Got a Wrangler early last month. Had to send it back to Ruger after cylinder locked up after two shots. Picked up a new Sidekick a week ago Wednesday for $249, the same day my Wrangler came back. Shot both last Friday. Like the Sidekick better. Good review.

-- I run the sidekick. Something about the Wrangler when I put it in my hand screamed 'This just isn't my gun.' I like that you can dryfire the sidekick without hurting the firing pin. Much easier and faster to load (on Amazon you can buy speed loaders for about 10 bucks a peace). I also like that the Sidekick uses the same grips as the Wrangler, so you've got a wealth of aftermarket grips available. It's a strong shooter. Utterly detest the factory grips, but easy to change. I've also 'heard' unlike the Wrangler, it is safe to care the Sidekick hammer down on a loaded cylinder. Nine shots is better than six as well. I love Ruger firearms. Everybody has or at one time had a 10/22. But the Wrangler is simply outclassed in every regard by the Sidekick.

I've been thinking about getting a wrangler until I saw this diamondback. The 9 shot capacity and the fact you can change it out to .22 magnum really appeals to me. Being retired its almost like getting two guns for the price of one since I'm on a limited budget now. All I have are auto loaders because I have big hands and revolvers just don't feel secure in my hand. The light recoil of a .22 probably wouldn't feel like it's going to jump out of my hand like something bigger like a .38/.357 does. Looks like I'm going to have to start looking for a sidekick.

I agree, I recently bought the Sidekick, and it's ok. The coating isn't the best, so I took a Dremel to it with some Flitz. Hard to find a Single/Double with two cylinders for that price. Not a show piece, but a good range toy.

I agree with you about the Ruger loading gate. It is the reason I sold my Wrangler. I watched all of my LGS and finally found a sidekick. Great, all around .22 revolver. By the way, Wrangler grips will fit the sidekick. Will be dumping those plastic grips soon.

Thanks so much for this review of the diamondback. A lot of the reviews from the diamondback are from reviewers who were clearly given the gun for free in exchange for a clean review. I don't hate the player, but I know the game too well. This is a great unbiased review

I like both. The Wrangler and the Sidekick are both really fun guns. I like the convenience of the Sidekick a bit better, but I wouldn't sell my Wrangler either. If Wrangler had a nine shot cylinder and had 22 WMR capabilities, it would be my number one. But, since they are what they are, the Sidekick is my go-to now when walking the property.

Bought the sidekick today after putting $100 down little over a week ago at local gun store , would’ve bought then but they were running several other guns online and didn’t wana wait. I shot maybe 150 rounds today and only real issues I had was ejection with certain ammunition. Was pretty accurate with all 7 I tried . Hopefully I can give the the cylinder a good reaming and fix that issue. But it was the Winchester bulk so maybe was just an extra shitty box

I bought a Diamondback Sidekick about 4 months ago. Paid $360 after tax for it. Have never put one single round through it yet, and it's been in for repairs twice. The gun is out of time. If you pull the hammer back the cylinder still does not line up with the barrel. The cylinder will not lock up when the hammer is pulled. I've owned this gun for months and have never had a chance to shoot it. Diamondback has my gun now and they wont fix it. Couldn't be more disappointed.

Thanks for the review I'm torn between the two but slightly more towards the diamondback just looking for a trapline gun for critters

I own two Wranglers and love them. The Sidekick interests me but I wonder about the longevity of the zinc cylinder frame. I would think the ability to have 9 rounds of 22 magnum, double action and swing out cylinder make it a nice carry piece. I just have to have one in my hand to see how it feels. The wrangler has an aluminum cylinder frame. The loading gate is not plastic. Its aluminum.

Love my Ruger Single Six made in 1979. Stainless Steel & looks nearly new. It's a tank. Worth more than any gun I own today. I'd rather keep it home in a case so I need a Diamond Back Sidekick as a truck gun. I love Ruger & I'm sure these new Wranglers are good but a Diamond Back Sidekick seems like a better everyday beater truck gun.

