S&W 63 22lr vs.................

Status
Not open for further replies.
>>I ended up selling the Ruger LCRX 22LR off. I liked it, but never really loved it. It always felt.....odd in hand.<<

And from my standpoint I can't really see any use for them. Guess I'm missing something. :cool:
 
About two years ago I traded my 3" 63 (1980's gun) for a 4" prelock 617. It's almost the same as my Model 66 4". I do still have one of two Model 17's
from the 70's-80's. The 63 was nice just too small for my hand.
 
Rodfac said:
PatRiot: I'd be interested in the sights you put on your M63...type and how you did it. I've got a cpl of blank S&W sights in my parts box, but have never attempted installing them. Best Regards, Rod
Click to expand...

Sorry Rodfac,
I didn’t see this until now. What I did is follow the advice in this video, only I was much more careful. I had all the tools and his advice on a little magnet tray is a good idea. That pin is tiny.


When I get home I will post some photos I took while doing the change.

This is the front sight I used. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/2343739317
 
Last edited:
Well, I have no photos of the sight removal but the key is to find a small enough punch to drive out the pin that holds the sight. I used a 0.050” Allen wrench as a punch and a 4 ounce hammer. I used the short section of the Allen wrench as the punch. I used an Armorer’s block to capture the pin. I had to tap the existing sight forward, just like in the video and then I turned the gun upside down a used a small brass punch to pop the sight out of its slot.

I used a rubber jawed vise to hold the gun in place to install the new sight. I did have to use an Arkansas stone to take rough edges off the sides of the base of the sight. I used the nylon hammer on the right to tap the sight into position.
13BD356A-ACFA-40F1-A052-17B341B741E8.jpeg

Once the sight was seated I clamped it into my vise with the barrel as level as I could get it and while securing it the vise you want to shim the rear of the gun to help keep it level.
Notice the chuck in the Dremel tool. It is the adjustable one sold at Ace Hardware.
NOTE: put the #54 bit into the hole, get it straight up and down THEN start the drill motor. BE EASY...ONLY GO A LITTLE BIT THE TURN THE GUN OVER and do the other side. Drill halfway each side.
5035366C-A2A0-49B3-80A4-B4AAC0232AF3.jpeg

Now prop your gun on an Armorers block, or whatever you have to hold it in place to install the pin. I used the Armorer block, an empty masking tape roll and a piece of 1/4” plywood.
55D6A3EC-82A7-4BA3-8FA3-FF7726F1FC21.jpeg

Now tape up the area around the hole so you do not ding your gun installing the pin with a SMALL hammer. I used a 4 ounce.
AACFEA88-5B18-427F-A01E-7573994507E7.jpeg

I used a set of offset needle nosed pliers to hold my pin in place to get it started into the hole. Just lightly tap it in. It’s not a race.
B52D3110-EAB5-438E-B44C-5340B0102B6C.jpeg

The finished product:
716149F6-D38F-4655-8FDA-25EC8CD11B90.jpeg

I actually think it took me longer to put this post together on my iPhone than it did to change that sight. :cool: :D
 

Attachments

  • E9A38FBA-27F5-4FC3-9046-5B92B225EB5E.jpeg
    E9A38FBA-27F5-4FC3-9046-5B92B225EB5E.jpeg
    137.2 KB · Views: 3
Pat Riot said:
Well, I have no photos of the sight removal but the key is to find a small enough punch to drive out the pin that holds the sight. I used a 0.050” Allen wrench as a punch and a 4 ounce hammer. I used the short section of the Allen wrench as the punch. I used an Armorer’s block to capture the pin. I had to tap the existing sight forward, just like in the video and then I turned the gun upside down a used a small brass punch to pop the sight out of its slot.

