Ruger has just announced a new .22 chambered plinker / tactical trainer pistol. This gun completes Ruger's line of pistol, they now have a pistol for every occasion.

Unlike its centerfire cousins, the SR9 and SR40, it is a single action with an exposed hammer, not striker fired. It has a polymer frame, adjustable sights, picatinny rails and rubberised grips. The gun will compete with the Walther P22 and the S&W M&P22 pistols.

Whilst I like this pistol, I am slightly disappointed that Ruger did not pattern it 1:1 on the SR9/SR40 pistols. The grip, controls and, of course, the action are not the same the larger centerfire pistols. The 10 round magazine is also disappointing but I fully expect that Ruger will announce a larger capacity magazine later this year. My last complaint is the name. Ruger also has a SR-22 rifle, so googling for "SR-22" will return two years of webpages and videos written about the SR-22 rifle.

The press release ...

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE: RGR) is proud to announce the new Ruger® SR22™ pistol, the do-it-all .22 pistol for the shooter who appreciates style and demands reliability. The SR22 is a rugged, scaled-down version of a full-sized pistol, perfect for plinking, target shooting and small game hunting. The lightweight SR22 has modern styling and is fun to shoot while using inexpensive rimfire ammunition.

"Ruger has built a solid reputation for excellence in rimfire pistols with the Mark III™ and 22/45™ product families, and the new SR22 will contribute positively to that reputation," said Chris Killoy, Ruger Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "This pistol is feature-packed and an incredible value - consumers won't find a similar product with everything the SR22 offers at a comparable price. It functions with all types of .22 LR ammunition for extreme reliability; once rimfire enthusiasts pick it up, they won't want to put it down," he concluded.

The SR22 has light double-action and crisp single-action trigger pulls. Its external hammer is designed with a rounded spur for easy cocking and single-action shooting. The SR22 features a polymer frame and two interchangeable (no tools required) rubberized grips with angled serrations, allowing shooters to select either a slim or wider palm swell option. The aerospace-grade aluminum slide has serrations on both front and rear for better grip and slide manipulation. The easy-to-use underside Picatinny rail features multiple cross slots for variable mounting of most popular accessories.

The 3-dot sight system has a fixed front sight and a rear sight that is adjustable for both windage and elevation. A reversible blade allows shooters to select two white dots or a solid black blade. Other SR22 features include a stainless steel replaceable barrel, an ambidextrous manual thumb safety/decocking lever, ambidextrous magazine release, plus a visual inspection port to determine the load status of the pistol. The SR22 includes two finger grip extension floorplates that can be added to the magazine for comfort and grip. Each SR22 is also shipped with two 10-round magazines and a soft case.

[ Many thanks to everyone who emailed in this link. ]

AGP Arms has developed an interesting takedown conversion kit for the Ruger 10/22. It features a lightweight barrel, folding stock and quick release / return to zero barrel adapter.

AGP Arms Take Down 10/22 Conversion with 12" handguard.

AGP Arms Take Down 10/22 Conversion with 6" handguard.

The kit sells for $240 with a 6" handguard. The 12" handguard costs $25 more.

[ Many thanks to Cymond for emailing me the link. ]

It will shock many to you to learn that once or twice in my life I have made a mistake¹ . Yesterday you bore witness to that rare occurrence. I blogged about the Anschutz MSR RX22 but completely missed the fact that is it clearly a variant of ISSC's MSR MK22 rifle patterned after the FN SCAR.

ISSC's MSR MK22

Anschutz MSR RX22

In retrospect, I don't know how I missed that! In my defense, the last time I fired the MSR MK22 was about 18 months ago, and I have a bad memory! Fortunately I have you, my intelligent readers, to catch my mistakes quickly.

I suspect the reason Anschutz licensed another gun is that the ISSC's MSR MK22 can be produced much cheaper than their .22 semi-automatic Model 520.

NOTE: This product review was made possible by GunsForSale.com.  To get up-to-date information on where to find cheap Marlin rifles for sale, please visit GunsForSale.com.

I’m a big fan of the .17HMR no question about it. I’ve owned several rifles in this caliber and enjoyed every one. My favorites are the Savage and the Marlin 17VS. My 17 VS is stainless steel with a laminated grey/black stock and 22 inch heavy varmint barrel.

When I bought my 17VS and took it to the range the first time I was not happy with the trigger. Saying the trigger was terrible would be an understatement. It came in at almost 6 pounds and not even close to being smooth. I seriously thought about trading it in but after some thought I starting searching for a replacement trigger. This rifle is just too nice other wise to give up on right away.

I settled on a Rifle Bazix trigger from E. Arthur Brown Company. The trigger is adjustable using two screws that adjust for sear contact and trigger pull distance. Adjustment is from 1—2 ½ pounds. Granted it’s touchy but a great trigger that’s easy for even a novice to install. The trigger can be found for approx. $75.00. It’s certainly worth it if you have one of these rifles.

The next item of business was to replace the old scope I temporarily used. I mounted a Nikon Pro Staff Rimfire 4X and called it done. If I had it to do over again I’d buy a 3-9X scope since the 17HMR has an accuracy range greater than the ability of the 4X scope to provide adequate magnification at 200 plus yards. This is especially true for small targets.

