.22LR Revolver Showdown

I thought this information might help someone considering one of these revolvers. It's all completely subjective based on my perceived needs for a .22LR revolver. There is no wrong decision among these; they are all great. The only way you can go wrong is by not getting at least one of them.

I decided a few months ago that I wanted a .22LR revolver but couldn't decide among several models: S&W 617 4"/6", 63 4"/3", and Ruger SP101. So I've spent the past few months acquiring examples of each to compare them.

Summary Ranking:

1. S&W 63-5
   
   Why: Best all around. Good size/accuracy for many tasks (CCW, trail, range, all ages).​
2. Ruger SP101
   
   Why: Good size and value for cost. Very close to 617-1 4". Beat it due to comparable accuracy for $200 less.​
3. S&W 617-1 4"
   
   Why: Great versatile gun but a little big. Beats SP101 for sights and trigger but doesn't equate to much better accuracy. SP101 is better value.​
4. S&W 63 No Dash
   
   Why: Good size but poor fit/finish and very sticky extraction knocked it down. I did buy this one well used but things like the off-center hammer and sticky extraction I think were issues from the factory.​
5. S&W 617 No Dash 6"
   
   Why: Beautiful fit/finish/action/trigger. Just too darn big/heavy to be good for much outside of the range.​

Ruger SP101 Good:

• Great size; not to big or too small; between K and J frame
• Great sights; love the fiber optic front sight
• VERY solid gun
• Trigger is smooth without noticeable stacking
• 8-round cylinder
• Reliable
• Accuracy/precision is on par with more expensive S&Ws
• Size/weight make it good for many tasks

Ruger SP101 Bad:

• Fit/finish are not the best
• Trigger is HEAVY (much heavier than all the S&Ws) but smooth
• Cheaper than a new S&W but still $500-600
• Factory grip was too small for my medium-size hands
• Not easy to find

S&W 617 No Dash 6" Good:

• Beautiful, classic gun with great fit and finish
• Buttery smooth DA/SA trigger and reasonably light for a rimfire
• Accurate, precise, reliable

S&W 617 No Dash 6" Bad:

• Big and HEAVY (did not do shooting comparison with others due to longer barrel)
• Too big/heavy to be very versatile
• Getting harder to find pre-lock models and more expensive

S&W 617-1 4" Good:

• Beautiful, classic gun with great fit and finish
• Buttery smooth DA/SA trigger and reasonably light for a rimfire
• Accurate, precise, reliable
• Better balance than its 6" brother

S&W 617 No Dash 6" Bad:

• Still big and heavy
• On the border of being too big/heavy to be very versatile
• Getting harder to find pre-lock models and more expensive

S&W 63 No Dash 4" Good:

• Classic gun
• Decent DA/SA trigger and reasonably light for a rimfire
• Accurate, precise, reliable
• Very versatile size for the caliber good for trail, range, possibly carry

S&W 63 No Dash 4" Bad:

• Worst trigger of the S&Ws
• SA is good but there is some stacking in DA
• I personally don't like the look of exposed extractor rods
• Getting harder to find pre-lock models and more expensive
• I think round butt is better for a J frame
• Empty rounds really get stuck in the 63 No Dash's cylinder making extraction difficult even with clean chambers

S&W 63-5 3" Good:

• Beautiful gun
• Great DA/SA trigger and reasonably light for a rimfire
• Accurate, precise, reliable
• Very versatile size for the caliber good for trail, range, possibly carry
• Great sights; love the fiber optic front sight

S&W 63-5 3" Bad:

• Worst fit/finish of the S&Ws
• Barrel is slightly canted towards shooter's right and noticeable gap between barrel rib/extractor shroud and frame
• SA is good but there is some stacking in DA. Much better than 63 No Dash trigger though.
• I personally don't like the lock being there
• Hard to find and expensive

The Ruger SP101 did hold the top spot for a while due to its nice size and overall versatility. Its heavy trigger doesn't seem to interfere with shooting. However, the 63-5 has taken over as my favorite 22LR revolver. Its size, balance, and ease of shooting pushed it ahead of the others. The SP101 still comes in a close second followed by the 617-1 then the 63 No Dash.

