried it, not yet anyhow, since it's out for repair. Guess I got off topic.

[USNRet93]

No worries but I HAVE 'carried' my Beretta/Uberti Stampede BirdsHead in a cross draw holster, under a hoody..Kinda keen doing that(Not a 22 tho, 38Spec/357)..kinda like Doc Holiday type carry...

[stinkeypete]

I am a big fan of the Ruger Bearcat for just bumming around with the dog in the woods when it's not bird season.

Also my old bullseye customized Norinco copy of a TT Olympia goes out often as it is sub-minute-of-pinecone and fits nicely in a little camera bag I have that also carries dog treats, poop bags, snacks and whatevers. A modern possibles bag.

/sarcasm mode on Now as for .32 revolvers, they are utter garbage. Complete junk. Who would want that obsolete little pop gun round? Useless! I will buy your useless S&W model 32 and do you a favor paying for it, because you really know that you need something modern. Old blued steel and wood guns must make way for plastic! I am doing you a favor, really. /sarcasm mode off

[ThomasT]

Isn't is amazing how many people will tell you about their semi autos when you ask a question in The Revolver Forum??

I think some are more interested in telling you about their gun than staying on topic.

I only have one 22lr double action left. An old S&W model 34-1 with 4" barrel and flat latch. I believe it was made around 1960. But it shoots like a laser beam. I had it out a few months ago and was impressed all over again with how well it shot.

You can slip it in a pocket. But its just a little bit too big for that. The Taurus model 94 with 3" barrel and 9 shot cylinder was better for pocket carry. But I sold it in a fit of stupidity.

I would like to have one of the NAA 22/22 mags with the longer barrel. That would be a great pocket gun.

[Cosmodragoon]

I've shot a lot of rimfire over the years. I've shot plenty of small critters with it. I've carried it on occasion in the past. These days, I won't. Even when I bring a .22 pistol out for a walk in the woods, I'll carry something else with it. I just don't feel good relying on rimfire for self defense.

Health issues are no joke. Staying proficient can be tough with arthritis or nerve issues. If possible, I'd do everything I could to explore lighter-recoiling guns in .380, .32 acp, .32 H&R Magnum, or .32 S&W Long.

[ThomasT]

I really agree with those who have mentioned a 32 caliber over the 22. I have some 76gr lead bullet loads that are almost as easy to shoot as a 22. No they won't expand but even unexpanded they have as much or more frontal area as an expanded 22. Plus the reliability of a centerfire round.

But there are two possible downsides. One is that a 32 is going to be a 6 shot unless you find one of the new Charter Arms Professional 7 shot and any good 32 long loads will most likely be handloads unless you pay the crazy prices someone like Buffalo Bore wants for their ammo. But at least they sell good stuff.

I have carried a 22 revolver before and never really felt under armed. I didn't feel over armed either.

[Cosmodragoon]

... any good 32 long loads will most likely be handloads unless you pay the crazy prices someone like Buffalo Bore wants for their ammo.

Magtech makes a 98-grain SJHP in .32 S&W Long. It's pretty easy to find and not brutally expensive. I wouldn't count on expansion but as far as a basic projectile goes, it's a slam dunk over .22 LR. Recoil is mild from the LCR. Fired from an SP101 or one of the older target revolvers designed for it, it's fun for the whole family.

[TruthTellers]

Originally Posted by Cosmodragoon

Magtech makes a 98-grain SJHP in .32 S&W Long. It's pretty easy to find and not brutally expensive. I wouldn't count on expansion but as far as a basic projectile goes, it's a slam dunk over .22 LR. Recoil is mild from the LCR. Fired from an SP101 or one of the older target revolvers designed for it, it's fun for the whole family.

Be better off with a .32 wadcutter, I think.

[Cosmodragoon]

Originally Posted by TruthTellers

Be better off with a .32 wadcutter, I think.

That's certainly possible. I like the Magtech SJHP because it's affordable, easy to find, and has consistent quality. Especially considering people with hand issues, I think it offers a good balance for practicing with what you carry.

Ratshooter mentioned Buffalo Bore. They make a hot 100-grain wad cutter for .32 S&W Long. I wonder how that compares to common .32 H&R Magnum.

[darkgael]

A .22 you can handle is better than something else that you can't. ITs that simple.