I used a rubber jawed vise to hold the gun in place to install the new sight. I did have to use an Arkansas stone to take rough edges off the sides of the base of the sight. I used the nylon hammer on the right to tap the sight into position.
View attachment 981945

Once the sight was seated I clamped it into my vise with the barrel as level as I could get it and while securing it the vise you want to shim the rear of the gun to help keep it level.
Notice the chuck in the Dremel tool. It is the adjustable one sold at Ace Hardware.
NOTE: put the #54 bit into the hole, get it straight up and down THEN start the drill motor. BE EASY...ONLY GO A LITTLE BIT THE TURN THE GUN OVER and do the other side. Drill halfway each side.
View attachment 981944

Now prop your gun on an Armorers block, or whatever you have to hold it in place to install the pin. I used the Armorer block, an empty masking tape roll and a piece of 1/4” plywood.
View attachment 981946

Now tape up the area around the hole so you do not ding your gun installing the pin with a SMALL hammer. I used a 4 ounce.
View attachment 981947

I used a set of offset needle nosed pliers to hold my pin in place to get it started into the hole. Just lightly tap it in. It’s not a race.
View attachment 981948

The finished product:
View attachment 981949

I actually think it took me longer to put this post together on my iPhone than it did to change that sight. :cool: :D
Click to expand...

Epic post!

Thank you!
 
IMG_20170723_202937_272.jpg ​

AK103K said:
The matte finish generally holds up a little better.... Ive bead-blasted more than a couple of scratched up, brightly polished SS handguns in the past just for that reason. The sights on the newer models, and just the crappy clearcoat finish the "Airweights" generally have, and how poorly they hold up to use, make them about the least desirable of the S&W line.
Click to expand...
I fully understand what you're saying, AK, and yes polished stainless picks up dings and nicks. That said, other S&W stainless guns don't have finishes that look like they've been done with a Brillo pad. Here are two examples of S&W guns (above) that have appealing finishes. I know you don't like the Airweight finish, but my first generation S&W 686 is beautiful, but it didn't have the Brillo-type finish the late Model 66s 6-inchers had. Or the beautiful finish this Ruger Security-Six (below). Or the Rossi Interarms .38 below that. Neither was polished, but they were beautiful right out of the box.

RUGERSecurity-Six4-inch_Loaded_2.jpg

Rossi88_5C.jpg ​

mnrivrat said:
Some years back (10?) my 85 year old aunt asked for my help on buying a .22RF revolver. She still cross country skied and decided she wanted a little something for protection when out on the snow, and at home were she lived alone. ... the salesman had talked her into buying a Taurus M941 in .22 Magnum. ... I bought a Taurus M94 .22LR I picked up on sale at Gander Mountain for $132 and change out the door. Works fine in SA but misfires at times in DA.
Click to expand...
All's well that ends well, and I assume your aunt never had any misfires with her M94 and that she was happy with her purchase. Many times the greatness of a deal lies between one's ears rather than the amount of $$$ one paid! I hope you lavished praise on her choice and that it served her well. (My nephews, btw, are anxiously awaiting my demise so they can divide my collection. I imagine they will wonder why I had so many Security-Sixes send no GP100s, but they'll just have to guess. And they'll likewise have to guess why I had no Glocks, but, rather, all_stainless steel second generation 9mm pistols!

--
 
I'd vote for the 63 if my experience were better. I have had three and every one wouldn't go more than 18 rounds without binding up and requiring cleaning. Still have one, it was Dads from 1978.
 
PapaG said:
I'd vote for the 63 if my experience were better. I have had three and every one wouldn't go more than 18 rounds without binding up and requiring cleaning. Still have one, it was Dads from 1978.
Click to expand...

That’s too bad. I have not had that experience with mine. I am pretty sure I have put over 150 rounds through it before giving it a cursory cleaning and repeating the process without issues.
 
PapaG said:
I'd vote for the 63 if my experience were better. I have had three and every one wouldn't go more than 18 rounds without binding up and requiring cleaning. Still have one, it was Dads from 1978.
Click to expand...

I have had some interesting experience with my 3" Model 317, which finally resulted in it getting a stainless cylinder, but my 63 has been good.
 
PapaG said:
I'd vote for the 63 if my experience were better. I have had three and every one wouldn't go more than 18 rounds without binding up and requiring cleaning.
Click to expand...
Is it binding between the cylinder and the forcing cone?

If so, remove the bottom screw, remove the cylinder, then put the gun in a vice with plenty of padding, grip up. You can then use a very fine jeweller's file and remove small parts of the forcing cone until you have a barrel/cylinder gap of .004-.005. Take it to the range and shoot it until it gets hot. If the gun continues to bind, take it to .006, but don't go much further. The throat in the forcing cone has plenty of room to do this.

