compare S&W new 317 to Ruger LCR 22?

[byteheed]

You might also consider the Ruger SP101-22...

It has a slightly longer sight radius and my give her more satisfactory plinking results.
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I know the original poster is comparing the lightweight .22 offerings from Ruger and Smith, but I will say that SP101 is pretty sweet.

I just handled one yesterday at my local gun store after handling a 317 in their case. That Ruger is very sweet! I decocked it (didn't want to dry fire it) and the thing is really smooth, for what it's worth.

 

[Packard]

I know the original poster is comparing the lightweight .22 offerings from Ruger and Smith, but I will say that SP101 is pretty sweet.

I just handled one yesterday at my local gun store after handling a 317 in their case. That Ruger is very sweet! I decocked it (didn't want to dry fire it) and the thing is really smooth, for what it's worth.

I have that same gun in .357. The grips are way too small for me and I cannot get comfortable shooting it. I have not done anything about it; I just have not been shooting it.

 

[Dpris]

Hogue.
Denis

 

[M3Stuart]

I opted against buying a 317 because, having fired one, I found the hammer too small and hard to pull back. I would say that, especially with my daughter, SA on the 317 just wasn't an option because the hammer is too small and hard to pull back.

When I fired the LCR22, I thought the trigger was much smoother - but I was then a bit leary of the LCR22 because you actually need a hard hammer strike to reliably touch off the 22 rounds. I'll admit I made an assumption that the hardness of the trigger pull is related to the hardness of the hammer strike - that may not be true.

End result; I bought neither. But I would say that they are both good guns and you couldn't go wrong with either one.

In my case, I just stuck with my 34-1 for my teenage daughter and bought a used Ruger MkII in mint condition for $200 and a new Ruger SR22P (which she really likes) - purchasing both for less than the price of the 317...

My daughter likes the 34-1, 4", and the SR22P best.

Just a shoutout to the SR22P; it's not a jam-o-matic like the Walther P22 or the Sig mosquito, it weighs in at only 17 oz, it has a stainless 3.5" barrel. A half dozen different people who have shot mine said it was their favorite over the 34-1, MkII or MkIII.

That's my 2 cents anyway.

 

[681ismyfavorite]

my daughter (age 10) can dry fire the LCR-22 just fine. of course she has yet to fire it DAO on target. there is a big difference in pulling the trigger and doing that accurately.

 

[eronavbj]

As a retired Phila Police sergeant, I carried a myriad of sidearms—on and off duty: S&W Models 10 and 36, Colt 1911, Beretta Bobcat. Since retiring, I down-sized my firearms cache to the Ruger LCP for summer carry, and a Smith 637 snubbie. Recently, I traded the 637 for a Ruger LCR.

Big mistake! I never realized how much I missed the SA/DA option until it was gone. The LCR has the smoothest trigger pull I've ever experienced, and Ruger makes a fine product. But the LCR is a bit bulkier (bigger trigger guard and grip than the 637), albeit it lighter at just 13.5 ounces.

My recommendation is to forego the LCR. Teach her both SA and DA firing sequence. Lessons learned early are difficult to undo, and you want her to have the ability to easily transition from SA to DA and back again as circumstances may someday demand.

 

[RPD20]

I just picked up an LCR-22 to go with my LCR-38 and 357. I put 250 rounds through it the first time out and had a blast. Stingers, Velocitors, Yellow Jackets, Federal cheap LRN, Triton Quick Shocks. All fired and extracted with no problems. The hotter rounds did require a little sharper jab on the extractor rod. I only had one case hang up under the extractor star. This was my fault for not pointing the gun upward enough during extraction. The trigger smoothed up considerably during this first outing (this and a few hundred dry fire cycles). The trigger is still somewhat heavier than the centerfire LCR's though. It should make a fun plinker to teach my Daughters how to handle a double action revolver.

My LCR-22 thoughts.....Good shooter, good trainer, good price.

 

[POWinCA]

I just picked up a Ruger LCR .22 and put 50 rounds through it today. The only problem I had was some tight extractions that eased up when I used different ammo.

While it is a decent gun, it is not what I'm looking for. I wanted a backup piece to my Ruger 10-22 rifle that I could use for hunting small prey. I would buy a Ruger SR-22, but it is off-roster in California. Because of problems I had with my other .22 semi-auto pistols (they only like CCI mini-mags), I decided I wanted a revolver. I may pick up a Mark III and try to restore confidence in SAs.