Had to have the sidekick and had my local dealer order a very early production. I am very interested in ,22 magnum so started with .22 magnum cylinder. First problem was a broken firing pin spring from the factory. Spoke to the factory and they accepted it back for repair. Got the sidekick back from the factory in a reasonable time. Tried the magnum cylinder and was plagued by light hammer strikes. I tried four different brands of ammo. Second trip back to the factory. On the return from the factory I had trouble with swelled casings backing out of the cylinder and stopping the rotation of the cylinder. One more trip back to the factory. They exchanged both cylinders. Still have trouble with.22 magnum cylinder, only ammo I get any consistent fire with is 50 g. Federal. They are very hard to eject due to swelling. 22 l. r. Cylinder works ok but, I find the sights crude and I am not able to get very good groups. Overall I was disappointed. I will give it to Diamondback for effort. But after three trips back to the factory I settled for a .22 l.r. And gave up on the .22 magnum.

I got the side kick but the double action is almost 20 lbs strangely the single action is really nice. The other problem is it light strikes in 22 Magnum it appears that the slightly larger rim of 22 mag caused the primer strike to migrate towards the center with the slightly larger rim of 22 mag. So ironically it's like a 22lr timed and tuned gun where the 22 mag was an after thought. Despite significant difference in 22 mag and 22lr bore diameters it does shoot very accurately with 40 grain Aguila super extra. But the worst problem I've developed with mine is that it's starting to have a timing issue with both cylinders when cocked gently in single action.

Just ordered the Sidekick yesterday but may purchase a Ruger Super Wrangler just for my own personal trials. Thanks for your review.

Have both but love more the diamondback

I had a Ruger Single Six years ago with both cylinders. I hated how long it took to load and unload. Sold it. Since then I’ve been trying to find a SA/DA revolver at a good price. Most start at five bills saw the Sidekick on sale locally for less than half the price of other SA/DA’s. The only thing I’d change is adding an adjustable rear sight. Still a nice gun though.

I have several Ruger firearms of various sizes I love but not a Super Wrangler. Just purchased a Diamondback Sidekick.

Gotta love the cowboy guns!!🤠

I suspect that diamondback will devise a way to swap out cylinders without worrying about losing one or both of those 2 small pieces.

You mentioned one was a single action. Then you mentioned the other was a double action single action. I was a little confused for a second. All you needed to say was Wrangler was a single action, and the Sidekick a double action. Just a little constructive criticism. I just bought the Ruger Wrangler couple weeks ago. Love the weight of the revolver and how it comes with two cylinders. a .22 cal long and short and a .22 Mag.

Nice review of both firearms. Thanks for sharing it.

H&R Sidekick is very cool

I have the Ruger Wrangler Birds head edition with the short barrel and the Diamondback with the standard barrel in Bronze finish. Both are great guns but I like the fact that the Diamondback is single and double action and can shoot 22 lr and 22 magnum. I know that Ruger just released a Super Wrangler in both calibers but still 6 rounds in either cylinder and single action only.

Awesome video 👍 just picked up my sidekick today at the local hardware store that finally got one in. Looking forward to trying it out. Hope Diamondback makes a .45 Colt in the near future.

Love my Ruger Super Single Six made in the 200th year of American Liberty Like my 2 black Wranglers and Henry 001 Classic lever gun. Wranglers and Henry use the same rounds.

Ruger Wrangler loading gate is metallic not plastic, nice video on cylinder swapping, Sidekick resembles my High Standard 1973 Double 9 design,

Not too wild about seeing anyone place their thumb over the muzzle of the DB to pull the gizmo that releases the cylinder. Something about "don't point the muzzle that you don't want to destroy" lights up in my head. Wrangler loading gate stiff? There is an inexpensive cure for that, and it works great.

Id choose sidekick

Also wanted to add, great job on your improved camera settings, with the 1080p and 60 fps. Looks very clear!

The first video we ever put out on our channel was the Ruger Wrangler. It was alright, but I definitely noticed that the sights seems slightly off. I've always had issues with Ruger, though. Still a fun gun for sure. Great video!

