Ed, I really like the color case hardened hammer and trigger more. Looks more “old school” to me!
Larry
I've had my new 617-6 for a few months now
- Thread starter chase45
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Larry
1911-10MM
Member
The 617's are great guns, I have a -1 and a -4, love them both
AveragEd
Member
Back then, I thought so too but these days, I lean toward the flash chromed parts if that's what was factory equipment - not enough to buy and install them, however.
Ed
Iowahunter
Member
617's do grow on you.. Got my 1st 4inch No Dash 30+ years ago and they have multiplied to 2- 4in No Dash, 3 -1's 4,6 and 8 3/8- 6inch -3 - 4 inch -4 and the latest 6inch -6 Good thing they are cheap to feed !
Just wanted to pop back in and say I still love this gun. I feel that the double action ignition reliability has increased a little as parts have worn in. Id call it 95%+ on bulk pack such as Federal and Aguila. Pretty much 100% on CCI stuff
Noted a tiny bit of end shake on this gun. Probably since new. Occasionally the cylinder will drag as fouling increases on the front of the cylinder as the cylinder gap is very small. This seems really dependent on ammo. I noted it really bad with the Winchester M22 in the original post. Agulia that Im currently using will do it to a small degree. CCI doesnt seem to exhibit it much at all.
Ended up putting a .002" end shake bearing in this gun. Hoping this will keep the cylinder from dragging when fouled and curious to see if the little bit of set back of the cylinder will also close the gap to 100% reliable DA ignition on bulk pack
The first .002" bearing seems to have settled and didnt take up as much endshake as I hoped. So I added one more. This moved the cylinder gap from pretty much notta to .005" or so.
Noted a tiny bit of end shake on this gun. Probably since new. Occasionally the cylinder will drag as fouling increases on the front of the cylinder as the cylinder gap is very small. This seems really dependent on ammo. I noted it really bad with the Winchester M22 in the original post. Agulia that Im currently using will do it to a small degree. CCI doesnt seem to exhibit it much at all.
Ended up putting a .002" end shake bearing in this gun. Hoping this will keep the cylinder from dragging when fouled and curious to see if the little bit of set back of the cylinder will also close the gap to 100% reliable DA ignition on bulk pack
The first .002" bearing seems to have settled and didnt take up as much endshake as I hoped. So I added one more. This moved the cylinder gap from pretty much notta to .005" or so.
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Wee Hooker
Member
While I can usually get my revolvers to digest anything, I've learned that there is no substitute for ammo a particular gun likes. Honestly, Aguila, Winchester and/or Remington is always a **** shoot in any of my 22 handguns. Sounds like your 617 likes CCI ( as do mine) so I would lay in a case (or two) of it next time it goes on sale. Keep us posted.
Yendor357
Member
I enjoy shooting my 4 inch 617.
If I give that revolver CCI plated ammo, it shoots straight, and stays pretty clean. But truth be told, it’s been a journey to get to this point. I’m sure the majority of 22 revolvers are fine out of the box. But when they’re not, you’re probably at the mercy of either the manufacturer to rectify the situation or an expensive, backlogged gunsmith. If you’re dealing with present day S&W, that’s a 50-50 proposition at best. I’m not singling out S&W.
Twenty-two revolvers must be hard to manufacture. They have to get the barrel straight with a perfectly cut forcing cone. Then they have to line up 10 cylinders perfectly, or nearly so.
Think about it; The 22LR is outdated cartridge that barely works in revolvers. The good stuff like the plated CCI usually works well. But you take any of the lesser quality bare lead bulleted ammo and try to run it through a less than perfect revolver, and you’re going to get bullets tumbling. The revolver is going to lead up like nothing you ever see in a center fire Magnum that has a lot higher velocity.
A friend of mine came over with a brand new Colt King Cobra Target 22. We tried some cheap ammo in his gun, and got bullets hitting flat sideways at 12 yards. The fired cases of CCI were really hard to get to eject. Another friend has an old H+R that tumbles bullets. Another friend has a Ruger single six that was so leaded up I took a butane torch to soften the lead to be able to get it clean. So I’m not picking on Smith and Wesson here. 22 revolvers must be really tough to manufacture.
I’ve read on this forum of shooters who had to do some home gunsmithing like polishing the chambers to get their revolvers to eject empties. I fire lapped my barrel, after getting it back from Smith and Wesson the 3rd time. They replaced the barrel on my gun. And now the barrel is not timed perfectly, but I guess it was “good enough”. I didn’t buy an H+R. The barrel should be timed correctly, but I digress, my 617 shoots good. Really good.
My Model 41s will feed, fire, and eject junk ammo that will give any good revolver fits. Junk that will tumble out of a revolver will still shoot 5 shot groups under 2 inches at 25 yards with a Model 41.
If you have a 22LR revolver that shoots accurately, and functions perfectly, You have a prize. Treasure it. Never sell it. (Except to me lol) I’m sure there are a lot of perfect 22 revolvers out there. But if you’re buying a new one, proceed with caution.
