Ruger nice, but didnt quite scratch the itch....

[NIGHTLORD40K]

So I've been hankering for an heirloom quality .22 revolver to cap my collection- something along the lines of a .22 Diamondback or a K22. I also wanted to be able to hand it to my kids, though, and not have a coronary! Seems like conflicting requirements, right?

My LGS took in a nice assortment two weeks ago including an early '90s 6-shot SP101 for $500 and a minty M17-3 for $650. My heart said Smith and Wesson, but my head said Ruger- and my wallet said "pick one."
After a little soul-searching, I went home with the SP.

Dont get me wrong, its a VERY nice well-balanced plinker with a comfy grip, smooth trigger, clean machining, and a good sight picture (though no elevation adjustment).
But......

I couldn't stop thinking about that 17. It had all the Target goodies, fathomless bluing, perfect timing, and a very fair price. Fortunately, Ive done alot of business with the shop in question. I called the owner last weekend and he agreed to hold the Smith for me until payday. Yay!




Picked up the M17 Friday and slept much better last night. The itch is scratched.

 

[ontarget]

Hey nice pair you got there.

 

[BullRunBear]

Congrats on the new toys. As much as I like Rugers, a K frame 22 is tough to beat for feel and accuracy. I will just add I recently picked up an older Taurus 970 22lr. Maybe I was lucky but the thing has a good trigger, locks up like a vault, and is a tack driver even with me shooting it. It's massive compared to my K-22 but shoots about as well.

Jeff

 

[earlthegoat2]

The correct process for choosing which one:

Weigh the pros and cons. Analyze the specifications. Sleep on it. Think on it all the next day.

Then go buy all of them.

Whenever they are going to buy new equipment at work, I always give the advice: Figure which size machine will fit our needs the best and then buy the biggest and most powerful one made.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Very nice! Is that a 17-3?

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Hey nice pair you got there.

Thanks, but, uh, revolvers, right?

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Very nice! Is that a 17-3?

Whoops never mind. I missed the dash 3 in the OP.

 

[ontarget]

Thanks, but, uh, revolvers, right?

Yeah what else.......LOL

 

[Waveski]

Having had both , there is no comparison between the SP and the 17. IMO the Smith is vastly superior in all ways with the possible exception of points given for “built like a tank”.

 

[Waveski]

And - I see you got the 3T’s. Good going.

 

[1KPerDay]

You did the right thing. Congrats!

 

[bannockburn]

NIGHTLORD40K

I would have probably done it the other way around: get the Model 17 first then ponder a bit on the SP-101.

Oh well, at least the story had a happy ending! Enjoy your .22 good fortune!

 

[bannockburn]

earlthegoat2

Figure which size machine will fit our needs the best and then buy the biggest and most powerful one made.

I do the same thing whenever I'm buying a gun or a major appliance!

 

[WheelGunMan]

A very handsome pair of revolvers you got there.

 

[J-Bar]

It is never a mistake to purchase an older Smith and Wesson in good condition.

Never.