Tell me about rimfire j frames

[mountain_man]

I would love to add a rimfire j frame to my very very small collection but I am not sure if I should get a 22 lr or 22 mag. How do they compare and what is your opinion on them. If I got one I would get a snubby. Price wise what do they run new and used? I don't recall any local shops ever having one (the gun shops around me suck, they only have plastic).

 

[ISCS Yoda]

I can't tell you the prices; you'd have to look those up on the S&W website or an auction site or two. I can tell you that I have used .22 caliber, S&W J-frames that belonged to my friends and they're excellent. I am not sure if the .22 Magnum guns also fired .22 LR but it seems like they should. If it's a self defense gun you can't go wrong with a .22 Magnum. For casual plinking the .22LR will be fun for you.

***GRJ***

 

[vigil617]

I have two rimfire j-frames, one for my wife (a .22LR 317 Lady Smith snubby) and one for me (a .22 magnum 351PD snubby). The 317 is an 8 round cylinder; the 351PD is 7 round. Both are airweight revolvers with aluminum frames and cylinders, and steel inserts in the barrels, and they weigh about 11 or 12 ounces unloaded.

Both are perfect pocket revolvers, as their weight makes you practically forget you're carrying. My wife's is more of a plinker to introduce her to shooting; mine is my EDC gun. Hers came with laminate "rosewood" combat style stocks, and mine came with Crimson Trace stocks. Both pistols were lightly used when we bought them.

Price-wise, you're not likely to find either of these pistols for less than $500, and the new 351PDs that are suddenly very common on the Internet sites are ranging from $620 to nearly $700. There is a 317 model "kit gun" with a 3" barrel that is a nice pistol too, but these tend to be at least $500.

Another option in the rimfire j-frame is the Model 43, a .22LR revolver with an internal hammer. That one can usually be bought new for around $550 or so. There's also a 351C in .22 magnum, which can be found new for around $600 I think.

Any other questions, feel free to ask.

 

[Kansasgunner]

Rimfire J frames are way too much fun! Have several varieties and wouldn't part with any.

 

[Rpg]

A 4" kit gun is a delight.

I wouldn't give a nickle for a handgun in 22 mag: been there, done that.

22 mag in a handgun produces lots of noise, consumes more expensive ammo and delivers no useful performance increment over 22 lr .

You need a rifle to get any noticeable benefit from the 22 mag.

Just my opinion, of course.

 

[sarg1c]

I have a S/W model 63. Wouldn't part with it for any amount...was a gift from my wife.

 

[murphydog]

The most common and practical J frame .22 would be a 4" model 34 (steel frame) or 63 (the same gun in stainless). Figure $5-600 or so, more for the 63. A 2" model 34 would fall in the same value range but a 2" 63 will be a lot higher if you can find one. The new options are well-covered above. Good luck in your search.

 

[Budnjax]

go for the .22LR not the 22 WMR

the 22 Mag ammo is much more expensive than 22lr and doesn't provide a significant velocity increase over the 22lr in short barrels. There are also 2 different barrel diameters to contend with, the 22WMR is about 2/1000 larger than the 22lr barrel so you can't really expect the best accuracy with both if you have both 22lr and 22WMR cylinders in your revolver. In the past Colt made all their 22 rimfire barrels sized for the 22WMR so many Colt 22lr revolvers were not very accurate. I have one Ruger bolt action 22 WMR rifle, it is fairly accurate....but I wish it was in 22LR

 

[Usmc5811]

Love my 3 63's one 3" and two 5". One for me and for my 2 girls.

 

[307-Niner]

I have a 43C, great fun in a small package. 8 shots of 22LR, and it's perfect for practicing trigger control, which directly translates to my M&P 340.

 

[RussellD]

Get a vintage model 63 and enjoy.

 

[HarrishMasher]

22mag offers NO advantage over 22lr in a 2" barrel. 22mag ammo is 3 to 4 times more expensive than 22lr ammo. 22mag out of a 2" barrel is incredibly loud. You will not believe how loud it is. The muzzle blast and flash is absurd. Get a 22lr if you are getting a 2" barrel J.

 

[mountain_man]

I am drooling over some of the guns posted. I think I am hooked, and the hunt is now on.

 

[Kernel Crittenden]

The M34/M63 is THE classic J-frame .22 rimfire of all time. Here's mine. A 4-inch round butt M63-3 made in June of 1997. A great little revolver in every sense. The only thing I'd change, if I could, is the front sight. I'd make it pinned so I could put a black Patridge blade there.

