I emailed S&W a few days ago to see if they would do this for me. Haven't heard back yet so maybe they're getting caught up from the long holiday weekend. So, in the mean time thought I would ask here to see if anyone has done this or thought about doing it.

I have a Model 317 (22 LR 8-shot @10 ounces) that I bought new in 1997, and would like to have a 22 Magnum cylinder fitted to it.

If you have any thoughts or experiences with this, let's have 'em

Thanks

John Gross

Sounds great. I would like to have one of those too...I would suspect that the Custom Shop would ream out a cylinder for you, but it is not going to come cheap....If I recall correctly, the 22 mag cylinders are 7 shot....that may present a problem due to the pressure involved with the 22mag....let us know how it works out.

__________________
On the Oak Savannah

I think you would have better luck with trying to buy and have a 351PD cylinder fitted. No way will they just ream out a 8 shot 317. I will be shocked if they say sure they will. You might get some local machinist to do it though. That would take some routing skills to refinish the counter bore just right.

I know the SS Model 63 22LR can be fitted to the 317, but I am not sure if Smith makes an 8-shot 22MAG cylinder that will. I think you may get into all sorts of issues and the expense of doing it would far outweigh the benefit.

If you really wanted to try this.....maybe acquire a 63 SS cylinder and have it bored to accept the 22 MAG round. The other drawback is that the 317 has a SS liner in the barrel.

I know us gun-nuts will try anything, but this could make an already very expensive gun a very much more expensive gun and possibly one that would be ruined in the process.

My advice is to shoot the very hottest 22LR rounds that "approach" the 22MAG. The argument is out there and there are folks that swear you get a lot more out of a 22MAG than you can a hot 22LR, but I think they are close enough to being equal fired from a 2-inch barrel. You get a lot of un-burned powder and more flame-over from the 22MAG in a short barrel revolver.

My 2-cents......stay with what you have and research the hot 22LR loads. You're not going to gain anywhere near the additional bang-for-the-buck for the cost involved.

No, I'm not expecting them to ream out my 8-shot 22 LR cylinder.

My guess (Hope) is that they have spare/replacement cylinders for the 351 and could fit it to my revolver.

Am I correct that the cylinders are interchangeable between the two guns? (With proper fitting of course).

John Gross

IIRC the bullet diameters for .22lr and .22mag. are different.. .222 vs .224.. which is why the Ruger's Single Sixes aren't that accurate the bore Dia. is a compromise.

Also .22mag is designed for a rifle length barrel.... all you get is a lot of unburned powder and noise out of a short barrel.

Go to the CCI web site and look at some or their hot .22lr loads....

They will not do it. What you want will not work. The bore diameter for the 22 mag is bigger than the 22 rimfire.

__________________
Forum consigliere

There has already been some chrono results posted of CCI Stingers from a 317 that were pretty dismal. I don’t know what extra a .22 mag will offer since as far as I know they are still all made for rifles. I have a .22 mag NAA Minirevoler and all it does is bark really loud and make the same hole as a .22LR would. I feel a little like a sucker for not buying the .22LR version. I guess a belly full of close range Stingers from a 317 would still ruin a BG’s day but you could always do better. Step up to a four inch barrel as a minimum and you start to see a visible increase in effectiveness of the two .22 loadings. But for a snub I’m not sure what we hope to gain by stepping up to magnum.

I don't want to make the revolver any heavier by adding a SS cylinder. If their 22 Mag aluminum cylinder from the Model 351 could be used that should keep the weight right about the same (@10 ounces).


My interest in the 22 Mag is that is it more reliable than the 22 LR, not so much that there is any great increase in power.

Thank you for your reply.

John Gross

John....I'm not sure what you mean by "more reliable". Can you expand on that a bit?

Are you having FTF issues, or anything like that.

I'd like to hear more about the superior reliability of the .22 Mag cartridge.

Maybe "less fragile" would have been a better term for me to use

It's my understanding, and I could be wrong about this, is that the heel type bullet used in the 22 LR is seated less securely in the cartridge case than the more traditional bullet of the 22 Mag. While I don't believe that there are widespread reports of 22 LR bullets falling out of their cartridge cases, I've had some 22 LR cartridges that I could "wiggle" the bullet with my fingers or be able to slightly turn it in the cartridge case, but not so with the 22 Mag.

