Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires Rimfire revolver vs auto

Thinking about picking up a rimfire handgun for plinking, hiking around with, and generally just using to become a better shot with a pistol. I am fairly inexperienced with rimfire handguns and am wondering which one would be more fun and less hassle. I know it all depends on which model, so just share your personal experience. Which is more of a pain to clean? Which is more fun? What would you prefer if you could only have one?

For the $ the Ruger MK target.
5 1/2" for hip gun, 6 7/8" tapered bull if range toy.

Less hassle - revolver.. More fun, semi-auto. IIHO it takes more time to actually clean the revolver vs. the semi-auto.....especially if you have something like the 9-round Ruger revolver.. Ya have to clean each chamber on a revolver, plus the bore and breech etc.. Semi-auto is basically just barrel and breech. Not that much different, but enough to make it easier..

"having only one" is just not an option.. I have two favorite semi-auto 22s - the Ruger SR22 and the Ruger MK-II slab-side.. The former is a blast to use and the latter is very, very accurate. I have a couple of Ruger 22 revolvers - the Single-Six Convertible and the Single-Nine 22 magnum.. I like them both but shoot the semis much more often..

If I could only have one, itd be a MK3 frame w a MK2 receiver and MK3 bbl, 6 7/8" tapered bull, and then itd be drilled and tapped.

Why a build?

Because I hate the loaded chamber indicator BS and Rugers big warning label.

Bought a Buckmark and swapped bbl, grips snd put on a reflex. Its OK but for some reason I cant warm up to it.
Give it a few more months.

My iron sight .22 is an old kinda expensive target rig and is heavy. But the cool factor and accuracy is up there.

So......unless I find a deal on an older Ruger, am done

I have both; carry both depending on the situation. IMO, an auto is easier to shoot well, and if your eyes need a little help, they are in general easier to equip with an optic. OTOH, I’m not crazy about walking around with an auto with a chambered round and only a safety between me and a hole in my leg, which means one of mine requires two hands to bring into play, which might matter sometime. Auto magazines can get lost too.

If money matters, a good revolver is a bit more expensive. By good, I mean a S&W or Ruger. A pretty good auto can be had for less.

If you want specific recommendations, you should specify your budget.

The little Smith J frame w 4" and adj sights are super cool.
And not cheap

Hell even a Ruger adj sight Bearcat is getting up there.
Either would be cool trail/ trapline rigs.

Had and shot several K frames. Wonderful, but big enough ya might as well go .357.

Target shooting the Ks are hard to beat.

Miss my 648 6"......but dont groundhog hunt hardly these days so no big deal.

The Ruger SA .22 mags are fun, if youre gonna hunt w em.

I prefer a semi-auto because it doesn't feel as bulky to me.

I have a few .22 revolvers, but prefer to carry a S&W 622 with adjustable sights and a 4.5" barrel. The only thing that I don't like about the 422/622/2206 series is the cocking indicator pin that sticks out of the bottom of the grip, as it can bump/dent the stock of a long gun if you carry one of the 422/622/2206 pistols in a belt holster on your dominant side. If you carry a 422/633/2206 backward, butt forward, on your weak side or in a cross-draw holster the cocking pin issues is never in play..

I carry a .22 Magnum revolver more often than I carry any .22 handgun because I am more likely to shoot snakes with the CCI shot load than anything on four legs and CCI's .22 Magnum snake shot seems to be more effective than their .22 LR snake shot. I carry a Rossi 720 or 4" Taurus 441 more often than any other handgun, because 2 chambers loaded with CCI snakeshot and 3 chamberes loaded with 240 grain hard cast SWC .44 Special loads will handle anything that I'm likely to run into wherever I go afield.

just grab a 4" semiauto, threaded. Then getcha a good suppressor. The most fun.......

I shoot both revolvers and semi's. As much as I like my Woodsmans, when the chips are down I reach for a K-22. I simply shoot it better. Most of my handguns have never seen a holster since I've owned them - carrying here isn't an option, concealed or open, so carry-ability is a moot point to me.

Ditto the remark about revolvers being a bit more time consuming to clean. If you want a real PIA to clean, try a .22 Conversion Kit on a Colt 1911. That floating chamber can acquire quite a hard build up of carbon on it after a couple hundred rounds. (But it is a helluva lot of fun to shoot.)

That's what I'm working on. Picked up a threaded S&W Victory. Looking forward to lots of triggertime from the front porch without needing earpro.

good choice.....

Auto is nice, revolver can use ANY power or length of ammo.

You 'need' both.

yep

yup.....

I've had a ton of fun with an old 22/45 Ruger heavy barrel for a lot of years now. The new ones should be much easier to clean/take down than the model I have. It is heavy though. One of the 22/45 Lite's seems like it would be handy.

I've had a ton of fun the last couple of years with a 22 LCR and a 3" 22 LCRx.

If I could only have one I guess I'd go with the 3" LCRx. Light and handy, double or single action, adjustable sights, 8 shots with no mag to keep up with, decent sight radius, haven't had a fail to fire yet but you could just pull the trigger again. Great little gun.

I can't imagine having just one though.

Thanks everyone. I shot a mark IV target and it just wasn’t what I was looking for - too heavy and long, mostly. I was looking at a 4” Buckmark on the auto end of the spectrum, which is also very affordable at under $400. I also was considering the S&W M&P22C due to its light weight, but other than weight I think it doesn’t offer any advantages over the buckmark.

On the revolver side, I might stretch my budget and try to get a S&W 63 (or similar) if I can find one for a decent price. It looks like the size and weight I’m looking for, and I just like it a lot.

I shot a Wrangler and didn’t like it too much. Mostly the sights, I think. But it sorta turned me off of single actions.

If I had the budget for both right now I think I’d go buckmark and S&W 63. For now it’s just one gun however.

This is my entire collection of 22 handguns. I wouldn't mind adding an LCRx 3".

Antero: The same question befell me more than half a century ago - which mode of pistol to get, revolver or semi-auto?
My answer was to buy one of each - and I have rocked on with both types ever since.
Best of luck to you on whichever you choose, but I have been using both for all this time and can't really find fault with either venue.
Main point is practice, be safe and have fun.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

You are on the right track by handling, and if possible, shooting a variety of revolvers and semi-autos. You will know when one feels right to you and that is the one to go with, don't lock yourself into buying something just because it is the right thing for someone else on the forum.

drover

p.s. I am also a plinker and have owned a lot of revolvers and semi-autos over the years and the one that I could shoot best was a Sig 1911/22 but it is heavy.

I have a Model 17 Smith 6" barrel that is my favorite gun I own. I have shot squirrels out of the top of big trees with it. I have a Victory I bought recently. The 17 shoots circles around it.