Almost blew Caffeine-free Diet Dr. Pepper out of my nose when I read the title.
But my sentiments exactly. I just couldn’t pony up the 7+ bills for the aluminum wonder until I received a $1000 gift card at work, which finally pushed me over the edge. Mine still sits unfired in the safe, however 😐

 

Mine still sits unfired in the safe, however 😐

??? Not enough free time? Collector's piece? Don't leave us hanging...

 

Always wanted one….carry a 340PD and have a 329PD….time to add one?

 

No free time. I don’t own anything I won’t shoot. Some collector’s pieces in the herd, but I have shot and will shoot them all.

 

I'm pretty cheap, but I don't consider it extravagant to buy a 317. Alloy or steel, it is still a real Smith & Wesson. I love all my smittys!

 

Everyone should own a kit gun. Mines an older model 63. Love it! Enjoy!

 

I always wanted a 317 I had a chance to get one but never did and opted for a LCRx instead due to the price.
I, like Davyjo314 am a proud owner of a Smith 63 4 inch SS great kit gun. Now in hindsight I should have opted for the 317 I am familiar with Smiths. I will not purchase a 317 since I own 2 early Charter arms with 3 inch barrels.
great accurate kit guns that i carry on my outings. But I dream of the 317.

 

I thought about it a couple of times. I have a 63 that I really like, but wish were a 4-incher. I'd probably spend the money on a used version in the barrel length I wanted before buying "new" on an aluminum frame revolver. But the thing must be nice an light. If the 317 shoots well, what are the chances of wearing it out? Pretty small I would think.

OP, post pix and targets when you have had a good range day!

 

Turns out I have to spend a little more time anticipating.

My Gunbroker seller had special FFL requirements that I didn't notice (my FFL has to include my Gunbroker username, item number, and order number) instead of just accepting my local guy's FFL that's already on file with Gunbroker. I guess the seller might be a bit paranoid about shipping a handgun to NY State (and rightly so).

I've waited three days for it to ship while the seller has waited three days for me to get the FFL information he requires to him. Darn it!

Edit to add: Nope... it was already on the way! The seller shipped it before I had my FFL send the extra info. It arrived Monday.

 

The wait is worth it. The thing is like a feather, and everyone who hefts it is quite taken aback by the lack of mass.

 

I'm very excited about having a .22 that I'll be willing to take hiking.

Hard to imagine that it weighs just two ounces more than my tiny Beretta 950BS Jetfire .25 ACP. I can hardly wait to get it in my hands!

 

I had one couple years ago. I bought it strictly because of weight. I didn’t need it I had couple 34s.
It was so light you could carry it in a shirt pocket. I had to deep six those awful rubber grips. Nice Flo sights. It shot decent for its size.

 

I had one couple years ago. I bought it strictly because of weight. I didn’t need it I had couple 34s.
It was so light you could carry it in a shirt pocket. I had to deep six those awful rubber grips. Nice Flo sights. It shot decent for its size.

I'm happy to hear your comment about the sights. It seems that in the majority of the reviews or reports I've seen, folks seem to hate the stock sights. I was already stressing about what to replace them with. Maybe i'll like 'em!

 

Had a 317 for a a few years, after they first came out. TBR is correct. Light as a feather. ( actually a little surprised that my new 63 is as hefty as it is)
My 317 was a three incher which came with wood grips. I liked the fact that the grips had a little recess, which revealed a cross pin in the bottom of the frame, where you could attach a lanyard.
I liked it, but I was all about steel, and had found a couple of NIB 34s, and a 63, so it went away.

 

I don’t hate the sights, but I can see how some would want something else.

The new 63s are even heavier than the originals, due to the larger frame (still a J I guess) and the heavy is 3” barrel.

I rebarreled a very tight 4” I bought, first with a heavy 4” barrel, from a Hart blank I had, machined for mounting a scope, but it was just too heavy (lighter even with a scope than any of the K-frames but still a chunk) then with a an 3” barrel I octagoned, thinking I would have the perfect pistol for carrying on my daily bike rides in the woods. It was still too heavy and had no scope, so I reinstalled the 4” heavy, and it’s the most accurate .22 handgun I’ve owned.
This is why I bought the 317.

 

My little Kit Gun is at my FFL while I wait for the county to add it to my pistol permit (maybe by the end of the week). I need to start looking for a holster. I keep my other "woods" guns that I take hiking and hunting in paddle holsters for quick and easy on/off. (I really prefer IWB carry but not for strenuous hiking; I'd like to avoid sweating on the holster/pistol.)

Any suggestions? There don't seem to be too many choices of holsters for this little 3" J-frame...

 

I ordered an El Paso Leather flap holster, and it fits great. The problem is the holster is heavier than the pistol! My wife made a little bag out of some fleece with a flap held closed by Velcro. It will ride unnoticed in one of the three pockets in a cycling Jersey. One could also wear it with a lanyard around the neck, with or without a fleece bag.

