R.I.A. 22 Magnum Revolver Range Report - NOT GOOD! 

I think it is haunted. That's the only thing that makes sense.

Sounds like RIA needs to offer you a quick rebuild or replacement. You are too good a shooter for that type and quantity of inaccurate stuff. Also, thanks for the honesty. They are tools and some are simply not going to work. It will be interesting to see how RIA handles this imperfect version.

I would love to hear an update on this revolver when you have something to report. I don’t know anyone who has had to deal with RIA customer service department before. Keep up posted Buffalo! Love all your videos!

I wonder if maybe one chamber in the cylinder is bad. Edit: I see you addressed that later in the video.

Please keep doing reviews like you are. It's important to show the real world conditions in which you're shooting. Sometimes stuff malfunctions. Have the same gun and haven't had this issue, but I noticed that it's taking a while to break in. Thanks for showing us your experience and let us know how RIA treats you. Good luck!

Awesome Buffalo, thanks for sharing sir!🤘🏽

Hello Buffalo, looking forward to watching this video, thank you for sharing it with us

Good show. Thanks for the info. You are the best.

I had the same problem with my R.I.A. model 206 38 revolver. I sent my back to R.I.A. with in 3 weeks I had my gun back fully repaired. Good luck Buffalo.

Give RIA's warranty department a chance to make it good. As complicated as the mechanics are in a revolver one part out of tolerance could be the problem.

Brother, I'm so very sorry you're having to deal with that. What a shame on rock islands part. Man, I've never seen this yet on a 22 mag pistol. Surely you would think RIA would own up and correct the issues. I hope they do make it right. Appreciate the video! God bless you and the family

Thanks for the heads up ✌

IMO (and without inspecting it myself) I believe that due to the fact that you are able to shoot some very nice groups but then have an Un stabilized bullet regardless of the chamber it fired from it must be a timing issue that is random in nature. We saw the cylinder lock, unlock, remain unlocked or locked even though it would appear that the cylinder was put into battery correctly. This tells me that when the cylinder fired shoots the bullet un stabilized that the cylinder was under or over rotated (not properly aligned with the barrel) If it were a barrel crown issue all the groups would be poor, and you would not have just 1 out of 5 un stabilized. If it were an oversized bore, all the groups would be poor, and you would not have just 1 out of 5 un stabilized. If 1 of the chambers was too tight or too loose then only that chamber would produce the un stabilized round. If all of the chambers were too tight or too lose it would result in all of the bullets being un stabilized or every group would be large. You wouldn't be able to produce the tight clusters we see in some of the groups. Something is very wrong inside that revolver

Thank you for this review. While this one wasn't pleasant, your follow-up video of RIA's customer service AND the performance of the repaired/replacement weapon will be very important. Again, many thanks.

You answered all my questions in the video. I see Clover Tac chimed in with a suggestion. Tough call.

Hi Buffalo, wow that is a strange problem. Wonder if the lock up and timing are out of wack. One thing is for sure it's the gun with all the ammo you used! I thank you for your honesty with the review. Keep us informed on what happens and if you find out what the problem was.

I've had trouble with a couple of revolvers and the shops where I bought them sent them back with no cost to me. It took a while for each gun, but they came back fixed. I hope your shop and your manufacturer take care of this for you. Everyone can mess something up but the response to a problem show the difference in service.

I like the shelter you put up. Surprised you didn't do that long time ago. I don't see any boiled peanuts on the table next to your soda. lol I really enjoy watching your videos. Keep up the great work.

Thank you for warning us about this problem child. Really appreciate your opinions.

I've had experience with RIA 1911 and they were real good and quick in responding. The importer I believe is Amscor in Nevada.

Looking forward to a follow- up video, thanks.

Thanks Buff for another good ol' down home review. Been seriously considering this gun, but believe I'll holt off for a spell and see if they improve things.

The first thing I thought, if this man is having issues with a weapon, its DEFINITELY the weapon! All of us have seen you put many, many, many items through their paces. If there is one thing we all can agree on, if you say the gun has issues, no one here would ever think to argue with you! The next thing that crossed my mind.... Monday morning or a late on Friday gun in production!😆😄 I, like others are really curious how RIA is going to resolve this for you! Please keep us in the loop Amigo!

