Model 17-5 question

[growr]

I have a S&W model 17-5 that is a 4" barrel with full under lug....I loaned it to a dear friend of mine and he LOVES it as it feels just like his 686 4" and would like to find one in the same configuration.

However, all he can find for sale on any of the regular gun boards are 6" and 8 3/8 barrels.

Was the 4" not a high production model in relationship to the other two barrel lengths. I would think that it would have been highly desireable....

Randy

 

[GerSan69]

I can't say this will be very helpful, but while looking for a 17 for the past few months (just found one I liked a few days ago) I did not see any 4" 17s. I know they exist, they just aren't plentiful. I think they were only available with the full lug for 3 or 4 years before the next variation came out. There was also an earlier 4" that came out in 1986 to replace the Model 18.
According to the SCSW the full lug was introduced with the Model 17-6, so maybe your -5 is one of those "transition" things. The 17 I bought and received just this week is a 17-5, too... but it has the "standard" 6" barrel. Incidentally, as I was reading up on the 17s and the different engineering changes, I felt like I was going back and forth like a ping pong ball. Interesting stuff. Confusing, but interesting!

 

[Kernel Crittenden]

.... all he can find for sale on any of the regular gun boards are 6" and 8 3/8 barrels.

Was the 4" not a high production model in relationship to the other two barrel lengths....

From what I've seen, of the -5 and -6 full lugs, out of 10 guns, 5 would be 6-inch, 3 would be 8 3/8, and 2 would be 4-inch. In that ratio. The 4-inch was definitely less common than the 6, and today the most desirable.

 

[onemanwolfpack]

The 17s don't come up too often in my neck of the woods. Agree with the Kernel on ratios. I've only seen -6 version with the 6" models more frequent.

 

[glenncal1]

The 617 4" are much more common than the 17 4" full lugs. I have a 17-6 like the one pictured above and it is a great gun with the best DA trigger of any of my k22's. He can surely find a no lock 617 pretty easily which will match his 686 better.

 

[murphydog]

The 17-6 is the first one with the full underlug, followed by the 17-7 (the same except for a matte blue finish, and I'm not sure if I've ever seen a 4" 17-7). Good luck to your friend in his search and mentally prepare him for some sticker shock! :O