 

My wife made a little bag out of some fleece with a flap held closed by Velcro. It will ride unnoticed in one of the three pockets in a cycling Jersey.

I need to start 'cycling again... I still have a 2005 Bianchi Axis and a 2006 Motobecane LeChampion. I did the Biking Across Kansas ride in 2006 and have done a couple of self-supported rides around Lake Champlain (NY/VT/Can.), towing a Croozer Cargo bike trailer.

 

I liked the earlier 317 without the lock, but more importantly the originals had the much better and precise standard all black sights. The current version with the v notch rear and big dot front takes a light gun that is hard to shoot accurately and just makes it worse

 

The pistol arrived and it took eight days to get my pistol permit updated by the county. I was able to pick it up today and get to the range. I love it! It is definitely challenging to shoot accurately due to its small size vs. my XL hands and its extremely light weight.

Initially, I was disappointed but after several cylinders full I was starting to get my grip and trigger finger placement figured out. The "express" sights are not what I'd consider ideal, but I could easily live with them. I did take a small square diamond file and change the rear V-notch to a square notch, then blued the filed areas. I'll be curious to see if/how that affects my accuracy with the little revolver.

The double-action trigger pull seemed heavy but was completely manageable. The single action pull is excellent. I had no cylinder drag from fouling or any extraction problems after almost 200 rounds of various brands/types of .22LR ammo.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the 317 seemed to prefer bulk Federal AutoMatch out of the half-dozen or so .22LR loads I tried on this range trip. CCI Standard Velocity, my old favorite for testing accuracy of new .22LRs, didn't do too well but it seemed to like any of the typical high velocity loads I tried, including older Winchester Super-X, Remington Golden Bullet and Federal Champion.

I can hardly wait to get back to the range with it!

 

Good to hear you are pleased. I have similar experience shooting lightweight guns; one eventually figures out what works and what does not. Though not nearly as light as the 317, when shooting my little scoped, bull-barrel M63, it took several hundred rounds to finally fine tune hold and position on the bags for best grouping. Once I was dialed in, I was able to chew out 1/2" groups at 25 yards, but only with R-50; the cheaper stuff just would not group that well. Obviously, just a few thousandths of movement in any direction with a handgun throws a bullet way off course, and the long-eye-relief 4X scope was a great teacher. Having the proper size and color of bull was also critical. Even with three sand bags on a solid bench, though, I could never get the cross hairs to completely calm down, like one can do with a benched rifle.

I haven't shot my new 317 yet, but when shooting a friend's, I experienced the same learning curve shooting double action. It took awhile, but I was able to ultimately hit aluminum cans from a pretty good distance most of the time in double action. It takes a bit of persistence, so I can see some just throwing up their arms and concluding the gun is just too light to shoot accurately.

 

Shooting the 317 well is a challenge and I guess that could be a plus or a minus depending on the individual owner. I think it's fun. Sometimes, shooting at targets can get frustrating or stressful but when I started shooting a dirt clods on the berms further out, I started having fun. And fun is what I'm usually looking for in recreational shooting. At the very least, the 317 is a great tin can killer! I can already tell it will also be a frequent companion on hikes and hunting outings. Great little revolver... I hope yours is a shooter, too.

 

A great companion indeed, one you will quickly forget is there. As I said before, everyone who hefts my 317 does an immediate double take, then smiles. It was hard for me to pony up the $700+ for a gun I know costs S&W less to produce than a 63, for instance. As a gunsmith, aluminum was always viewed as a cost-cutting, compromise alternative, and it has taken years for me to shake that. I started coming around when seeing the lack of wear on very high-round-count ARs. The other side is refinishing. From a gunsmith's perspective, there just were not any good looking solutions for finishing aluminum parts, and most gunsmiths' bread and butter used to be polishing and rebluing.

 

Nice! I've been on a kick as of late to acquire the old model 34 kit guns.

 

I have a little nylon flap holster I carried 317 in. I think it was $7.99 at Wally World.

 

I picked up a used Hunter 1100-7 holster for it. It used to be listed on Hunter's site as fitting the 3" 317, but it's a very tight fit.

Here's a photo of it on this morning's turkey hunt (unsuccessful):

 

I haven't purchased a holster for my 63-5 yet, but, have been looking at this one:
Braids Holsters Store

 

That looks like a much better fit than my Hunter holster. If you get it, please do me a favor and post your opinion of it in this thread.

 

I bought a 317 several years ago. It soon became my favorite gun. I gave my 34 to my son and shooting buddy. I have no regrets.

 

It ain't no tack-driver, but I do love my 317. I also squared out the rear sight and that did help. It now rests permanently in my Get-Home-Bag and doesn't add any weight. You can always find .22 RF ammo.