Seeking recommendations for a 6" revolver

[SeriousStudent]

I have been hoarding my nickels, and have decided to buy a .22 LR revolver. I am leaning towards a nice old Smith or Colt with a 6" barrel and adjustable sights. A nice blued revolver is always nice, but I am not averse to stainless steel.

@Wayne Dobbs gave me an excellent recommendation on a 4" Model 15, and I really love that. Is a 6" Model 17 the way to go? @oregon45 got that lovely K22 a while back, and that really made me lust for something similar.

Please offer your thoughts. Thank you very much.

[mtnbkr]

It's hard to beat a S&W 17, especially the older 6-shot ones, but good luck finding one for less than $700.

A K38 (M15) is a great choice as well. That gun shines with target wadcutters. Those can be had for comparatively low prices.

Chris

[SeriousStudent]

Yup, I have a 4" Model 15, and love shooting it. I ran it last year during the HiTS Revolver Roundup, and it gave very worthy service.

$700-800 is doable for the .22 I seek. I'd like to stay under $900.

[oregon45]

There was a very nice K22 made in 1953 on the S&W forum that sold for $750 today. That's about the going rate, depending on condition, version, and whether the box or papers are present. I paid $699 at a local store for the K22 I bought last month and considered it a deal.

For a paper punching, rock busting, can-rolling 22 revolver that has no ambitions to "tactical" use I'd go with a 6" S&W K22 or Model 17. They're accurate, pleasant, heirloom quality sixguns. Stake out the S&W forum and be ready to go when the right gun comes along.

The S&W Model 617's are nice guns but very heavy for what they are, and current S&W production quality is so variable that you'd be better off buying a Ruger GP100 22lr if you're buying new. That said, I wouldn't buy any Ruger DA revolver sight unseen anymore--Ruger makes great guns, and they stand behind them--but their quality control has been lacking over the last several years, particularly, it seems to me, in the double-action line.

The older M617's with the 6-shot cylinders command a premium--I have been seeing them sell for more than K22's and M17's which goes to show there is no accounting for the varying tastes of the revolver buying public. I recently purchased an 8 3/8" M617-1 for just under $1k and considered myself lucky. I needed it for IHMSA silhouette competition where the very heavy barrel is an asset when shooting in the Creedmoor position.

[jandbj]

If you have a local old school gun shop... check out some colts & smiths and buy whichever tickles your fancy.
Personally, I love the 17 & k22

[mtnbkr]

Yup, I have a 4" Model 15, and love shooting it. I ran it last year during the HiTS Revolver Roundup, and it gave very worthy service.

$700-800 is doable for the .22 I seek. I'd like to stay under $900.

Once you get the 22, challenge yourself to find a 32swl-chambered K32.

I stumbled across one in a small shop a few years ago for about half it's generally accepted market value at the time (now worth about 3x what I paid per the the current S&W guide).

Chris

[Stephanie B]

It's hard to beat a Model 17. I bought one a few years ago, a 17-3, for $625. Money well spent! I've probably put 3k rounds through it.


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[SeriousStudent]

Thanks Stephanie, much appreciated.

I'll start prowling the gun shows and forums.

[okie john]

Another vote for the M-17. I like the ones made just after WWII with the fish hook hammer, but they're all good.


Okie John

[OlongJohnson]

There's also a little niche of goodness with the pre-lock, 10-shot 617s. That's on the list for when I decide it makes sense to buy another gun. Wallet safety is on, but it's in Condition 1 for that if I see the right deal on accident.