I own several S&W revolvers and while I love the K22 I also love the Model 17. My most accurate two S&W revolvers are a 17-4 with 8 3/8 inch barrel and ironically a 617 no dash with 4 inch barrel.

I'm interested in what others have experienced in the area of S&W 22 revolvers. I'm not talking about when they were made or the quality of their bluing but that actual accuracy of the revolver.

617 4 inch

Model 17-4

A 617 no dash I have is a very nice shooter, downside is that it shoots better if I leave it dirty. Something in me just won't let them sit in the safe dirty. I have a 6" 17 and 617 but usually take the 4" when I want to shoot a 22lr.

I have a 617 no dash in 4" and 6". I have a 17-3 and a 1953 K22 6".
The K22 is a good shooter. The 17-3 WAS my woods carry gun for fun.The 617 4" I can't miss with and the 617 6" is the most accurate. I can't believe how good they shoot.

Now we get to the honest part. I can shoot the 617 4" the best because of my older eyes seem to like that gun the best. So how do I know the 617 6" is a better shooter? I have had my son, whose eyes are 28 years younger than mine, shoot them all off the bench!

John

I've always had a fondness for my model 63 S&W.



10mm, when you care enough to send the very best.

I had a K22 4 inch. It was accurate and all, but I got so royally screwed on the price that I just couldn't look at it and had to sell it. I would really like a 617. Preferably a 4 inch if possible. No lock for sure.

My two favorite .22 shooters are an old 5 screw K-22 and a 4" 617 no dash. Two completely different guns, but both are very accurate and a lot of fun to shoot.

Attached Images

OneLiner617.jpg (71.1 KB, 153 views)

My 617 no dash with the 8 3/8ths barrel will handily out shoot the brace of 1950's era K-22's I own. A 17-4 8 3/8ths and 17-6, 6 inch are tied for second place, though I never get to shoot the 17-6 anymore since it is my wife's favorite .22.

You certainly have a couple of beauties there my friend !!
I don't own any S&W .22's YET !!! But after seeing these, i know what
is next on my "want" list.


chuck

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They hold no Quarter

During the 80's I worked in the civil arms race and my training counselor had a 6 1/2 inch barrel 17 told me this is the revolver you need to train with. For the life of me I couldn't find a 6 1/2inch barrel 17. The store I worked at had a 8 3/8 barrel version so I picked up that instead of waiting. Good move on my part. While on the plinking range one shooting session I out shot a guy with a .22 rifle. While not a holster gun the 8 3/8inch barrel 17 will do it's part. Now I have a 6 inch 617 10 shot that's the first to go in the range bag.

Frank Ruple
SWCA # 2087

Right now, all I've got is a 317, 3" w/Hi-Viz. The Hi-Viz sight
means I can actually see the front sight, so it's pretty accurate for me.
My only KitGun has the standard blade-front, so it's my fun shooter.
I've tried a K22, but the grips are too big for me to handle properly.
TACC1

This is the only .22 Revolver I have so far,fun to shoot and pretty acurate

Model 63-5

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JR

I have a 17-3 6" that is quite accurate even in my hands. It is easily my favorite range gun. It shoots all .22 ammunition well, but the CCI 40 gr. seems best.

I recently purchased a 17-6 "6" that had a 1.5-4X scope mounted on it. From a rest it is extremely accurate on the 15 yard range. Shooting offhand the accuracy dropped significantly. The heft is too great for me. I don't really care for scoped handguns anyhow, so took off the scope and mount and now have to get a set of adjustable sights. I hope I enjoy it as much as the 17-3.

I always liked the model 18; very accurate gun, but took me continued diligence to get good results.

The model 17, in six inch barrell, was the quickest S&W .22 that I became accustomed to shooting accurately.

The more I think about it, of the various ,22 S&W's I shot, they have all been very accurate. Some just required much more concentration--for me personally--to achieve good results.

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Rather be outdoors

The hefty 6" 617 seems to be the most accurate for me, but both 1953 K22s are not far behind. The 4" 617 has not been to the range yet. Never have done a side-by-side comparison, so the next trip to the shooting gallery will include all of the 22s so I could more accurately compare them.

Just went to the range the other day with a 4" 18-3, a recently acquired 6" 17-3 which I had not shot yet and a 6" DW22 to compare accuracy. Now I know why 17's are the most sought after and why Dan Wesson just can't compare. The 8-3/8" 17 is calling my name after I said I'm done NOT!

