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I’m not sure of when it was I bought this revolver or why. It may have been during a time in my life when I had very little money and my purchasing a cheap handgun was a better option than having no handgun. Honestly, I just do not remember. I have no idea how old it is, there are no production-history records that I can find for RG guns. Obviously, the revolver was assembled before January of 1986 when RG Industries of Miami, Florida ceased operations, but other than that, there are no clues as to its age.
This inexpensive (“cheap” if you prefer) cowboy style revolver is nothing but functional. As for durability, there is no telling without shooting it until something breaks. It may go on to fire an additional 50 rounds, it may go 500 rounds, or it may last beyond imagination. Some parts on this lightly used handgun look to be sound and well made while other parts appear tenuous. No matter how clean and well oiled all the components are, cocking the hammer generates sounds akin to sand grinding in transmission gears. This single action revolver is not something I would enthusiastically choose to defend my life. It is an expendable piece, something to keep tucked in a nook of the barn (yes, I have worked on farms and probably bought the RG for that purpose), loaded and ready for dispatching marauding critters. It has a nine-inch barrel with fixed sights and does shoot very close to point of aim at reasonable distances. The cylinder holds six rounds but anyone possessing a love of life and a lick of sense will carry it with only five rounds loaded and the hammer down on an empty chamber.
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Greetings from Texas,
ReplyDeleteGreat post Zack. Years ago I bought a Hawes .22 single action from a guy. I didn't want the thing, I just wanted him to have the money to go visit his girlfriend.
I wasn't surprissed they ended up being married a couple of years later. I even got to be the best man! What I didn't expect was how much I would come to like that .22 single action. I had it for several years before I ever shot it. Today it is my favorite for starting new shooters on single action firearms.
Hey there, Art! Good to hear from you again.
ReplyDeleteI'm much like you; the reason I dragged this revolver out was to give someone a chance to answer his own question as to "how much more recoil is there with a .22 Mag over a .22 L.R.?" It's easier for me to show than it is to tell ;)
How do I tell what cylinder I have for the room model 66 .22cal
DeleteThe quality of the RG revolvers ranges from shootable to unbelievably bad quality junk ! I know as I have owned a few RG revolvers ,one I purchased at a gun show for around $20 , shot the gun and after the secound round a large chunk of metal fell out from under the trigger , one RG revolver would never fire all six rounds if shot double action ! In my honest opinion stay away from them ! If you want a cheaper revolver buy a Taurus model 94 or a used H&R or Charter Arms revolver !Junk if used for self-defence could get you or a loved one killed !
ReplyDeleteI've never had a problem with either of my Rohm pistols. I've carried the RG66 and the smaller Rg10 and both have worked fine whether it be in target practice or killing varmits. They have never miss fired or spit metal at me.
ReplyDeleteThe 22lr and 22lr mag the mag round is wider and longer if you take a 22lr and it fits fine you have a 22lr cylinder but if it's wiggly loose its a magnum and a magnum round won't fit in a reg 22lr cylinder
DeleteGoing thru my fathers thing after he passed away, we found a pistal just like this, what should we do with it? detroy it or sell it? we really don't want it. We also found that he had a 22 rifle.
ReplyDeleteDepends on where you live and how much effort you want to put into it; you did not mention the make of the rifle; some old .22 rifles are worth a great deal. Some folks on the Internet have been looking for the old RG revolvers; some learned how to shoot using RGs and have developed a sentimental attachment. Call a local gun store and see if they will either buy the guns from you or sell them for you on consignment; usually you will get more for them that way rather than going to one of the municipal "gun buyback" programs. If there are no "buyback" programs being offered in your area and there are no nearby gun stores, most police stations will dispose of unwanted firearms but you are not paid anything for them. CALL THE POLICE STATION FIRST, they can get rather nervous when someone walks into their lobby area while waving a gun around.
ReplyDeleteI am a sentimental guy and hate to see you give up Dad's guns, but those choices are yours to make.
Good luck.
Zack
looking to buy r.g. model66 22 cal pistol....any shape.....
ReplyDeleteI have a Rohm Model 66 .22 Magnum Nickel with extra .22 LR. I have a ffl to ship from to you.
