CCW Ammo Choice- S&W Model 317 Snub

[.455_Hunter]

Greetings!

Suppose you just just purchased a new S&W 317 Snub (1 7/8" barrel) for CCW use. Your reasons for purchasing the 317 over, lets say, the 637 include the lighter gun weight (10 vs. 15 oz.), lighter ammo weight, lower recoil and increased capacity (8 vs 5 shots). To keep the thread on track, lets assume the gun store won't take it back, so retuning it and getting another gun is not an option.

What do you load it with, and why?

Possible choices include:

Aguila Interceptor 40 gr. LRN (Super Velocity)
Aguila SSS 60 gr. LRN
CCI Stinger 32 gr. LHP (Super Velocity)
CCI Small Game Bullet (SGB) 40 gr. LFN (High Velocity)
CCI Velocitor 40 gr. LHP (Super Velocity)
Remington Viper 36 gr. LTC (High Velocity)
Fed/Rem/CCI/Win 40 gr. LRN (High Velocity)
Fed/Rem/CCI/Win 36-38 gr. LHP (High Velocity)


FYI- Some actual 317 snub chronograph velocities from the web...

CCI Mini Mag HP- 917 fps
CCI SGB- 914 fps
CCI Stinger- 1090 fps
CCI Green Tag- 816 fps
Federal Champion- 885 fps
Federal Hi-Power- 876 fps
Federal Hi-Power HP- 894 fps
Remington Target- 882 fps
Remington HV- 849 fps
Winchester T22- 849 fps
Winchester HV HP- 906 fps
Winchester Power Point- 911 fps
Winchester Wildcat- 885 fps
Winchester Super Silhouette- 845 fps ( why did they stop making these?)


Thanks,


Hunter

 

[coosbaycreep]

I think aguila makes the highest velocity .22lr now, but I've never had a cci stinger that was a dud, and those things cook right along for a .22, so that's what I'd carry. Plus, their powder doesn't smell like cat pee the way that aguila powder does.

I don't know how well stingers hold together either though, and with that short of barrel, you might be better off with a slower round if it penetrates better.

 

[C-grunt]

I would go with the CCI small game 40 grain LFN for the following:

CCI is well respected .22 maker for accurate, reliable and fast ammo
heavy(er) weight .22 for added penetration
the flat nose profile is more damaging, IMO, than a FMJ.

Either that or the Aguila 60 grain.

 

[C-grunt]

You should make a poll.

 

[.455_Hunter]

You should make a poll

I thought I checked the box to set-up a poll with 8 choices, but when the thread processed, I was not able to enter the options.

Advanced editing does not appear to allow you to "add a poll" at a later date...

 

[revolverforums]

You mention the store won't take it back, there are a lot of places out there to sell the gun and get most of your money back. If it turns out not to be the gun you want to carry the best thing to do is sell it before it gets a lot of wear on it as most CCW weapons do. Get what you want and carry what you want, when it comes to carry weapons it's your life.

 

[.455_Hunter]

This is just hypothetical...

I did not buy the 317. My goal is to find out what would be the best defensive ammo for a 317 or other 2" .22 revolver. S&W has sold a lot of 317s over the past ten years, so not everybody subscribes to the "get a bigger gun" theory.

Thanks.

 

[revolverforums]

I'm not saying get a bigger gun, there are in my humble opinion much better choices for conceal carry then a 22 lr. Out of a 1 7/8 inch barrel a 22lr has almost no velocity and would be my very last choice for a conceal weapon and I have carried for a long time. You can carry an NAA 22 mag that holds five rounds and is much much smaller then a 317 with twice the punch and weighs half as much if defence is your real concern.

 

[.455_Hunter]

You can carry an NAA 22 mag that holds five rounds

That is my "always" gun- I love my 1 5/8" NAA .22 Mag. It does not give twice the punch of the .22 LR (70 fpe vs. 90 fpe or so), but it is a fine weapon for when nothing larger will do.

Some people find 317 type guns attractive, regardless of the disadvantages, so my goal for this thread to help determine the most effective ammo choice for these folks.

 

[revolverforums]

Your only taking into consideration fps and not the actual punch. Just like going down the road in your car as resistance gets higher the amount of force needed to overcome it is not proportional. I wouldn't want to argue the point but a 22 mag will penetrate much much harder then a 22lr will even if it is just 20% faster. I personally saw a 22 lr bounce off a man's chest, hit him in a rib and bounced off. It hurt him but in no way immobilized him.

 

[dennis228]

I have a 317 Kit Gun with 3 inch bbl. While we all realize that a 22LR is not an ideal PD gun, to answer your question, the best two HV rounds I've used are CCI Velocitors and Aguila Interceptors. Both are accurate and the CCI's particularly so. For 22 LR's these are very powerful rounds, and will chrono 1050-1080" FPS out of the 3 inch. Both are 40 grain with the CCI using a "gold dot" type bullet and the Aguila a solid nose. Better penetration with the Aguila but the CCI bullet expands better. IMO the Stingers are too light (32 gr) and not very accurate. I would say stick with the hyper 40 grains.

 

[The_Shootist]

+ 1 to the Aguila Super Max. Almost feels like a "real" round when it goes off. Sure wouldn't want to get hit with it.

 

[rcmodel]

After 7 years, mine is still always loaded with Winchester Super-X HP.
If not that, then CCI Mini-Mags or CCI Velocitor.

I have tried the Aguila 60 grain, but they tumble badly out of my 317, and would offer very poor penetration if they landed going sideways!

I don't even trust Remington ammo to go off every time after a couple three bad experiences with it in the last few years.

I don't like the Hyper-Velocity stuff like Stingers, because I have never got good accuracy, and the bullets are too light for reliable penetration if they expand at all.

I don't feel especially under-gunned with my 317 either.

Mine has CT laser-grips, and will put 8 rounds in a BG's eye socket's before he could blink twice.

rcmodel

 

[seeker_two]

CCI Velocitors....exceptional performance....I keep them in my wife's Taurus 94....perform better than a .22lr should....