317 kit

[lawrencemr]

Hi,

What are your thoughts on the J frame .22 Kit gun in .22 LR?
I haven't seen many at the shows and wonder what used prices should be.

Thanks,

 

[jack the toad]

Not much help on your question but I have a 3" one I purchased from forum member but have still yet to shoot it. I've been too busy... which just ain't right.
$500 was what it cost me though. It's a 3" non-lock w/o the hi-viz sight. The hv sight may do wonders for some shooters but doesn't seem to help me and personally I don't care for their looks, especially on a revolver.

 

[Lou_NC]

I like mine!
I gave $550 for it, used. Probably a little more than I would normally have liked, but I definitely wanted a pre-lock, and I wanted the black ramp sight, not the hi-viz.

Lou

 

[cochise]

I bought three, all at list price a few years ago. A Lady Smith 1 7/8" for my wife, and two 3". One for me and one for my boy. I like them but they can't replace a model 63 that my grandson took. I think it is great for a backpacking / travel gun. It is in my pack with 550 rounds of .22 ammo incl a box of snake shot. Should be good for a week at least.

 

[CWH44300]

love mine - its a lot of fun - paid 750 otd last month

 

[Tyrod]

My favorite revolver

 

[1973Glenfield25]

I bought a used pre lock about a year ago. It had some scratches. Mechanically it was perfect and I have never had a single problem with it. I did put a lighter Wolf rebound spring in it as the trigger is heavy. Paid $390. Excellent gun.

 

[ColbyBruce]

I lucked out and bought one brand new for $250.00 the first year the #317 was introduced. Jumbo Sports was going out of business and marking things down, and I saw this one and bought it. Very light, makes it a joy to carry but difficult to hit with. With standard velocity cartridges and a decent rest it will shoot well enough to take small game.

 

[sqhead]

picked up a no-lock 317,2 in.,gun only,95 %,for 305 otd from the local pawn a few days ago.

 

[nutsforsmiths]

I shot one a few weeks ago at a gun range and like ColbyBruce said, they are very light and I had a hard time hitting my point of aim with it. I think if I had one to shoot more often I would get used to it and do much better. The one this range had for sale was like the photo above by CWH44300 and they were asking $550 firm.

 

[snubbiefan]

I have two NL 317's and I even ran across a spare parts kit that I snapped-up (everything but the frame). Both the wife and I love the little gun and I have Wolff springs in both of mine, which tamed the TP. My wife loves it because it weighs about as much as her car-keys. Stick the thing in your pocket and you won't hardly notice it's there. From 10-yards on in....they are REALLY accurate and likely even better in the hands of a good shooter. Both mine shoot anything you poke in the cylinder.

Cost wise...I have around $475 invested in each one (both no-locks) and you see them on the tables around here from $375 (lots of finish wear) up to the $425 range, but you don't see many no-locks.

If you get one....change the center-pin spring. There is simply no use in having a standard j-frame spring in there. They use the same spring for the magnums right on down to the 22's and a lighter center-pin spring will be less abusive on the recoil shield.

 

[dr4pat]

317 -3

snubbiefan:

Can you tell me more about the springs you are refering to, both the Wolf and the center ??? spring in your last line of your message.
THANKS dr4pat

 

[snubbiefan]

Other companies besides Wolff market reduced effort hammer and rebound (trigger) springs, so let me make it clear that I don't prefer one over the other...I just have the Wolff product in mine. Basically...it is a replacement hammer and trigger spring that will lighten the trigger-pull. Some folks do not recommend it for fear of light-strikes, but I have never had an issue in any revolver in which I have installed reduced effort springs. If the gun is clean, rub-free and in good shape...reduced springs are usually non-problematic and will lighten the trigger-pull.

As for the center-pin spring, if you open and close the cylinder enough on a AirLite or Airweight revolver...you will see a wear-line or trail where the center-pin cuts a ever deepening gorge in the recoil shield. Smith puts the same center-pin spring in all the j-frames....from the magnum on down to the 317. The magnums and the people that shoot a lot of +p or +p+ ammo, need the pressure from this spring to keep the gun from "shooting open" under recoil. However, I have (without incident) put lighter weight center-pin springs to reduce the pin-wear in the recoil shield of alloy framed guns. It's a matter of removing the extractor rod and replacing the spring.

Yes...many shooters recommend not doing this as well, but I hardly think I will ever be able to cram a 357 Magnum or 38-Special round into the chamber of a 317. It also makes it much easier for the wife to open and close her little gun.

 

[dr4pat]

snubbiefan:

Does that center pin spring come with the spring kits that are available from different suppliers? Or is this a one piece order?

Thanks for a very good explanation, I now understand what a center pin spring is .

THANK YOU AGAIN !!!!!

 

[snubbiefan]

The center-pin spring does not come with the reduced-power spring kits such as the Wolff or Apex. You have a couple of choices.

The center-pin springs can be had by simply calling Smith & Wesson. They cost around 50-cents and they sent me 3 or 4 for nothing and even paid the postage. The PN is 07630000. You can simply get a new spring and clip a couple of coils off one end and keep your stock spring in case you ever want to put it back in. Or...go to the hardware store and purchase a #1 spring for around 50-cents. It's the same size as the stock spring and it will be long enough to make two or three center-pin springs. You can use the hardware spring to "trim and try" until you get a softer feel, yet still have enough strength in the spring to lock the action.

We all have our little "quirks" and this is one of mine. I just hate to see the center-pin dig a rut through the recoil shield and I have seen some serious ruts dug into the alloy recoil shields. A 22 will never shoot-loose as long as you don't get the center-pin spring too short. The springs are cheap, if you fail once....try it again until you get comfortable with it. There is just no use in having a center-pin as strong in a 22 as you need in a 357-Magnum.