Due to my brother-in-laws new interest in shooting I just came out of a 25 year retirement from the sport.

I took my home defense, no dash, 4" 686 to the range and after a couple boxes of 357 rounds I was flabbergasted at my inability to shoot dual action (OK doing SA). Which brings me to my question(s).

I know I need to shoot more and started lusting after a 617 - 22.
My thought is that if I had one I would shoot more (and cheaper) and maybe get some muscle memory from that.

Am I correct about muscle memory?

Should I get a 4" or 6" barrel?

Would 6 or 10 shot model be that different?

finally, how do I get over the thought of spending $700+ for a 22

Thanks for listening to the ramblings going through my mind over this.

Mike

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Bought a used 617-4, 4", 10 shot a while back. It is great. I have never thought of the cost after I bought it, although I am a tight wad and gasped everytime I looked at the prices before I did buy.
Bought a 100 round block and a speed loader for it and they work great. Much faster to reload the 10 shot revolver than to reload a 10 shot pistol magazine. I have a magazine loader for that too, but the revolver is much easier.

If you have a four inch already,I'd go with a four inch 617.A full lug six inch 617 will have a completely different balance.
Frankly, I don't understand why folks think a 22 rimfire is worth less than a centerfire.To me, they're more valuable.

It will be worth every cent I just finished cleaning mine up after some plinking yesterday just bought it new back in October and I opted for the 4". I have enough 6" revolvers in my collection good luck with your decsion they are a blast.

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Take it easy. Chris

You guys are all on the money. I guess I'm a tight wad too. I'll probably love it the way I love my 686.

It's been a while since I've seen gun prices and it kinda takes my breath away and wish I had held onto my old relics.

I plunked down a whole bunch of cash for my 4" 10-shot pre-lock 617. It only hurt for a very short time. (The time it took to arrive ) I couldn't be happier. It was well worth it! Go for it!

Good luck.

WG840

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Freedom above all else.

Welcome to the forum! I would try and find a 4" 6 shot to mimic the features of your other gun. Prices are high on these guns but it will in fact last a lifetime, possibly several. The purchase cost of the gun will be very small when factored on a lifetime basis. Buy a $700 television today and see what it worth in 5 years, you will probably have to pay someone to haul it away. There are very few products beside quality firearms that a person can buy that will retain or increase in value. Not cars, electronics, jewelry, appliances, real estate of late or furniture to name a few. I recently bought a 4" 617 and enjoy shooting it as much as my K-22's. I thought with the price of K-22's it would be good to have a stainless gun and not have to fret about blue wear when shooting my K-22's. The 617 is just as accurate, reliable and the trigger pull is typical SW, great. Go for it, it won't be cheaper next year.

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John. SWCA #1586

The 617 is just plain fun to shoot with and you won't find a better revolver for training new shooters. As for your question pertaining to muscle memory, it will help you with the DA trigger stroke but won't do much in regard to recoil, the 617 is massive enough that recoil is nearly non existant.

Personally, I prefer the 6 shooter, some ammo's such as Winchester Xpert HV are smoky enough to cause some obstruction of the target after 6 shots at an indoor range. In addition I kind of prefer 6 shooters simply due to tradition. However, I wouldn't pass up a 10 shooter at a good price, they are very difficult to find used.

For barrel length, IMO a 4 inch barrel is the way to go. The 6 inch barrel is distinctly muzzle heavy and it will be tiring for anyone with less wrist strength, such as a child or petite woman. One positive of the longer barrel is the increased sight radius, however I've started shooting with Reflex sights so sight radius issues are no longer a concern of mine. The other positive for a long barrel is the increase in velocity it will provide a bit more effective range, however in a 22 caliber handgun that gain in effective range will be minimal. Game that can be taken with a 22 are small and that small size limits the effective range much more than muzzle velocity. Bottomline, IMO the 4 inch barrel is the way to go, however as all I could locate was a 6 inch 617 it's what I own. You may want to take note of that, 4 inch 617's aren't commonly found for sale, new ones that weren't on special order will sell out in 1 or 2 days at a dealer because they have a calling list of those seeking this gun. As for used, that calling list means they'll normally sell within hours of being recieved by a dealer.

This is the stuff I need to hear, especially about the availability of this unit. Makes me want to, pardon the pun, pull the trigger on one at a gun show tomorrow.......I'm starting to wear down.

thanks,
mike

I too had been mostly out of shooting and reloading since the early 70's. That is why I mentioned in my earlier post how the prices were absolutely startling. I think my last new gun purchase was a Blackhawk .45 colt for less than $100.
Since I bought the 617 I have realized what the prices were then and now, and what my available cash was then and now and decided it is actually easier to buy one now than then.
So----I just bought a new Colt 1911 for $1,000. My previous one was a MK IV, Series 70, I bought in about 1971 for $88.50.
So watch out---after the first one they get easier, even if you are a tightwad.

Here's another angle:

For less than the money you'd spend on the 617, you could by reloading equipment and supplies and shoot your 686 a whole lot more. You can load light SWC loads and practice all the double action shooting you want at a recoil level similar to the .22.

But, a .22 DA revolver is something everybody should have. So, instead of buying a new 617, get a shooter-grade M17 or M18 and buy the reloading equipment, too.

