22LR compact?

DA 22lr Hard to hit with

My only comnplaint with 22 DA guns.
Centerfire revolvers don't need as hard of a hammer blow to set off the primer.
The trigger pulls on 22 lr. DA revolvers are heavy. Add short sight radius and light weight and its hard to hold it steady.

S&W 317. Know issues: Price--it ain't cheap. Very stout mainspring, and I don't suggest changing it.

S&W 317, is the best, and yes, it has a very stout 12 lb mainspring.

And I do recommend changing it.

I put a Wolff standard centerfire 8.5 lb J-Frame spring & lighter rebound spring in mine the week after I bought it in 1998.
It has never ever mis-fired in the last 13 years.

rc

At one time, a sportsman or trapper, or outdoorsmans "kit" was a bag full of things that might possibly come in handy in the great outdoors.

So, a "Kit-Gun" was a small lightweight revolver that carried easily in the kit, or tackle box, or on the belt, but shot just peachy keen when you wanted to kill a rattler in your campground, or a muskrat in a trap, or a turtle on your fishing line.

Why is the 317 better then a Taurus 94?
Because it is better.
And also lighter, and has a more tunable trigger then the Tauri.
The lock-work geometry of the Taurus is such that they come with a very heavy trigger and there is nothing you can do about it.

rc

Your best choices from current manufactured revolvers are the S&W Model 317 and Model 63. I am not going to get into a "down with Taurus thread" as there has been several of late. Use your search feature. Those are my recommendations. If you don't like the price, choose something less good and accept the fact they they are more prone to problems and generally of lesser quality. Look for used Smith Model 34's, but they are also not cheap especially with a short barrel.

The 317 kit gun is the adjustable sight model. The fixed sight model is just called a 317, SFAIK. The grips are rubber, but interchangeable for whatever girly style you like.

There are some threads discussing the Taurus 94. Reviews are mixed, to say the least. The search function will find you much to ponder.

Charter Arms makes their Pathfinder series in .22 LR. I don't know anything about it.

Many small .22 revolvers have been made over the years, some of them good, some dreadful.

rcmodel said:

S&W 317, is the best, and yes, it has a very stout 12 lb mainspring.

And I do recommend changing it.

I put a Wolff standard centerfire 8.5 lb J-Frame spring & lighter rebound spring in mine the week after I bought it in 1998.
It has never ever mis-fired in the last 13 years.

rc

Click to expand...

Here is a good case of YMMV. I changed to a standard weight J-frame spring and got a few misfires with a specific brand and type of foreign ammo. Then I put the monster spring back in the gun.

This may simply be a matter of better smoothness in the mechanism of one gun versus the other.

I think S&W has to take into account assembly variations (smoothness), different ammo brands, and the chance the revolver might be dirty, and that is how they ended up with a truck spring in the handle.

The 317K is a 3" J-frame - weighs 12.5oz. It has a relatively recent sibling - the 3" 63 - the same basic gun in SS - weighs 26 oz. I got the first one I found before Thanksgiving - it is super. I did add the 60 Pro wood grips and already had a DS-10 speedloader for the 8-shot 5" 63 I had. I highly recommend the 3" 63 qnd speedloader. The 2" 317, 3" 317K, and 3" 63 run from $700-$770 MSRP - mine was ~$650 with s/t new locally. A lot, to be sure, but it is quality.



That's a 3" 60 Pro above the 3" 63 - I like the 3" 63's included HiViz sight better than the 60 Pro's Tritium Night Sight. Good luck!

Stainz

The OP asked about the 94.

I own a 5 inch model 94 and use to have a 20 year +P one that was traded for the new 94. Never had any problems with either gun. The 94 is the understudy gun for my larger centerfire revolvers.

People talk about stiff trigger pulls. That's true for any of the brands,makes,and models out there.

Here is the story about the 94. Anything I have to say is already in the links.

http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=33287.0
http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=43013.0
http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=48601.0
http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=39945.0
http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=35922.0
http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=19932.0
http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=5871.0
http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/index.php?topic=32100.0

These are right from the horse's mouth.

I had a friend who didn't want to spend the money a S&W would command - and opted for a 94 in .22 LR. Unlike his Taurus blued 7-shot .357M, a 66 (?), I believe, it was horrible. Stiff trigger - uneven from one cylinder to the next - he tried it for months before selling it at a huge loss. He had some problems with a .45 ACP 5-shot Tracker, too - and similarly sold it. That blued 7-shooter .357M would only see .38 plinkers - but it proved to be reliable. I resprung and regripped it for him - he kept it as a house gun.

I met him at a store one evening - he fell in love with a new S&W 5" 63 - and got it for $489 - plus, in a few weeks, a $50 rebate. He was elated. Sadly, it didn't last - his health worsened and he passed away quickly. I was fortunate enough to buy his 5" 63 from his estate - and cleaned up the trigger, resprung it, and lubed it - a great difference. He had only put 24 rounds through it! I kept thinking how nice it would be as a 3" - then they announced such a version a year ago - finally delivering them in November.