Buffalo, you always try to find the best in the firearms you review. You always give a very fair review and obviously there are issues here that can't be totally overlooked. Thanks brother. 👍

Great job

Hope to see you shootin a new magnum n record your first shots for us. I was just lookin into RIA 22 magnums. Im just now gettin my gransons n great gransons into shootin. Enjoy your vids

You’re so honest 👍🏻

When I experienced binding of the cylinder as you demonstrated, I found 2 causes. The revolvers were S&W. The 1st was a partially unscrewed ejector rod. The 2nd was caused by unburnt powder particles underneath the ejector star. I first had serious doubts concerning the quality of R.I.A revolvers when viewing a video by Justin Opinion. In the video it could be seen that the revolver was constructed with a 2 piece sleeve & shroud method. The shroud had a cheap, poorly fitted appearance with a gap visible around the muzzle. The lock work & severe accuracy problem is much more serious. Good luck on getting the problem straightened out.

That is a bummer. I just got a Heritage that is giving trouble. Found a big piece of metal loose in behind the hand this afternoon leftover from machining I think. I guess if we buy enough of them we will get a lemon now and then. Great video as always Buffalo.

Good luck my friend. Sounds like a warranty issue. Also it appears to have some great accuracy potential! Hope this can be resolved. God bless all here.

Appreciate your honest reviews. Great rid of that lemon! Good vid👍!

Looks like RIA needs to replace your revolver. Like you said, it’s a sample of one so you have to give RIA a chance to make it right. Great demonstration of the issue Buffalo. Thanks again for another honest review.

Thats a strange one. Hope you get it figured out. If you do please do a follow up video. Thanks for the honest review.

Good honest review as always.I think if that was mine,I'd send it in and when it was returned,,use it as a trade in.

Ouch, I almost just hit send on one of these, really glad I saw your vid. New Subscriber! Did I hear you mention cylinder timing?

Crazy gun it would be interesting to find out exactly what's wrong with it thanks for the video I hope no one else gets a hold of one of those things

That was really strange that all shots but one were on target, it looked like it was like more than 4 inches away too. I was totally gonna suggest to mark the cylinder that shot wild. Kudos to you for that.

i did some testing and stuff with one of these last year and ended up having an issue where the cylinder would lock up. after a little looking, it was obviously a cylinder stop issue. i talked with the gunsmith over at RIA, who has always been helpful and he told me how the cylinder stop was designed. i took everything aparts (the clylinder stop contains a spring, plunger, etc), cleaned it all out, put it back together and never had an issue again. my guess is that there was some machining shavings or gunk or something that worked it's way in the wrong spot. i never experienced any other weird issues with the one i had over the oh i would say 2K rounds put through it for testing, various ammo. that said, things can have problems... i am usually one of those lucky people who seem to always find the ones that work great.

The ejector rod worked it's way out. Had that happen to me 25 years ago with a Smith and Wesson .357 model 66.

Thank you for this video, and please let us know how they handle this problem.

I’d love to see a follow up video to see how you decided to handle it 👍

I'd send that thing over to Target Suite. He had a similar problem with a Single Six. It was quite impressive to see him get to the bottom of it.

Such a good looking revolver. Thanks for letting us know though.

Buffalo gives me asmr vibes this channel makes me sleepy

Possible metal shavings in the action could cause both a timing problem and the lockup. I'd remove the grip and then flush the action with Breakfree CLP in a spray can. This might get the the shavings out if there are any. Also try working the action with the grip removed. Sometimes grips can cause problems, Good luck.

Well... That's one off my list... Been wanting an Inexpensive 22 mag Revolver,,,, BIG HOPES for the Diamond Back Sidekick...

Yeah Rock Island will definitely help you Buffalo, there pretty good with there warranty service, I lost a part for my 1911 and the sent me two replacements no charge.

hopefully you passed this video on to the manufacturer or at least made them aware of the problems. I watch your videos and you are an experienced gun guy and a VERY good shot.

It sounds like there are multiple problems including a bent ejection rod, a timing issue, and a bad trigger return spring or like the other follow suggested, "the gun is haunted." I'm sorry you had to deal with it but I do appreciate the warning!