With the LCR 22, I was able to hit the black circle of my targets at 7 and 13 yards, but my shot groups were pretty bad. This is not surprising with a snub nose, fixed notch rear sight, and a hefty trigger pull. At 25 yards, I missed the black circle completely, but I probably wouldn't have missed a torso. In order to hunt small game, I think I will need at least a 4" barrel.

As I said, the trigger pull on the LCR 22 was very hefty, probably too much for a child, although the weight of the gun was nice and recoil was negligible. It will fit small hands well. On my S&W revolvers, I slicked up the action and put Wolff springs in. I'm not sure if Wolff has springs for Rugers.

I will probably sell the LCR 22. If you are interested and in California, I can give you a good deal on a barely used and already inexpensive revolver.

I will probably get either a Ruger SP-101 in .22, a S&W 317, a S&W 63, or a S&W 617.

The Smiths are around $800-900 new! If that's not too much money for you, then look at the S&W 63 or the 43C. I have a an old J-frame .357, and they are nice especially after a trigger job. Also consider the SP-101 which is substantially cheaper and a nice piece.

I am not particularly fond of the quality of my Rossi/Taurus in 44 magnum, so I would hesitate to buy their convertible 22LR/winchester magnum. Stick to Ruger or Smith, the latter being better quality at a higher price.

The Ruger Mark III is a phenomenal pistol that I think you should consider for your child. Revolvers are challenging weapons to fire well although they are easy to operate.

 

[captainjohnsofd]

The S&W has the advantage of more grip options...the Ruger has only one grip style and may be too big for your daughter- If she has a good grip on the gun she will shoot better-

 

[snubbiefan]

The 317 is a more versatile little gun. Like any of the j-frames....you have options for grips....like mentioned above and you can work the trigger to make it decent. I looked at the Ruger LCR and went thumbs-down on the 22 version. I read a lot of press on the gun and it does not get good reviews in the smaller caliber. Nobody makes the gun I want. I would like to see an all stainless steel fixed sight J-frame in 22 dress....like the M60, 640, 649...etc., but they never made one. The only choice out there is the 317. It is in some ways a tender little gun and was never designed to be a range-gun, but we have people here on the forum that say they have high round-counts with no issues. I purchased one that had been a range-gun once and the yoke had been stretched twice during it's lifetime. BTCG was like .012 and the overall gap was close to .018. The gun NEVER stopped shooting and there is no telling how many thousands of rounds had been fired thru that little pistol. I think the ideal set-up would be the 317 with a stainless yoke, cylinder and barrel and there is one poster that I have read here on the forum that has one. Smith will convert the gun for you, if you're willing to pay the price and wait for the gun. I guess my ideal pocket-pistol in 22 would be a fixed sight snub-nose 63....but they never made that either. My wife took the 317 and I will never get it back.

 

[jack the toad]

After reading this post, I just checked rugers website and although they're good guns, there's not one LCR or SP101 that I saw that I prefer to S&W based on looks and features alone. Not ruger bashing but afterall this is a S&W site.
In all fairness, my experience with the 317 is limited and I've not owned ruger DA 22's for comparison but my adj sight, 3", no-lock 317 hasn't had extraction probs but trigger pull was in need of a spring swap which helped immensely. BTW, my g-kids argue over who gets to shoot the 317.
I will state that my 317 doesn't shoot as well (at least I can't) as my 17, 617 or 18 but that's not surprising. I do hope to someday acquire a nice 63, 34 and 43, which you may also want to check. If this is for your daughter, you may want to have her go along for her input.

 

[snubbiefan]

Most of us don't beat-up on other people, or the guns they may choose. Truth-be-told....many of us on here have more than one brand anyway. I do not carry a prized NL Smith. If I get one taken away or stolen, I do not want it to be one of my prized beauties. Let me offer-up another suggestion that worked for me and at the cost of 22 nowadays, it's getting pretty close to being economically sensible.

You can come-by a decent 38-special in various brands often for well under $300. Get an all-steel model for the weight. I have taught my wife and grand-kids with a 38 as opposed to a small frame 22. If you hand-load this works great....simply download a 38-special. I use something close to 2 grains of Bullseye and a 110-grain slug. In an all steel revolver the recoil is not much worse than a 22 and the TP is smother than the small frame 22. If you don't reload.......the Short Colt round is based on the 38-special case. In other words....the 38 Short Colt is a baby 38-special. 38 Short Colt can be found at most gun shows, or ordered from one of the popular websites. The cost is competitive with 38-special. I consider it a good "training round" to build-up to a 38-special.