Got mine last week. Made the mistake of shooting one at the range the week before. It was that good. Let a buddy of mine shoot mine today and what do you know, yup, he wants one 2.

Get it! I've put 1000 rounds through it in a week. Next week bet it will be 1200.
You can not reload 38's for .02 cents a round.

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For your stated purpose you don't need the 617. You'll likely develop that DA pull in a reasonable number of shots and with plenty of dry firing.

Having said that, the 617 is awesome. If you want to self justify the purchase as cheap practice, why not.

It's not needed, and probably not worth the money, but I'd still recommend it, and I'm frugal.

I bought a 6" 686 in 2001. A few weeks later I bought a 6" 617. I think the 617 was about $15 to $20 cheaper than the 686. In looking at the list prices at the S&W site it appears that the relationship of the prices is still about the same.

At the time that I bought the gun I didn't think that it was priced too high and in fact the workmanship on my particular 617 is much better than on the 686. Let's face it, there isn't much to choose from in 22 double action revolvers and the Smiths are always going to be the one everyone wants. I have never regretted my purchase.

Bill

I bought a 617 10 shot a couple years ago. Weight and balance almost mimics my 686. I got a couple of speed loaders for it what a blast to shoot.

It is VERY accurate.

The DA pull will really help with trigger discipline.

To me it is also MONEY IN THE BANK. I will never sell it though, I too got back into shooting after getting out way back in the 70's.

For sure there's some sticker shock now. eeewwww weeee.

You won't regret getting one and it is a super camp gun and plinker.

Dan

I bought a 6" 617 years ago and later realised that it was so heavy on the muzzle end I didn't shoot it much. I later bought a 4" and the loading block/speed loaders. Wow, I fell in love. Fun to shoot. My only complaint is that the trigger is much different from the 686 and that takes a while to feel comfortable. Wish there was a fix for that but as I understand it you cannot lighten it up without having a lot of FTFs. Other than the trigger it is a wonderful gun and I would never sell mine.

[QUOTE=scooter123] "For barrel length, IMO a 4 inch barrel is the way to go. The 6 inch barrel is distinctly muzzle heavy and it will be tiring for anyone with less wrist strength, such as a child or petite woman."

"4 inch 617's aren't commonly found for sale, new ones that weren't on special order will sell out in 1 or 2 days at a dealer because they have a calling list of those seeking this gun." QUOTE]

I agree about the 4" having better balance. I bought one because I put a C-More on it (Allchin mount) for steel and pintops, and didn't need the increased sight radius. With respect to the 4 inchers being scarce, that was true not too long ago, but they have been continuously in stock at Bud's and Jet Guns for a while now. I saw a new 6" at a local gun show this morning for $629.

FWIW, I have a 617, 6" barrel revolver and love it.

It is very accurate and helps me practice alot.

It allows me to practice shooting SA in DA mode if you get what I mean. In essence, it helps alot with trigger control and muscle memory for me.

ETA: I have never shot a 4" Model 617, so I can't say which is better for me. Also, mine is a 10 shot. I have never shot a 6 shot model, so I can't comment on the differences there either.

if the gun prices took your breath away, wait till you price ammo. Ammo has gone crazy. That $700 price on the .22 will seem like a bargain when you are buying bulk .22 ammo instead of .357 mags or even .38s.

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Miss My Buddy crsides!!

I think the ammo pricing is what caught my attention first when I started playing with the 686. It only made me remember the cheap fun I had with an old Colt Peacemaker I once had.
OK, so maybe I want to re-live my younger days doing the fun stuff I remember. Now I see the price of admission now days has gone up. I guess ya gotta pay if you want to play.

I am going to get a 617, I know it, now that you guys have fueled my reasoning more, and the fact that I'm smitten by the looks and balance of the Smith revolvers (alway been a revolver fan).

I'm going to see a LEO friend of mine at the motortcycle show up here next weekend and see if he has an insight into better pricing somewhere.

Thank you all for your time and insite helping me get back into something I've always enjoyed

Mike

Hi Mike,

Like you, I recently came back after an extended shooting absence. For me, the muscle memory did come back the more I shot. Interestingly, it feels even better than it did before.

I've got a model 60 that I put mostly 38 specials through. I was using my old H&R 686 (22 lr) but one of my boys was enjoying shooting so much, he now has it.

I'm also on the lookout for a double action 22. From what I can tell S&W and Taurus are the only makers of new ones. If you want to stay cheap, you might look for an old H&R. I loved my 686 but the two on gunbroker.com right now look pretty sad.

I'm about to suck it up and buy either a used 17, 617 or a Dan Wesson 22. They won't be cheap but I'll enjoy them a lot and eventually one of my kids will get it.

HTH.

Hey 883,
As I think about it, at this stage of the game I may be having more issues with eyesight than muscle memory.

I went down the path of looking for a logical substitute for a 617 and still kept coming back to the 617. After listening to the satisfied owners of this piece, I'm pretty much sold. Now it's time to rev up the old lady to the idea.

Mike

Hi Mike,

Know what you mean about the eyes. I painted the front site on my 60 gold. That really helped.

I bid on a Dan Wesson 22 today but bowed out at $590. I'll find something. Good look on your search.