22LR Revolver choices

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Hi...
I have exactly one DA .22LR revolver.
It is a Dan Wesson with an 8-3/8" barrel. Blued revolver made in Monson.
Big heavy revolver for the caliber but it is extremely accurate.
I have considered acquiring another .22LR revolver and if I do it will either be a S&W 617 with a 6" barrel or a Ruger in stainless with at least a 6" barrel, preferably longer. I do own a Kimel Ind. SA .22/22Mag revolver that I have had for over forty years and it has been a reliable and accurate revolver.

My .22LR revolvers are essentially target guns that occasionally get used for squirrel and groundhog hunting.
 
cfullgraf said:
I do not know what exactly was changed between the -2, -3, or -4 models but they generally are some internal engineering changes to the revolvers. The changes could be for reduction in production costs or they could be for some design improvements.
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Actually, if you look at what I wrote about changes at different dash levels, none of them are about changes to the internal mechanism.

A change in the type of thread on the extractor rod and a change in the configuration of the gas ring.

You are correct about reduction in production costs though. Reducing the number of threaded screw holes is a reduction in production cost. Eliminating the pinned barrel for a different type of thread on the barrel is a reduction in production cost. Cutting the checkering completely across the screw hole on the grips was probably also a way to reduce the cost to checker the grips.

Most of these changes are to reduce production cost. Changing the extractor thread from right to left was an engineering change that made the revolver better. I can't tell you how many times I have screwed the extractor rod all the way back into the cylinder on an older S&W revolver. The direction of rotation of the cylinder tended to loosen the thread. This would cause the extractor rod to back out slightly, often making it difficult, or next to impossible to open the cylinder. You had to rotate the extractor rod back in to shorten its length so the cylinder could open. Absolutely a desirable engineering change from the older design. Happened in the late 1950s and early 1960s pretty much across the board with S&W revolvers.
 
How picky are those 18's (and 617s) with ammo? Am I going to need to use the same good stuff I shoot out of the Anschutz 54 rilfe, or can I grab a box of bulk stuff and go out to the back acre and plink away all afternoon?
 
Just buy the darn thing and shoot it.

Eventually, it will tell you which ammo it likes best.

Most firearms have a 'preference' for a particular brand or loading of ammunition.

But generally when I take a 22 revolver to the range I take a 'cheap' box of bulk 22s and some CCI stuff, which is not as cheap.

To tell you the truth, plinking at soup cans at the 25 yard berm I am not a good enough marksman that I can tell the difference.
 
Driftwood Johnson said:
Just buy the darn thing and shoot it.

Eventually, it will tell you which ammo it likes best.

Most firearms have a 'preference' for a particular brand or loading of ammunition.

But generally when I take a 22 revolver to the range I take a 'cheap' box of bulk 22s and some CCI stuff, which is not as cheap.

To tell you the truth, plinking at soup cans at the 25 yard berm I am not a good enough marksman that I can tell the difference.
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You're 100% right I need to quit questioning myself. Pick one and buy it. At this point I'm overthinking it. Either the 18 or 617 will be just fine.

I'm a natural tinkerer. I love working on guns to squeeze out every bit of accuracy. I might do a good job of it, but it's really pointless for me. Even when they start out and use junk ammo they're more accurate than I am.

Then again I suppose the best answer is BUY BOTH!
 
Driftwood Johnson said:
Looks Great. You got the box and all the goodies too.

The box and tools look just like what came with my Model 17-3 that I bought brand new in 1975.
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There was another one that was a little bit cheaper but I liked that it had that stuff. I had a hard time deciding between this and the 617 but I figured those are still in production and if I want one at some point I can get one. Maybe the gov't will send out another gun buying check I mean stimulus check.
 
In my experience the standard speed .22 LR ejects smoother than the high speed stuff. But mine likes any version of Federal, CCI, and Aguila ammunition. I have been disappointed in recent Winchester and Remington offerings.

But in these days of shortages, if you don’t already have a good inventory of .22LR get what you can and go shoot small groups!!
 
J-Bar said:
In my experience the standard speed .22 LR ejects smoother than the high speed stuff. But mine likes any version of Federal, CCI, and Aguila ammunition. I have been disappointed in recent Winchester and Remington offerings.

But in these days of shortages, if you don’t already have a good inventory of .22LR get what you can and go shoot small groups!!
Click to expand...

It's going to be fun to see what it likes. It could take a while though. I've got a few ammo cans full of the match grade stuff I use in the Anschutz. A few more full of "good" stuff you typically see (or used to anyway) and God knows how many thousands of rounds of various brands of bulk.
 
