Its been quite a while since Ruger has offered a new SAA (Single Action Army) style revolver. I used to do some hunting, many years back, with Ruger’s big bore revolvers chambered in .44 Magnum or .45 Colt – and to be sure, you can handload the .45 Colt to where it is more powerful than standard .44 Magnum – but that’s for another story. But you can’t do that with much of anything other than a Ruger.
I was more than a little excited when I got the press release from Ruger, announcing their new “Wrangler” .22 LR SAA revolver, especially the retail price – more on this later. I rarely, and I mean, rarely, shoot in competition these days, if I do, some of it is little side-bets with friends, and they regret it. I’m not the world’s best shot with handguns or long guns, but I did shoot competition many years back. I don’t try to sucker anyone into any bets as to who is the better shot, but when push comes to shove, and they want to see if I can really shoot, I figure its best to teach them a lesson – usually lunch.
Make no mistake about it, Ruger is well-known for the strength of their handgun frames – all of them. If you want to hot-rod a load, when handloading, you need a Ruger – they are “that” strong! However, remember to keep within reasonable limits or you will have a blow-up. There’s no problems when it comes to .22 LR chambered handguns – no one reloads this round – they are what they are, from the factory, and you can get different levels of power, depending on the ammo off-the-shelf. I see the .22 LR as mainly a plinker round, or for small game like rabbits or squirrels. However, it can be used as a caliber for survival as well, so keep that in-mind. A .22 LR chambered handgun wouldn’t be my first choice for self-defense, but it can be used to effect, if need be.
Continue reading“Ruger Wrangler .22 LR SAA, by Pat Cascio”