After these photos were taken I also added a Harris 6-9 inch bi-pod. There are cheaper copies of the Harris but none as stable or durable. If you shop around the Harris brand can be found for $65.00.

Marlin has since discontinued the VS. The new version is the 917VS. The only difference between the two is the new Marlin T-900 trigger system. This trigger group is supposed to be a competitor to the Savage Accu-Trigger. Well, they didn’t get that close to the Savage system.

I tried one of the new Marlins with this trigger and it’s too heavy. The range of adjustment is also limited. If you like these Marlin 17HMR’s it better to just buy either model and replace it with the “Rifle Basix” trigger group. There’s no doubt it’s far superior to the new T-900 trigger.

As much as I hate to say it with a trigger like mine it will beat my Savage 17HMR with the Accu-Trigger. That isn’t a knock on the Savage because it is a fine rifle.

The new Marlin 917VS

Speaking of shooting past 200 yards with the .17HMR it is very wind sensitive. Even at 2550 FPS a 17 grain bullet is going to be a bit erratic in a significant wind. Practice in all conditions is very important to achieve consistent results. However on a calm day the accuracy is especially amazing. I’ve read the .17 HMR holds most of the rimfire records and I can believe it.

This little wildcat can take down a Coyote pushing 250 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle and 90 foot pounds at 175 yards depending on bullet weight. Where I shoot 200 yards is about the max distance available for varmint hunting.

The property belongs to the small town where I live. The city lagoon is on this property and it seems to draw varmints for some reason. All the better for me since the city asked me to do some varmint control for them. The little pest dig holes in the walls of the lagoon, which cost the city a good deal of money. They buy the bullets and I take care of the problem.

Conclusion

Even if you don’t varmint hunt the 17HMR is just enjoyable to shoot. Target shooting with the Marlin can be challenging whether it’s shooting paper or improvising by shooting eggs at distance.

Deciding on which rifle is right for you partly depends on whether you want to spend the money on a match trigger or just shoot your rifle right out of the box. For me it’s pretty simple. I’ll stick with the Marlin with the Basix trigger. This Marlin is the most accurate I’ve shot.

NOTE: This product review was made possible by GunsForSale.com.  To get up-to-date information on where to find Marlin rifles for sale, please visit GunsForSale.com.

There has never been a rifle with a more appropriate name. This rifle is “Golden” in a lot of shooters memories. The 39 is the oldest rifle still in production . In fact when Remington purchased Marlin the 39A was the only lever action Marlin had in production until the factory geared up.

The Marlin Golden 39 started out life as the Marlin model 1891 and was used by Annie Oakley in her shooting exhibitions. It was again renamed this time the model 1897 “Bicycle Rifle”. Yep you heard it right the “Bicycle Rifle” with a canvas case for an extra $1.75 made from duck material and lined with red felt. This folks answers the question of why they made this rifle with the large takedown screw on the side. The owner would take the rifle down, place it in the canvas type case and attach the specially designed handles to the V shaped bicycle body.

Late model Golden 39A

In 1922 it was again renamed to the model 39 then finally the last change in 1939 to the model 39A, which finally stuck to this day. When first made it had a straight stock in American Walnut. Of course this rifle and all Marlin lever rifles had the highest quality American Walnut stocks. In 1946 the 39A offered a fluted comb rear stock. In 1950 a white cap was added to dress the rifle up a bit. Oh yes, the “Golden” part of the name was because of the gold colored trigger added later.

My second rifle was a Marlin 39A and a rare one at that. I doubt you’ll ever see one but we—well most of us know how popular Westerns were in the late 1940’s and 1950’s. The Rifleman was one of the most popular TV shows at the time. If you’ve ever seen the intro to the show you’ll see Chuck Conners working that lever at light speed

My early 1950’s model had an addition most people have never heard of. At the inside bottom of the lever just under the trigger was a pinned small lever that could be folded out so when the lever was worked this piece tripped the trigger automatically firing a round. As a 12 year old this was very cool! This little factory addition only lasted a few years because of liability concerns I imagine. If I had only known that rifle would still be with me.

Boys back in my youth would pickup Coke bottles and sell them back to the grocery store for a nickel a piece. We would also cut yards for a $1 if we could get that much. With these funds we would buy our .22 long rifle ammo to feed our precious rifles. Speaking of ammunition the 39A holds 19 rounds of .22 long rifle which is a good number of rounds. It would feed any type of .22 for a total of 26 rounds of “shorts”. Loading was accomplished by turning a small knob in the feed tube under the barrel towards the front that freed the brass tube allowing you to move it to the front until the bullet shaped hole was clear. Then you just dropped the rounds into the tube until you couldn’t get another round in. Push the hollow brass rod back in the tube and turn to lock and start shooting!

Even when I got mine for Christmas in 1961 it wasn’t cheap for the time at $75 used. Of course current prices are nearing $600 with older used guns as high as $750.

