Right in the middle of all the bump-stock/hi-cap/ghost gun/extra killy stuff in the news, I found myself buying two FUDD revolvers I've wanted for a while and finally got around to picking up. Neither is hi-tech, expensive, or even very interesting, but both are just a shitload of fun.
I've long been Jonesin' for a .22 DA revolver, but the S&W gun prices have just gone through the roof. The .22/.32 Kit Gun is almost untouchable, so I went searching for a cheaper alternative. The High Standard Sentinel revolver line was introduced back in 1955. Sears sold it as the J.C. Higgins Model 88, and Western Auto sold it as Revelation Model 99. The Sentinel is a 9-shot .22 revolver with an anodized aluminum frame, carbon steel barrel and cylinder, and drift-adjustable square-notched rear sight. I found a Sentinel Deluxe R-107 that serials to 1968. It's in outstanding mechanical condition, with a few scuffs on the aluminum frame, and best of all it made it into my safe for well under $200.
Interestingly, there's no rear cylinder release as on most revolvers. (You can see some of the scuffs on the frame from the ejector rod)
The front ejector rod locks the cylinder in place.
Nine shots of .22LR
Hard to see it in this photo, but the gun has a type of transfer-bar that keeps the hammer/firing pin off the primer. It's lowered when you pull the trigger. Pretty advanced for 1968.
The aluminum frame makes for a lightweight gun. A perfectly acceptable "kit" gun without the "kit" gun price.
I've put about 300 rounds through it already. It's suprisingly accurate and easy to shoot. The DA pull isn't too heavy, and the SA pull is light with very little creep.
Best of all, I found a torch-cut R-107 for $35 that will keep me in spare parts, since the gun is so long out of production.
Not sexy, but a great little gun. My second FUDD special is even less sexy, but it's something I always wanted. There's no way to get less "tactical" than a single action revolver, unless it's one in .22LR. Behold, the Heritage Rough Rider. A basic, absolutely no-frills SA .22LR, and absolutely stupid cheap. You can get the .22LR-only one for $110 shipped, and I found the .22LR/.22Mag one on sale for $125 to my dealer. Ironically, this is the least I've ever spent for a gun, and for some odd reason, it's one of the most fun. On the dollar/fun scale, it's way off the curve.
For a buck and a quarter, the fit and finish is way better than I expected. Wood to metal fit is very good, and the bluing is a nice and even. (Ignore my fingerprints). The .22Mag cylinder is an added plus.
This is an absolutely no-frills gun, but interestingly, it features an actual safety, a rarity on a revolver of any kind, especially an SA revolver. The safety rotates a block down between the hammer and firing pin, acting as a firing pin block.
Here's the safety in the "on safe" position. Note the gap between hammer and frame.
And here's the "off safe" position. The hammer is free to contact the firing pin.
As I said, no frills. Typical "roughed out" rear sight notch. And you can see the "off safe" red dot.
Again, the gun shoots well, and is more fun than it should be.
Together, these two guns cost less than the last case of 5.56 I bought, but they're great shooters, excellent for introducing beginners, and at the risk of belaboring a point, fun and relaxing to shoot. I guess the whole point of this is shooting can still be cheap and fun, even if the guns aren't exciting or cool.
I've long been Jonesin' for a .22 DA revolver, but the S&W gun prices have just gone through the roof. The .22/.32 Kit Gun is almost untouchable, so I went searching for a cheaper alternative. The High Standard Sentinel revolver line was introduced back in 1955. Sears sold it as the J.C. Higgins Model 88, and Western Auto sold it as Revelation Model 99. The Sentinel is a 9-shot .22 revolver with an anodized aluminum frame, carbon steel barrel and cylinder, and drift-adjustable square-notched rear sight. I found a Sentinel Deluxe R-107 that serials to 1968. It's in outstanding mechanical condition, with a few scuffs on the aluminum frame, and best of all it made it into my safe for well under $200.
Interestingly, there's no rear cylinder release as on most revolvers. (You can see some of the scuffs on the frame from the ejector rod)
The front ejector rod locks the cylinder in place.
Nine shots of .22LR
Hard to see it in this photo, but the gun has a type of transfer-bar that keeps the hammer/firing pin off the primer. It's lowered when you pull the trigger. Pretty advanced for 1968.
The aluminum frame makes for a lightweight gun. A perfectly acceptable "kit" gun without the "kit" gun price.
I've put about 300 rounds through it already. It's suprisingly accurate and easy to shoot. The DA pull isn't too heavy, and the SA pull is light with very little creep.
Best of all, I found a torch-cut R-107 for $35 that will keep me in spare parts, since the gun is so long out of production.
Not sexy, but a great little gun. My second FUDD special is even less sexy, but it's something I always wanted. There's no way to get less "tactical" than a single action revolver, unless it's one in .22LR. Behold, the Heritage Rough Rider. A basic, absolutely no-frills SA .22LR, and absolutely stupid cheap. You can get the .22LR-only one for $110 shipped, and I found the .22LR/.22Mag one on sale for $125 to my dealer. Ironically, this is the least I've ever spent for a gun, and for some odd reason, it's one of the most fun. On the dollar/fun scale, it's way off the curve.
For a buck and a quarter, the fit and finish is way better than I expected. Wood to metal fit is very good, and the bluing is a nice and even. (Ignore my fingerprints). The .22Mag cylinder is an added plus.
This is an absolutely no-frills gun, but interestingly, it features an actual safety, a rarity on a revolver of any kind, especially an SA revolver. The safety rotates a block down between the hammer and firing pin, acting as a firing pin block.
Here's the safety in the "on safe" position. Note the gap between hammer and frame.
And here's the "off safe" position. The hammer is free to contact the firing pin.
As I said, no frills. Typical "roughed out" rear sight notch. And you can see the "off safe" red dot.
Again, the gun shoots well, and is more fun than it should be.
Together, these two guns cost less than the last case of 5.56 I bought, but they're great shooters, excellent for introducing beginners, and at the risk of belaboring a point, fun and relaxing to shoot. I guess the whole point of this is shooting can still be cheap and fun, even if the guns aren't exciting or cool.
![[rockon]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/020.gif "Rockon [rockon]")