I bought my new 3" 63 the day before Thanksgiving - and - new - right out of the box - it had a better trigger than the tricked up 5" 63 - go figure! I have shot two 317, a snubby and a 3" K - both seemed much harder in DA - but I also think it may be due to the very light gun - they are actually harder to shoot! I had the same problem shooting a lite weight 351PD - a snubby .22 WMR - which seemed to have an even stiffer trigger. To be blunt - a stiff trigger in a lightweight revolver - even with essentially no recoil - is not conducive to accurate shooting, for pleasure or emergencies. The SS 3" 63 is easy to shoot!

Stainz

H&R 922, 923, 929 or 930. All have a 9 round cylinder and all are double action. I think they're the best buy out there. Below is my 930. It's like new and cost a whopping $200:

current NIB manufacture in 22 DA small frame is pretty much limited to
S&W
Taurus
Charter

try really, really, really hard to afford the S&W

I agree with woadyurt,

Those H&R 9 shots are well built and the single action triggers are great...some of the double action triggers are a little heavy but I still think they are better than what people describe the Taurus 94 triggers as being. And for the price holy cow!! You can find them as new in box on Gunbroker for under $250.00 all day... 9 shots is a good thing and they last a long time if given normal maintenance.

I have a model 939 ultra 4 inch that I bought used in the early 80's and still shoot it quite a bit...Some of the H&R models are very classically styled and some like my H&R Trapper with octagonal barrel are becoming collectable. They are fine working guns that stand up to every day use as well as any of the higher priced guns mentioned.

Remllez, you sound like an ok guy. I like your point of view.

I used to have a Beretta 21A. It was a neat little gun, and my first pistol. I sort of regret trading it in way back when. It absolutely disappears in your front or back pocket.

Edit: Sorry, forgot I was in the revolver sub-forum. Never mind!

S&W 63 or one of the older blue Kit Guns (Model 34 blue steel, Model 43 aluminum frame). 2" barrel guns have been made. Only adjustable sights.

Ruger SP101 in .22 LR can be found used with aq 2" barrel, but you are going to have to pay for it. Only adjustable sights.

You may also want to consider a Ruger Bearcat - fixed sights but single action. Small & light.

In double action, the two most common that are worth having are S&W, and H&R. I learned to shoot with an H&R, and I would have it today if my dad would give it up. I bought a Ruger Single Six to satisfy my .22 revolver niche/need, because it is similar to that old H&R. So that brings you to the single actions. There are cheaper singles than the Bearcat and Single Six, but none better to my way of thinking. Between those two, you pick based on size/fit/mission. My Single Six has a 4 5/8" barrel and fixed sights, so it's like a slightly larger Bearcat, and fits my hands better. My kids would have preferred a Bearcat, but love the Single Six.

In a carry gun, I'd probably rather have a 2" or 3" S&W, if I could afford it.

Good luck!

zignal_zero said:

i just saw one of these (online). anybody know anything about them?

Click to expand...

My impression of Charter Arms is that they're about the same quality as Taurus, except they're made in USA. I've not shot one, but from what I hear they tend to be quite accurate for the price. They have an excellent warrantee and have girly grips available: http://charter2000.site.aplus.net/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=CFAE&Category_Code=1GRP

I've only seen them on display at gunshops. Compared to the S&W Kit Gun I've shot, they're not as pretty, but they're not ugly either. With the money a person could save by buying Charter, they could have a gunsmith slick up the action.

Edit: one issue I know about that's common to most compact revolvers is that getting a speedloader to work often requires some jiggling. At least, that's the way it is with my Smith. My Ruger SP101 doesn't have that problem, but they haven't sold it in .22 lr for a while now.

With the money a person could save by buying Charter, they could have a gunsmith slick up the action.

Click to expand...

So, why would you bother buying the Charter Pathfinder in the first place and just buy what is considered a better made product with the same cash outlay? Sounded good though. That is what you do AFTER buying the revolver and deciding it needs some attention to make it better. That assumes you can find a gunsmith that wants to do the work or is able to. Sometimes that's a probem with the less expensive revolvers.

I don't really see a lot of need for speedloaders with the compact revolvers, but that is me. But' you're right about "jiggling" based on my limited experience.

Agree with Earplug on this. Most DA .22s are really stiff in DA. I have a Rossi 511 that's pretty stiff, but I don't really care about the DA and the SA is great, but I don't carry it for defense. Defense, I want a smooth, light DA pull and if you lighten a .22, most times you're going to get misfires before you reach what I'd call a decent pull weight. Just the nature of the beast.

If you're not adverse to buying used the S&W Model 34 was the original blued steel kit gun. It came in a 4 inch barrel as well as a 2.5 inch or so option. It was the original "kit gun". Being a J frame all the stuff made back then as well as currently fits it such as grips holsters spring kits and other bits and pieces that fit all the other J frame guns that are on the market... including pink grips.