63 or 617

[Double-O-Dave]

I own a Model 34-1 and love the little beast. I briefly owned a Model 17 but failed to find the joy that others have found in a K-frame sized revolver chambered in .22LR. That being said, I have been tempted by the newer 10 round Model 617 revolvers.

I find the Model 34 to be more useful and fun. I'll often carry it in a nylon shoulder holster while hunting as a pot or plinking gun.

Regards,

Dave

 

[df06]

Well, I could not decide, I have both. They are used only for plinking at the range. I like both a lot but would take the 617 over the 63 in most cases. The exception might be if I was carrying it a lot, the 63 is so much lighter.
I also had a 317, that thing was far too light, and I could not get it to shoot well at all.

 

[g-dad]

If you can swing it get both. They each have their benefits and - at lest to me - no downside. I will say that the original stocks on the 63 were a tad bit small for me so I fixed it. Here's a pic of both,

 

[Wee Hooker]

Good question. I am going through the same decision, with the added choice of a Ruger GP100, .22LR. Anxious to hear what everyone has to say.

I have not handled the Gp-100 22 but will offer this based on my research and ruger experience.
First, having my share of GP100's in 357 and SP101's in 22,9mm and 357, I can say these guns are all heavy for their size. I can also tell you that it's ALLOT harder to get the trigger on a Ruger Revolver to where a S&W can be brought.

FWIW, Recently, I purchased a like new 4" SP101, .22 cal from a guy who had bought it for his wife. The gun had a 15# DA trigger and she could not cock it or pull the trigger in DA. I took it, spent hours and a few dollars on the trigger. I got it better (mostly lighter) but it still paled to any of my K frames. Still, I wanted to give it a fair try. Two range sessions latter, I was still struggling to get 4" groups at 30' with it. Figured the grips were too small and bought a pair of Hogues. (Grip choice is limited on Ruger revolvers). Hougues helped only marginally. Sold the gun at a loss.

Being a 22 revolver fan, the GP100 interests me but I'm thinking it's retail price is right near a good used 617. I'm also thinking that it is not likely to perform as well as the 617 nor hold it's value as well. Then there is still the grip, trigger and weight thing....

 

[Bob1943]

Being a 22 revolver fan, the GP100 interests me but I'm thinking it's retail price is right near a good used 617. I'm also thinking that it is not likely to perform as well as the 617 nor hold it's value as well. Then there is still the grip, trigger and weight thing....

I did find a GP100, .22LR at an LGS about 6 weeks ago and got to handle it. With the short underlug (about a third of the barrel length), it does have very good balance, equal, or better, than the 617s in my opinion. Would have bought it but it had already been scuffed up by some careless handling, so I passed. Went to another LGS about a month later and they had an inventory of about six Model 617s (both 4" & 6" barrels). Unfortunately, all 6 had canted barrels, so I passed on those as well.

From having handled both the GP100 and the 617, the 617 had a much smoother and lighter trigger and hammer pull than the GP. However, I liked the Ruger sights better, in addition to the fiber optic front sight, it had a white outline on the rear sight. In contrast, the 617 had both black front and rear sights, with no white outline on the rear sight.

I will probably buy whichever one I can first find that has a straight barrel and no scratched up frame.

 

[Wee Hooker]

I did find a GP100, .22LR at an LGS about 6 weeks ago and got to handle it. With the short underlug (about a third of the barrel length), it does have very good balance, equal, or better, than the 617s in my opinion. Would have bought it but it had already been scuffed up by some careless handling, so I passed. Went to another LGS about a month later and they had an inventory of about six Model 617s (both 4" & 6" barrels). Unfortunately, all 6 had canted barrels, so I passed on those as well.

From having handled both the GP100 and the 617, the 617 had a much smoother and lighter trigger and hammer pull than the GP. However, I liked the Ruger sights better, in addition to the fiber optic front sight, it had a white outline on the rear sight. In contrast, the 617 had both black front and rear sights, with no white outline on the rear sight.

I will probably buy whichever one I can first find that has a straight barrel and no scratched up frame.

I do get the sight thing. It was one of the attractions that got me to bite on the Sp101 in .22.
FWIW, I actually bought a replacement FO front sight for my 4" 617 but ended up not installing it . I found that some orange over white paint on the partridge front sight works just as good for me.
Good luck in your search and tight groups!

 

[Mr.Cip]

Thank you everyone for your input and suggestions. I made my decision. I bought a S&W model 63 today. I now have the ten day waiting period before I get it home...


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[g-dad]

Great choice! You'll like the lighter weight of this over the 617 if you decide to carry it.

