I bought a 10/22 Ruger Carbine rifle on Sunday

[Sapphic]

I already love this gun. I put about 150 rounds through it Sunday night. It is used and the stock has a couple of little nicks, but Rugers are known for reliability not beauty. It came with a Bushnell scope and a new magazine. I got it for $227. It was more expensive than the romanian .22 I was looking at, but since this was my first long gun purchase I thought I would go with a name I knew. I have a Ruger .22 pistol and a 9mm Ruger. I bought the 9mm used (P85) and it has never jammed. The .22 pistol rarely jams and is alway easy to clear. Because .22 ammo is so cheap I can afford to practice more often and work out my flinch at the same time. I am a happy shooter!!! ;D

[cougar]

Hey Sapphic! That's good news! While I don't have a 10/22, I do have a few other Rugers. One of these days you'll have to try a GP 100 357 Magnum revolver. They are pretty dang good.

Cougar

[Buckshot]

Sapphic,

I think you will really enjoy the Ruger 10/22. Just remember to take someone with you to work on the "ball and dummy" drill for you if you still have trouble with the flinch.

Flinching can be broken, but it takes work. You won't get rid of it without concious work on it.

Buckshot

[Buckshot]

Cougar,

I don't mind the Ruger GP100 for shooting, but it is a little on the heavy side for carrying. Concealed or as a trail gun.

The Smith & Wesson L frame is a little better, but still a little beefier than I like for carrying.

The Ruger Security Six (Speed Six and the Service Six are basically the same gun but much less flexible without the adjustable sights) is about ideal for balencing carrying weight against shooting weight. Had a stainless Security Six 6" in .357 Mag. and traded it off like an idiot. Was a good shooting, heavy duty revolver. Not much for concealed, though with the 6" barrel.

The Smith and Wesson K frames, especially in .357 Mag. are a dream to carry, but a little light for a full dose of magnum shooting, tending to beat the guns up.

Generally, I would say look for a GREAT DEAL on any of these and jump on it!

You can always start with .38 Specials of some kind (anything from target wadcutters to +P or +P+) and then work into the magnums as you progress.

Unless you have a specific puropose (2" Model 10 S&W .38 Special or 3" Model 65 S&W .357 Mag are examples of that) I would choose (given equal condition of the firearms) based on gun fit and best price.

You could even throw in the S&W M27 and M28 .357 Mags and the Ruger Redhawk .357 Mag. but then you are REALLY adding weight. But if the price is good enough?

All of this made much more sense a couple of years ago when there seemed to be barrels of police trade in revolvers laying about at wholesalers but it STILL can apply.

Buckshot