Smith Wesson Model 317 Kit Gun 22LR – Superb Lightweight Revolver

Description

The Smith Wesson Model 317 Kit Gun 22LR is a revolver built around a single idea: that the gun in your pack should weigh almost nothing. Smith and Wesson put a 22 LR cylinder in an aluminum alloy J-frame, and the result is a revolver light enough that you genuinely forget it is there until you want it.

Smith Wesson Model 317 Kit Gun 22LR What a Kit Gun Is For

The term goes back decades. A kit gun lives in a hiker, camper or fisherman kit bag, where its job is to be there rather than to be impressive. Small game, snakes, camp chores and idle plinking are what it does, and the reason it works is that it weighs so little you never leave it behind.

The Smith Wesson Model 317 Kit Gun 22LR uses an aluminum alloy frame and an aluminum alloy cylinder, with a stainless steel barrel. That combination is what gets the weight down so dramatically, and it is unusual: most lightweight revolvers still use a steel cylinder.

Chambering in 22 Long Rifle rather than a centerfire cartridge is deliberate. Ammunition weighs nothing, costs almost nothing, and you can carry a hundred rounds in a shirt pocket. For the roles a kit gun actually fills, that matters more than power.

Sights and the J-Frame Underneath

A HI-VIZ fiber optic green front sight is a genuinely useful choice on a small revolver. Fiber optic gathers ambient light into a bright coloured dot that your eye finds instantly, which matters on a short sight radius and matters more in the dappled light of woods and water. The rear sight is adjustable, so you can zero for whichever 22 LR load your revolver shoots best.

Smith and Wesson J-frame revolvers have been in continuous production since 1950, and the design is about as proven as a firearm gets. Small, simple, reliable, and utterly indifferent to how long it sits in a bag between outings.

The three inch barrel is a little longer than the classic snub nose, which gives 22 LR more room to reach velocity and gives you more sight radius for the small-game accuracy this revolver is bought for. It also makes the gun easier to shoot well without adding meaningful weight.

Carrying and Shooting the Smith Wesson Model 317 Kit Gun 22LR

The revolver disappears in a pack, a tackle box or a jacket pocket, which is exactly what it was designed to do. If you carry it in a pocket, use a pocket holster: it keeps the revolver oriented consistently, covers the trigger, and keeps lint out of the action, which matters more on a rimfire than most people expect.

On the range and in the field the fiber optic front sight does a lot of work. Against a cluttered woodland background a plain black post disappears, while a bright green dot does not. Combined with an adjustable rear, you can zero precisely for the small-game accuracy this revolver is bought for.

Expect to experiment with ammunition. A three inch 22 barrel will show real differences between brands, and finding the load your specific revolver prefers is worth a few boxes. Standard velocity ammunition is usually the most accurate; high velocity gives a little more energy on small game.

Maintenance Notes

Rimfire runs dirtier than centerfire. Twenty two LR leaves unburned powder and wax residue everywhere, so plan on cleaning more often than you would with a centerfire revolver, particularly around the cylinder face and the forcing cone where build-up can eventually bind the cylinder.

Check that the ejector rod stays tight. It can back out over time and lock the cylinder closed at exactly the wrong moment, and it is a thirty second check that saves a frustrating afternoon.

The aluminum alloy frame and cylinder are what make the revolver so light, and they are also softer than steel. Treat the gun as the light-duty tool it is rather than something to abuse, keep it clean, and it will outlast the person carrying it.

Smith Wesson Model 317 Kit Gun 22LR Specifications

• Manufacturer part number: 160221
• UPC: 022188602210
• Caliber: 22 LR
• Barrel: 3 inches, stainless steel
• Frame: aluminum alloy J-frame
• Cylinder: aluminum alloy
• Sights: HI-VIZ fiber optic green front, adjustable rear
• Action: double action and single action

Why Buyers Choose the Smith Wesson Model 317 Kit Gun 22LR

Weight is the whole argument. A revolver you actually carry on every hike and every fishing trip is worth more than a better one that stays in a drawer because it is too heavy to bother with.

Rimfire ammunition is lot-to-lot inconsistent in a way centerfire is not, and it produces the occasional failure to fire from a dud rim. That is a property of rimfire priming rather than a fault in the revolver, and a revolver handles it better than a semi-automatic does: pull the trigger again and the next round comes up.

A very light revolver is harder to shoot precisely than a heavy one, because there is nothing to steady it. The mild recoil of 22 LR keeps that entirely manageable, but it does reward practice and a good hold.

Who Should Buy It

The Smith Wesson Model 317 Kit Gun 22LR suits hikers, campers, anglers and small game hunters: anyone who wants a revolver light enough to carry everywhere, shooters looking for an inexpensive trail gun, and buyers who want adjustable sights and a fiber optic front on a J-frame.

Learn more from Smith and Wesson, or browse the rest of our firearms selection.

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