Needed: .22/.357 revolver. Who?

V

VaughnT

New member
As a boost to my psyche, I thought to buy a new gun. I love my .22 Ruger and wouldn't part with my Colt 1911, but I don't have a revolver in the mix and thought to mend that faux pas.

What I would like, ideally, is a weapon that has a double so I can shoot .22 for cheap practice/fun and then have a more potent .38/.357 for house defense.

The reasoning is simple, I'd like to be able to introduce my sis-in-law and nephew to the sport, but also have something that I can rely on for defense, should the need arise.

I'd also like a short barrel for concealed carry, and a full underlug.

Is there such an animal?? I don't mind the two gun idea, just want to make the best choice.

Any thoughts would be helpful as I'm fresh out.
 
What I would like, ideally, is a weapon that has a removeable cylinder so I can shoot .22 for cheap practice/fun and then slip in a .38/.357 cylinder for house defense.
Click to expand...

That wouldn't be possible in a revolver, unless you could easily switch barrels as well as cylinders. For example, if you put a .22 cylinder on but the barrel is .357, your still going to have a problem of way too small caliber for the barrel. Not many revolvers are easy to switch barrels, except for the Dan Wesson. Still, I've never heard of a revolver that could fire two calibers so remotely different in size.
 
EASY,

Assuming you're talking two revolvers, get a S&W Model 18 in .22LR and a Model 19 in .357/.38 Special. Mine are both 4".
 
While not exactly the same S&W 617 , & S&W 686 are almost twins. The 617 is the 22 , the 686 is 357. no short barrel though , 4" is as close as you can get.;)
 
Vaughn,
Been there, tried that,,,going a .22 to duplicate the .38/.357Mag,,by getting a Smith and Wesson Model 617 10 .22LR to allow me try to duplicate the same feel as my S&W Model 19. It was an expensive failure. First off, the .357 is a 6 shot, and the 617 is a 10 shot. The actions just didn't compare to each other. The 10 shot had a much "shorter" throw,,hard to explain. The indexing between the 2 was night and day. BTW, the 617 cost me a little over $400.00 new.
I ended up finally picking up a pair of older 6 shot S&W model 17's for $350.00 each. The older 17's work like a charm to duplicate the Model 19 in feel. For me, the money wasn't that much of a factor since I wanted a K-Fram .22 anyhow and was wiling to pay a premium for one. It's something (figure $250-$450 for the .22 Smiths) you do need to keep in mind though. that 250-450 can buy an awful lot of .38 Special wadcutter target loads that shoot just about as soft as a .22.

Speaking of which,,,,an alternative,,

25 years ago, when I first had the idea of doing this, I looked at the price of a .22,,at the time they were selling for around $200.00 new vs getting into reloading. I ended up getting a Lee turret press and dies for the .38/.357Mag, and some other basic stuff for less than the price of the .22. It isn't quite as cheap as the .22,,,I figure around $1.50-$2.00 for 50 rounds, but it's a heck of a lot cheaper than factory. Plus it let's me load real mild starter loads that are pretty close to the .22 in recoil. the real beauty of this setup s once the initial hit of the press, scale, measure,etc is over, changing to a different caliber is just a matter of buying a set of dies for that caliber for around $20.00. So now, I can pretty much load plinking priced rounds for .38, .357, 9mm, .45LC, .45acp, .44 secial and Mag(hard to imagine thinking a a .44mag as a plinker, but it's true!) Anyhow, it's an alternative to consider. A quality .22 Revolver like a Smith 617, 17 or 18 is going to cost more than a basic reloading setup.
 
CZ, you caught me. It was a "too-tired" post and I only caught the goof after posting. Silly me. Though, the Medusa does come close to what I was talking about.

RAE, thanks for the heads-up. I guess I'll wait a bit and see what's available in the used market.

I carry the S&W 686 at work and think it's a fine revolver, just too big for my SIL and nephew to hold. She's mighty small and he's only 1.
 
Vaughn T,

When considering "short barreled .357 magnum's" I most
definitely would stay away from the Ti and Sc models that
are available from Smith & Wesson and Taurus. Recoil is
fierce from either of these types of weapons. More than
likely you would turn a potential handguner, into a "non
shooter" with these choices!:( :eek: :D

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
 
Ruger SP101 comes to mind, though the .22 version only comes in 4 inch, the .357 version has shorter barrel lengths (for defensive carry).
 
Dan Wesson small frame Model 22 or 722 for the .22. Model 15 or 715 for the .357.
Identical frame, grips and weight. Barrels are available and interchangeable in all lengths with or without full underlug.
Although slightly large for concealed carry, (same size as a S&W "L" frame, it can be done with a little effort.
Look for used, they are generally outstanding bargains.
Take Care
 
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