RIA Armscor M206 Review

[Mrgunsngear]

I've had this little wheel gun in for about 6 months now and had it on the range pretty much every weekend; here's what I've found:

Pros:
-100% reliable to date
-Cost. The revolver comes to market under $250 most places
-comes with two grips
-all steel construction
-fits colt detective holsters so options are out there
-no lock up issues like I read about on some of these produced years ago
-the trigger is surprisingly good for this type of gun

Cons:
-all black non-adjustable sights are slow to pick up
-fit/finish is not on par with $500 competitors
-with the wood grips the hammer hits the web of my hand. I have huge hands FWIW

Full review with all the details of the little revolver:

[jaholder]

Very interesting... The first thing I was wondering about was if it was +P rated but you answered that toward the end.

Looks like Bud's has these for $239 right now. If I hadn't just dropped $1300 on car repairs for the wife's Explorer and another $500 on a lame horse I'd be getting the hammerless one next week.

[T2C]

Once in a while, someone on a very limited income will ask which revolver they should purchase. Over the years, I recommended finding a good used S&W revolver. Most people ask a premium for used S&W wheel guns, which pushes them out of the price range of people who ask and they wind up buying something unreliable. This may be a viable option for a person willing to deal with the weight of the M206.

I could not care less about tool and machine marks or finish. If it's going to be shot and carried, it will look well worn after a couple of months anyway. Two sets of grips is a nice feature. The hammer spur can be stoned smooth in a few minutes by a knowledgeable person.

For a person who might want to hide a defensive handgun in their workshop, detached garage or barn, the price makes this a viable option.

I average about 400 rounds per month through my J Frames. I may buy a M206 and pound on it to see how much abuse it can take before it breaks.

[williejc]

I agree that this revolver has potential. Although not +p rated, I'm surprised. It may be that factory testing revealed early problems with cylinder end shake, crane peening, lock up, and timing problems when higher pressure loads are used. Excessive wear brings about these problems, and it may be that the revolver is not designed to be adjusted or upgraded by traditional armorer techniques using file, stone, and big hammer. Rossi and Taurus revolvers fit in this category.

However, this revolver might be just the ticket for the citizen needing a reliable sock drawer handgun or for anyone else needing a reliable and reasonably accurate .38 Spl. Harrison and Richardson revolvers and Iver Johnson revolvers--all from yesteryear--performed this role admirably. The advanced shooter respected these brands but knew their design limitations. If Armscor could offer a really accurate .22 revolver at the same price as their .38, they would have great difficulty meeting the demand.

[jaholder]

I agree that this revolver has potential. Although not +p rated, I'm surprised. It may be that factory testing revealed early problems with cylinder end shake, crane peening, lock up, and timing problems when higher pressure loads are used. Excessive wear brings about these problems, and it may be that the revolver is not designed to be adjusted or upgraded by traditional armorer techniques using file, stone, and big hammer. Rossi and Taurus revolvers fit in this category.

However, this revolver might be just the ticket for the citizen needing a reliable sock drawer handgun or for anyone else needing a reliable and reasonably accurate .38 Spl. Harrison and Richardson revolvers and Iver Johnson revolvers--all from yesteryear--performed this role admirably. The advanced shooter respected these brands but knew their design limitations. If Armscor could offer a really accurate .22 revolver at the same price as their .38, they would have great difficulty meeting the demand.

That frame's pretty beefy, especially compared to the S&W J frame in the video that is +P rated. Looks even beefier than the Colt D frame it's obviously been copied from. While I probably wouldn't feed it a steady diet of Speer 135 +P's or FBI loads I wouldn't have trouble loading it with them for less-than-social occasions.

They chamber their 4 inch in .22 or even .22 Magnum and I'll be all over one like a sailor on a 5 dollar hooker.

[Mrgunsngear]

I agree that this revolver has potential. Although not +p rated, I'm surprised. It may be that factory testing revealed early problems with cylinder end shake, crane peening, lock up, and timing problems when higher pressure loads are used. Excessive wear brings about these problems, and it may be that the revolver is not designed to be adjusted or upgraded by traditional armorer techniques using file, stone, and big hammer. Rossi and Taurus revolvers fit in this category.

However, this revolver might be just the ticket for the citizen needing a reliable sock drawer handgun or for anyone else needing a reliable and reasonably accurate .38 Spl. Harrison and Richardson revolvers and Iver Johnson revolvers--all from yesteryear--performed this role admirably. The advanced shooter respected these brands but knew their design limitations. If Armscor could offer a really accurate .22 revolver at the same price as their .38, they would have great difficulty meeting the demand.

I really think that's where this gun shines. Greatest revolver--nope. But for a untrained shooter without motivation to learn but with motivation to defend themselves (kid away at college, elderly relative) you could do a lot worse

[HeruMew]

I really think that's where this gun shines. Greatest revolver--nope. But for a untrained shooter without motivation to learn but with motivation to defend themselves (kid away at college, elderly relative) you could do a lot worse

'Nother great one Gunsngear.

Got the girlfriend and I both subbed to you on YT and I regularly watch your older reviews/vids during lunch and downtime at work.

Nice to see another guy who started with just addressing a single topic get segued into such a large role for our industry.

To have you apart of our community is a great pleasure.

I was actually checking out the hammerless model from RIA a few weeks back with interest, and decided to allocate funds elsewhere as we get closer to election time.

[m4brian]

Nice! Thank you sir.

[GAPATRIOT75]

I think these a great for the money. Perfect for a car/truck,get home bag or HD on a budget. Guy I know has one and it's a tank, never fails. I kind of like the crudeness of it...

[wanderson]

My dad has two of these, purchased a used 2” snubbie at a local show for $125 years ago and liked it enough he ordered a new one online with the 4” barrel and large grip for $160. I know they’ve gone up in price but for an inexpensive clone of a Colt Detective they’re good value. The new one had a gritty trigger but smoothed out with use.