Look at what Hinckley did with a .22. Disabled three adult males and nearly killed the President.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1Jid5uRFo4

[jar]

Originally Posted by TruthTellers

I've always liked these types of double action revolvers with the pull pin that I believe only H&R made. They were simpler (thus cheaper) to make, more durable, and would be good for home defense in the day and that's pretty much what their intended market was: low income people looking for a basic home defense gun that was small and could be hidden easier than a shotgun.

Had H&R made these in a .38 Special, they'd never have been able to make enough of them.

How about in 38 S&W?

A very early H&R most likely made in 1936-1937, before model numbers and model names. Later was called the "Defender" and then Model 25.

[TruthTellers]

Originally Posted by jar

How about in 38 S&W?

A very early H&R most likely made in 1936-1937, before model numbers and model names. Later was called the "Defender" and then Model 25.

I've had a .38 S&W H&R Defender on my mind for a while, but I don't need another caliber to reload, which is the reason I said had these been made in .38 Special they never would have been able to make enough of them.

Why H&R decided to make the top breaks in .38 S&W and not something like .38 Short Colt or Long Colt is a mystery because the benefit of the .38 Short/Long Colt is they are basically shorter .38 Specials that use the same bullets and in some cases reloading dies.

I mean, that would have appealed even to higher income people who maybe had a nice S&W in .38 Special or .357 that they didn't want to get too dinged up, but had a top break in .38 Colt for defense and the .38 Colt can also be shot in .38 Special and .357's.

I can see a lightweight, modern top break 2 or 3 inch barrel revolver being very popular today. People aren't wanting to carry magnum snubbies anymore, they're looking for something reliable and low recoil. A top break with the fast reload in a low recoil caliber like the .32 S&W Long, .32 ACP, .38 Short/Long Colt would be very nice.

Just don't make them like the NAA top break where you unlock the latch when cocking the hammer.

[jar]

Originally Posted by TruthTellers

Why H&R decided to make the top breaks in .38 S&W and not something like .38 Short Colt or Long Colt is a mystery because the benefit of the .38 Short/Long Colt is they are basically shorter .38 Specials that use the same bullets and in some cases reloading dies.

A big reason was that H&R (particularly before December 1941) saw the British as a potentially larger and more immediate market than the US. The British standard at the time was the 32/200 which is the same as the 32 S&W. They marketed the pistol for 38 S&W 200 grain.

[ThomasT]

Ratshooter mentioned Buffalo Bore. They make a hot 100-grain wad cutter for .32 S&W Long. I wonder how that compares to common .32 H&R Magnum.

I looked at the Buffalo Bore 32 longs and they are around 100-150fps faster than most factory loads but not in the same league as a 32 mag. Not even the original 32 mags that shot an 85gr bullet at 1100fps and was kept down in power because the first 32 mags were the H&R guns that couldn't take what 32 mags can be loaded to.

The BB loads are what I load for my 32 long revolvers but my S&W models 30 and 31 were made in the 1970s and are stronger than the old top break guns. When the 32 mag came out some folks were rechambering 32 long guns to 32 mag. I wouldn't do it myself, not when I can safely load 32 longs up in power.

Speer has a couple of loads for a 60gr bullet intended for the 32acp pushed to over 1,000fps from a modern S&W revolver like a model 31 with 4" barrel. I have never tried them. I pretty much stick to lead 100gr lead bullets in the 850fps range from a 2" S&W model 30-1. They get just over 900fps from a 4" model 31-1. And still have light recoil.

https://www.buffalobore.com/index.ph...t_detail&p=344

https://www.buffalobore.com/index.ph...t_detail&p=345

[WheelGunMan]

Originally Posted by Lavan

Hearing aid sellers hate 22s!

I have a LCR22WMR that's as loud as my .38 snubby.

[Hal]

Who carries a .22 besides me?

Sadly (or happily - I guess, depending on your point of view) - my .22 revolvers (older pristine S&W M17's) have become so valuable I can no longer afford the risk of even shooting them - let alone even think about sticking one in a holster.

I only take them to the range when I introduce a new shooter to revolvers.
After a few cylinders - I quickly transition them to a M19 using .38 spl.

[Dreamsinger]

I carry a Taurus Ultralight .22WRM when I don't feel like overdressing for concealment.