When my S&W 63 was stolen, I bought two Rossi M511s, and they were just as accurate as the 63, plus they had an ejector guard. Woo-woo! The sights are stainless and they are great revolvers. I have an M88 .38Spc as well. Bought all three guns for roughly what the 63 cost. When I realized I wasn't going to live forever, I gave of my M511s to a friend. (And I recommend that. Give a friend a gun before you pass.) It's cheap to shoot and you'll introduce someone else to shooting.

IMG_20170723_201935_034.jpg ​
 
Does anyone have a S&W 317 and, if so, how well do they hold up? Being mostly alloy and being very expensive, is it a decent bugout bag addition? It's a beautiful gun and its one I didn't like at first. Now, like fungus, it's grown on me.

What are the pros and cons (besides being a small rimfire)?

S&W317_8.jpg
​
 
Last edited:
Confederate said:
Does anyone have a S&W 317 and, if so, how well do they hold up? Being mostly alloy and being very expensive, is it a decent bugout bag addition? It's a beautiful gun and its one I didn't like at first. Now, like fungus, it's grown on me.

What are the pros and cons (besides being a small rimfire)?

Click to expand...
I HATE the V-notch rear/ HiViz front sight arrangement on mine. To me it’s just not very accurate nor friendly to use... but that’s just me.
Trigger pull in both DA and SA is typical rimfire; heavier than centerfire guns but not atrocious. I changed the factory grip to a Hogue compact grip. The factory one was ok, I just prefer the Hogue.
Accuracy is fair with the sights. Sooner or later I’ll swap the rear blade to see if it works better with a true notch rather than the V.
It did get a turn-ring pretty quickly, which I guess could be expected with the lightweight alloy cylinder.
So far it’s been very reliable, it actually loads and ejects multiple cylinders full of 8 spent rounds better than my 4” 34-1, 6” 48-3 (.22 Mag) and 4” 18-3 do with a few cylinders fired... while only holding 6 apiece.
They are pricy, but if you want to carry a 8-shot rimfire revolver that’s about the weight of an iPhone in an otterbox cover, the 317 is it.
Stay safe.
 
I've had my M63 since I graduated high school, but I never could shoot it well. The J-frame does not fit well in my meaty clubs even with the Pachmayr grips. But WOW! The recently acquired M617 is PERFECT! With my upgraded grips and front sight (upgrades not shown) it is a perfect trainer for my M610. What an excellent firearm, and the 10-round capacity is outstanding.
JERRY said:
I had a 4" model 63 and I have to say in spite of it being the holy grail for a lot of shooters I was not impressed. maybe if it were the 2" gun or maybe if it had a better D/A trigger or maybe if it held more than 6 rounds in its 8 round sized cylinder.....
Click to expand...

hk940 said:
About two years ago I traded my 3" 63 (1980's gun) for a 4" prelock 617. It's almost the same as my Model 66 4". I do still have one of two Model 17's
from the 70's-80's. The 63 was nice just too small for my hand.
Click to expand...
S&W M617 vs S&W63 210402 888.jpg




My Dad gently lapped my M63 cylinders and remedied this.
PapaG said:
I'd vote for the 63 if my experience were better. I have had three and every one wouldn't go more than 18 rounds without binding up and requiring cleaning. Still have one, it was Dads from 1978.
Click to expand...
 
Riomouse911 said:
I HATE the V-notch rear/ HiViz front sight arrangement on mine. To me it’s just not very accurate nor friendly to use... but that’s just me.
Trigger pull in both DA and SA is typical rimfire; heavier than centerfire guns but not atrocious. I changed the factory grip to a Hogue compact grip. The factory one was ok, I just prefer the Hogue.
Accuracy is fair with the sights. Sooner or later I’ll swap the rear blade to see if it works better with a true notch rather than the V.
It did get a turn-ring pretty quickly, which I guess could be expected with the lightweight alloy cylinder.
So far it’s been very reliable, it actually loads and ejects multiple cylinders full of 8 spent rounds better than my 4” 34-1, 6” 48-3 (.22 Mag) and 4” 18-3 do with a few cylinders fired... while only holding 6 apiece.
They are pricy, but if you want to carry a 8-shot rimfire revolver that’s about the weight of an iPhone in an otterbox cover, the 317 is it.
Stay safe.
Click to expand...

