These are looking good to me. 10 shot.22lr on a k frame sounds perfect. At close to $700 I expect perfect function for a very long time. I had a Ruger SP101 in .22 and sold it due to the ****** trigger. Is the 617 better? I will probably have to buy it without fondling it first. Thanks.

The 617 is a great gun. It has a large following here and other gun forums. Can't recommend one highly enough.

My trigger pull was quite poor out of the box. Fortunately, a set of Wolff springs for $15 drastically changed that with little effort. One can also DIY a true trigger job or send it off to a revolversmith for one if desired, too.

They are pricey, though.

I have one in 6". Their worth the money.

I have one and the trigger was fine to me until I tried my buddies 617 with a wolf spring kit wow ! Buy it , enjoy it , There are loy of us out there that love the gun !

Are you using the lightest Wolff spring in your 617 with good ignition? I am thinking about installing a Wolff kit after great results in a model 10, but the strikes are REALLY light. Not sure why I think the rimfires need a heavier strike

Chris

617s are great! My 4" ranks at or at least near the top of my fun-to-shoot list. Many say the 6" versions are muzzle heavy, and recommend the 4" for that reason. I'd say that no rimfire battery is complete without one.

I just put a 4" on layaway at Bud's. $685, ouch. I think it will be a great long term investment.

I didn't know that Ruger made the GP100 in .22.

Sorry, it is the SP101.This is the one I had for about 1 week. Did I mention I'm not a fan of Ruger's in any variety? I just wanted an affordable DA .22. See the pin holding in the rear sight? It started drifting out after a couple of rounds. This was my 3rd. and last Ruger product.

well....there are a LOT of new smith&wesson's that are priced much higher then a 617....based on your post i think i would at least handle it before spending the money....
just saying...

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SWCA#2208
KK4EMO

Well Kenny, normally I would handle one first. There just aren't any around here to look at. I'm pretty confident in S&W's quality, and being able to tune the trigger to my liking. Anyway, it's too late to wait, I put one on layaway shortly after posting.

My 6" 617 is a great shooter. I do not find it muzzle heavy, rather it seems very steady. It helps me be a better shooter. Springs are original but it had a little trigger smoothing with its former owner. It goes at 3 lbs. in single action. I tend to shoot it single action but it is nice to be able to practice with it with double action too.

I have the 4" 617, my neighbor has the 6". We both love Ahrends retro combat grips. He had to put the rubber factory back on his 617 to deal with the muzzle weight. My 4" is perfectly balanced.

I did the Wolff spring kit and slicked up the innards. I have the Khunhausen manual and have done it a few times.

I put a Burris Fastfire red dot on mine to help the 61 yr old eyes. I'm shooting clay birds off the hill at 35 yards and breaking up the pieces. It's that good.

You're correct, Chris. Rimfire ignition reliability is easily compromised by tinkering with springs...

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'Nam 1968-69.DAV,VFW,NRA Inst.

I couldn't imagine being without at least one of them, they are great guns

+1 on the 6" 617.
4 or 6 you will love it.

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NRA Certified Instructor & RSO

I've had my M617 4" 10 shot for 2 or 3 years now. I picked it up to use in the local club 22 steel plate matches. With DS-10 speed loaders it can be loaded almost as fast a an auto. And with 10 rds. you're pretty much even with the autos.
I smoothed the action bearing surfaces a bit, but never had any luck with the Wolfe springs. Kept getting a few misfires.
But even without the Wolfe springs the trigger is very smooth.
And with the weight of the gun and the smooth double action, it's like cheating in the matches.

-4 Gatling gun

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Sure you did

It will be money well spent, and if you don't like it...selling the 617 will not be a problem.
Mine shoots very well, SA/DA the trigger pull is very good.

Anyone I loan it to (for shooting), gives it back with a grin.