If I give that revolver CCI plated ammo, it shoots straight, and stays pretty clean. But truth be told, it’s been a journey to get to this point. I’m sure the majority of 22 revolvers are fine out of the box. But when they’re not, you’re probably at the mercy of either the manufacturer to rectify the situation or an expensive, backlogged gunsmith. If you’re dealing with present day S&W, that’s a 50-50 proposition at best. I’m not singling out S&W.
Twenty-two revolvers must be hard to manufacture. They have to get the barrel straight with a perfectly cut forcing cone. Then they have to line up 10 cylinders perfectly, or nearly so.
Think about it; The 22LR is outdated cartridge that barely works in revolvers. The good stuff like the plated CCI usually works well. But you take any of the lesser quality bare lead bulleted ammo and try to run it through a less than perfect revolver, and you’re going to get bullets tumbling. The revolver is going to lead up like nothing you ever see in a center fire Magnum that has a lot higher velocity.
A friend of mine came over with a brand new Colt King Cobra Target 22. We tried some cheap ammo in his gun, and got bullets hitting flat sideways at 12 yards. The fired cases of CCI were really hard to get to eject. Another friend has an old H+R that tumbles bullets. Another friend has a Ruger single six that was so leaded up I took a butane torch to soften the lead to be able to get it clean. So I’m not picking on Smith and Wesson here. 22 revolvers must be really tough to manufacture.
I’ve read on this forum of shooters who had to do some home gunsmithing like polishing the chambers to get their revolvers to eject empties. I fire lapped my barrel, after getting it back from Smith and Wesson the 3rd time. They replaced the barrel on my gun. And now the barrel is not timed perfectly, but I guess it was “good enough”. I didn’t buy an H+R. The barrel should be timed correctly, but I digress, my 617 shoots good. Really good.
My Model 41s will feed, fire, and eject junk ammo that will give any good revolver fits. Junk that will tumble out of a revolver will still shoot 5 shot groups under 2 inches at 25 yards with a Model 41.
If you have a 22LR revolver that shoots accurately, and functions perfectly, You have a prize. Treasure it. Never sell it. (Except to me lol) I’m sure there are a lot of perfect 22 revolvers out there. But if you’re buying a new one, proceed with caution.
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I was finally able to grab a new 617 4" and have only had it to the range a couple of times. Trigger smoothed out quickly but I have a little trouble getting fired rounds to eject. I really have to hit the rod hard to get them out. This does not happen with new rounds or snap caps. Is this something else that will ease up over time or is the ammo over expanding? Using the same Herters that I use in my Henry and S&W Victory 22.
I'm a fan of 617's also. Started with the 8-3/8. Won the first bowling pin match I entered with it and I was the only person shooting a revolver. I figured a 4" would be quicker swinging from pin to pin so I picked one up. It was quicker but the shorter barrel was less forgiving. Logic told me that the 6" would be the best of both worlds and it was!
I have thousands of rounds through these, mostly Federal bulk pack and have never had any issues whatsoever. Probably my most shot guns.
I have thousands of rounds through these, mostly Federal bulk pack and have never had any issues whatsoever. Probably my most shot guns.
DS-10-SPEED
Member
I'm a fan of 617's also. Started with the 8-3/8. Won the first bowling pin match I entered with it and I was the only person shooting a revolver. I figured a 4" would be quicker swinging from pin to pin so I picked one up. It was quicker but the shorter barrel was less forgiving. Logic told me that the 6" would be the best of both worlds and it was!
I have thousands of rounds through these, mostly Federal bulk pack and have never had any issues whatsoever. Probably my most shot guns.
I agree with you using the 6" iron sight for pins. I use my 6" in the iron sight division. I put a dot sight on my 4" and I'm a lot faster, I can shoot it as fast as the fastest semi guys, last week I shot 5 pins in 2.16 seconds. I think the 4" is perfect for adding a reflex sight, it points quicker and the dot makes up for the short sight radius.
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You should've bought a lottery ticket the same day you bought that Ruger, IMO. The odds of a Ruger having a better action & being more accurate than a Smith would seem to be about the same as winning the Power Ball, IMO.
Were the Ruger better than the Smith, it would have outsold the Smith by a large margin due to the cheaper price.
Rugers are well-known to be built like tanks with a trigger to match. Glad you like yours, more power to you.
I've been shooting .22LR revolvers since 1976. Your experience(s) is almost directly opposite of mine. I can't say why you've had all those issues, I wasn't there to look at your gun(s).
Most folks know Winchester ammo shoots VERY dirty, more so than other brands. I sometimes will use it in a bolt action rifle, but not very often.
I have never seen a bullet "tumble" out of a .22 of any sort. That simply boggles my thought process. The only "bad" .22 ammo I can think of is the "no-name" brands, which most folks should know to avoid, IMO.
