Ruger SP101 22

Bill Ruger began his remarkable career as a firearms designer with a .22 handgun. The sleek autoloader, with its tubular receiver and inexpensive but functional components, was a hit in 1949. Single-action rimfires came next. The Bearcat and Single Six seduced shooters with their Old West profiles. They were reasonably priced and felt gunny. Like Ruger centerfires, they functioned as promised. A second cylinder gave the Single Six a magnum personality.

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Ruger’s double-action .22, the SP101, came on the heels of exciting centerfire developments in both handguns and rifles. Perhaps that’s why the market didn’t support it. After only a decade or so in production, the SP101 rimfire was dropped.

“Oddly enough, this revolver has since been our most requested firearm,” says Ruger engineer Mark Gurney. He is showing me a new DA .22, an improved SP101. “We listened.”