I'm glad I got all of them and don't plan on getting rid of any except maybe the 617 6" if I really want something else and need the money.

All targets were shot in an unsupported isosceles stance. I'm sure a Ransom rest would better suss out the accuracy potential of each gun but I'm not interested in that so I won't be investing in that. I only care what can be done with each gun in my hands. All of them are great but the 63-5 shoots better than I think it should given its smaller size and shorter barrel. It's just an all-around great gun that could serve many roles.

Whichever one you have or want, invest in a Speed Beez system for it. Very sweet.

Single Action Shooting at 50 Feet:

S&W 63-5 3"


S&W 63 No Dash 4"


Ruger SP101 4"


S&W 617-1 4"



Double Action Shooting at 25 Feet

S&W 63-5 3"


S&W 63 No Dash 4"


Ruger SP101 4"


S&W 617-1 4"


Other Photos:

A very good summary of a very subjective issue- "What works best for my shooting/carrying needs?"

You would find my top choice for a field revolver in .22 far different! But the 63-5 is certainly on the "want list".

And a big "huzzah!" for the fine photos.

Great review and wonderful pictures but you missed a couple of important S&W 22LR revolvers.

fyimo said:

Great review and wonderful pictures but you missed a couple of important S&W 22LR revolvers

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They weren't on my list because I was only looking for stainless models. I'm sure they're great though.

And people wonder what others see in guns. Well, the above photos say it all!

jaymoore said:

A very good summary of a very subjective issue- "What works best for my shooting/carrying needs?"

You would find my top choice for a field revolver in .22 far different! But the 63-5 is certainly on the "want list".

And a big "huzzah!" for the fine photos.

Click to expand...

Thanks.

It's definitely subjective and any of them would be a great addition to anyone's collection. A good friend of mine prefers the 617s. I like the 63-5 for its versatility. A decent trail gun/hunting companion that could realistically be used by me or my wife as self defense CCW handgun. I have better CCW choices but it could fill the role.

My big issue now is should I send the 63-5 back to S&W to have the barrel aligned correctly? It shoots so well right now that I'm afraid it won't when I get it back and that would be truly disappointing. But it is a ridiculous defect for a gun this expensive.

Wow, wow, wow, wow, WOW!!

Nice "assortment" you've got there! You're the Baskin Robbins of stainless S&Ws!

jaymoore said:

And a big "huzzah!" for the fine photos.

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+1 to that!!!

Would you be willing to please share a few "photo tips" with us???

As you obviously know what you're doing!!!

Thanks, and tight groups.

Old No7

Old No7 said:

Would you be willing to please share a few "photo tips" with us???

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Certainly. Please see the following thread:

Building a Light Box (Tent) - RimfireCentral.com Forums

I have not completed writing up a better tutorial. I just started draping white fabric over the front on the tent. That keeps most of the light bouncing around within the tent and really helps fill in shadows for smoother photos. I'm learning as I go.

Examples:

Taken without white fabric on the front of the tent. See how the 63 No Dash is too dark?


Taken with the white fabric on the front. The 63 No Dash lighting is more even.

fotoman12001 said:

...My big issue now is should I send the 63-5 back to S&W to have the barrel aligned correctly? It shoots so well right now that I'm afraid it won't when I get it back and that would be truly disappointing. But it is a ridiculous defect for a gun this expensive.

Click to expand...

Hard to tell from the available images, but is the barrel not quite turned in enough to center? I suppose the most important factor aside from whether it'll loosen up all by itself is whether the rear sight is so far off center that it's either run out of travel or is distracting.

I'd sort it myself, but that may not be a viable option for you.

The last time I sent a firearm back for repair it got sold off as it was worse when it came back than when it went to the manufacturer! (Colt .44 Spl SAA on which the front sight fell off before I left the store from which it was purchased...)

jaymoore said:

Hard to tell from the available images, but is the barrel not quite turned in enough to center? I suppose the most important factor aside from whether it'll loosen up all by itself is whether the rear sight is so far off center that it's either run out of travel or is distracting.

I'd sort it myself, but that may not be a viable option for you.

