Ruger lcr22 or sr22?

[smokey30725]

I am looking between the two of these as a general plinker and something to carry while walking in the woods around the house. No bears to worry about, just the occasional snake or wild dog / coyote. I would like to hear from folks with firsthand experience as to which one is most accurate, ammo finicky, etc.

 

[Carl Levitian]

With a .22 that just may be pressed into defensive role, always go with the revolver. The rimfire priming is too iffy to go with an auto, and if you get a dud with the revolver, you just pull the trigger again. When the danger is very close, there's no time for the tap rack bang drill.

 

[whtsmoke]

I wish i could be of some help, I just picked up a pair of the LCR's the other day, his and hers but havent had a chance to shoot them, looks like next week I will get out to the range. For what its worth the LCR would be more dependable as stated before but then you could get off a bunch with the SR22. The answer to youe delima is to get one of each they dont retaill for a lot and the money you save on ammo will pay for them.

 

[hariph creek]

Personally I'd lean towards the LCR.
But, if you want the SR22, get it.

 

[MCgunner]

I just bought an SR22 and it's an amazingly reliable, very accurate handgun. It's not a carry, my 9mm, .38, .357, .45s do that job. I wanted it because it's pocketable and I was hoping it'd be kit gun accurate. It IS THAT! It shoots federal lightening into 2" at 25 yards and CCI Stinger goes under 3". I've had it a month or so and have about 700 rounds through it. NO jams, one misfire. Federal is less well primed than CCI which never seems to give me ignition problems in my .22s. If I wanted to rely on .22 for self defense, I'd load with CCI.

I know that the SP101 is a great gun in .357 magnum, had one, but it's a BIG LUNK OF STEEL in .22. But, if you want it, it's a great gun that will last probably past your great, great grandkids if the gubment don't melt it down in the future.

 

[Gato Montés]

I second MC for almost all the same reasons.

I wanted a light weight .22, something nice and handy for in the woods unlike my Mark II bull which weighs over 40 oz. The LCR caught my eye but ultimately preferred something with adjustable over fixed sights. I held the claim to reliability with suspicion as small framed autos cambered in .22 rarely are, but this little guy keeps on gobblin up cheap bulk like a champ. The SR22 will also make a great platform for a suppressor once they release the threaded barrel option, that is if that was even a consideration of yours.

 

[MedWheeler]

SR22 will likely be the most fun gun to shoot, and that's what plinking is all about. In literally tens of thousands or rounds of rimfire ammo I've fired, I've never had one misfire. I don't know where all these "unreliable" 22LR loads are, but I've never come across any of them.
The LCR might be better for snake country and all because it will fire repeated rounds of snake-shot without manually cycling, but it doesn't sound like that's gonna be your primary purpose for the gun. The LCR may also be better for breaking in new shooters.
So, for me? Plinker: SR22. Trail gun: LCR.
That being said, I don't own a .22LR revolver anymore, and would like another one (let my ex take our Taurus M94 when we split up in 1996.) So, I'd get the LCR because I already own a couple of autos in 22LR.

 

[crracer_712]

I've had misfires with 22's before. So I know they are there. But mine have been so few and far between it seems it's more common to get a light primer strike on a center action.

In 22's, I might get one in a thousand.

My SR9c had never given me any trouble with light primer strikes until I started handloading for it. Out of the first ten rounds, I had 4, of those 4 I had two go bang the second hit, and one on the third. That gun was acting up so I put a hundred rounds of factory ammo through and had no troubles. I had my son shoot it with some reloads and with ever reload he'd have a 'click' (12 year old, not real big). I'd fire after clearing the round no issues. Done some studying on the internet and decided to remove the mag safety. Problem solved! There was a definate wear spot on the mag safety where the firing pin had been draggin on the mag safety.

Point is, if a person is having issue with misfires, it might just not be the ammo's fault.

 

[22-rimfire]

I would choose the Ruger SR22 pistol if you want only one for your purpose. I have both. I like both, but the SR22 is easier to hit what you are aiming at. It functions reliably and so far I am completely satisfied with the little pistol.

If you have visions of carrying it for self defense from 2-legged threats, I would choose the LCR-22. Not the best choice for self defense, but it is a reliable little revolver that is DA only.

 

[davevabch]

I love the SR22!

