NIB 2" Model 63.....w/ photos! *Added photos from 1st Range trip, 555 rounds later*

[RAMS]

"Anyone out there have any recommendations on what ammo will give me the least amount of trouble out of this little guy?"

At first, stick with anything made by CCI. You know, of course, that every .22 is a law unto itself as to what type of ammo/brand it likes best.

After it's broken in, get some sand bags to hold it rock steady and a box of Lapua Midas or Eley Tenex to see how accurate it is at 10 or 15 yards, single action.

 

[Masterpiece]

Robinett_11B,

Aw!!!!! Now ya' went & got it all dirty!! Well,I guess it's not new anymore!! Now,I want you to know what happens when you get old!! It's my mistake,but all this time I thought you paid the $369 that was on the Box in the photos!! Somehow along the line I completely missed your post of what you actually paid!! Now I don't feel so bad!! In hindsight,I also remember you posting a "Wanted" Ad looking for one of these a short time back and I just didn't put it together until now. The memory is the first thing to go you know!! So don't get old!! Anyway,I'm glad to see you're tickled with your "New Toy" & it will still be collectable down the road.

Enjoy!!

 

[Robinett_11B]

"Anyone out there have any recommendations on what ammo will give me the least amount of trouble out of this little guy?"

At first, stick with anything made by CCI. You know, of course, that every .22 is a law unto itself as to what type of ammo/brand it likes best.

After it's broken in, get some sand bags to hold it rock steady and a box of Lapua Midas or Eley Tenex to see how accurate it is at 10 or 15 yards, single action.

I bought, and shot, a box of Winchester "555" ammo...it seemed to shoot as clean as I could of hoped. Much cleaner than I expected anyways. I don't plan on getting match-grade accuracy out of the 2" barrel, but it'd make a ragged hole at 10+ yards in DA, standing with a two hand hold. I've heard these Kit Guns can be hit or miss as far as being shooters or not...I think I got a good one

 

[Robinett_11B]

Robinett_11B,

Aw!!!!! Now ya' went & got it all dirty!! Well,I guess it's not new anymore!! Now,I want you to know what happens when you get old!! It's my mistake,but all this time I thought you paid the $369 that was on the Box in the photos!! Somehow along the line I completely missed your post of what you actually paid!! Now I don't feel so bad!! In hindsight,I also remember you posting a "Wanted" Ad looking for one of these a short time back and I just didn't put it together until now. The memory is the first thing to go you know!! So don't get old!! Anyway,I'm glad to see you're tickled with your "New Toy" & it will still be collectable down the road.

Enjoy!!

Ha...I actually had a guilty feeling right before I fired the first round Once I put a couple cylinders through it though, I decided it was going to be okay and now it was a 'shooter'....a babied shooter though! Sorry about the confusion on the price....but that price tag is from 20 years ago, lol. I'd feel really bad if I had bought it for $370! I still paid less than the list price of S&W's new M43C, so I still don't feel too bad. The WTB is how I came to be in possession of this neat little Kit Gun. Thanks again for the engaging conversation about this M63.

 

[Masterpiece]

Robinett_11B,

Come on now!! Be Honest!! You didn't feel guilty or you wouldn't have pulled the Trigger!! Ha!Ha! I'm glad to hear that one of the Members helped you out with your dilema!! I know what it's like to want something & not be able to find it until the money is gone you put back for it!!

Take Care!!

 

[1x2]

Robinett_11B,

You shot it- a lot- excellent!

I don't shoot enough different types of ammo to be encyclopedic about it, but of those that I do shoot, I find the CCI mini-mag round points to be the cleanest.

That's a great little shooter- have fun with it!

 

[Robinett_11B]

Robinett_11B,

You shot it- a lot- excellent!

I don't shoot enough different types of ammo to be encyclopedic about it, but of those that I do shoot, I find the CCI mini-mag round points to be the cleanest.

That's a great little shooter- have fun with it!

Thanks, 1x2. I had heard CCI's were cleaner than the cheaper bulk ammo, but I was feeling a little thrifty I suppose when I bought the brick of Winchester. I'll have to pick up a couple boxes of CCI's and see how much better/cleaner they are next time I take this little M63 out to play.

 

[Stainz]

I shoot 550 Federal packs (36gr plated HP) from WallyWorld (<$16). After the last three trips with my newest - the 3" 63 - and 600-700 rounds - I finally cleaned it again. It wasn't any dirtier than your's was in the pictures. The last time out, I finally had a ftf in it - and it left the cartridge with a with a great rim pinch. Turned it, tried again - DA, like 98% of my handgun shooting - and it fired fine. That's my second ftf from that ammo - in ~16 boxes - the first one never fired - from my CZ-452 rifle. I guess Thursday's had an uneven primer distribution in the rim.