ReplyDelete407-699-5885 CG
This past weekend I purchased a used RG model 66 rvolver for $100, shot it today and it seems to function alright has the feel of the Colt .22 scout, RG pistols and revolvers come in various degrees of quality some were made very poorly with little or no quality control and some were made reasonably well ! Some of the RG .22 short only revolvers were just plain junk, and as a side note at the gun show and individual was selling one of the RG .22 short "junk" guns for $100, I told him good luck as I remember when those guns were going for $12-$15 new !
ReplyDeleteI have come across something interesting for you rg66 shooters. Strange, but im almost sure i have a pair of sterling silver and 14kt gold pistol grips for the rg66. They were on ebay and were sid to be colt but now that i have them i know that was not true.They are real nice,you can still see them if you put -colt sterling grips- in the compleated ,or email budtwh@yahoo.com or call 334 3566314
ReplyDeleteI have mixed feelings about RG pistols, revolvers some I have owned were total junk and hard to believe they could even get out of the factory, others were not too bad at all and worth every dollar that they were priced for,the .22 short only were very junky but the model 14 wasn't bad at all, much better qualiy control, interesting stories about the RG .22 revolvers, seems Hinkely used one to try and kill President Reagan, another RG revolver was used to kill Robert Kennedy, and of course there is the storey by Massad Ayood of the older lady who used an RG .22 to kill her attacker !These are cheap weapons but they do work(most of the time any way depending on the model)probably they have saved the lives of many poor people who were unable to afford anything better(just live in Los Angeles(not a wealthy area like Beverly Hills) and be confronted with a criminal and call the police, "if" they get to your home in a half an hour you are lucky)I purchased an RG model 14 the other day for $90 it does shoot all 6 shots and within the target ! No Smith and Wesson, Colt or Ruger ! But as the old saying goes "it could save my bacon in a life or death situation"
ReplyDeleteTook my RG model 14 target shooting today, fired two boxes no mis-fires or malfunctions "and" hit the target at 15 paces a tin can every time ! Well all I can say not bad for a Saturday night special !
ReplyDeleteI recently picked up an RG20 at a gun show- I messed around with the RG10s at the table, but I have to say the 20 is a far better piece- swing out cylinder for starters!
ReplyDeleteafter adding a return spring (never included in any rg20 I've EVER seen!!) for the ejector plate and cutting a new coil for the hammer, it's fine. No major issues with the timing or function. Not as accurate as a S&W target, but I wouldn't expect that. It pops cans at 7 yards, and that's all my son asks of it.
Best part? $40 .22 short revolver for my son to plink with at the range while I am blowing 2 boxes of .38 special in my model 14!
Provided it's a safe and functional firearm, it's a good fit for a young shooter who wants to cowboy up a bit.
I have some things I'd like to mess with with it, but now I have to find more RG20 models. (and possibly a decent .22lr variety- the b=rice of bearcats is killing me)
I have a Rohm RG 66 Mag 4 1/2". It's cheap to shoot, acurate, tight, good cylinder match and is fun to shoot. It's probably got thousands of rounds put through her and has never spit, jammed or misfired. Hey anonymous, if ya want, send it to me instead of throwing it away. Hell, I'll even pay for the shipping and you won't have to worry about it anymore!Y'all ain't gonna get mine for no hundred dollars! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteWe used to sell RGs in my dad's hardware store. I never heard anything bad about them at all. Maybe we got lucky, but we sold more than a couple fo them. I still have one I traded a shotgun to my dad for when I started running trap lines. I used it for a couple eyars to dispatch plenty of coyotes and bobcats. It never failed to go bang. While the hammer does make a few clicking noises when you thumb it back its otherwise smooth enough. I'll never shoot it fast consciously, but I have pulled and fire while jumping backwards through the air when I came face to face with a bobcat in heavy brush.
ReplyDeleteI never thought it was a particularly accurate gun, but I did notice it would shoot a lot better when freshly cleaned and the barrel was freshly brushed and oiled. Odd, but true. It does pass my 25 foot reaction test. I toss a five gallon bucket over my shoulder turn and shoot. Within 25 feet I hit it every time. Its is one of a handful of guns that falls in line when I grip it instinctively. Most (not all) automatics tend to be pointed low when I grip and point instinctively.
jim e said..