The last time I sent a firearm back for repair it got sold off as it was worse when it came back than when it went to the manufacturer! (Colt .44 Spl SAA on which the front sight fell off before I left the store from which it was purchased...)

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That's exactly what I'm afraid of.

I think the barrel does just need to be rotated a little more to the shooter's left but I'm not comfortable doing it. I will do some kitchen table gunsmithing (install VQ kits in Ruger MK pistols, change springs in my SP101, etc) but I don't know enough about revolvers to go pounding on the barrel.

I don't think that rotating the barrel the tiny bit it needs to get it centered will fix the gap between the top rib/extractor shroud and frame though.

S&W told me to send it back and I will probably roll the dice with it.

Very nice write up. I have to say that the fit and finish on my own SP101 .22 LR leaves nothing to be desired. It is clearly of heirloom quality.

I've got the 617-4 4", the Ruger and the 63 and I concur with your assessment with the exception that my 63 has a wonderful trigger and is very well finished. Where we part is that I own a 317-1 rather than your 63-5 and it is fast becoming my favorite-like your 63-5 is for you. I'd get rid of the Ruger and the 617 before I got rid of the two J frames. (I also have a 317, a K-22 and an old 1950's vintage 3 screw in 22 so I'm fairly well covered in .22 revolvers )

Redlegvzv said:

Very nice write up. I have to say that the fit and finish on my own SP101 .22 LR leaves nothing to be desired. It is clearly of heirloom quality.

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My Ruger isn't terrible but it's not great. There are more machining marks than the Smiths have. The topstrap has one corner that isn't perfectly flat, it kind of slopes down toward the edge. The hammer is centered in the frame. Just little things but they all add up. Of course my 63-5 has some cosmetic issues too.

I do love my SP101 and I'm more forgiving of it due to its $500 price tag. The 63-5 was $750 and I expect more from it. I really examined the 63-5 in the store but just didn't notice the canted barrel until I got it under less even light at home.

The 3" J-frame is a nice size and weight, especially for a low-recoil round like the .22lr. I like the extra holes in the cylinder.

The older blued K-frames are hard to beat for accuracy, though.

Great information here. Another overlooked .22 revolver is the Model 34. I've been eyeing them on gunbroker and they're selling under $400. Guess everybody is looking for the 617 and forgetting some of the other great rimfire revolvers out there.

l Like this?

A+ on the beautiful photos.

Personally, I'll take a bad S&W over a good Ruger any day. The sad thing is how expensive it's become to feed these wonderful .22 shooters.

Great write up and pics! Thanks for posting. My current favorite is the 43C.

fotoman12001 said:

My Ruger isn't terrible but it's not great. There are more machining marks than the Smiths have. The topstrap has one corner that isn't perfectly flat, it kind of slopes down toward the edge. The hammer is centered in the frame. Just little things but they all add up. Of course my 63-5 has some cosmetic issues too.

I do love my SP101 and I'm more forgiving of it due to its $500 price tag. The 63-5 was $750 and I expect more from it. I really examined the 63-5 in the store but just didn't notice the canted barrel until I got it under less even light at home.

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WOW!!! My Ruger is the most expensive .22 revolver I own-paid $500 plus tax for it. The next most expensive was my 617-4-paid $435 for it back in the 90's which back then was close to full retail. I can't imagine paying $750 for a 63-5

CAJUNLAWYER said:

WOW!!! My Ruger is the most expensive .22 revolver I own-paid $500 plus tax for it. The next most expensive was my 617-4-paid $435 for it back in the 90's which back then was close to full retail. I can't imagine paying $750 for a 63-5

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It was tough to pay that but gun prices have gotten nuts and stainless S&W revolvers have really gotten crazy. They are not as bad as the ridiculous "assault" rifle and nutty Colt snake gun prices but they've definitely escalated. I've been looking for months for a better price and just got sick of looking so I bought one locally. Of course there are now two new ones on Gunbroker for $650. But after fees and all there would only be about a $100 difference. I don't regret getting the 63-5.

I really want a S&W 651 but I am not willing to pay the crazy $800+ prices they pull in now. There is a LNIB 651 on gunauction.com going for over $1000 right now and it's got 2 days left. No thank you.