Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires New S&W 63

Yesterday I picked up the Smith & Wesson Model 63 that's going to replace my SS New Bearcat as my walking-around gun. The Bearcat is a little jewel, but the 63 is even nicer, holds 8, and the slightly shorter barrel makes it a bit more comfortable to wear IWB. The 63 will also accept a set of laser grips, which are great for an old man with old eyes.

The front sight is a red fiber-optic, but unlike many, presents a square black outline which makes it easier to get a good sight picture on targets and the dot isn't overwhelming as some are.

I've got a Simply Rugged pancake rig on order for it. It has slots for strong-side and crossdraw wear, accepts straps that convert it to an IWB rig, and also can be worn with a tanker-style harness.

Model 63 is one of the best 22 LR revolver for trail carry even tho I prefer the older 6 shot pre-safety over the newer one

The older cylinder release looks better to me, but the safety on my 620 has never given me a bit of trouble, and is handy when, for example, I have to leave a gun in the car so I can go into a gun-free zone like the P.O. Prices on the older guns are stratospheric, and a lot of them are 4", which like the Bearcat, is a bit long for IWB and impossible for pocket carry.

The new ones are great looking pistols

Next up is choosing which Crimson Trace grips to buy. They make a slew of 'em these days for the J-frames.

I cracked off a few Colibris in the basement the other night. Looks like they may group well enough to be worth fooling with, but the POI was way off the sights. I'll try regular LRs this evening to be sure it's not the sight setting. My experience has been that most revolvers come from the factory pretty well sighted in.

most sights on 22's are adjusted from the factory for 40 gr LR solid points

Pappy348: I absolutely LOVE my Smith & Wesson Model 63's (I have 2 four inchers and a two incher)!
They are amongst my all time favorite guns - I hope you will be as happy with yours as I have been with mine.
Among other creatures I have brought to bag with my Model 63's are Rattlesnakes, Rock Chucks, Ground Squirrels, Grouse, Rabbits and a defiant Badger (which took the whole cylinder full to render motionless!).
All mine are the old style six shooters with the original type sights.
Indeed, like someone else mentioned, the old style Model 63's are commanding very high prices these days!
Enjoy!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I was kinda agonizing over giving up my little Bearcat... until I opened up the S&W box. Bearcat went down the road the next day.

Only downside is that handguns here are required to have a 4" barrel to be legal for hunting, so the 63 will be just for carry and fun. I've got a Victory .22 for squirrels and such.

To put prices for nice old Model 63's in perspective, at least here locally, they command as much and sometimes more than a nice old Model 19 or 66, and always more than a nice Model 10.

Went back to the basement with some mini-mags last night and found that the sights were way off. The MMs landed about an inch higher than the Colibris, which is pretty much where they do in my other pistols. Got it pretty well dialed in before my wife hollered down that the dog was getting shaky about the noise.

I also found that the 63 in a pocket holster fits very nicely in the pocket of my new tactical wanna-be shorts, and presumably will fit in the pants coming tomorrow. The hoster was originally for something else and I had to cut a notch for the rear sight, but now it fits like a glove.

I'm really liking this thing.

While I like revolvers a bunch, I have decided that I like a 1 lb. SR-22 even better. Dittoes on the M&P 22C.


Handy, light, and also fun. Cannot use Colibris, but standard velocity works okay.

No, they cannot match the coolness of a roundgun, but I like them heaps. Did I mention that they weigh one pound?

I don't mind the extra weight and like the load versatility of the revolver, plus the lack of magazines. But whatever pleases you, tickles me plumb to death. Handguns are very personal things, especially carry guns.

I like ANYTHING that goes "bang", and I've owned a pretty wide variety of good handguns(100+ over the years). No doubt the M18 Smith I had was a better shooter than the current Ruger or Smith, but for some reason, I love these little guns. I can't figure it out, plastic really ain't my thing.

Still, these little suckers are a ball to shoot, and since I'm not chasing the brass to reload it, I like them even more.

I kinda have the "wants" for another good wheelgun, but I haven't seen a new 63 or 34 in decades around here. They just are hard to find in this locale. In fact, I can only think of ONE dealer around here, now, that carries Smith wheelguns at all, and he's mostly carrying the .38Spl's and .44s. Nothing else. It's hard to find ANY wheelguns around here these days, let alone the better models.

The 63 was an impulse purchase from Whittaker's. Last one they had, of course! Saw some on gunbroker too. My FFL guy said I paid about $20 more than the lowest wholesale price he could get.

Tonight I tried the Colibris again. No cigar. I have tried them in three wheelguns and they just won't group. They have been decent in two autos (single fed) and a Contender, usually printing about an inch low at 10 yards. 40gr CCI Quiet .22s were right on the button though. I bought 2000 of those about a year ago at a great price, about $3.50 a box I think. Now nobody seems to have them and the price listed is much more.

I used to hunt Dove with my model 63....until it became illegal. Kept the grill full for a long time.

Now I prefer my SP 101. Still like the 63's. But, the SP 101 fits my hand so perfectly.

Reloader28: I have been SO tempted to try one of the Ruger SP 101's in 22 L.R.
The local gun store gets them in on occasion and they move out pretty quickly.
I have heard no complaints regarding them so if some extra jingle comes my way I might just jump on the next one.
I kick myself for passing up a leather holster that a local nurse was selling at a garage sale last weekend. She said it fit SP 101's and was asking 10 dollars for it.
I am on a crusade against using leather anymore at all for my pistol needs, so I passed on it - now that I think about it I could have bought it and traded it off for a profit.
I wonder what the difference in weight is between a 4" Model 63 and a 4" SP 101?
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
P.S.: I just answered my own question - the SP 101 with 4.2" barrel weighs 30 ounces and the new style Smith & Wesson with slightly shorter barrel weighs in at 26 ounces - same-o same-o!

My Simply Rugged Silver Dollar Pancake arrived yesterday, way ahead of schedule. Very nice, and very comfortable.

Cheap hoslsters are no bargain, especially for everyday wear. Any little issues with gun fit or comfort just wear on you over time.

Buy once, cry once.

Pocket carry is still my preference for this one for comfort and concealment, if the pants I'm wearing can handle it.