Boom stick questions. Point me in the right direction.

My wife got me a cool little Heritage Rough Rider for my birthday.

Perfect because I've got a butt ton of 22 win wildcat stuff that all my other 22s hate, and this one loves it.

Came with a 22mag cylinder and in a cool wooden case. I'm very happy

In reply to Antihero (Forum Supporter) :

Those rough riders are cool as long as you're wearing ear protection. 

In reply to barefootskater (Shaun) :

Those single barrel guns are very light, so they often kick harder than a full size 12. You may want to weight the stock for your wife.

In reply to matthewmcl (Forum Supporter) :

I had a single barrel 16 g that kicked harder than most any gun I've ever fired.

In reply to matthewmcl (Forum Supporter) :

What she doesn't know...

Brett_Murphy (Ex-Patrón) said:

TIL about the Ishapore Enfield chambered in 7.62 NATO, and now I kind of want one.

Very cool rifle. A friend has one. I have fired it often and it has more felt recoil than I like. I am 6 feet tall the owner is about 5feet 7 inches and it fit a him beautifully and recoil does not bother him

matthewmcl (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to barefootskater (Shaun) :

Those single barrel guns are very light, so they often kick harder than a full size 12. You may want to weight the stock for your wife.

I can confirm, my first real gun was an H&R Topper, youth, single shot, 20 Ga.  Kind of unique, as it's a Ducks Unlimited, Greenwing Classic edition, won as a door prize at a DU banquet.  I've got a 12 Ga 870 Supermag too, I'm not sure which is worse, 3.5" magnums out of the 870 or high brass out of the single shot 20 Ga.

Terrible choice for a first gun.

barefootskater (Shaun) said:

In reply to Antihero (Forum Supporter) :

Those rough riders are cool as long as you're wearing ear protection. 

The magnums are loud, I agree. I always wear hearing protection when I shoot though.

I do like shooting 22s a lot sometimes, especially when I've been pushing the edge of how much recoil I like with the 329 too

In reply to Antihero (Forum Supporter) :

Even 22lr are obnoxious in a revolver. That's why I got rid of mine. 

barefootskater (Shaun) said:

In reply to Antihero (Forum Supporter) :

Even 22lr are obnoxious in a revolver. That's why I got rid of mine. 

I don't think so, but most the revolvers I shoot are big bores so by comparison they aren't bad at all.

Did you have a Heritage?

In reply to Antihero (Forum Supporter) :

Once upon a time. Used it to pay rent one month and I wasn't terribly sad to see it go. Never tried the magnum cylinder. 

barefootskater (Shaun) said:

In reply to Antihero (Forum Supporter) :

Once upon a time. Used it to pay rent one month and I wasn't terribly sad to see it go. Never tried the magnum cylinder. 

I had a shorter barreled one years ago and only sort of liked it. It was 99 bucks new.  Years later I took it to a pawn shop because they had several that were very expensive, they offered me $130 for it. I figured what the hell and sold it.

This one is a 6.5 inch barrel and much better IMO. Fun little gun for when I don't wanna shoot an auto 22.

barefootskater (Shaun) said:

So this is on semi-permanent loan, terms of sale to be arranged later. 
 

It ticks several boxes: 

ammo is still usually available

i don't own a shotgun

simple means reliable

good for hunting rabbit or fowl

28" means great for skeet

20ga means wife won't mind shooting

So I'm pretty excited. 

I like single shots, not a lot to go wrong.

Sure it's light but light 20 gauge ammo is easy to find and wouldn't be terrible to shoot it. You didn't mention if your wife shoots a lot but a light gun appeals to a lot of people too. I'd call it a win.

They did make a 4.5 pound or so 10 gauge that you couldn't pay me to shoot though

First group at 15 yards free hand using Winchester Wildcats.

That ain't bad for 2 cylinders

Handgun accuracy. I has none.
 

5 paces:

the hole at the top is an earlier shot so ignore that. This target saw 12 shots and I count 11 holes including that little guy on the bottom left. So either the 12th shot was really wild or it used a preexisting hole. 
 

How can I improve?

In reply to barefootskater (Shaun) :

What’s the .22? A semi auto with a 2” barrel is gonna be hard to shoot.

In reply to barefootskater (Shaun) :

What gun is it

22s are notorious for being picky for ammo, it could not be you at all.

That's a superb group for that hand cannon at 15 yards.  I had a .380 in that form factor and it was worse.  My current .22 plinker/trainer is a Walther PPQ .22 and it's like cheating by comparison.  

barefootskater (Shaun) said:

In reply to Crxpilot :

It's a stirling 302. Made from 67-84, I haven't looked up the serial number yet to date it. 
 

Those have a pretty good reputation from back in the day.

Also not really considered to be a very accurate gun though too

Here is a pic of what I had.  Well made.  A lot of media called it a "gem".  Just the physics of squeezing something that small to trip a hammer makes them hard to aim.  Same deal; trench sights and tiny grip.  Your .22 makes a great front pocket gun.  The old-timers at the range called mine a "get back gun".  When they're getting back, you go for a bigger gun.  Got sick of trying to master it and sold it on Gunbroker.  My $0.02.

Edit; sorry I misquoted your distance.  

So, that's probably not consistent enough to see if I'm doing something wrong. If I can get some 9mm I'm fairly sure that gun is more accurate, but I'm not paying $.75-1 a round for 9mm fmj. World's gone nuts. 

In reply to Crxpilot :

Seecamp?

In reply to Antihero (Forum Supporter) :

Masterpiece arms mpa380. Same size.  I'm short and just knew this would be perfect to conceal. Just so hard to get good with. I feel the op's pain.

Now, instead, I'd get snap caps and an app that tracks trigger presses. Get in a room far from others and ammo and practice drawing and trigger press.

barefootskater (Shaun) said:

So, that's probably not consistent enough to see if I'm doing something wrong. If I can get some 9mm I'm fairly sure that gun is more accurate, but I'm not paying $.75-1 a round for 9mm fmj. World's gone nuts. 

Got an ad from Ammunition Depot that was $.32 per for 9mm - but you had to buy 1,000 rounds to get it, and it was "no name" stuff.  I fully understand the days of a $22 Winchester "White Box" of 100 are long gone, but I can't make myself pay it either.  

In reply to kazoospec :

Oh I'd pay .32ea if it was brass, but almost guaranteed that it's steel. I mean, I have some, but not enough to feel comfortable shooting more than a couple mags worth for practice.