Okay, I must admit it. 
Despite being an elderly, half-senile, old curmudgeon and dyed-in-the-wool S&W traditionalist who would never even think about buying a new S&W revolver with the dreaded and ugly IL in a million years... the fact is that I fell in love with a brand spanking new Model 17 Classic that I found at Cabela's the other day. Holy cow was that a beautiful & magnificent work of art. 
Price tag read a cool $1K so it was not something that I was going to try to take home without the good wife's explicit written permission... and I do admit that the IL "pimple" still bothers me (although less so on a blued gun with the old style thumbpiece/cylinder release)... but the gun was simply magnificent otherwise. I swear to God that I didn't even know Smith & Wesson was still capable of making a blued revolver that nice anymore.
The fit and finish was nothing short of amazing. The only thing I could compare it to was a "like new" Python that I saw elsewhere earlier in the day. 
I think the problem is that I've been looking at too many "affordable" (read: badly worn) pre-17 K-22's and Model 17's in the last couple years in the search for one that I could afford. And, as an alternative, I've been looking at used Model 617's, including a bunch of them being blown out by the local firearms school.
I know what those have gone through since I observed their use when my wife was taking her license course.
But here's the big problem: $1K That is a ton of money to an old, retired "fixed income" fool like me. 
So here is my question: What are the members seeing out there in terms of availability and street prices for these brand new Model 17 Classics? I know Cabela's isn't usually the cheapest even with those discounted cards and other promotions (I do NOT expect to see that Model 17 Classic go on sale there). Is this something that I could possibly save up for and expect one to be around again somewhere someday? Or are these rare birds that go fast and for top dollar when they appear?
Also, does finish quality vary with these guns? Or are they coming through pretty consistent? As I said, the one I found was truly magnificent. Are they all that good? Or did I manage to find an exceptional one?
If I go back up there before they sell it, I promise to try to take a photo or two so you can see what I mean. Thanks!
Despite being an elderly, half-senile, old curmudgeon and dyed-in-the-wool S&W traditionalist who would never even think about buying a new S&W revolver with the dreaded and ugly IL in a million years... the fact is that I fell in love with a brand spanking new Model 17 Classic that I found at Cabela's the other day. Holy cow was that a beautiful & magnificent work of art. Price tag read a cool $1K so it was not something that I was going to try to take home without the good wife's explicit written permission... and I do admit that the IL "pimple" still bothers me (although less so on a blued gun with the old style thumbpiece/cylinder release)... but the gun was simply magnificent otherwise. I swear to God that I didn't even know Smith & Wesson was still capable of making a blued revolver that nice anymore.
The fit and finish was nothing short of amazing. The only thing I could compare it to was a "like new" Python that I saw elsewhere earlier in the day. I think the problem is that I've been looking at too many "affordable" (read: badly worn) pre-17 K-22's and Model 17's in the last couple years in the search for one that I could afford. And, as an alternative, I've been looking at used Model 617's, including a bunch of them being blown out by the local firearms school.
I know what those have gone through since I observed their use when my wife was taking her license course. But here's the big problem: $1K
That is a ton of money to an old, retired "fixed income" fool like me. So here is my question: What are the members seeing out there in terms of availability and street prices for these brand new Model 17 Classics? I know Cabela's isn't usually the cheapest even with those discounted cards and other promotions (I do NOT expect to see that Model 17 Classic go on sale there). Is this something that I could possibly save up for and expect one to be around again somewhere someday?
Or are these rare birds that go fast and for top dollar when they appear? Also, does finish quality vary with these guns?
Or are they coming through pretty consistent? As I said, the one I found was truly magnificent. Are they all that good? Or did I manage to find an exceptional one? If I go back up there before they sell it, I promise to try to take a photo or two so you can see what I mean.
Thanks! 
And with only 3 good years left, this might be my last chance to score any K-22/Model 17 in "brand new" or "like new" condition. 