Paid for and waiting my 3 days diamonback. It feels great in the hand. Grip not bulky at all. The weight lets you know its for real. As far as a carry, not in nj. But for a 22. Im being honest. If i heard any shots fired , im ducking. Would not want to be hit with any caliper🤣🤘

I'd reaaaaally like to get my hands on the Sidekick revolver! I like the style of it and how it functions like a modern gun. This is coming from a Ruger fan, just say'n.

Just picked up a Sidekick for review. Good comparison!

Diamond Back all the way!

Would love a Sidekick, just waiting for any of the local shops to get one in, seems to be an issue in central NY. Curious to see what DB comes out with next in this line now that they had such a great response to their first revolver.

The Ruger Wrangler the second the Diamonback hits the market: "I'm in danger..."

I tried two different places to order the Sidekick, and was told the Sidekick could not be sold in Illinois. Something about the meltdown weight of the gun.

I wanted to buy a Sidekick but they can't be sold in stupid Illinois because of the zinc frame.

I don't know why people compare double action to single action revolvers.

I was going to buy the Ruger Wrangler. The next time I went to my Gun Shop I saw the Sidekick, it was more expensive but the features made it a bargain. 2 guns in 1 !

I take the sidekick out to teach new shooters how to shoot. I love that gun.

ruger

Both are great guns the Ruger seems to be a little rough compared to the diamondback but I like them both but I’m that way About all revolvers specially the western style good review enjoyed watching

Nice… I’ve got the wrangler, I might have to look into the sidekick

Want to buy a SIDEKICK but cannot find one. Who has them in stock?

My Diamondback is identical to my OLD Revelation 76 (High Standard). The HS is at least 50 years old-what was Ruger waiting for?

I'd like to hear your thoughts on the heritage rough rider/bar keep vs the wrangler. Should be interesting

Bought one because it seemed like a interesting piece. Wrong. Never got to shoot it. Failed the function test dramatically. Started to lock up regularly. Unacceptable double action trigger pull. Sent it back. Got tired of jumping through hoops. Told them where they could put it. Be warned.

Quick question... I want to replace my Wrangler with a Sidekick. I already have a cutout foam space in my gun safe (which was cutout to fit my Wrangler). Will this also fit the Sidekick? How similar are the various dimensions of both guns' parts? I don't have foam space for another gun.

Both are unreasonably heavy for 22lr caliber. Better find an old Ruger Bearcat.

The DB is a modern copy of the old High Standard Double Nine from the 60's. Nothing oringinal about it.

Ruger grips fit on it

Ruger could do a better job on the Wrangler the sidekick is definitely a smoother gun. I would choose my sidekick

How is the topstrap holding up on the diamondback? I have seen images online of massive flame cutting after only a claimed 1000 rounds of use.

I've seen where some 22lr/22 mag combos are optimized for one caliber or another. Is there one caliber that seems more accurate than the other?

I don't own a Ruger Wrangler or a Diamondback Sidekick. But I do have 2 Ruger Super Single Six .22s-l-lr / .22wmr convertible revolvers. I wouldn't sell or trade my RSSS's for a Diamondback Wrangler, but I would buy a Diamondback Sidekick. For the price of the Diamondback Sidekick how can you go wrong?

This makes more sense if you want to shoot a cowboy gun? The Side Kick is not a cowboy gun, how can it make more sense to shoot it? Buy a freaking Charter Arms Pathfinder, but don't call it a cowboy gun. Just two different animals, just like the Side KIck.

Unload your firearms before tabletop descriptions dude.

I bet you are not old enough to have played 'cowboys' with an 'old timey' western style revolver :)

The grips are not interchanglble.

stay away from Heritage ,I dont care what they say, junk

RUGER WRANGLER: LOOKS GOOD...FEELS GOOD...DOESN'T SHOOT WORTH A DAMN...NOT EVEN A GOOD PLINKER.....MIGHT MAKE A INTERESTING PAPER WEIGHT BUT IT'S NOT A SHOOTER...!

Plastic loading gate on the Wrangler?Mines steel. Or alloy. I own 2 Wranglers. 4:45