Living off the land
I lived in Ecuador for some years and spent time in the jungle with the tribes. While there I hunted with the men for food and used a Colt Huntsman 22 autopistol. I had a long time to think about the perfect handgun for living off the land in places where no help was available except what you had on your hip. When I returned stateside I bought my perfect pistol and this is it. A stainless Smith and Wesson Kit-Gun (Model 63) and the grips are by Herrett. A real shame these things are no longer available.
If you can hold it steady enough, this pistol will produce groups as small as the larger and heaviers K-22. Not a bear gun, but I have killed 20 pound monkeys with the Huntsman, plus all kinds of birds. I once killed a tapir with a head shot. They guys had speared it and it was making quite a rukus with them. ![[image]](images/uploaded/201211011954035092d35bcdb9f.jpg)
Living off the land
Very nice, I love those grips!
This one was my dad's only handgun, I drug out the other day and took this pic. I bought it for him in about 1980 and inherited it when he passed away a few years ago. I've never been able to hit anything with it, but I have thought about having the action tuned up and see if that helps.
![[image]](http://i.imgur.com/0HBa4.jpg)
Living off the land
These J frames come with a coil mainspring that is very, very heavy. I replaced the one in my 1981 Kit-gun with a lighter aftermarket spring. That cured the problem of a heavy action. I think it was proably a Trapper spring, but I do not remember for certain. I may have bobed off a coil or two for that matter. At any rate, I did lighten the spring one way or another.
Ignition.
by JLF 
, Thursday, November 01, 2012, 18:22 (4407 days ago) @ Charles
Word has always been that S&W builds in some liability insurance to their rimfire revolvers with some extra spring power. I never had one that didn't benefit from some lighter spring work, but it's a balance. Too far, and you can get into what uncowboy experienced. My last one was the scandium .22mag that I was all prepared to adopt for life, but the combination of the extreme light weight, and atrocious mainspring made it all but unuseable in DA mode.
JLF
I love my Kit Guns. (nm)
.
I love my Kit Guns. (nm)
CAUTION I was given a beautiful kit gun from my mentor. I hunted with it and shot it a lot but it was not accurate
. When I got it I worked at Behlerts so I let Austin do an action job where he trimed the spring It was slick But again not accurate enough for me. I would have shot 20000 more rounds from it if it was more accurate
. ANYHOW My mentor is up in the years and recoil is bothering him. He asked if he could have it back and he comented on what a nice gun it was. I gave it to him and told him I could never hit anything with it . He took it to the range and when he saw the groop he knew something was wrong. He replaced the mainspring and the groops shrunk. I remember reading an article years ago about Rimfires being inaccurate when not busted hard and I long forgot it till He let me shoot it with the new spring and I tore a jagged hole at 15 yds. Did I mention I would have shot 20000 more rounds from it when I had it. Still have not replaced it but some day I will stumble on one till then the K 22 gets the rangetime. Friends don't let friends cut springs
. J.Michael