Like everyone on this thread I really like my S&W 22's.
All of my 22's out shoot me. ( 617-6 6" / 617-6 4" / K22 - 1950 & a 617-1 built by the performance center.( photo attached )

Attached Files

PC617-HEIM.pdf (72.0 KB, 99 views)

I agree I also own two 317's, 34-1, pre mod 18 and a 617-4 that will all shoot well, but I think the 617-4 is the best. Maybe it's just because it's 10 shots!

Here's my Model 34-1:



With it, I did this from 15 yards:



The next shot, I did this:



It's gone steadily downhill from there.... I've never been able to replicate it, but I'll keep trying!

Here's my Model 63-5:



And my 617-6, 10 shot cylinder, 6 inch barrel, HiViz front site, and that grip will be replaced shortly:

I have never owned a S&W 22 LR revolver. But I have used a model 17 6 inch and found the revolver to be the most accurate and had the best double action trigger of all the 22 LR revolvers I have ever used.
I still keep my eye open for a model 18 4 inch. They are hard to come by.
Maybe one of these days,
Regards,
Howard

removed PC

How are the trigger & accuracy on the M63?

Those Pro Series grips look great on it BTW.

Sure was since they never made a 17 with a 6 1/2" bbl.

f.t.

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South Carolina-God's country

Put me in the model 17 camp. It is accurate even with the Federal bulk 22's.

I like the J frames and have a 63 4 inch and love it.

My Model 17-6 is the gun at the top and I've used it regularly in bullseye competition (2700s) for the last 4 years. The one immediately below it is a custom Model 16 in 38 Special I had Hamilton Bowen build for me.

These targets are from the ammo tests David Sams did for me in December 2008. All these were shot at 50 yards from a Ransom Machine Rest. Considering that the Federal Gold Medal Match (original 711B, now discontinued) shoots almost as well as the Eley Pistol Extra and close to what the Eley Tenex Semi-Auto shoots, its my ammo of choice until my supply runs out. After that I'll test it again and use what shoots best.

Thank you!

The trigger is typical of late model J frames..."crunchy" is the best term I can come up with to describe it. It has smoothed out over the couple hundred rounds I have through it though.

As for accuracy, the longest I've ever shot it was about 25 yards, and it was ok (but that's most likely my fault) From 7 to 10 yards, it will shoot wherever you want it to hit, so its a great little kit gun.

Thanks Big Ox. My next S&W will be a .22 and I'm kinda torn between getting a classic K-22 or 17, which I know have great triggers and excellent accuracy, and one of the J-frames which would be better for my wife and grandson to use.

When ever I go to the range either my 17-3 8 3/8" or my Dan Wesson 8" .22 goes with me as my "warm up gun", when I miss with either one I know it's me not the gun....my buddies claim a 75$ Saturday Night Special found rusted in the ditch by the roadside can deliver the goods better than me.. LOL

My 17-6 is a great shooter and much more accurate than I. My 63 is a good shooter but because of my old eyes, I have trouble even finding the sites much less aligning them. My recently acquired 650 is a beautiful (to my eye) well made gun, and a perfect woods loafing gun, but with the LR cylinder, I can forget about hitting anything other than a five gallon bucket (I'm searching for a magnum cylinder for it). The finest shooting S&W 22 I ever shot was a model 18 that I let go in the late 70's and have been kicking myself ever since. The S&W .22's are, in my opinion some of the finest revolvers ever made.

I shoot a 5 screw 6 inch K 22 with a scope on it and that works very well for this old man. I also have a 4 inch 651 that does fairly well with 22LR ammo. Finding ammo that the guns like has always been the biggest problem for me. I had to do a lot of work on the 651 but it will hold the ten ring at 50 yards and that's all I can hope for on m good days.

My 17-3 without a doubt. Head shots on rabbits are pretty darn easy. Revolver shoots better than I do. Bet if I had one of the Ransom rests it would easily shoot a 1/2 group at 25 yards. Without one sandbagged I can do 1 - 1.5" groups all day if I lay off of the coffee.

So want one of them 4 " 617's but they're so darn expensive! Beautiful revolvers gents!

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V/R
Roger / SG

It is somewhat suprising how well the 4" k-22's shoot. This 17-6 is easily capable of 1-2" groups at 25 yards (me not so much)



The heavy barrel makes it very easy to shoot offhand.

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Jim
Many K and N Frames