 

[SuperMan]

mountain man...was just wondering what your planned use for the gun was since you specified it was going to be a snubbie...

J's run from 2" to 6" and the price is just going to be determined by the rarity of the Model selected.

If you want a fixed sight the new ones mentioned above are all excellent. For one with an adjustable sight you would be looking for a 2" 34 (blue or nickel no longer made), 63 (very expensive), 651 (very very expensive .22 Magnum) or the 651 that has the extra .22 Long Rifle cylinder (incredibly expensive).

Ammo wise .22 Magnum is more expensive but will have a 200-400 fps gain over .22 Long Rifle depending on the load and barrel length. From a 4" barrel some of the .22 Magnum loads will run 1400 fps. Most Long Rifle ammo will run 1000 again depending on the load.

At this point I own a 3" 317 AirLite, 3.5" 51 with an extra Long Rifle cylinder, 63 4" with an extra Magnum cylinder and a 6" 35 that has also been fitted with a Magnum cylinder. I've owned several of the 2" guns, 34, 63 and 651 but sold them all off.

Probably my favorite J-.22, a Model 63 with extra 651 cylinder...





Dual cylinder 35 6"...





51 3" .22 Magnum that has an extra LR cylinder...




...you won't stop at just one....

Bob

 

[SuperMan]

.22 Magnum ammo from a 4"....

















These were shot into two water filled paper milk cartons backed up by several plastic water jugs...

Bob

 

[mountain_man]

mountain man...was just wondering what your planned use for the gun was since you specified it was going to be a snubbie...

J's run from 2" to 6" and the price is just going to be determined by the rarity of the Model selected.

If you want a fixed sight the new ones mentioned above are all excellent. For one with an adjustable sight you would be looking for a 2" 34 (blue or nickel no longer made), 63 (very expensive), 651 (very very expensive .22 Magnum) or the 651 that has the extra .22 Long Rifle cylinder (incredibly expensive).

Ammo wise .22 Magnum is more expensive but will have a 200-400 fps gain over .22 Long Rifle depending on the load and barrel length. From a 4" barrel some of the .22 Magnum loads will run 1400 fps. Most Long Rifle ammo will run 1000 again depending on the load.

At this point I own a 3" 317 AirLite, 3.5" 51 with an extra Long Rifle cylinder, 63 4" with an extra Magnum cylinder and a 6" 35 that has also been fitted with a Magnum cylinder. I've owned several of the 2" guns, 34, 63 and 651 but sold them all off.

Probably my favorite J-.22, a Model 63 with extra 651 cylinder...





Dual cylinder 35 6"...





51 3" .22 Magnum that has an extra LR cylinder...




...you won't stop at just one....

Bob

I was going to use it for a trainer for a carry j frame. I don't reload, and I have some 22 lr sitting around left over, so I was thinking that I could get a lot more trigger time with a 22 version. Besides it is an excuse for another gun. A double win.

 

[Larry from Bend]

If you can swing it, a 34 or 63 would be great. I've had this 34-1 since the late 70s and back then it went with me pretty much everywhere.

I'd REALLY recommend getting adjustable sights. You'll enjoy the revolver more when you can "dial it in" to your preferred load and distance.

I've shot a lot of 22 Mag from a handgun but you'd be better off with a 22 LR chambering to start out with; due to cost, muzzle blast and not a big performance gain with the WMR. Best of luck.

 

[Big Arm]

Wow! I just looked on Gunbroker. Those little j frame 22's go for a lot of money. I have always thought they looked great and wished I had one, but now I don't know. Might be the only gun I would trade my 617 for.

 

[smitholdtimer]

"J" Frame .22LR or .22Magnum

Hello mountain man, you have been given very sound advice and I am not going to try to suggest anything better. What I will try to do is advise that the short barrel versions of the Models 63 and the 651 have reached unreal asking prices simply because S&W chose not to produce very many of either. Just being a S&W usually demands more asking money but these are unbelievably high at this time. Something that wasn't explained although it was mentioned by several replies is the fact that the majority of .22 Magnum Ammunition manufacturers use slow burning powder so the round comes out of a short barrel, yes even the 4", before all the powder is burned causing the laud report and extreme muzzle flash. Its your choice of course but my recommendation would be the M-34 or the M-63 and hope your .22LR stash lasts until this ammunition becomes more available.