Attached Images

SW 617, 10 shot, 22lr.jpg (179.3 KB, 109 views)

22 revolvers are finicky when it comes to reliable ignition with anything but the factory settings. Reducing the DA trigger pull usually results in ignition failures. Apex offers a replacement hammer which is suppossed to provide more uniform ignition at lighter DA's. I left my trigger as factory standad and it has really smoothed out with use.

Great information and pictures guys. I'm really looking forward to mine now. I understand the DA is smooth, but what is the average pull weight in DA. I'm okay with 8-10 pounds in DA. Has anyone done the lock removal and plug on their 617? Thanks.

I kept the main spring factory / stock and replaced the rebound spring.
BIG difference and no misfires. The reduction in weight of pull is like a different gun. I polished up the mating / sliding surfaces and lubed with Mobil-1 oil. Its sweeeeeeeeeettttttttt!

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NRA Certified Instructor & RSO

Yep, and it was very easy and looks good. Mine was a 6" but didn't like the muzzle heavy feel. I bought a new barrel from Brownells and had my local gunsmith swap it for $50. I really love it now. On mine I really have to keep the chambers clean or the shells are hard to eject.

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AL
Pax Per Potens

YUP, chamber cleanliness is a necessity...............

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'Nam 1968-69.DAV,VFW,NRA Inst.

Is that a new gun? I have not seen a new one for less than $700 in several years, so that's a decent price. Repeating what others have said, the 617 is a great handgun. Mine is a 6" and I wish it were a 4", but like it just the same and use it a lot.

What kind of spring set was this from? And yes MTKTM, this is a new gun. Bud's is typically lower priced than most major retailers.

I received my 617 as a late Valentine's present. I go shooting with it as often as I can. Straight out of the box, shooting was an enjoyable experience. New to shooting, but had tried enough to know that I really like the balance of my 617 with its 6 inch barrel.

I haven't seen a new one for less than $700. in quite some time in my neck of the woods either....

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'Nam 1968-69.DAV,VFW,NRA Inst.

I've had my 617 6" for a couple months now and really like it.

It's a very substantial piece of metal; it looks great; I find it very easy to clean; and it equals or exceeds the accuracy that I can achieve with my favorite BuckMark. The only thing I'm not fond of is the very heavy trigger in DA mode (I haven't measured it, but it's the heaviest of any gun I have), which is unpleasant after a while. Thus I tend to shoot the 617 mostly in SA mode.

However, much to my surprise, I have been able to achieve just as tight groupings in DA mode as SA, and it got better the more I practiced.

My particular 617 did come with one unusual characteristic that I described in another post on this board.

I find the balance of the 4" to be more 'neutral' in the hand, whereas the 6" renders a definite downward pull from the muzzle. I think that makes the 4" preferable for rapid fire, or defensive-style shooting, whereas the 6" might be a little better for more slow-fire precision shooting, plus the 2" longer sight-radius might help just a bit.

Here's my six inch, 10 shot cylinder 617 with Altamont stocks and fiber optic front sight. I love this gun!

I finally got mine in. I couldn't wait to get it home for pictures so here's some ****** cellphone pics at the gun store counter. I don't see any need for trigger work on this one. The double action is very smooth and much lighter than I anticipated. This is a very well crafted machine and I can't wait to shoot it.

i shoot a 6" 17-5 and i like it fine, at the range i can hold my own against most. a friend recently picked up a new 6" 617 i tried it out and instantly i felt the extra weight out front,but in a good way. it was rock steady .he stoned the trigger assembly swapped in some wolf springs ...and now i want one!

Interesting gun & thread... do they make one without the full length underlug? Clean Break.

Clean, I don't think so.

I have 4" and 6" no-dash 617s with target triggers and hammers. I put spring kits in both, using the lightest springs in the kit. Both function perfectly.

Ed

The 617 has a full length underlug in every barrel length........

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'Nam 1968-69.DAV,VFW,NRA Inst.

They don't now but in 1991 they made some without the underlug as a limited production for Ashland Shooting Supplies. They are hard to find and are sought after by collectors.