 

[OldChief]

Ditto g-dad, I also just found a real nice 63 (mfg. 82) and am in the 10 day waiting period, can pick it up a week from today. I've been looking for a kit gun for quite a while found this one the day it came into a local shop. I only procrastinated about 5 minutes before planking down a down payment and doing the paperwork. Figured I'd better strike while the iron was hot, if I had waited 24 hours it would have been gone. I have a 6" pre 17 K22 that I really enjoy shooting and am sure I'll enjoy the 63 as much. Enjoy yours it was a real good choice.

 

[Exchipy]

Older Model 63s can be acquired, or modified, to fill your needs from close to far.

 

[Exchipy]

Thank you everyone for your input and suggestions. I made my decision. I bought a S&W model 63 today. I now have the ten day waiting period before I get it home...

While you're awaiting the delivery of your new gem, you might look into a reduced power trigger rebound spring from Wolff Gunsprings. I use the 11# in all my Smith revolvers, but you may feel better with one a bit heavier. Makes for a huge improvement in shootability. Do not, however, install a hammer spring any lighter than the factory original because you'll want to keep a strong hammer fall to avoid misfires, particularly in a .22RF.

 

[Lobster Picnic]

The 3" Model 63 is a great size & weight. Mine had a pretty stiff trigger but it is getting better with use. Operation has been flawless and accuracy is quite good, though not up to 6" K-frame standards. I think the accuracy will improve as the trigger smooths out. My wife loves the 63 and shoots it well.

 

[Snowwolfe]

I've owned several of both ( and the new 4" Ruger SP101 as well). In my experience, the smaller framed guns carry a bit lighter but getting the same accuracy out of them (as compared to the 617) is a struggle. At the end of the day, the gun is made for shooting.In my experience, t's hard to beat the 617 in that department.

My thoughts exactly. I have owned the 317, a 617, and the same Ruger SP101. I consider myself a decent handgun shot and with the 617 can hit a soda can offhand at 25 yards more often that not. With the 4 inch Ruger SP101, not quite as good. With the 317 at 25 yards? Forget about it. Shooting off a rest at 10-12 yards I tried my best to shoot better than a 2 inch group, never happened.
The 317 is a great revolver for carrying and shooting, if the range stays under 10 yards.

 

[loeman]

I'm glad you made your decision and it was a good one. I'm not sure what I would have done. I have a 2 inch Md 34, 4 inch Md 63., 6 inch Md 17., 5 inch Md 18. and a Md 41. Now, don't even think about asking me which one would I keep? I don't have a clue.

 

[raljr1]

I love my model 63. Accurate and fun to shoot. only change i made was to add some target grips so it sits better in my hand.

 

[Pete from Perth]

A 617 makes sense for the range & i had problems with a 4in kit gun that would lock up cylinder and would not eject empty cases without a hit on ejector rod with a bit of wood. I traded it for a unusual model 17 with 3in barrel & round butt which was a pleasure to shoot!

 

[Mr.Cip]

Thank you everyone for your input and suggestions. I made my decision. I bought a S&W model 63 today. I now have the ten day waiting period before I get it home...


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I shot my new 63 for the first time today and I was not disappointed.
I fired about 100 rounds. I was just testing for feel and function.
The grip felt good, maybe a little small, but it felt good. Double action was smooth with a decent break. Remarkably better than a Ruger SP101 .22. The single action was as good as I would expect. Loading and ejecting was good. Sights were good. The indoor range was somewhat dim so the fiber optic front sight did not standout as much as I would like.
I like the weight and balance. I'm expecting as it breaks-in the smoothness will just improve. I just need to decide whether or not to replace the grips with something else. I'm planning to shoot it a lot more before I decide to make that change.

 

[Cardboard_killer]

I like the pachmyr grips for shooting (assuming its a square butt), but there are a lot of really nice aftermarket wood/stag/bone/etc. grips out there. I have a set of laminate wood grips for my 63, a dark glossy red, that look great and fit my hand well, too. I don' think they were more than $30 at a gun show.

J-frame's use a pretty strong coil hammer spring. They can be replace with lower strength springs, but you lose ignition reliability (sometimes). You might want to take it to a good gunsmith for a trigger job. They can do wonders and the price usually isn't outrageous. Make sure you get references, though.

 

[johnnywitt]

IMO, 617 has another advantage no matter what you shoot or carry for defense and that is it's ability to make you a much better Handgun Shooter. If you learn to shoot a 617 DA only it will make a real handgun shooter out of you pretty quick. If you are a kid, or have small hands, can't hamdle the weight, etc., then a model 63 3" will do the same thing for your shooting skills and you can hike or "kit it" as well.
Imo, I would say maybe the best Kit Gun is a 8 shot 63 with the goofy looking 5" barrel because you could actually hit a small game animal, or a grouse with it out to any reasonable range without too much additional weight. Too bad they didn't put FO Front Sights on those guns for older Dudes like me.

 

[Usmc5811]

Gotta say I love both of my 5" 63's and my shooter gets carried all through deer season for when I am assaulted by tree rats.