Rogue686
Member
I have to ask...what is the difference between the 17 and 18? Both are K-frame 22s...and am unsure of the difference.
I wish they'd offer stainless versions of the 17 and 18. Yes, I know about the 63 & 617 - one's a j-frame, and one is an unnecessarily heavy L frame.
Or you can try and find a factory non-lugged 617 from one of the Ashland runs....might be better off searching for a Unicorn thoughTitan,
But still your point is well taken; it is a K frame but 617s are too heavy with that lugged barrel. I'm about 'this' close to installing a 17 barrel after having it refinished in one of the plethora of hi tech finishes out there, whichever most closely matches the stainless steel!
Or you can try and find a factory non-lugged 617 from one of the Ashland runs....might be better off searching for a Unicorn though
Someday, when I'm old and retired, I'm going to buy a pre-lock 4" 617 and send it off to have the lug professionally milled off.
I've thought the exact same thing...it'd probably be tricky for a machinist, even one familiar with revolvers, to taper the barrel. I think I'd live with it though...IIRC, the Ashland guns had heavy barrels and still looked alright. ETA: Your idea of hard chroming a M17 barrel seems like a good fix, but if I was going that route; I'd probably just find a rougher M17 to hardchrome all together.Ashland model: I didn't even want to go there.
I've had that lug removal in mind as well, but I don't know if someone will taper the barrel as well. I like the sleekness of the early tapered barrels.
Though I knew the difference , I always wondered WHY the two different model numbers. After all , a Model 19 is a Model 19 (or 27,29,)whether it has a 2 1/2" , 3" , 4" , 6" or 8 3/8" barrel , ramp or patridge front sight.
Also , there have been Mod.18 stamped guns with 6in barrels and Mod.17s with 4in tubes.
My 17-6 has the 4" lugless, heavy barrel, that Camster alluded to. In poor light, its ramped front sight is harder for me to see distinctly, but in good light the 4" tube is extremely accurate.....I remember someone saying in a discussion on this forum that the 17-6 resulted when S&W dropped the M-18 and installed left-over 4" barrels on M-17 frames. Don't know if that is true or not.
4" 17 humm...
so just when you think you have it figured out
This was my dads, he got around 1968. I dont know the history other than this is the way he got it.
My guess is it was rebarreled at some point, I dont know for sure or why?