The sights are worth mentioning. They did change a bit over the years to a small degree. The rear sight is the “Buckhorn” type with elevation adjustment only. Later the front sight was notched on either side to slide a hood over the front sight to reduce glare. Sometime in the late 1950’s Marlin included a pre drilled receiver for scope mounting along with a mounting plate and two screws to attach it to the top of the receiver. Of course even as a kid this was a horrible thing since no Cowboy would ever use a scope!

Conclusion

This rifle is probably the most accurate .22 I’ve ever shot or owned. Micro-grooved rifling was added in the mid 1950’s and whether that had any effect on accuracy I have no idea but mine was super accurate. They do have a long sight radius with a 24 inch barrel. They weigh almost seven pounds that gives a bit of heft to steady the rifle. I know mine brought home its share of small game☺

To me it’s the last of the old forged steel rifles with real American Walnut stocks and a bit of actual hand fitting. This just appeals to me a great deal and always will. It harkens back to simpler times and guns that were almost all blue steel and high grade wood.

They are rare now and seldom seen in gun shops. In fact I haven’t seen one in years. People who own them now keep them as family heirlooms to be handed down to sons and grandsons and just maybe great grandsons. I just know these rifles are a class act with more than it’s share of history.

All of the key-holing problems associated with the Kel-Tec PMR-30 have apparently not been solved by the recent barrel replacements.

Kel-Tec issued a statement regarding ammunition recommendations for the .22 WMR pistol, stating that the handguns are still susceptible to key-holing with the CCI Maxi-Mag with 40 grain bullet.  According to Kel-Tec, this CCI load is the ”…most common and available ammunition” in .22 WMR.

Kel-Tec notes that not all of the CCI Maxi-Mag 40 grain loads will key-hole.  It would seem that enough do, though, for Kel-Tec to issue a formal statement on the matter.

Kel-Tec also states that ammunition made outside of the USA should not be used in the PMR-30 due to “…a higher risk of case-rupturing due to inferior quality.”

From Kel-Tec:

PMR-30 Ammo Recommendations Update 07-11-2011 Hello! We’ve had a lot of questions come in regarding possible new ammunition recommendations in response to the updated barrel design. The overall list of recommended ammunition hasn’t really changed, however there is something we feel is worth noting. After extensive testing with various ammunition we have concluded that all remaining key-holing issues have been isolated to one particular brand and weight of ammunition. Unfortunately this seems to be the most common and available ammunition: CCI Maxi-Mag 40gr. The 30gr and 50gr varieties of CCI shoot flawlessly, as do other brands of 30gr., 40gr., and 50gr. ammunition. For some reason, though, it seems that the 40gr. CCI Maxi-Mag in particular still has sporadic key-holing. At this point in time we have deemed it ammunition specific and recommend trying a different grain or brand of ammunition if your PMR-30 is still continuing to key-hole with an updated barrel. This in no way means that all of your CCI Maxi-Mag 40gr. will key-hole; it just means we have experienced occasional key-holing with that particular ammunition and feel we should make everyone aware of it in the event you experience the same thing we have. We’ll be sure to keep you updated if we find out anything more! As it stands, continue to steer clear of non-USA manufactured .22WMR rounds as they have a higher risk of case-rupturing due to inferior quality. Thank you.

Tam tried the Kel-Tec PMR and RMR at the LuckyGunner Blogger Shoot and questions the utility of the .22 Magnum (WMR) round ...

I'll be up front and admit that I still don't get the point. .22WMR is in that gray area where it's marginal as an antipersonnel round, but will turn a squirrel or rabbit inside out, making it a bit too much for hunting small game for the pot. It's obviously better on varmints than .22LR, but so are lots of things, like .22 Hornet, which is reloadable.

Kel-Tec is having production problems with the PMR-30. Gun Nuts reports ...

Speaking of Kel-Tec, they have currently suspended production of the Kel-Tec PMR-30 (of which they weren’t really producing a lot of guns anyway) due to keyholing issues with the gun. For those not familiar with the term, keyholing is what happens with the rate of twist in the barrel doesn’t stabilize the bullet in flight.

Talo's S&W 22A Deluxe edition is now shipping. It features a nice two-tone look, steel trigger, improved sights and thumbrest grips.

Rock Island Armory will be importing the Armscor's new semi-automatic .22 LR chambered MIG 22 rifle. Our team saw the rifle on display at IWA '11 last month.

The AR-15 style rifle has a one-piece receiver machined from aluminum billet, a 18" free-floating barrel and uses a 15-round magazine. A M16A2/A3-style stock and a skeleton style stock will be offered.

The rifle pictured in the photos is the standard model. A target model with a heavy profile barrel will also be available.

It will be available in blue, white or black. Many readers are sure to disagree with me, but I find the blue stock very attractive!

Rock Island Armory has not yet announced pricing for the USA.

The new Tracker 992 revolver from Taurus comes with both a 9-chamber .22 LR cylinder and a 9-chamber .22 Magnum cylinder.

Taurus Tracker 992 (left ... obviously)

Like the Tracker 990, the 992 will be available in either a blue or stainless finish and with a 4 or 6.5" barrel. The MSRP will range from $545 to $592 depending on the finish and barrel length.