I have now shot the SR22 over 3,000 rds and do not think I have had more than 5 misfires which I have to attribute to just bad ammo. The gun eats any thing I have fed it. I have a Bersa that is a fine gun, but just does not hold up to the trouble free, reliable Ruger. I also find the Ruger to be more accurate and quicker to the target. It is nice to have a 22.cal that I can depend on, and do not have to buy ammo that cost almost twice as much.
It has very nice sights, the machining is very well done and very tight. It does have a long first stage trigger, but the second stage is nice and once you get use to it, the gun will perform very well. I put a Hogue grip with the finger grooves which really helped out a lot. The Ruger SR22 is a very well made 22.cal pistol, and nothing but a lot of fun at a low cost.

Regards
Dave@vabch

 

[PT92]

Both outstanding guns--for range use I prefer the ease of swapping magazines instead of speed-loaders but that's me. I say literally flip a coin as you could not possibly go wrong here (again with the caveat that this will be a "fun-gun" only). Analogous to two gorgeous women, one blonde and one brunette and you choose...

-Cheers

 

[MCgunner]

I don't know where all these "unreliable" 22LR loads are, but I've never come across any of them.

I must have gotten all the misfires the ammo makers intended for you. It depends on ammo. Fed bulk pack seems to have at least a couple of duds per pack in most of my guns. My Rossi revolver and my NAA mini revolver in the caliber do well with it. It's also GUN dependent and .22 ammo does not age well, especially in humid environments, especially in a sweaty pocket in a humid environment. I change carry ammo weekly in my little NAA back up.

The LCR might be better for snake country and all because it will fire repeated rounds of snake-shot without manually cycling, but it doesn't sound like that's gonna be your primary purpose for the gun. The LCR may also be better for breaking in new shooters.

I have shot snakes. Other than the ones I've shot with a shotgun, I never shot 'em with a shot load, just a bullet. I've killed lots of shakes with a .22 caliber bullet. I've hit 'em as far away as 25 yards with a bullet shooting snakes on a farm tank (a favorite past time in years past), so a head shot at 15 feet is nothing. I've done that with my mini revolver before. If you can shoot a handgun, you don't need to carry shot loads.

But, I don't shoot rattlers that I don't want to eat, don't kill them unless they're in my yard. In the yard, a garden hoe will keep you from being arrested. Out on my place, hey, one dead snake out of 10,000? Not worth the waste of ammo, won't make a dent in the population and it ain't like they're going to hunt you down and eat you like a polar bear or something. My BEST defense against snakes is snake boots, about 70 bucks at Academy and they're waterproof, to boot. They're known as "south Texas Ropers" around these parts. Mine have paid for themselves. I never saw the snake so a gun would have been worthless to me. The ER bills alone would have been WAY more than those snake boots and it's 45 minutes to town.

 

[MCgunner]

Both outstanding guns--for range use I prefer the ease of swapping magazines instead of speed-loaders but that's me.

Loading a magazine is no faster than loading a cylinder or speed loader, excepting perhaps my NAA mini. I just have one or two mags for my .22 autos, load 'em at the range and load 'em by hand in my revolver. I got all day and I'm there to have fun. It's a lot faster than loading my cap and ball guns, after all, I mean, if I'm in a hurry. I really don't get in much of a hurry when I'm plinking, though. My range fees are 30 bucks a year. I can stay there all day, won't cost me more'n 30 a year. But, I usually get all the shooting done that I wanna do in about an hour. I get tired and can't hit squat, figure it's time to quit.

 

[22-rimfire]

I seldom have "all day" since I have to get home and check out THR.

I also feel that loading a DA cylinder is no slower than loading "clips" and I'm seldom in a big hurry anyway shooting either, but not all day.

The LCR-22 is a fun little revolver. I plan on doing some shooting tomorrow with it. Doing a job way out in the country and I believe I'll burn up a box or two of 22 ammo there.

But after owning both, I would choose the SR22 first even though I bought it second.

You can't go wrong with either gun, really.

 

[MCgunner]

I seldom have "all day" since I have to get home and check out THR.

Now THAT right there is funny.

 

[r3825]

Love my SR, sweet little gun

 

[V1ROT8]

Bought the SR22 and was back ordered for the LCR22. Will enjoy owning both.

 

[whtsmoke]

I had bought 2 LCR's last week and picked my SR22 today on the way to work, they go to the range tomorrow. The 2 LCR's are his and hers.









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