Ruger LCR-22?

Michael Bane on the Downrange Radio podcast hinted that Ruger would be announcing a new firearm today. While nothing is showing up on their website -yet - it looks like someone at GunsAmerica may have jumped the gun so to speak.

They have a full review of the Ruger LCR-22. Go the the link above to see pictures of it.

A description from their review:

My review gun came in at 14.8 ounces empty on my stamps.com electronic scale, but the reported weight is 14.9 ounces. The balance point is at the back of the cylinder which I consider ideal for a snub nose revolver. It comes on target out of the holster quickly, thanks in part to the great balance as well as the natural grip angle and excellent rubber grip from Hogue.

The hammer is completely enclosed making, this a double-action-only (DAO) revolver and eliminating a potential snag for anyone interested in concealed carry. The DAO trigger, like its bigger brothers, is very smooth with no stacking and little overtravel. It measured right around 12 pounds but didn’t seem that much thanks to the way they cam the trigger.

The LCR-22 is compact, little more than 6.25” long and 1.25” wide. It sits so lightly in a holster or in your pocket that you’ll forget it’s there

The big news, of course is that you can now get it in .22 caliber which opens the opportunity to do a lot more shooting since .22 ammo is inexpensive and widely available. The LCR-22 will handle .22 short, .22 long, and .22 long rifle ammo, including shot shells, which means that you can personalize it for your needs.

 MSRP is $525 which means the street price will be much less. Looks like a good gun with which to train on as well as a nice little trail gun.

From Jim Shepherd at The Outdoor Wire who notes that the announcement is scheduled for 11am today:

Early this week, I received another "secret" gun from Ruger for testing and evaluation. Like the .357 Magnum SP101 announced last week, I liked it.

Ditto everyone else I know who's gotten one for testing. My FFL liked it, too. So well he wanted to place an order for "as many as I can get". Seems this caliber is "very, very hot". A decidedly un-scientific survey of several retailer shelves would seem to confirm that demand.

Ruger may once again have responded to (or anticipated) market demand for a concealed carry handgun.One of the major attractions of the original in this category was a (surprisingly) good trigger. The newest offering is no different. Its accuracy and an enhanced capacity should also add appeal.

Yes, I'm being vague - intentionally. Ruger's rollout schedule keeps us from being able to announce the new gun in time for this morning's edition.

We've never broken an embargo and we're not going to start in our final edition of 2011. So, you'll have to take my word (at least for a few more hours) on this one. If you're really, really curious, I'll tweet a brief summary (like 140 characters worth) at 11a.m. Eastern (@jimshepherd)