Model 617

[10sRin]

Are there any variants of the 617 that should be avoided? For competitions (never competed) does a 6 or 10 shot cyclinder make any difference? Thx, Joe

 

[Speedo2]

Opinions vary, but I'll state with conviction that the 617 with 8-3/8" barrel would be one to avoid. Unless you've got forearms like Popeye, or don't mind shooting a handgun with a bipod, the darned things are way too heavy to hold out there for very long. Now, they will indeed shoot like little rifles, but they just get a bit wearisome. My preference is toward the 6-shooters over the 10-spots, but that's just because I'm an old traditionalist. Some folks balk at the ones with aluminum cylinders, and if given the choice, I suppose that I would opt for a solid stainless one as well. Anyway. that's my opinion; others will surely place their own slant on 'em as well. -S2

 

[raveneap]

This is my 617 4" bbl. Not any specific purpose, just a fun shooter.

 

[TSQUARED]

I prefer the 10 shot with the 4 inch barrel.

 

[PMRet]

I like the 6 shooter with 4" barrel, because it's the same set-up as my 16 and 686.

 

[Bullseye Smith]

I like the 6 shot myself to shoot Bullseye with, but I do have a hand and cylinder that is a 10 shot so I can change out. The 10 is good for plates and and other speed sports.

 

[k22fan]

Are there any variants of the 617 that should be avoided? For competitions (never competed) does a 6 or 10 shot cyclinder make any difference? Thx, Joe

I don't want any alluminum cylindered revolvers because ordinary bronze bore brush bristles are harder than the alluminum and nylon brushes are ineffective at removing the lead fouling left by .22 LR. The biggest advantage of stainless revolvers for me is that I can clean them with bronze wool and that is also harder than alluminum.

With rare exceptions 617s have full lug barrels and the lug combined with their small bore and charge holes make them fairly heavy .22s. As Speedo2 wrote they become muzzel heavy with the longer barrels. For me the 6" has perfect weight and balance for a target gun while the 8 3/8" is difficult to shoot one handed but works well two handed. The 4" makes a good trainer for service size guns although the old light barreled 18s at 36 oz. are better for that.

Additionally, six shot k22s make the best DA trainers for service guns because a 10 shot K22's DA feels different. You didn't say what type of competition you have in mind so I don't know if the extra 4 shots in a 10 shooter would have an offsetting benifit. Ten shot cylinders complete rotation and lock early in the DA stroke. I much prefer 6 shooters because I can feel the cylinder stop lock in close to the end of the DA stroke warning me to carefully squeeze off the rest of the stroke.

I use this staging method for all the targets firing my 6" 617 no-dash at bullseye matches through the winter. However, I am the only revolver shooter out of 26 shooters. Bullseye Smith and I are among the few revolver bullseye shooters left because Bulleseye's rapid fire stage is easier with an autoloader.

When a new person comes to watch a match, invariably someone offers them an extra gun to try out bullseye. That's what I usually see at other ranges also. I would go to what ever type of match you are interested in before you buy a .22 and see what competitors are using. Most likely the competitors will help you select an appropriate .22.

Good luck,
Gil

 

[scooter123]

I'm another who prefers the 6 shot 617, but that's mainly because I seem to have trouble counting to more than 6. Yesterday was fairly typical, had one unfired round on the first 3 cylinder loads with my 620 because it took that long to remember to count to 7. That aside, you'll want to look into the rules for any competition that you're looking into taking part in, some venues will limit your load to just 6 for a revolver and indexing a partial load will slow you down on a reload.

As for barrel length choices, that again will depend on the particulars of the competition. In terms of accuracy, the 4 inch barrel should in theory be the most accurate. As for why, it's shorter length will result in a higher coefficient of stiffness, which means that it will deflect less in response to a bullet transitting the barrel. However that advantage will be so slight with the 22 caliber that I doubt that it's even measurable when compared to the 6 inch barrel. From a really rigid machine rest, the advantage might be detectable when compared to the 8 3/8 inch barrel. Point is, if you're allowed to use optical sights and don't need that slight gain in velocity from the longer barrels the 4 inch version is the best choice. It you have to shoot with iron sights, the longer barrels are a gain due to the longer sight radius. In addition, if you're shooting the mini steel silohuettes for the 22LR, the extra oomph of the longer barrel will yield a gain in knock down ability.

Basically, if you're serious about shooting the 617 in competition, you need to sit down and look over the rules and let that drive your decision on barrel length or round count. If you want something to train with or for just plain fun, choose whatever floats your boat because you can't go wrong with any version. Personally for a pure plinking or training gun, I'd go with a 6 shot 4 inch 617, but those are NOT easy to find. Second choice would be the new 10 shot 4 inch. However, like some others, I would avoid the aluminum cylinder simply because it won't last as long as a steel cylinder.

PS; I have the 6 inch 6 shooter and it is rather muzzle heavy. However, it was a bargain at a dealer that mainly deals in 9mm Highpoints, so I snapped it up. While I would have rather had the 4 inch 6 shooter I won't sell the one I have, it's just too much fun.