Send R.I.A. the revolver and a link to your video. It’s great that your gun shop owner is such a stand-up guy that he wants to make it right, but honestly, it’s not his fault. And it would make for a great follow-up video to show how they handle it, either by repair or replacement. They should also send you some ammo that they recommend using in it. It’s the least they can do. And perhaps a holster.....Thanks for sharing, we’re all watching to see how they take care of you.

Your sample must have been made on a Wednesday. Stinks you're having all these issues. Hopefully Rock Island will make it right. I'm glad you have a couple different options.

Saw this on sale thank you will look for other options

I think it's a timing and spacing issue with the cylinder. the cylinder is not always lining up with the barrel because of that.

Hope you can fix it or get it fixed! Looks like it would be a nice revolver if it would work! Maybe the spring inside the handle is loose or something minor that needs tightened/adjusted! I know they make a 22WMR 1911 that isn't a good one to get, maybe RIA just don't do 22 magnum well! Good luck! Thanks for sharing!

I enjoyed the video.

I hope we get an update on this gun later. I need closure lol. I figured it was out of time but the locking up is weird for that. 🤔

I thought that since it was only one out of every 5 or so shots, it might be a deformed or misaligned cylinder bore. However you were already checking that and painting those each time you had a keyhole. Now I think it is one or more interior components that are loose, broken or defective that affect the timing and are causing occasional misaligned cylinder bores and also locking up your trigger. Very strange, indeed.

Sorry about this, but I appreciate your time and vlog. Hope they make it right 👍 Please let us know how it goes 🇺🇸

I had the same problem with my muzzleloader. It turned out to be too much lead in the rifling would cause some of the lead bullets to fail to engage the rifling and keyhole. Others would be right on target. So my guess is the barrel on your revolver could have shallow rifling which fails to stabilize some of the bullets.

My pops has a S&W 38spl revolver from when he entered the police academy about 1962 and it has never failed and he probably cleaned it 10 times over the years ... guess they don't make them like that anymore ...

If I had to guess without looking, (accuracy wise)I would say you have a timing problem . The fact that it has some obvious lock work issues kinda confirms that. Hand may be binding on the ratchet, bolt may not be locking; etc. Only has to be off a tiny bit. Unlike a 6 shot…8,9,10 shot 22 revolvers have a lot going on in a very short arc. Probably needs a good deburring. Just my 2 cents. Love your videos btw👍

Back in the early 70’s the S&W mod 19 had issues with the cylinder seizing up when it was fired several times. Turned out that when the cylinder got warm from shooting it rubbed the forcing cone. The tolerance was so close. Fixed problem by filing the cone down to ease the tolerance. Maybe that’s the problem….maybe not.

Buffalo, Thanks for the "Buyer Beware" on this pistol, I believe that it takes a special person to come back to a product that once was given the "It's a good deal" review and let people know that it wasn't such a great product. all too many times people have touted the "Best deal ever" and after a while, with normal or limited use the thing turns into a ruble faster than you can un-ruble it. falling apart, jamming, and undue fouling are all signs of a pistol made in a country where its own citizens can't own them because their Government believes "It's for the Greater good". in the end, people suffer, and not just people of that country, people who buy their products no matter what it is all over the globe. -Dave

Best sold as an April Fool's joke....

I have this gun. And so far, I haven't experienced any of these issues. I have two 22 mag revolvers, and both do not cycle, browning ammo, apparently the rims on the ammo. Is thicker than other brands, and tends to bind between the cylinder and the frame! the other gun is a ruger! I hope it works out for ya!

Please please do a follow up video for us if you get a chance. I was looking at those and wanted one but now uhhhhh waiting 😂

I’ve had the same thing occur with a Heritage Rough Rider 22 after just over 500 rounds. By 600 rounds it started to keyhole about 90% of shots. It’s a bummer for sure when this happens, but cheaper guns can have these issues i’ve found.

Thanks for this video! Please do a follow-up!!! Keen to know what is going on.

I would also love an update when there is one. RIA would be crazy not to deal with this problem - fast .

That’s a bummer but it happens even to the top line stuff, hopefully they will make it right.