I have gotten several guns with V rear sights. I have changed all of them to a square notch, including the 317. I also put black, serrated ramp front sights on those that needed them. Not that hard.
 
sparkyv said:
I've had my M63 since I graduated high school, but I never could shoot it well. The J-frame does not fit well in my meaty clubs even with the Pachmayr grips. But WOW! The recently acquired M617 is PERFECT! With my upgraded grips and front sight (upgrades not shown) it is a perfect trainer for my M610. What an excellent firearm, and the 10-round capacity is outstanding.



View attachment 997946




My Dad gently lapped my M63 cylinders and remedied this.
Click to expand...

Some people call them understudy guns. I love my 617's and when I am shooting double action guns, I spend most of my time with the .22, then finish up with the .357. 10mm, .44 or whatever.
 
ClemY said:
Some people call them understudy guns. I love my 617's and when I am shooting double action guns, I spend most of my time with the .22, then finish up with the .357. 10mm, .44 or whatever.
Click to expand...
Same here... fundamental practice with a rimfire (auto - or SA /DA revolver) most often starts off my shooting sessions, then I’ll move up to a centerfire of the same or similar type. :thumbup:

There really is a lot of value in having a rimfire with a similar design to your larger guns, an “understudy gun” for shooting without much recoil, noise and cost is the perfect description :).

Stay safe.
 
Howdy

I agree that a 6" model 617 is heavy and clunky. I certainly would not characterize it as 'sweet'.

If you want a much 'sweeter', and lighter weight K frame 22, look for a Model 17 or an old K-22 Outdoorsman.

The revolver at the top of this photo is a K-22 Outdoorsman, made around 1932, the middle revolver is my Model 17-3 that I bought brand spanky new in 1975. With its ugly full length underlug, the Model 617 is much heavier.

poUIJr4yj.jpg




This Model 63 left the factory around 1980 or so. Built on the J frame, much smaller and lighter than a K frame. There is a reason these were called 'kit guns'. Small enough to fit into a fisherman's tackle box or 'kit'. You won't get the kind of accuracy from one of these that you will get with a six inch K frame, but they are pretty perfect for putting in your pocket while walking through the woods.

poU8xNhJj.jpg
 
Confederate said:
Does anyone have a S&W 317 and, if so, how well do they hold up? Being mostly alloy and being very expensive, is it a decent bugout bag addition? It's a beautiful gun and its one I didn't like at first. Now, like fungus, it's grown on me.

What are the pros and cons (besides being a small rimfire)?

Click to expand...

i have a s&w 317. pros: pretty, lightweight, accurate, handy. con: aluminum cylinder heat-binds after 50 or so range rounds, even outdoors on a cold, northern, winter’s day. that episode moved my 317 from a regular carry to the gun safe, which is a true shame. i still like the concept of a 317 enough not to sell it, but knowing this flaw i advise buying a 3” ruger lcr-x 22lr instead. btw i got rid of a taurus 94 22lr before getting the 317. the 94’s double action trigger pull was about 100lbs, single action about 25lbs. of what i have, if i need to carry a small, light 22lr revolver now, i defer to a ruger bearcat: only six rounds and single action, but a mechanical jewel that is built like a brick outhouse.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

S
  • Locked
S&W .22 Revolver, 63 or 617
Replies
13
Views
4K
22-rimfire
2
Mr. Mosin
  • Locked
S&W J frame .22LR
Replies
6
Views
594
MedWheeler
M
General Geoff
  • Locked
looking for rosewood grips for a Smith model 63 (J-frame)
Replies
9
Views
2K
nicholst55
N
General Geoff
  • Locked
Smith & Wesson model 63-4 (.22lr) range report
Replies
4
Views
10K
CDH
C
K
  • Locked
S&W 617 - leaf or coil spring ??
Replies
12
Views
1K
KONY
K
Back
Top