My .o2
His and Hers here.
Long story short. I had a Ruger MK III but with my wife's Petite hands did not do well with the mags or slide release, So i bought a 617 and some Speed Bees. I got tired of waiting for her to finish shooting so i invested in another 617
Yendor357
Member
Bob, if you’re ever in Jasper Indiana, I propose a friendly wager. If I show you 22 bullets tumbling out of a 22 revolver, you buy dinner. If I can’t, I’ll buy dinner.
I bought my first Single Six in 1977. It shot Magnums better than LR.That was a good revolver. I should have kept it.
I bought my first Single Six in 1977. It shot Magnums better than LR.That was a good revolver. I should have kept it.
SWFan27
Member
My 617-6 had to go back to S&W for warranty repair twice right after I bought it. The revolver was shaving lead like a cheese grader at the forcing cone. S&W spent five weeks with it and cut the forcing cone. They also refinished the revolver and removed a tooling mark I had not mentioned on the barrel. I did mention that there was a possible timing issue when I sent it in.
When I got it back there were still two chambers out of time and the cylinder needed to be physically turned to lock into place when the hammer was fully cocked. Thankfully S&W got it back to me in two weeks this time. They replaced the ejector rod because two of the ratchets were causing carry up issues.
Now that I have it back, I have probably put 2000 rounds through it and went to the range again with it yesterday. And now that everything is working correctly, I absolutely love the thing. I am no longer upset about the initial problems and I am very appreciative of the personal attention I received from someone in S&Ws management who got directly involved with my 617's second warranty visit and timely turnaround time.
The 617 has already improved my double action shooting immensely. I pretty much only shoot it double action, and I noticed the difference in my accuracy shooting double action with my 686+ at the range. I will need to bring my model 66 on my next range trip. It is fun to shoot some 357 Magnums now and then even though ammo is not cheap.
When I got it back there were still two chambers out of time and the cylinder needed to be physically turned to lock into place when the hammer was fully cocked. Thankfully S&W got it back to me in two weeks this time. They replaced the ejector rod because two of the ratchets were causing carry up issues.
Now that I have it back, I have probably put 2000 rounds through it and went to the range again with it yesterday. And now that everything is working correctly, I absolutely love the thing. I am no longer upset about the initial problems and I am very appreciative of the personal attention I received from someone in S&Ws management who got directly involved with my 617's second warranty visit and timely turnaround time.
The 617 has already improved my double action shooting immensely. I pretty much only shoot it double action, and I noticed the difference in my accuracy shooting double action with my 686+ at the range. I will need to bring my model 66 on my next range trip. It is fun to shoot some 357 Magnums now and then even though ammo is not cheap.
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Wanted post an update on my 617 4". After about 1000 rounds, the trigger has smoothed out quite a bit but I have had a couple of cases where the trigger failed to reset or the hammer didn't fully advance the cylinder. Not enough to worry about yet.
Still having the ejection issues I was having with Herter ammo; also tried Aguila and Federal with the same result. CCI was better and the chambers seem to be wearing in a bit and getting very slightly easier to eject. Maybe another couple of thousand will fix it.
Still having the ejection issues I was having with Herter ammo; also tried Aguila and Federal with the same result. CCI was better and the chambers seem to be wearing in a bit and getting very slightly easier to eject. Maybe another couple of thousand will fix it.
@russp1 and SWFan27 I've had my 617-6 for 5 years. Not as many rounds, but getting near 2,000. Trigger smoothed out after about 350. Some 22 ammo brands are still sticky. The chambers are tight. I might get the tool to ream 22 chambers. Wouldn't hurt any of my other 22 revolvers, especially my Ruger SA's. They seem to be tight, too.
The ones that eject from the 617-6 100% are Armscor, Aguila, and Federal. CCI seems to be variable. Boxes in the same batch are sticky, or not. I only use my Winchester 22 in rifles. Accurate ammo, but sticks in all my revolvers.
The ones that eject from the 617-6 100% are Armscor, Aguila, and Federal. CCI seems to be variable. Boxes in the same batch are sticky, or not. I only use my Winchester 22 in rifles. Accurate ammo, but sticks in all my revolvers.
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8shot
Member
I have a couple of 617 revolvers, love them but can't understand why so many shooters accept the fail to fire situation. The same ammo that fires flawlessly in 22LR rifle often fails to fire in the 617.
Observing my 22 rifle strikes on the 22 ammo rim I noticed the position of the firing pin hits. From this I experimented & modified the firing pin on my 617 firing pin and posted the finding with sources on my car forum.
As a FYI only, this is the forum link:
S&W Model 617 (22 rimfire) fail to fire fix
Observing my 22 rifle strikes on the 22 ammo rim I noticed the position of the firing pin hits. From this I experimented & modified the firing pin on my 617 firing pin and posted the finding with sources on my car forum.
As a FYI only, this is the forum link:
S&W Model 617 (22 rimfire) fail to fire fix
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