Try to find a High Standard Sentinel-107.It has 9 shots and is light weight because of it's aluminum frame.
And the trigger is great.
20191114_092850.jpg
 
I bought a Ruger SP101 .22 a while back, just to have as a .22 revolver for carry in the woods. I will not buy a Ruger anything, without seeing it in person, to look it over. The quality of Ruger, runs anything from perfect, to it looks like a monkey put it together. This little SP101 was well put together and has the nicest polish and finish of any Ruger I have seen in a long while. The trigger on them are heavy and gritty. I did some polishing and put Wolff springs in, and it did wonders. I also found a nice set of badger grips, though the factory grips were fine. It is the .22 revolver I carry a lot. My true love of .22 revolvers are the S&Ws. I have older ones, a model 17-3, model 18 no dash and a model 63 no dash. I don’t know about the newer S&Ws, but the older ones are top notch. The K frames are some of the finest.22 revolvers ever made. You won’t find anything fitted and finished like they were. I would look for an older prelock S&W. You won’t be sorry.

Ruger SP101
957465EC-80BC-4BF2-A148-9390AE360A8B.jpeg

Smith & Wesson Model 18 no dash
EE37E4B4-F83F-47C8-8472-91EDFC157B5F.jpeg
 
DDDWho said:
I paid $270 for this used Rossi Plinker a couple of years ago. I had to polish the cylinders making it easier to eject spent brass. I finally got it sighted in good enough to get close to what I’m looking at. After some heartache I finally made a keeper out of it. View attachment 927846
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I bought one of these two years ago at a local gunshow for $250 brand new in the box. When the dealer put it in the box the box was fairly well worn and I asked how long he had been taking it to shows. He checked his book and the gun was five years old and after he told me all he did was sell at shows I could understand the wear on it's cardboard box. Like you I had to polish the chambers but that is the only thing it has needed. It's pretty accurate off a rest and the DA trigger isn't bad. In SA it has a great trigger, something I wasn't expecting to find. I couldn't be happier with it.
 
Hi all, new member here. New to guns/shooting, too. Been perusing the forum for an hour or two today, and I have a "What would you do" question that seemed like it might belong in this thread.

I purchased my first gun in June. It is a Smith & Wesson 9mm Shield EZ 2.0, and I was surprised to discover how interesting and fun this hobby can be.

While that one's primary purpose was potential home/self defense, I decided I wanted a plinker with pretty aesthetics, maybe a "cowboy gun," so started researching .22 revolvers. I went to a sporting goods store and went in on a Ruger gp100, but my application was delayed... for over 30 days. This store will not transfer without a "proceed," so I had to resubmit the application. Delayed again, so I've got my money tied up for 5-6 weeks now.

The local shop where I got my 9mm had a Smith & Wesson Model 17 with a 6 inch barrel that I really liked, and a 617 with a 4 inch barrel that I liked a little. I hesitated to put in an application because I don't know the laws involving whether you can do that if another one is still in the delay stages, so I put the Model 17 on layaway.

At this stage, I'm tempted to just cancel the one from the sporting goods store and give the local shop my business. What would you do?? Is the Ruger worth the wait? Can you even cancel an application that is already in the delayed stage?

I liked the finish of the Ruger, but I also like the blueing and wood grips of the 17. Believe it or not, I actually liked the heft of the full lug on the 617 too, but not the 4 inch barrel or the black rubber grips. I don't think I really care about 10 versus 6 round capacity.

What would you all do in this situation?

-Jeff
 
thehandofgod said:
Hi all, new member here. New to guns/shooting, too. Been perusing the forum for an hour or two today, and I have a "What would you do" question that seemed like it might belong in this thread.

I purchased my first gun in June. It is a Smith & Wesson 9mm Shield EZ 2.0, and I was surprised to discover how interesting and fun this hobby can be.

While that one's primary purpose was potential home/self defense, I decided I wanted a plinker with pretty aesthetics, maybe a "cowboy gun," so started researching .22 revolvers. I went to a sporting goods store and went in on a Ruger gp100, but my application was delayed... for over 30 days. This store will not transfer without a "proceed," so I had to resubmit the application. Delayed again, so I've got my money tied up for 5-6 weeks now.

The local shop where I got my 9mm had a Smith & Wesson Model 17 with a 6 inch barrel that I really liked, and a 617 with a 4 inch barrel that I liked a little. I hesitated to put in an application because I don't know the laws involving whether you can do that if another one is still in the delay stages, so I put the Model 17 on layaway.

At this stage, I'm tempted to just cancel the one from the sporting goods store and give the local shop my business. What would you do?? Is the Ruger worth the wait? Can you even cancel an application that is already in the delayed stage?

I liked the finish of the Ruger, but I also like the blueing and wood grips of the 17. Believe it or not, I actually liked the heft of the full lug on the 617 too, but not the 4 inch barrel or the black rubber grips. I don't think I really care about 10 versus 6 round capacity.

What would you all do in this situation?

-Jeff
Click to expand...

I'm not sure about the paperwork and all that stuff it probably depends where you live.

Sounds like you're in a similar position as I was. I narrowed it down to an old 4" model 18 or a 4" 617. I really liked the wood and the bluing. on the 18 (Pretty much the same as the model 17 you're looking at I think, except for the shorter barrel.)

I ended up getting both and put some nice wood grips on the 617 that fit me a well. I am enjoying both guns now but if I had to do it all over again I may have saved some $$ and just got the model 18.
 
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