If your gun shop will trade it for another one, I believe I'd go for that and see if the next one has the same problems. You can get a lemon with any gun. I recently had it happen with a Bersa Thunder Plus. (15+1), It fell apart and stopped working on the second magazine ever in it and I couldn't even get that magazine out of the gun. Sure, it was a problem with the goofy magazine safety. (Why they ever put one of those on any gun is beyond me). Took it back to my dealer, Fort Scott Gun and Pawn and they did me right and traded it for the Regular Bersa Thunder (8+1) they had in stock, and it works wonderfully. It shoots and functions perfectly. Very accurate and a joy to shoot. We are talking .380acp here by the way.

It is binding up so the regular timing issue might be cured by something as simple as a dip in a gunshop's ultrasonic solvent tank for a thorough cleaning, and a re-lube. It's new, there may be an errant chip or other debris somewhere in the action.

Great video. I would find the chamber that is producing the key holes, it must be the chamber, because the barrel stays the same, the only thing that changes is the chambers when the cylinder turns. I would guess that the chamber that is the problem is a bit on the large side as to be letting the bullet strike the side of the forcing cone cutting a piece of the bullet off as to make it wabble, just my guess.I made my comment before I watched the whole video, with all of the problems going on with this gun it must be the gun it's self, a lemon ?

~ 10:37.... Your INTEGRITY is UNQUESTIONED as far as any Metric I KNOW.... You are ALWAYS HAPPY to show a Great Product and fair 4 in all Judgements.... You even Hi Lighted the Glock 22 lr Failures and tried to give them a Chance!!! That's why GUN Channel Groupies Love your style!!!

My experience with Rock Island customer service has been very positive. I had one 1911 that they replaced never cost me a cent. Even bought one defective from a friend and they fixed it free, even told them I bought it defective. Call them up they will send you a label and repair the gun or replace it quickly.

I have a new RIA 38 special. I wanted a nightstand gun, and at $249 this was an easy choice. After 100 rounds I’ve noticed no problems, but this video has caused me concern. I intend to swap mine in for a Ruger 32 magnum. Same capacity from a reliable company.

I'm always here for a Buffalo revolver review, but OUCH! A bore problem (oversize/undersize) would tend to affect more than one shot in five. Twist rate would affect one bullet weight more than others. The mechanical issues are bad enough in themselves. Too much to sort out, Buffalo. Send it back. 👍 PS I appreciate the honesty of your reports!

Years ago I had a Smith and Wesson 22 revolver act similar to this. I also had a Taurus that was junk.

POSSIBILITIES: 1. CYLINDER STOP(s) is TOO SMALL or your CYLINDER STOP NOTCHES are TOO BIG, resulting in a loose cylinder. This is causing the cylinder to not be aligned exactly with the forcing cone. Hard to detect lead shavings using copper jacketed 22 WMR bullets. 2. CYLINDER STOP SPRING is too weak and not locking the cylinder into place PRIOR to start of hammer falling, causing misalignment of cylinder and forcing cone. 3. YOKE IS BENT AND CYLINDER IS NOT TRUED UP. This could cause problems with opening and closing the cylinder. Check for drag marks on front and sides of cylinder and on the yoke. 4. EXTRACTOR ROD not screwed in all the way will make it difficult to open/close the cylinder. I think you may have 2-3 issues here. The keyholing issue is one; opening/closing the cylinder is two, and the issue with the trigger/hammer is three. You can test for the keyholing issue by personally checking that the cylinder is locked in place AFTER you have cocked the hammer AND using a slow motion video to verify the cylinder has NOT rotated AT ALL AFTER you have pulled the trigger. IF the cylinder rotates after pulling the trigger from the cocked position, the chamber and forcing cone obviously will not be perfectly aligned. A 22 cal range rod from Brownells attached to any cleaning rod will help you diagnose the above issues quickly. It is fantastic way to find out where the problems are and at what point in the shooting process, and it is not expensive. I have 'em for 22, 357 and 45 caliber. Regardless, I would return this revolver for a new one, as the quality control on this one doesn't exist, and if you touch off a 22 mag with a serious misalignment you will be in pain and possibly serious injury. I am very interested to hear what R.I.A. said the problem(s) were. TANGO-6 out.

Hello how about an update on this? Great videos, new subscriber!

Dang Buffalo, I hope they can fix that thing.