I put a full strength Wolff mainspring in my 4" 617, 10 shot and started getting lots of misfires even with the strain screw down tight. But, it feels a lot better in double action than the stock mainspring. I do not use it in competition, so the misfires really do not matter. I just go around the dial again and they usually go off the second time around. I was also getting a fair amount of lead spitting but a 'smith friend of mine opened the bullet entry point of the barrel very, very slightly and that made a big difference. I find the build up of lead around the top strap by the b/c gap annoying but that is what happens with copper washed lead bullets. I shoot 586/686 in SSR in IDPA and having a 617 to practice with is fantastic. All in all I am very happy with my 617.

I STAND CORRECTED ! ! ! I never knew this. Gotta be scarcer than hen's teeth........

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'Nam 1968-69.DAV,VFW,NRA Inst.

They are rare but several forum members have them. I also saw one 617 owner who machined off the full lug on his barrel since he wanted the no lug version but couldn't find one.

I've had mine for a couple of months now. I still enjoy shooting with it and wish I could go shooting more often. I only wish that it didn't take me so long to clean it, but since the revolver holds ten shots, it does take a little longer to clean.

My spouse admits that it is more enjoyable to shoot with the 617 than the Browning 22SA my spouse purchased.

My first DA-capable .22 LR revolver was my new 4" 617 bought 9/08 - after I turned 60! Don't make my mistake... get one sooner rather than later - they really are that much fun. You'll soon forget the price you paid. You can, if your eyes are as mature as mine, get some help plinking with your 617 by changing the front sight - the HiViz 'SW617' is made low to match the original rear sights. The no-fg Ahrends cocobolo retro targets helped my grip - and the DS-10 speedloder & loading baseplate add to the 'fun factor'.



Mine loves the el cheapo Federal bricks from WallyWorld. Great buy... congratulations!

Stainz

I've got the same one (per lock 10 shoot 6"). One of my favorites and always gets to ride to the range with me and my sons. Great gun a fun and cheap to shoot. I was lucky to pick mine up a couple years back for $550 OTD. I thought that was too much, but I guess it was a deal looking back.

I just got a 617 from a forum member it was NIB (SOP first class guy)
I shot it within a couple days of getting it and I can feel a true winner with trigger refinements I love the feel and balance (4in) plus the chance to shoot cheap and let My daughter and kids experiance a truely fine gun without costing me a pile

But for long term plans and value of the heirloom I didnt want to turn it over to a substandard gunsmith to just replace springs ME!
I called S&W they dont do trigger jobs on 22s but a friend of mine is very well known in the gun business his dad was a smith when I asked him he just was so excited about his guy and he is the only one he would have do his S&W triggers
Because I trust him its there now I should get it early next week
I CANT WAIT TO GET IT BACK

I never know how this will sound on the S&W forums but I hope its close to my Trooper 22 that action was made by an alien from another planet its by far the best trigger I have ever pulled better than my Pythons

Hank

Trigger jobs on .22 caliber handguns are tricky business--as evidenced by S&W refusal to do the work. Good luck with your project. Post a range report and a description of the work done when you finally get to shoot it. FWIW--my current production 617's trigger is un-modified, but seems to be getting better with use.

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'Nam 1968-69.DAV,VFW,NRA Inst.

I have one with an 8 3/8 barrel that thinks its a rifle. A 4 inch has been on my list for a while.

More eye candy.....pair of 617-4s.

The 617 is a great revolver in either 4 inch or 6 inch and a must have in your revolver family. My 4 inch 617 actually is more accurate then my 6 inch.
617 no dash 6 inch

617 no dash 4 inch

mine came out of the box dead on and shooting tight groups with CCI blazers. i've been very pleased with it, and don't feel like $700 was overpaying for it in the least. crisp SA trigger pull right at about 4 lbs, DA pull is pretty heavy, but i've shot some great DA groups with it too. it's my "go-to" .22.

Great gun. The trigger on mine was nice. That is until I compared it to what it was traded on...Last year I found a new in the box 1979 manufactured Model 41 and traded the 617 on it.

Paul Moore