High capacity .22LR revolvers

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Enter_Narne

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Hi, I'm trying to find out about .22LR revolvers that have capacities of 8 rounds or more. I am interested in double action handguns. And if you have any questions like "why would you want a 22?" or any other off topic posts I will refer you to the title of this thread.
 
The S&W 617 was also made in 8 3/8" barrel length. I am pretty sure several threads in the last month or so have covered such a thing. Quick summary is S&W, Taurus, High Standard, and H&R pretty much wrap it up. There may be a few more but can't think of them off the top of my head. Hope this helped.

Noidster
 
High standard made several models of 9 shot revolvers, years ago.
Smith and Wesson made the 617 in the 10 shot models, like mentioned above. It used to also be available in the 8 3/8 barrel model, if you are looking for used.
 
Taurus 9 shot is their model 94 . If your looking for a light & smooth DA pull however keep in mind that the smaller frame guns like the Taurus 94 have a mechanical disadvantage when compared to a K frame size gun.

My Taurus is a good shooter, but it is not a lightweight trigger pull in DA. I shoot .22 revolvers in SA for the most part, and buy the DA guns for their loading features. (swing out cylinder )
 
S&W 317, which is an 8-shot Airlite built on the J-frame. It comes in a 2" or 3" barrel, and the 3" has adjustable sights. It is very light, the 3" version weighs something like 11-12ozs fully loaded.

S&W also has re-made the model 63 in stainless with a 8-shot cylinder now as well. That is also a J-frame, and I think it comes in a 4" or 5" barrel.
 
I have a 317 in 2"[8 shot] and a 617-6 in 4"[10 shot].Both are good;the 617 is excellent!Great trigger,timing,etc.Very accurate.I bought it new and have put around 20,000 rounds thru it with no problems.
 
I also have a Taurus 94 w/ a 5" barrel.

DA pull is murderously hard. Close to 20 pounds, I'd guess.

SA break is okay though. It's pretty accurate, but I have noticed that the cylinder index notches are not deep enough. Squeeze the trigger too fast, or touch the wheel with your hand, and you can move the cylinder out of alignment so that you skip a chamber or you miss the rim of the cartridge and have no ignition.

I'd suggest sticking with a 6-shot model. Seriously. It's just a .22, it isn't a very good self defense round anyways. Any gun is better than no gun, but if you are buying this for defensive purposes, just buy a .38 instead.

Loading 9 rimfires I've found is a pain in the butt. I'd rather load 6. Out rabbit hunting, I've never needed more than 6 rounds at once. Target shooting, this gun is tedious to shoot 9 shots in a row since the frame is small and the DA trigger is so tight.

The problems with this gun could be fixed if it were of a larger frame geometry (GP-frame or L-frame), and the chambers were spaced farther apart so that the index notches could be deeper. Maybe the "tracker" .22 would be better.

Hope this helps.
 
Do you all think the S&W 617 is too heavy for a woman?
Click to expand...

You mean the actual weight of the gun? Naw. Especially a 4". To me, a 6" 617 does feel a wee bit muzzle heavy, though.

You mean the pull weight of the DA trigger? Very possible. Maybe not "too heavy", but heavy enough that my G/F prefers to shoot my 4" in SA. I don't think it's a "woman thing", though - I see many guys shoot revolvers by cocking the hammer first. :scrutiny:
 
Last edited:
Wouldn't that depend on the woman?

I have a 617 6" Bbl. Len. w/10shot cyl.
I'm going to shorten the barrel so that the sight
radius will be the same as my N-frame and
I will be able to use the same shoulder holster
for whichever gun I want along that day.

The 617 is heavy at 42 oz for the 4" and 45 oz
for the 6" bbl. It makes them easy to shoot

FYI - the 317 at 11.8 iz an 8 shot cyl. the other
J-frame mentioned the Model 63 "Kit" gun is an 8 shooter
as well as being all steel and the only barrel
length offered is 5 inch and the weight is 28.8 oz.

What do you want the gun for, target/pplinking or
something to take along hiking or ?
 
Based on my experience teaching new shooters, I believe the 617 is too heavy for a woman to handle comfortably. Other K-frame revolvers such as the Model 18 are better. That underbarrel lug on the 617 adds too much weight, IMO.

My students much prefer the J-frame .22 revolvers. I have stopped bringing my 6" 617 to class because everyone would rather shoot a Model 34 or 63.
 