Also some, and perhaps many, 22 LR bullets are outside lubed and can pick up dirt/lint much more than the 22 Mag bullets (especially since I pocket carry), requiring more frequent checking and changing of ammunition. Not a big deal I suppose, but one more thing that needs more diligent attention.


No, not at all. My preference for the 22 Mag has more to do with the type of bullet it uses vs. the 22 LR. However, it may be possible that my concerns are more perceived than real

John Gross

EDIT: I forgot to include this picture for those who are not familiar with the different bullets of the 22 LR vs. 22 Mag, or who just have not paid much attention

What Cajun said.Smith will not fit a 22 mag cylinder to any 22 lr gun-never did.
Long ago,they discontinued fitting 22 lr cylinders to magnum guns.

John.....those "wigglers" may be what we can call "fliers" after we shoot them.

I have never actually paid that much attention to, or noticed any that did that, but I am sure one could find a few now and then not property seated or crimped. If I found a lot in a certain brand of ammo...I certainly would drop it.

Yep....the 22MAG is a much bigger round, but like many others have said, most of the powder is blown out the end of the barrel.

As mentioned above, John, S&W won't help you; buy a 351 PD .22 Mag.
Yes, it's louder and spits flame. But what you get out of the 351's 1 7/8-inch barrel with Maxi Mag 40 grain ammo is about 119 ft lbs of muzzle energy. You would need a Model 63, 5-inch barrel with Stingers to get just a little better: 125 ft lbs. The LR round can't compete with the Mag round without at least doubling barrel length and weight.
My 351 weighs 11 ounces and rides in my pocket. My 63, 5-inch weighs about 30 ounces and rides in a range bag.

RAMS....I looked at the 351 (pictures), but I am not completely sold on the high-viz front sight. That fiber-optic sight is becoming more popular with other manufactures as well. I think the MAG shoots a bit dirtier than the LR in a short barrel, but I would have opted for the 351 had it not been for the high-viz sight. It just doesn't look that "rugged"....is it?

You could break a high-viz sight, of course, but I've been using them on everything from 317s to 329s without ever having damaged one in over 10 years. Many of us seasoned shooters like 'em very much.

Yes, the Mag shoots a bit dirtier than a LR, and not just in short barrels.

The 317 is a great teacher and companion; more of a fun gun than a 351, which is a more serious piece, both with 40 grain HPs and snake shot. It's a tweener between the 317 and 637, for example. Which is why I find the 351 in my pocket far more often than the 317 or heavier 637. Of course, each has its place.

Try shooting full power shorts. They can give higher velocities out of very short barrels.
Better yet, shoot the Aguila super sniper 60 grain bullets. They have short casrs and shoot out of any .22lr.

Try shooting full power shorts. They can give higher velocities out of very short barrels.
Better yet, shoot the Aguila super sniper 60 grain bullets. They have short casrs and shoot out of any .22lr.

My wife loves to shoot those little judy-poopers....great for practice. I have read on here somewhere that those 60-grain Super Snipers tend to back out of the cylinder upon firing and lock the gun. I don't know....never shot any, but the shorts work just fine in the aluminum cylinders on both my 317's.

Hornady has recently added .22 Mag to the Critical Defence line and claims it performs like the .380 Critical Defence. It was made for and tested with a 351PD with 1 and 7/8 inch barrel. Check it out: Hornady Manufacturing Company :: Ammunition :: Rimfire :: 22 WMR :: 22 WMR 45 gr Critical Defense®

I hope to scrape together the cash to buy two 351Cs for my daughters (although they are babies now). Stoked with the new Hornady load, I think they'd be great for a young woman to carry.

The great thing about revolvers is that you can jam it into someone's ribs and it will still fire. That necesity shouldn't be overlooked when you're talking about arming a young woman that could be overpowered and not be able to gain the clearance needed to get an auto to work.

__________________
low speed, high drag

I had caught onto that, but have not been able to find any on anybody's shelves yet, at least the last time I checked I couldn't.

I believe there are a few other MAG rounds out there that come close to the 380. I have been keeping my eyes peeled fore the Hornady stuff.