 

[Ranger98]

For anyone having problems ejecting the spent hulls from a 317,I would recommend that you try Federal 22 jacketed hollow points.I have had good luck ejecting the ammo after shooting several hundred rounds.

 

[Neumann]

I have a 34-1, which is comparable to the 63, only in blue steel. It is a fine revolver, over 40 years old now, and will pass to my children and grandchildren.

Hard extraction is not unique to an aluminum revolver. 22 ammunition isn't what it used to be, and most brands are somewhat sticky in the chamber. CCI MiniMags are about the cleanest and best, but be grateful if you can find anything these days.

A J-frame is really tiny, and a 10 year old will quickly outgrow it. I find it difficult to hold it in a way conducive to good marksmanship. There are better grips, but keep the originals if someone would ever want to sell it.

The DA pull is as stiff or stiffer than any other S&W I own. However it gets lighter through the pull, making it something you can get used to. Mostly, I use it SA, at which the little .22 (and any S&W) excels.

If it were up to me, I would hold out for a steel cylinder. Aluminum depends on anodization to resist the heat and flame of firing. It will erode rapidly if the coating is damaged, which is inevitable in time.

A 617 (K-frame), or blue K-22 (if you can find one) is a better choice for a lifetime companion on the range. The little kit gun is meant to be carried much, fired little.

Ruger revolvers are an acquired taste - clunky but serviceable. The closest I've come is a New Vaquero in .45 Colt.

 

[H Richard]

To me there's only one choice for a 10 yr old girl to learn with, and that's a Mod 63 with a 4" barrel. Good trigger, good sights, and accurate. Stainless and easy to clean and care for. What more could you want.

 

[jack the toad]

To me there's only one choice for a 10 yr old girl to learn with, and that's a Mod 63 with a 4" barrel. Good trigger, good sights, and accurate. Stainless and easy to clean and care for. What more could you want.

Good choice... and would last her a lifetime.

 

[adwjc]

I personally would not recommend the 317, the aluminum alloy frame is a horrible combination with the 22lr round. Chambers and brass expand so much after 50-100 rounds that ejecting the rounds is almost impossible. I'd say check out the Model 63 .22lr, it's the same as the 317 but Stainless Steel.
I own more ruger revolvers than I do smith, and I actually enjoy them more than my smith. Rugers are great firearms, and the SR22 is just as good.

DIY, I think you are being unnecessarily harsh on the 317. Years back I had a Model 63 that did exactly the same thing you describe, tight chambers are a common ailment w/ earlier 63s, I have never heard of it with the 317.

I have used my friend's 317 for several shooting sessions with no problems, performs as well as my 2" 34. Of course much lighter.

 

[7shooter]

I am on my third cylinder for my 3" Model 317. The problem was that the empty cases would not extract. The last time I sent it in to S&W I again requested they put a steel cylinder in. They did and so far so good. I wouldn't buy another one.

 

[Redlegvzv]

Based on what I am reading in this thread, I would also recommend the Ruger SP101 to the OP. This is a beautifully made all-steel gun that will last a lifetime. The trigger pull is a bit stiff, that I'll grant, but it is also smooth. I shoot DA great with my SP101 .22LR revolver. The gun has a FO front sight and the sights are fully adjustable for windage and elevevation. What's not to like besides the somewhat stiff trigger, which is inherent in DA .22LRs?

I like Smiths and I like Rugers and I own many revolvers of both brands. In this particular case I would enthusiastically recommend the SP101 .22LR. And I do not think that this gun is in the least bit "clunky."

 

[mag318]

I own both revolvers and they are both good guns. My only gripe against the 317 is that shortened hammer spur. Between the 2 I have to admit I prefer the LCR. The trigger pull though heavier than the centerfire LCRs is still lighter than the 317. If price isn't an obstacle the very best 22 revolver I own is the newer 3" Model 63. To me this is the perfect rimfire revolver, not to big or to small and much more accurate than either the 317 or LCR. I own several rimfire revolvers and the new Model 63 is my favorite. My wife who weighs 95 lbs has shot all 3 and she too prefers the 63.