A couple of days ago I held a S&W Airlite 317 Kit Gun and WOW, is it light!! Talk about easy to carry along -- you'd probably have to think about it to remember you had it with you.

It has a snubby brother, the 317, which I can see the advantages of (even more compact and snag proof, ideal for a pocket or purse) but I am thinking it would be much easier to hit the target with the 317 Kit Gun.

Even though it is only abour 12 ounces, since it is a .22 I am guessing recoil is a non-issue for anyone -- I am thinking of my wife or youngsters using it. Comments anyone?

My main question is, "Can I use these for regular target practice (that would be about 1,000 to 2,000 rounds per year for me) and expect it will hold together pretty well???

What about durability if using a hotter .22? I am getting good results from CCI Velocitors in my 16" barrel old single shot rifle. Velocity in that gun is consistently about 1390 fps.

I bought a 317 Airlite with the 3" barrel a few months ago. It's purpose will be for a pot gun while sheep hunting, where absolute minimal weight is a concern.

So far, I've found one "load" these little guns like and that was the CCI Pistol Match ammo. Maybe it likes others as well, but the revolver is so light, it's really hard to shoot accurately. The trigger is pretty heavy, and that coupled with the extreme lightness of the gun, makes it hard to shoot well. Mine weighs 11 ounces. That is a very light handgun. The recoil should not be a factor for adult or children.

I haven't tried any of the hotter loads in mine. I got it to pot shoot grouse or ptarmigan inside of 10 yards with a quiet report. I've tried Federal standard, Federal Match, Winchester standard, Winchester Match, Remington, Eley, and a few others. So far the CCI Pistol Match is the only thing mine (or I) shoot well enough for the purpose.

If I were going to use a .22 handgun for a trainer, I really do think I would go with a little heavier gun. A Ruger Bearcat or Single Six, or any of fine little autos would probably serve the training purposes better. The 317 Airlite is just too light for that. Not only is it extremely hard to hold on target during the trigger squeeze, but any non-consistant holds or pressure you may put on the gun during shooting exaggerates your groups. If you don't pay absolute perfect attention to detail, you will not get good groups. This may be very frustrating to a first time shooter and cause them to not enjoy the outing. Not too many kids will continue to practice something they aren't, at least a little, good at doing.

I don't think you would have a problem with the handgun's durability, but would look eslewhere for a trainer.

Alyeska338 -

Great insights, thanks. Having never shot a superlight gun, I didn't consider the difficulty of keeping on target from shot to shot.

Good thinking about training. I won't plan on having that as my guest trainer. This week I will take a friend and his 9 year old grandson for the grandson's intro to target shooting. We will start with single shot 22 on sandbags, then work up to a Ruger Mark II on sandbags, then standing. All limited to 15 yards the first day. This being Florida, I like to pick up some sour or fallen oranges, set them on a post and shoot them with 22 hollow points. Ask a kid to pull apart one of the oranges with his bare hands, then shoot one. Instant orange juice! They come apart like a big aerial firework, usually sending orange pieces in a 20 to 30 foot diameter circle. The kids get the idea real fast about the power of a 22 and how that could be pretty ugly in a careless accident.

Dave

I own a 317 Kit Gun. I've seen at my best 2" groups at 50 feet offhand, some tighter with a sandbag. At 21 feet, groups can be I'm guessing 1-1.5".

Like Alyeska338, I bought it to be a pot-filler. My game would be squirrels, but I'll need a lot more practice to get the groupings that I want for the job, and to vary the loads. I've tried Federal Lightnings, Win Wildcat & Super X's, Remingtons, CCI mini-mags and even tried .22 shorts, which worked OK.

Still undecided if I'll take it or another .22 for squirrels this fall, but overall it's a good plinker, just not super accurate.

Good luck!

halo,
Try the CCI Pistol Match, those worked really well for me out of the 317.