Pop is gonna get a 22lr. revolver, 4in 617 opinions

U

uglygun

New member
That's likely the revolver he's gonna be most interested in, the 617 10 shot with a 4 inch barrel.


Was wondering what people's opinions were of the actual gun itself, not of S&W.


Actual needs for the gun is that it be corrosion resistant as this gun will see occasional use as a "boat gun"(ocean boat not lake), I'd like for him to maybe look into a nickeled 38special snubbie but he's not really interested in anything beyond 22lr.


For current production handguns in 22lr. a stainless revolver like the 617 is about all I can really think of as being about as corrosion resistant as it can get.


He's smart enough to reject the idea of a 22lr. for a firearm that will see use out on the ocean because sometimes you get a dud and the action can be very suseptible to fouling which can hinder reliability greatly. The revolver design will likely be the superior action for the intended use and if a round should happen to turn up as a dud another squeeze of the trigger is all that is required rather than having to perform an action check on a semiauto to chamber a fresh round.


I'll probably get the old man to install a lanyard ring in the grip so that if he must use it he can have a little additional insurance that the thing won't go over the side of the boat in 120+ ft deep water.



How about going prices on the 617s? Anyone got a GunList lying around, I've got a dealer that doesn't charge too much over what he gets for the gun from his distributors.

If you know of another 22lr. revolver that meets the criteria go ahead and suggest it, my guess is that the 617 is likely the best choice or overall choice.
 
I confess that I don't know what exactly a boat gun is used for, except maybe popping one off in the cranium of an aggressive sport-fish. :confused: In FL., where I'm from, you'd wan't something a little bit more capable for defense, as in pirates!:eek: Anyhow, Taurus makes their small frame .22LR in a 9-shot stainless format. It is both smaller, lighter, and cheaper than the fine 617. Lanyard or not, I'd be REAL hesitant to lose a near $500 gun overboard.:(
 
I hadn't looked up the Taurus line yet but a big plus is hearing that it's comparable in capacity while being cheaper, I had the feeling that the S&W was gonna be up around 400+ dollars.




Personally I'd like it if my dad got a 38spl or 357Mag revolver for a little additional thump but 22lr. is what he wants. By "boat gun" I did mean to imply that it will see use on a boat, pop recently bought a 25+ foot boat for using to putt out to the Channel Islands for some weekend camping and he wants a gun he can take with him and not have to worry about too much. I'm fairly confident that part of the reason he's chosing the 22lr. is that it's so easy to aim and shoot without having to worry about recoil, big or major plus for my mom if she's going to be using the gun either on the boat or at the beach house, and possibly he's thinking about a 22lr. as a decent inside the cabin round where if he should miss he won't put too large of a hole in his precious boat. Maybe I could tempt him with the 22Magnum but he's not the type of person who is easily tempted into anything, I don't need a reason for buying a gun but almost anything I own his first question is "whaddya need a gun like that for?" :)



And if I was in Florida, you could bet one of my AR15s would be seeing use as a boat gun :)
If it were me and I was the one with the boat, my choices for a gun would likely be different but it's my dad's boat and it's gonna be my dad's gun by the sounds of it. We likely gon't get nearly as many creepy frightful types here off the Ca. coast as there would be down in Florida, we're pretty far north of the border to worry about all the possible hijinks that go on down there as well.
 
Other options are the S&W Kit guns, which are 22's built on the smaller "J" frame, and the excellent value Ruger SP-101 with the 4 inch barrel.

The 617 is top of the line, and will give great service. I've seen a stainless S&W .357 686 used as a boat gun. The owner had a lanyard hole drilled into the butt, simular to the type used on S&W's titanium revolvers. This is a hole milled through the rear corner of the butt. This was much neater than a loop. The owner had a wrist cord attached, which was somewhat handier than a lanyard. Take a look at the titanium revolvers, and you'll get a better idea how the hole is done.
 
Have had great experience with the J-frames in .22lr (34, 63, and 317). Love the 317LS that I've got now. LIGHT and no recoil. Load it with solids for the best penetration capability.
 
The 617 10 shot 4 inch is a full sized revolver. It weighs more than the .357 686 with a 4 inch barrel and fits nicely in the same rigs for carrying.

I wouldn't part with mine for anything.

Bob
 
317KIT.jpg

If it were my Pop I'd try to steer him to something lighter like the 3" S&W 317 Kit Gun above. The 4" 617 weighs 41 oz, man, that's nearly 2 1/2 pounds! For comparison a 4" model 66 in .357 mag weights 37 oz. This little 317 tips the scale at only 11.9 oz, and since it's a .22 recoil isn't an issue.

.22 is probably the best caliber for your dad. If nothing else, for the novice, the low costs of the ammo helps to promote practice which leads to safety, proficiency, and accuracy - that's more important than sheer power. -- Kernel
 
Kernal thinkin like me. Kit gun. Older the better, better chance of getting one that is right to start with. Far too many of the recent new products from Smith require some "smithing" to get em right.

And as Kernal said.......22 great cause it will be shot a lot and he will get more gooder the more he shoots.

Sam
 
I have a 617 with a 4in bbl. I really like it but it is full size and heavy. To me it is more of a target gun than a "boat gun".

They are also kind of expensive and I would be wary about having it on a boat in salt spray. The outside is stainless but the internals aren't.

I would try and find something cheaper and lighter.
 
Looked into it a little more today, remember I"m in California the land of the "safety approval list" for handguns, the kit guns not being a fully built gun likely won't ever make it as they wouldn't be able to be properly tested for approval.


Also, I was looking into the Taurus line, guess what? The little 22lr. they make isn't approved yet.


Honestly, I don't think my dad is gonna be interested in paying much over 300 dollars for a revolver, most of the S&W guns are a considerable amount of money if you buy a new one. This is gonna be an interesting shopping experience going between two limitations, within what is considered reasonable to my father while trying to make certain that it's also approved for sale within the PRK.


Right now isn't a good time for me to get into this, I'm still pissed after learning about the newest "for your own benefit" law that they are forcing on us that requires a proper locking cabinet or gun safe before a person can buy a gun, that's right folks a person now has to sign an affidavit stating that they have an approved safety device or safe before they can buy a gun(any gun).

Not to mention 1/2 the guns I'm interested in as a shooter are not on the Ca. approval list for sale by a dealer, I'm mad enough that I could spit. Fortunately I atleast plan on one day getting out of this awful state and moving to some place where freedom still means something.
 
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