Here is a very good shooter high capacity( nine ) light weight and pretty cheap 22. High standard Double nine. with a heavy double action trigger but a decent single action.

000_0189.jpg
 
I'm pretty happy with my Taurus 94. It's a very good shooter and although the DA pull was very heavy, it had a pretty decent SA trigger right out of the box. Maybe I just got lucky. The low NIB cost was a nice bonus too.

I did swap in some Wolf springs, but the main reason for that was to duplicate the DA trigger pull of my S&W 642 (which also has Wolf springs).
 
You mean the actual weight of the gun? Naw. Especially a 4". To me, a 6" 617 does feel a wee bit muzzle heavy, though.

You mean the pull weight of the DA trigger? Very possible. Maybe not "too heavy", but heavy enough that my G/F prefers to shoot my 4" in SA. I don't think it's a "woman thing", though - I see many guys shoot revolvers by cocking the hammer first.
Click to expand...

Thanks for addressing both. I'll be sure to consider these factors.
 
I saw there are some speedloaders for the Taurus 94. Are there speedloaders for any of the other revolvers mentioned?
 
I stumbled upon the link below some time ago for a speedloader for a 10-round 617. Realisically, getting 10 rounds loaded quickly might take some practice. Also, my 617 has some pretty tight chambers, so if I were to speedload, I'd have to keep my chambers scrupulously clean. Even then, even after a few rounds fired, a number of them wouldn't just "drop" in like they should. Keep in mind, too, that compared to a ..22LR round, a 38spl or .357magnum is much heavier, and it's that weight that helps these larger rounds drop into the cylinder quickly.

So, getting back to the issue of the DA trigger pull: It sounds like this is going to be a defense weapon by a female. If so, my only suggestion is to be sure she's willing and able to shoot it in DA mode. In fact, if it'll be a defense-only gun, there's a lot to be said for rendering it DAO. I included some good reading as to why this is so, and it's written by one of the most respected revolver gunsmiths in the business. If she's only willing to shoot it if she can shoot it in SA, my recommendation would be to find a semi-auto instead.

http://groups.msn.com/Speedloader

http://www.grantcunningham.com/blog_files/the_case_for_dao.html
 
Re: 617

As to the actual gun weight I believe a 4" 10 shot 617 is listed by S&W at 42oz. As a comparison a 4" 66 weighs about 36 oz and a 7 shot 4" 686 about 38.5 oz. Guns can be too heavy or too muzzle heavy for some. On the other hand if the gun is too light it could be hard for a new shooter to hold steady especially in double action.

As to trigger pull weight with tuning the 617 could possibly be tuned to the lightest of all double action .22 revolvers. Here is a string on this question over at Brian Enos Forum:

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=30057&st=0&p=346926&

and another:

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=52448

and a bit both on the 617 and DS-10 loaders:

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=55368

and on the S&W Forum:

http://smith-wessonforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/580103904/m/2721098542/p/1

I have an older 4" Model 18 6 shot and can state without doing anything really exotic double action can be taken to 7.5 to 8 lbs. Also, it weighs less than 36 oz. As someone above noted using a small frame revolver does not have the mechanical advantage of a medium frame so cannot be tuned as light all other things equal. The medium frame Smith has a leaf main spring whereas the small frames have coil spring. Some have maintained the leaf gives a smoother double action. Another medium-small frame double action is the Colt Diamondback which is lighter than the Model 18. The Dback, however, is pricey and the double action cannot be tuned any lighter than the Smith 17, 18 or 617.

As noted it all depends upon what you want to use the gun for: defense, hunting or recreation.
 
Narne - Babylon 5 right?

So there is a speedloader for a 617? Gotta check
that link, the model 63 8 shot is high on
I Want One list at 28.8 oz it would be handier than
my 617. Even nicer would be to get the 63 5" Bbl.
shortened to 3" Bbl. to partner in handling
with my 3" Bbl. Model 60
 
I really like my DS-10-Speedloader for my 617. I got a couple of the speedloaders and the loading block and really like it.

Makes it much easier to load and more fun to shoot.

Service was good and quick.
 
I have found the H&R model 999 "Sportsman" model to be a neat little shooter- top break action and holds 9 rounds...I have seen several lately, priced fairly reasonably; maybe $150. to $200.
 
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