Thank you. Bummer

I think the problem is in the internal lockwork. It could be a burr, a small part that is out of spec, a bent or damaged part, or a combination of these. The lockwork issue could be causing the random cylinder timing issue. Opening the cylinder to load/unload will cause a random chamber to be first in line each time. This is why all chambers will be marked as “bad” eventually. You were right about that. The key holing is caused from a bullet entering the forcing cone crooked. Another cause could be a slightly bent cylinder pin, or an out of spec hole through the cylinder axis. This could explain why the cylinder sometimes won't lock up tight. I hope you get a satisfactory resolution for these issues.

Wow! Do some of these manufacturers not test what they make before they go to market? And this model is on the high end of MSRP for a 22WMR revolver. I honestly don't know what I'm going to buy for a 22 magnum revolver. Some of the ones I wanted, you can't find and some of the ones I find that are available, are no bueno. That's a shame, because it's really good looking. Thanks for saving me some money with your honest review.

Had to slap it to get the trigger to deploy? Hey you got the world's first Hi-Point revolver there, Buffalo! 😁

I would contact RIA (Pahrump, NV). In my experience with warranty they were outstanding. One of my 1911's had ejection & cycling issues. They emailed me a FedEx 2nd Day label, and 2nd Day back...they had it back in my hands repaired in literally 10 days (including shipping time). It's been flawless since. The revolvers I'm not so sure of, but my experience with their services exceeded my expectations. Maybe it's an opportunity for both you & them? I'd sure be interested in the 22 mag version...one that doesn't keyhole that is. Let us know how it goes, and thanks for the video.

I guess that one will be going back to RIA. They need to know if they have a bad batch.

I would recommend contacting RIA customer service and sending a link to this video. Hopefully they’ll correct this issue.

Thank you for the video and info. It makes me shy away from R.I.A. 22wmr pistols. Boomstick779 had problems with the semi-auto and now you with this one. Like you say ,, it could be a 1 off thing, But do i chance it?

I've got one and it's been flawless for 500 rounds thus far.

Good review, that is why I only buy the very best top quality guns like S&W, Colt, Remington,....

You know 1 shooter in 1000 would notice something was wrong with the gun & do all the ammo testing ect. Good thing you gave some feedback so they can fix the problem. Companies love your kind of feedback. Your like an employee that they don’t have to give a check on Friday.

Well most of my questions you addressed during your explaination. I suspect the chamber alignment/forcing cone/barrel is good, otherwise you wouldn't get the tighter grouping of the non-keyholing rounds. So maybe timing, spring tension, cylinder stop, crane, ejecter rod? Let RIA figure it out.

I have a 6 inch model in stainless. The keyhole target says it doesn't like the ammo. I have great results with Winchester dyna points with 8 shot groups of one and a quarter inch at 31 yards, which is about match box size. CCI Maxi mag hollow points shoots one or two on the target and some others keyholes more than a foot away form the target at 15 yards. The revolver simply wont stabilize the bullet. I tried to sand them to a smaller overall length but that too did not help, so I guess its the bearing surface of the bullet that doesn't lend itself to be stabilized by the twist. The lockup of the trigger and so forth could just be the trigger return spring that gets jammed one way or another. Open it, clean it and check the workings when open. These are great revolvers with excellent machining, but like any other rimfire you have to find the ammo that works.........

I'll be interested in seeing how RIA handles this problem.

Please give us a follow up on what you decide to do with this RIA AL22MB WMR revolver. Curious of what the actual problem is and the fix.

Based on your good experience with the .22 LR version of this revolver, it's doubly disappointing that this .22 WMR version is such a lemon. Thanks for the honest review, Buff!

Wow that thing jammed up tighter than a drum

I had a 22lr double action revolver once upon a time that was intermittently having some of the same issues and finally found that it was unburned or partially burned powder flakes getting between the cylinder face and the extractor star and not allowing the extractor star to fully seat. This was enough to cause the double action trigger pull to seemingly double or triple in pull weight and tie up or almost tie up the cylinder when I tried to unlatch and swing out the cylinder. Started carrying cotton swabs to the range to wipe the cylinder face and under side of the star whenever the problem occurred and this always fixed the problem for that particular revolver. Probably not the cause of YOUR problem but just my 2 cents.

I was looking at the Al9. Think I may go with the charter arms 9 after seeing this. Thanks.