

But we won’t wade into that controversy here.) (Of course, the inclusion of the trigger lock is for many folks a bug and not a feature. There are other often missed details and refinements that set the 317 apart, such as the lanyard attachment on the grip backstrap, the inlet on the underside of the trigger guard to shed just a little extra weight, a trigger/child lock mechanism to prevent unauthorized use without the special unlocking key, and obviously the 8-round capacity. The 317 is equipped with fixed front and rear sights, a smooth trigger pull, and a bobbed hammer. The S&W AirLite 317 fits a niche in the market as the lightest high-capacity snub nosed. It’s the little details like finish consistency, softly radiused edges, and the perfect ergonomics of the grip that add up to a premium finished revolver equal to any other caliber. But that is definitely not the case with the 317. 22LR pistols downsized from other larger calibers are designed to hit a low price point, so quality suffers. Regardless of your training, trail, survival or hunting reasons, most folks can quickly rationalize the feathery 10.8oz S&W AirLite 317.Īlthough the gun has the felt weight of a couple wine corks when in the pocket, it still feels like a very high quality piece due to S&W’s attention to detail. If you’re just walking trails and want to assure you have something to take care of aggressive critters along the way, a small, ultralight, 8-round snubby in. 22LR pistol, most of us think of a 4”-6” barrel, but Smith and Wesson has a snub-nose, AirLite revolver option for.
