63 or 617

[Flashman]

I did a search and didn't find anything. Does anyone have any comments, preferences or experiences with one or both. I am thinking of getting one as a primary practice gun to support a primary revolver with emphasis on the draw, reloading with speedloaders and everything else I would do for IDPA and self defense.

Thanks.

 

[USAF385]

I am thinking of getting one as a primary practice gun to support a primary revolver with emphasis on the draw, reloading with speedloaders and everything else I would do for IDPA and self defense.
Thanks.

Are you planning on this being a practice gun... for a carry gun? I wouldn't recommend using any gun other than the intended carry gun to practice with. If you're going to carry a revolver and practice draw and speedloading, you should practice with the carry gun. You might get good at drawing a 63 or 617 and get good with the speedloaders, but it's still not your carry weapon.

What size revolver are you looking to carry?

 

[pred]

What is your primary revolver?
If it were me, And your primary revolver was a K frame, I would go with the 617 in the same barrel length.
If your primary was a J frame, I would go with the 63, again with the same barrel length as your primary revolver,,,,
Make sure both wear the same grips and your body will think you are shooting the .22 version and you will become a better shot.
Simple.
Here is my model 60/ J frame, Primary revolver/ Made into a 9mm shooter

And here is my Model 63/ J frame .22 practice revolver

Peter

 

[Flashman]

As I said, it is for practice for centerfire revolvers, J to N. Off range manipulations and dry fire are important but actual trigger time is also important. I think the skill set and muscle memory are extremely transferable.

95% of my rifle practice are with .22's and since doing so my marksmanship has improved significantly. Without .22 practice I would probably still be shooting the amount of centerfire rounds but without as good of result and effect.

 

[deanodog]

I love model 63s but it would be harder to shoot well with it compared to the 617. K frames are easier to shoot for me but I am not as young as I once was. For me it would be a 617 without a doubt.From J to N as you said.

 

[MrJT]

As I said, it is for practice for centerfire revolvers, J to N. Off range manipulations and dry fire are important but actual trigger time is also important. I think the skill set and muscle memory are extremely transferable.

I disagree. You still havent said what your purpose for the revolver would be, but I'm assuming for carry. You MUST practice these on your carry gun. If you want the .22 for target practice great, but speedloading into a .22 is different than with say a .38. Each gun has multiple little things that make it unique.

I've got to say I agree with USAF385 here. I say practice with the actual revolver you want to practice for, and get a .22 for general target shooting.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

I've got both and to be honest-I wouldn't let either one of them go. The 63 is harder to shoot due to it's size but other than that, both are beautiful revolvers and you won't go wrong with either. If I was buying today and didn't have either-I would buy a 617 for the bigger K frame and 10 shot capacity-but I sure as heck wouldn't pass up a good 63 either.

 

[Tom C]

I have several pairs of double action revolvers, where I use the .22 for most of my double action practice, with a small amount of practice with the larger centerfire gun. These two are the .357 627PC and .45 625JM matched with 617s:

S&W 627-5PC .357 5” 8 shot 46.0 oz S&W 617-5 .22 5” 6 shot 46.8 oz
S&W 625-8JM .45ACP 4” 6 shot 43.6 oz S&W 617-6 .22 4” 10 shot 42.4 oz

With the current problems with price and availability of ammo, I really like using a .22 surrogate for much of my shooting.