Best Single-Action .22 Combos

Sure, technologically speaking, the single-action revolver is a relic. Modern pistols have greater capacity and are far faster to reload than single-action revolvers, yet the single-action remains popular. This is especially true of single-action rimfires, which offer light recoil, affordable and widely available ammunition, and the promise of hours of fun at the range.

Let’s take a look back at how single-action .22s came to be, which ones rule the roost and what ammunition gets the most from them.

The Comeback Kid

Iconic as guns like the Colt Single-Action Army of the late 1800s were, by the mid-twentieth century, single-action revolver sales had slipped to a point where, just prior to World War II, Colt dropped the Single-Action Army from production. But just when it seemed American interest in single-actions had waned forever, a brilliant gun engineer named Bill Ruger released a gun he called the Single-Six in 1953. The Single-Six looked and felt like a scaled-down Single-Action Army with two important distinctions. First, it was modestly priced at just $57.50 (the equivalent of around $650 in 2024). Second, it was offered in 22 LR.

Some thought Ruger was crazy, but when Single-Six orders started pouring in, there was no question he knew his business. The new gun became widely popular and remains in production today, building interest in single-action rimfire revolvers beyond just that model.

The Single-Six is a versatile tool. Though a rimfire isn’t ideal for self-defense, improvements in modern ammunition make the .22 a far more reliable round for protection than ever before, and the single-action 22 remains a great choice for dispatching vermin like rats and venomous snakes. In far-flung wilderness areas, a .22 revolver is suitable for hunting small game for the pot.

Modern .22 single-action revolvers’ most practical purpose, though, is for plinking, and they are superbly suited for this. With a handful of rimfire rounds and a well-built single-action .22, you can entertain yourself in the backyard or the range while building your shooting skills. I prefer to shoot my rimfires at reactive targets like clays, tin cans or poppers. Another cheap and exciting way to hone your handgun skills is shooting blown-up ballons. Drive a thin wood stake into the earth, staple a dozen ballons of different colors along its length, and get to work popping them with your .22.

I’m also fond of single-actions because they are so safe. The term single-action actually refers to the trigger function. Essentially, a double-action gun (or, more correctly, a double-action trigger) serves to cock the gun and fire. Single-actions don’t cock the hammer mechanically so the shooter must do so manually to make the gun fire. A lightweight .22 single-action like the aluminum-frame Ruger Wrangler is manageable for shooters without a great deal of upper body strength, and since they can’t dump a magazine full of ammunition, a 50-count box lasts a while.

Ammo Selection

Most single-action revolvers from reputable manufacturers function fine, but accuracy and reliability of rimfire guns is largely dependent on the quality of your ammunition. Rimfire priming compound is spread throughout the rim of the cartridge (hence the name). Under normal operation, the firing pin strikes the rim, the priming compound ignites the propellant, and that drives the bullet down the barrel. However, not all rimfire ammunition companies do a good job spreading priming compounds evenly across the rim of the cartridge. The result is misfires, which can be very frustrating. Bulk .22 ammunition is great for plinking, but only if you purchase ammunition from a brand that offers reliable performance. No one wants to clear misfires, so that’s why I choose CCI for target shooting.

CCI also offers a variety of different small game loads. My go-tos for single-action revolvers (or any other .22 rimfire, for that matter) are Mini-Mag SHPs. They are reliable and accurate, and have bullets designed to perform well on game. Recently, I’ve also started hunting with CCI’s Clean-22 Hyper-Velocity 22 LR ammunition and have been quite impressed. Some rimfire ammunition causes lots of fouling, and that translates to lots of cleaning. Hyper-Velocity ammo reduces that chore. When I’m shooting suppressed pistols, I lean toward CCI Suppressor loads.

Unlike the single-action revolvers of the 1800s, the modern .22 single-action is not simply a survival tool. Rather, they are fun-to-shoot guns that serve practical purposes like small game hunting, pest control, and even self-defense. They aren’t the only option for gun owners or maybe even the best option, but they are loads of fun to shoot and carry and no gun collection is truly complete without at least one.