Have my eye on a 17-3 22lr revolver. It is a blued revolver but has had the trigger, hammer, and cylinder replaced with supposed target trigger and hammer. They all appeared to be chromed or maybe nickel. It is a beautiful gun just wanted to know if this would hurt the value. Also, can some one tell me the year it was made. SN 18K48XX. This may belong in another forum since I am unsure of the date. If so let me know. Thanks

All 18K numbers were issued in 1978.

I really don't have any comment to make on the replacement parts. I certainly would not pay a premium for them and probably would discount the gun myself, but I have no idea how they would affect other purchasers.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

The target version hammers and triggers are great for lots of shooting but I could live without them being Nickel or Chrome. I suppose it will lower the value as collectors always want a gun the way it was shipped. If you can buy it for a really great price then you can afford to fit new Hammer & Trigger (getting more expensive every day), but if it's not a bargain, I'd continue the quest for another one as it WOULD bother me. That's however is just my opinion and others may actually like it. YMMV

Welcome to the FORUM! Are you looking for a collector piece, or "shooter"? If looking for a collector, then you would not want the non-original parts. You made no mention of price. Replacing the parts would add to your total if desired. I bought a 17-2, 1 week ago. It is original except it came with rubber grips. It is from 1964. Not perfect, but as good as it gets for me. Let us know how you make out! Bob

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Went ahead and bought. I think it is a good looking Gun. I am not a collector, just been wanting one and the price was 540.00. Compared to what I have been seeing, thought it was a good price.

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Man, let me tell you, 540.00, did you wear your Jesse James mask? Great buy!

Saw it in an online auction, placed the minimum bid and expected to get outbid. No one else bid on it so I won it. Had some concerns obviously buying from online, but mechanically the gun seems perfect, only "problem" I could find was on the trigger guard where there was some wear. But that was it. That's why I asked if the replacement parts could hurt the value. Didn't understand why it went for that price. Just glad I was able to get it. Feels good to get a "good" deal this day and age.

Not my cup of tea but, enjoy. The model 17's are great guns and a heck of a lot of fun to shoot !

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I reckon so

You forgot to mention the red on the front sight. Sometimes that is factory, sometimes not. I have one like that, but I think mine was aftermarket.

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Miss My Buddy crsides!!

Looks like somebody just wanted to fancy up their Model 17. You got it for a good price.

After market front and rear sights.

Hammer and trigger look "jeweled" to me.................

Cylinder Nickel?....... the "Pinto " look....

If you like the look.................. that's a great price on a 17!!!!!!!

I thought that the Hammer and trigger looked jeweled too except something just doesn't look quite right. I have a couple of revolvers with jeweled hammers and triggers and they look quite a bit different from that.This one looks to be flash chromed and then jeweled? However, it may just be a trick of the lighting and my old eyes.

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I reckon so

If it's jeweled ...... I've seen better examples! But my best guess from the pictures................

I just gotta say..........that looks really odd. The hammer and trigger look more like they've been "polished" than nickel or chrome plated. The cylinder does appear to be nickel though.

Looks like a homemade "Pinto".

17-7

Now WHY would anyone want to do that to a fine old gun? "Seemed like a good idea at the time" to someone. Hopefully the work was well done & you got a "piece" of a fine gun on the cheap & it makes for a good shooter. Personally it would bug me EVERY time I looked at it. If you can get past that and get a T shirt that says "I DIDN'T DO IT", enjoy shooting it.

My thoughts also, when I saw the photo my first reaction was
" darn that's ugly" but for a shooter it will do....just be sure and wear the T shirt !

Gary

Wow! Tell me what you really think. Guess I will go and sulk with my new ugly gun.

What site is best to get factory replacement parts? Later on I might look into these so I don't have to buy the "I didn't do it t-shirt". Are all model 17 parts interchangeable? And what does the pinto look mean? If I am going to be called names I like to know what it means.

Pinto is a compliment. From time to time S&W came out with various two-tone guns, usually with one color frame and another color cylinder (like the one I posted above). They are very sought after - probably due to their rarity.

Personally, I would keep your gun as-is and shoot the heck out of it - it's a lot better looking than my beat up 17-3. Then again, I don't give a flip what others may think about my guns.

From American Rifleman:

In the 1970s, I lived and worked in an area with a number of excellent gun stores. One of them was in a coastal city, and about half the salesmen were off-duty deputy sheriffs. This store was big enough to have an enormous array of guns, both new and used, and it was well connected to the major makers, so rare guns were not uncommon. It was in this cop-friendly emporium that I saw my first Smith & Wesson pinto revolver. Now, what is a Smith & Wesson “pinto” handgun?

The term is collector slang for a S&W handgun with different parts finished in standard blue and nickel plate. This two-tone finish is somewhat reminiscent of the sharply contrasting colors of a pinto pony, providing the name. Most commonly, the pintos involved a J, K or N frame revolver with nickel barrel and cylinder with the rest of the gun blued, though exceptions have been noted by the avid collectors. Only a few autos have been seen, usually Model 39s and 59s.

There are numerous theories as to how this style of handgun came to be. Some say that it came as a result of excess parts on hand. Others maintain that the Pintos were ordered by large distributors because the guns were novelties that might sell very well. S&W’s historian once told me that this began as a tradition that was started in the earliest days of the company. There is certain logic to a revolver with nickel barrel and cylinder, with the remainder blued. It’s particularly understandable in the black powder era, when corrosion of the parts immediately associated with firing is unavoidable. Today, we view nickel plating as primarily cosmetic, but it is much more resistant to corrosion than blued steel.

Regardless of the reason for them, S&W’s pintos are growing in their collector value. And they shoot every bit as well as the all blue or all nickel guns from the company’s golden age.