About ammo... A 3", much less something shorter, .22 LR is not a target piece. I have Eley Match and several other target grade .22 ammo's, including a brick of the CMP's black box Aguila target ammo. They made a bare minimum of a difference in my 4" 617 shot from sandbags - and that was mostly hitting lower than the aforementioned Federals. Fired from my CZ or Kimber bolt actions, yes, they make a difference, group wise. But - the odd fliers I experienced shooting Federal 'American' lead .22's just aren't there for the el-cheapo Federals I use now. They are fine for my .22 revolvers and plinking fun. If you want it to have a beer palate, don't start it out on champagne!

Stainz

 

[tall gunner]

In your photos the forcing cone has a number of concentric rings that look like tool marks. Is this normal in this gun? The reason I ask is I just bought a new 63 (3") and it has those same marks. It bothered me so much I sent the gun back to Davidson's (gallery of guns) And asked for a replacement. It looked like something that would accumulate lead quickly and hurt accuracy. Am I way off base here and that's just the way they're built?

 

[Robinett_11B]

I shoot 550 Federal packs (36gr plated HP) from WallyWorld (<$16). After the last three trips with my newest - the 3" 63 - and 600-700 rounds - I finally cleaned it again. It wasn't any dirtier than your's was in the pictures. The last time out, I finally had a ftf in it - and it left the cartridge with a with a great rim pinch. Turned it, tried again - DA, like 98% of my handgun shooting - and it fired fine. That's my second ftf from that ammo - in ~16 boxes - the first one never fired - from my CZ-452 rifle. I guess Thursday's had an uneven primer distribution in the rim.

About ammo... A 3", much less something shorter, .22 LR is not a target piece. I have Eley Match and several other target grade .22 ammo's, including a brick of the CMP's black box Aguila target ammo. They made a bare minimum of a difference in my 4" 617 shot from sandbags - and that was mostly hitting lower than the aforementioned Federals. Fired from my CZ or Kimber bolt actions, yes, they make a difference, group wise. But - the odd fliers I experienced shooting Federal 'American' lead .22's just aren't there for the el-cheapo Federals I use now. They are fine for my .22 revolvers and plinking fun. If you want it to have a beer palate, don't start it out on champagne!

Stainz

I've heard good things about the Federal bricks...I'll be picking up a couple of those for the next range trip, along with a box or two of CCI's. That brick of 555 red box Winchester didn't shoot as dirty as I would of thought, but I had 5 or 6 complete 'duds' out of the one box. I've never considered myself a target shooter, so as far as 'boutique' ammo goes, I think the regular CCI's are going to be as about exotic as I get with .22LR ammo. This is really just a fun plinker and cheaper shooting snub trainer for me, so there wont be much rested groups being fired at 25 yards. I was impressed with it's accuracy though, it shot nice and tight (standing) all the way out to 50'....which may be a drop in the hat for some guys, but that's pretty good for me Thanks for the insight on ammo, Stainz......these little Kit Guns sure are sweet little shooters, huh?

 

[Robinett_11B]

In your photos the forcing cone has a number of concentric rings that look like tool marks. Is this normal in this gun? The reason I ask is I just bought a new 63 (3") and it has those same marks. It bothered me so much I sent the gun back to Davidson's (gallery of guns) And asked for a replacement. It looked like something that would accumulate lead quickly and hurt accuracy. Am I way off base here and that's just the way they're built?

This is the only Model 63 that I've ever had any real experience with, so I don't know if the concentric rings are a flaw or just part of the manufacturing process. I do notice in my 6 other S&W's, all centerfire; there is that same little bit of space on the forcing cone before the rifling starts and there are differing degrees of those same rings in that space. They appear to be most pronounced on the M63 though. It may be because this is a brand new gun too. I can tell you this though, they didn't gather any noticeable amount of lead at the range, and this little snub is certainly capable of more accuracy than I am. Maybe some more guys with experience with these M63's can give you a better idea of how common/uncommon these rings really are. I probably would of posted a thread here in the forum before I sent the gun back though...this board is a wealth of information and there's plenty of fine folks here willing to share their knowledge and experience. Either way, good luck with your new M63....I've only had mine a short time and it's quickly became my favorite

 

[mbnatt]

I love mine, it's not nib and it gets shot!

 

[wnr700]

I need one of these...badly

 

[1x2]

I was impressed with it's accuracy though, it shot nice and tight (standing) all the way out to 50'....which may be a drop in the hat for some guys, but that's pretty good for me

You've already cut yourself some slack, that's good. That little rascal has a really short sight radius, good groups at 30 feet is what it's built for .