Hello,

I am new to shooting and I have the opportunity to either purchase a new S&W 17 or a new S&W 617 for 22 caiber target practice. I am concerned that the 617 weighs 44 oz. vs. the S&W 17 weighs 40 oz.. What do people in the forum about owning either gun please? is one gun more popular for specific reason(s)? Many thanks. BTW, i need to make my up very quickly before these guns are sold !!!

I have one of each and I like them both for different reasons. The 17 is lighter and has no under lug. The 617 has the under lug so it is heavier for that reason. I tend to shoot the 17 while standing and the 617 from a rest. My 617 has the 8 3/8" barrel so it is much heavier than the 17 but has a longer sight picture.

If they both have the same length barrel, then the decision is based on your preference for blue or stainless.

You will be happy with either as both are excellent shooters.

Why not buy both?

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Corripe Cervisiam

What I am concerned about is the weight difference - 44 oz vs. 40 oz. for the 6" 617 vs 6" 17. BTW, I failed to mention that I can also buy a new 4 inch 617 whose weight is 39 oz.

From reading prior forums, owners are divided, some folks say the 6" 617 is muzzle heavy and prefer a 4" 617. Are we giving up accuracy going with a 4" 617 over a 6'' 617. Perhaps, it simply comes down to personal preference !!

17-2? 17-3 ? or other?

I should be recieving a 17-2 in the next few days!
I like the older blue Smiths better. If it's a -2 or -3 take it. Probabily you can find a -4 pinned & recessed

If the 617 was a no dash that would be a hard choice for me too.

I suggest to find a pinned & recessed, then if a 617 no dash comes along don't leave it to someone else!

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Smith, and Wesson, and Me!

I have an earlier K-22 with a 6 inch barrel which I ejoy shooting. When I purchased a 10 shot 617 the 6 inch barreled version was too muzzle heavy for my taste and I opted for the 4 inch 617 -that full undelug makes for a lot of up front weight.
I wish S&W would make the 10 shot 617 available with a 6 inch barrel without the big underlug.

I had the same decision to make and this is what I chose:

Looks like the choices are a 6" 17 or a 6" 617, or a 4" 617.

My brother has a 6" 6 shot 617. He likes it just fine, and has no problem with the weight. He does not pack it around in a holster much however.

I have the 4" 6 shot 617. I personally like the 4" version better for what I do with my 22 revolver. Which is mainly get in cheap trigger time so I shoot my centerfire revolvers more accurately. I also wanted a 6 shot because most of my centerfire revolvers carry 6 rounds.

I also like a nice Blued Revolver. They just look good. The 17 should be a good one.

OK 4" or 6" ??? The 6" should be more accurate just due to sight radius. My brother and I shoot together quite a bit. I really do not see much accuracy difference between his 6" and my 4" in the field. I am a little better shot than he is also. I would probably shoot the 6" a little more accurately if compairing both barrel lengths side by side for accuracy.
The main difference for me is portability. A 4" just carrys well in a holster. The 6" barrel is a little unhandier to pack around.
As for weight between the 17 and 617, I would not worry about 4 oz. of weight difference between the 6 Inch guns.

The things you need to iron out is what are you going to do with the 22 revolver. If you are getting it as a Range Gun only with no plans to holster carry it, the 6" guns are a very good choice.
If you are getting it as a Training/Practice revolver for economical trigger time to be a better shot with a centerfire carry revolver I would go with the 4".
For a trail gun I would also pick the 4" as it carrys much better in the field, and is also lighter in weight.

Any of the 3 revolvers should put a long lasting smile on your face. No wrong answer here. All will last you a life time.

If I were going with a 6" I would probably pick the 17 over the 617. I like the look of the Blued Gun better. It will probably point a little better without the underlug barrel making it more nose heavy also. The 17 is a Classic, so whats not to love.

Bob

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ICORE MO2908

I own several Model 17's and a 6 inch and 4 inch Model 617 no dash. The 6 inch 617 is slightly muzzle heavy to me and the 4 inch 617 is near perfect. The Model 17 in 6 inch is one of my favotire revolvers and I shoot it more then either of the 617's. My two most accuate 22lr revolvers are a P&R 17-4 with 8 3/8 inch barrel and the 4 inch 617.

In a 6" barrel I prefer the K-22/model 17 without the underlug, in a 4" barrel I prefer the 617 with the underlug. They just balance better for me.

Attached Images

OneLiner617.JPG (207.2 KB, 213 views)

One decision is to not make a decision. I have a no dash beautiful 17, and 4”, 5” and 6” 617s. The 4” and 6” are standard 10 shot 617-6. The 5” is a 6 shot 617-5 that started life as a 6”, but I felt that it was excessively muzzle heavy and had it shortened. It now works very well for me. It is identical in weight and balance to my 627PC and makes a terrific surrogate gun. Among the others, I like the balance of the 17 the best, but it is getting to be an antique and I am more and more reluctant to take it out, so I tend to stick to the stainless guns. The 6” 617-6 is accurate enough I put a little red dot holosight on it just for fun.

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Tom

Bingo!

I have an 8 3/8, 10 shot 617. Yep, it's a bit muzzle heavy but that's what I got so I'm happy enough. When I bought it I was looking to buy a 6 inch but the shop had this one used and $150.00 cheaper. IF, I hade that to do it over again I would have went with what I origionally had planned and bought the 6 inch. As one post mentioned, he cut his down and I have thought about doing that. If I was to buy one today and had my choice I would go with a 4 inch, 10 shot 617.

Consider yourself lucky to even see three available at the same time! With the way prices have been rising on them, I'd be tempted to grab all three!

If you are concerned with the weight, get a M63. Much lighter and just about as accurate. Yep, I have em all. Big Larry

Rarely has anyone had the chance to buy a 617, let alone have three available...NOW. You are lucky enough to touch, feel and point each style. You can't go wrong with either one, you pick what feels right for you. Leave the other two alone for others to buy.