ReplyDeletei have a rg model 66 for close to 20 year.shot it a lot with magnum ammo good and acurate.i would not sell mine.for a $100. bucks.i take it to gun range often.
I have a model 66 Rohm I've had it 37 years my dad bought it new for me on my 15th birthday it still shoots as sweet as it did when we got it I know it hasn't had over a 100 rounds through it in all them years it looks like brand new still I lost my dad 6 + years ago and I keep it cleaned oiled and loaded I will say ( never keep a live round under the hammer any jolt would cause a discharge thats a fact.) Common sense would tell you that but it does have a bark shoot longrifle .22 accurate up to 50 yrds. a silver dollar group every time I've been offered 2 large for it but its priceless to me coming from my dad I would like to find the .22 mag. cyl.for it if you have one I would appreciate it if you give me a shout thanks for all the info and your stories it was very interesting reading then see you all on the range until then be safe keep it real thanks
ReplyDeleteI have a Rohm RG 66 .22 Magnum and have recently started using it. Magnum rounds are expensive compared to .22lr. Is it safe to use long rifle ammo in this gun that's chambered for magnum?
ReplyDeleteThe .22 short, long, and long rifle cartridges have a smaller case diameter than does the .22 magnum cartridge and may split or bulge when fired. There was a version of the RG66 that included cylinders for both.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by!
Zack
I have a RG66, single action, that says 22 Magnum; but has a 22lr cylinder in it. I would like to find a 22 Magnum cylinder. Can you help me out? E-mail me at tommy1940@att.net or call at 931 607 8256. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know all Rohm (RG) Model 66 revolvers came as convertibles -- with 2 cylinders.
ReplyDeleteI have had a Rohm Model 66 for close to 40 years. It is marked 22mag on the barrel, and came with 2 cylinders. The 22mag cylinder (primary cylinder) is unmarked. The 22 long rifle cylinder (secondary cylinder) is stamped 22.L.R. on the side (not end).
You can not load a 22mag round into a 22LR cylinder as the 22mag round is larger in diameter -- so you can't really screw up. Of course, you can put the smaller 22LR rounds in the 22mag cylinder, but I can't guarantee the results. As someone else mentioned, it may split the shell casing, but I don't think it would be dangerous. However -- WHY DO IT?
I personally shoot a lot of 22 birdshot in mine.
A few other points:
The Model 66 was possibly the best gun Rohm ever made. Disregard the negative reviews you see saying all Rohm firearms are junk. SIMPLY NOT TRUE. They produced quite a few decent weapons.
Also, the difference between a Model 66 and a Model 66T is that a Model 66T has an adjustable rear site for windage.
Hope this helps.
I just got a rohm gmbh model 66, & googled it, & saw the post that I am responding to. Mine says magnum but I did not get the magnum cylinder & would like one as well as a pamphlet re care/disassembly. I would use it primarily for shooting woodpeckers off of my house (bird shot).
ReplyDeleteIMPORTANT the posts mention it having 3 stopping points at cocking the second being for loading. Thinking I counted 4 I slowly cocked it & sure enough there are 4. The 3d locks the gun - that is - now i I am not able to cock it to the 4th, fire it, spin the cylinder, pull the trigger or ??? How do I "unlock it"?
And do you know where I might get a magnum cylinder & pamphlet paper or digital?
Thanks. It is quite similar to my Ruger Super six.
Just came across this forum and have to tell my story. I bought a model 66 from my hard up brother-in-law sometime in the 70s. I think I gave him $50,but that was long ago. Living in an urban area where the neighbors get upset if you start shooting at things, I put the thing in a safe place and never fired it. Just got it out yesterday and started researching to see what I had. Thanks to the internet, information is now available. It only came with one cylinder, and the barrel was stamped 22 magnum. All these years I though that is what it shoots. After reading all the post, and the crazy price they want for 22 mag if you can find any, I though it would be better to buy a 22 lr cylinder to use. Then I checked the cylinder. I'll be damn, it's not a mag, won't fit. I then find the stamping on the cylinder. 22 with something after it you can't make out. Nice looking nickel, wood grips. Now I need to find a shooting range.
ReplyDeleteFor lee or James....I just bought a rg22mag. single shot revolver. I am trying to find out when it was made. Any ideas where I can look. thx for any info. mary
ReplyDelete