Please recommend a DA .22 snubby

[Candiru]

I'm interested in buying a .22 snubby for DA shooting practice. My reasoning is that if I can learn to shoot a snubby well in double-action, the Kahr I carry for self-defense will seem easy by comparison. Thus, I'm looking for something that has a long and heavy DA trigger pull, but one that is relatively smooth and has no staging. Since this will be used for practice, longevity would also be nice.

I've looked at both the Taurus Model 94 and Smith & Wesson's M317. The Taurus is appealing for its lower price and slightly higher capacity, but I've read reports of light strike malfunctions. I'm really tired of sending guns back to the factory, so I would like to get something that comes with a reasonable expectation of functioning as intended. I've heard few function complaints about the S&W 317, but it does cost a lot more.

I'd love it if I could get input from those who've shot one or the other (or both!) and drawn a conclusion as to the quality of the guns. Also, if there are other .22 snubbies I haven't considered that would meet my criteria, please tell me!

My shooting skills thank you in advance, but my sore trigger finger is already muttering grumpily...

(In case some of you cross-browse, I also posted this at TFL, but wanted to get more eyes on it.)

 

[foghornl]

Not really a snubby, but Ruger offers their SP-101 model in a .22LR version, 4" barrel, 6-shot.

Probably more $$ than the Taurus you mentioned, but less than the S&W.

 

[BigG]

There is a S&W .22 that is a clone of the Model 36 Chief's Special, except it has an adjustable rear sight. I don't know the model number but it would be perfect for your needs.

 

[P. Plainsman]

The .22 SP101 six-shooters just went out of production. 2004 was the last year. They are available on the used market (sometimes -- people who have them rarely seem to sell them), and there may still be some in the Ruger dealer pipeline.

Those who want one should move fast.

 

[JERRY]

i used to have the Tuarus 941 .22mag snubby in s.s.

it was a good gun. no problems with light strikes or anything. i believe the 94 version (.22lr)would be the same.

 

[tbeb]

BigG is talking about a model 34, and this is a real, real nice snubby. I want to say the stainless version is the model 63. Both are discontinued models, but a very good to excellent used one would be sweet. The old model Charter Arms Pathfinder is pretty nice. It has a 3" barrel and an adjustable rear sight. (I have one with a 6" barrel in .22 magnum. I also have a snubby that is a .38 special.)

 

[P95Carry]

I had this way way back - Charter Arms Pathfinder. sadly it was well used when I got it and after a bit longer was sloppy as all heck.

But - it felt amazing - the grip was superb, it was very pointable and weight was modest. If I could find an old one little used, I'd snap it up - but no idea whether any survived to old age to be available any more. For me, the ideal 22 snub - had it been tighter.

Sorry poor pic - scanned from a poor photo I took 20 years ago!.

 

[jdomin]

You need a model 34 S&W

S&W 34 2 inch round butt look to pay about 450. exc condition

 

[71Commander]

I know you asked for a wheel gun, but if you're practicing for a semi, why not get a semi in .22?

This is a real nice gun.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=34878010

 

[Candiru]

I'm practicing for a DAO semi, and the only DAO .22 of which I know is the Taurus PT-22, the durability of which has many detractors.

 

[Onmilo]

Smith and Wesson makes the Airweight Model 317 in a 2" fixed sight version and a 3" barrel adjustable sight version.
I have a 3" version, a gift from my wife.
It has become one of my most carried and used handguns around the farm.
I like it a lot.
Some complain that these guns have a heavy double action pull and maybe some of the guns do.
Mine was stiff when I received it but the more I have used the gun the smoother the action has become.
In turn the more I practice with it, the better I have become at shooting the gun double action.

 

[unclestu]

It's not a snubbie, but I recently got a S&W Model 63 Stainless Kit Gun in very nice condition. I shouldn't have bought it, but hey, I did need something to shoot dirt cheap .22 ammo that would also be good DA trigger practice for a DAO auto. The fact that I've wanted a S&W 63 for over 25 years had absolutely nothing to do with it!

That's my story & I'm sticking to it...

 

[jdl357]

The PPK 22 is hard to find and expensive, but is a DA auto with a very heavy DA pull. The Sig 232 is a 380 and has the smoothest, sweetest DA. I bring one of these with me when I practice DA with a 9mm or 38 sp snubby.

 

[mnrivrat]

I wouldn't be particularly afraid of the Taurus 94's . I have two of them and consider both to be good for the money spent.

I shortened one to a 2&3/4 inch barrel , but as you know they come in 2 inch from the factory. They have a heavy double action pull and can only be slightly to moderately reduced in DA pull without introducing light strikes. They can be made to be fairly smooth with normal polishing, stoning, and firing.

I won't tell you that they are on par with the S&W guns such as the Model 34 , but they are OK in my experience.

 

[Preacherman]

I also have the S&W 317 of which Onmilo speaks. It's a great little gun, and I use it a lot for "snubby practice", since the recoil on my 442 and 642 gets a bit much after a hundred rounds or so! The factory trigger is heavy, but if you replace the mainspring with a stock mainspring for standard (i.e. centerfire) J-frames, this lightens it up considerably, with no effect that I can discern on ignition reliability. I did this a year ago to mine, and have put several hundred assorted rounds through it since then, with no failures to ignite.

 

[P. Plainsman]

The handy DA .22 kit gun is a category of revolvers that, intuitively, should be better served by the market than it actually is today. (Another example is the big bore, non-magnum, DA "service caliber" wheelgun -- .45 Colt, .44 Special, .45 Auto Rim. Only thing that seems to stick around is .45 ACP wheelguns. I digress.)

S&W 63s, S&W K-22s, Colt .22 Diamondbacks -- all the classic, cherry rimfire sixguns of the past haul in huge prices on the used market.

And now Ruger goes and discontinues the .22 SP101.

Anyway, your choices today, if buying new, are S&W and Taurus. Since you made clear that you want a "heavy, . . . but relatively smooth" trigger pull, you should do well with the S&W 317 -- indeed, that describes every new J-frame trigger I've handled in the past year.

 

[Ala Dan]

Another vote for the round butt 2" barrel Smith & Wesson model 34.
An excellent firearm for camping, river boats, back-packing, etc. but
kind'a costly. Also, its heavier than the S&W model 317.

 

[yellowcarbon]

I have been searching for a S&W K-22 for several months. All the ones I have seen have been in the $400-500 range. If they were any cheaper, they were pretty beat up. So I ended up picking up a H&R 929 DA .22 for $75. While it is not nearly as nice as the Smiths, it has a decent trigger and goes boom. W/ the money I saved, I picked up a S&W 19 w/ the sweetest trigger I have ever felt.

 

[deputydon]

A friend of mine has a Ruger SP-101 2" .22 that he wants to sell, so I know they exist Looks like a good heavy gun & less money than the Smith. - Don

 

[P. Plainsman]

A 2" model, you say? Interesting. Before being discontinued, the .22 SP101s were only available in 3" or 4" barrel. But perhaps that was only true in the last few years?

 

[popeye]

My little 34. I've got a Taurus 941 magnum also. Never had a problem with it.