New 617.

[ericrlarson]

I just received this 617 from Bud’s late yesterday afternoon so I don’t have a range report yet. After reading many posts about poor S&W QC I was petrified to even open the box. Fit and finish appear to be very good, except that I didn’t not get a good look at the forcing cone. I was made aware that some folks experience spitting out the of the cylinder. For a 6” barrel with full lug it balances well. The trigger? Although I don’t have another Smith rimfire to compare it to, I would say that the double action is heavy but relatively smooth. Single action feels nice and crisp. I just don’t know how much can be done with a rimfire. I’ll try it on my trigger gauge when I get some time this afternoon (if it would ever stop raining in South Mississippi). After I ordered it, I started having second thoughts about not getting the 4” but I really like the way it feels. Some nice wood grips will replace the rubber finger grooved grips.

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[series guy]

Excellent purchase. I have the same gun along with 4 or 5 earlier versions. I've never understood the reasoning about not being able to tune rimfire actions. With some careful stoning and polishing I set mine up with a 2 1/2lb. S/A and 8lb. D/A trigger. The 10 round cylinder is great but tough on ammo.

 

[ericrlarson]

series guy,

I only know what I’ve read about rimfire revolvers. This is my first double action rimfire so forgive my ignorance. Any issues with light primer strikes with the action job? I would not want to undertake that project. I learned many years ago that I am no gunsmith lol. Thanks for the response.


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[prairieviper]

My 617, 6 inch had problems right out of the box. I had to send it back to S&W because of light firing pin strikes. To their credit, they were polite, professional and kept me informed. In less than two weeks, I had the gun back. S&W replaced the strain screw and firing pin. It has been a great gun ever since. I would only add that the finish could have been better, especially considering the cost of the 617.

 

[bigggbbruce]

except that I didn’t not get a good look at the forcing cone.

Should have looked.

A couple years back, I went looking for a 617.. every new one I looked at, appeared to have the same dull tool used on the barrel end cut. Was not smooth but galled. Passed on every 4" and 6". Went and found a used one.

 

[Amp]

Its a great gun and Smith will fix it if it got away too soon.
Mine does great even with my old eyes.

 

[Revolver Man]

617

I absolutely love mine! I own four K Frame S&W revolvers, and this 617 is the most fun to shoot. I bought it new over a year and a half ago and have over 4,000 rounds through it. It sees a lot of 10 yard plate rack runs. Rim fire is very dirty, especially in a revolver. The Federal bulk pack is one of the cleanest that I have found to shoot in it, and the DS-10 speed loaders work better than any other speed loader I've used. Enjoy! They are great revolvers!

 

[cds43016]

I also got a 617 4 inch recently. It’s a fun gun to shoot and best of all I don’t have to reload for it.

Double action trigger is heavier than I like but I expected that from a rimfire revolver.

I found that the right ammo is important. Rimfire is very dirty. If I use Remington, it will lock the gun up in less than 50 rounds. No problem so far with American Eagle (Federal).

You must be careful with new Smith’s. I have a 986 that I have sent back for service twice for light strikes and am still waiting to get it back. Smith and Wesson had it longer than I have.

It’s all a matter of luck. My 686 SSR is a great gun, the 617 seems OK so far (except it’s a pain to clean) and the 986 a real problem child.

It’s a shame. They all should be great right out of the box.

 

[sfcjcl]

Congratulations on your purchase!!!! I got my 617-6 gently used a couple of years ago, fit and finish is great. I agree that finding Ammo that shoots good with the least amount of dirt is helpful. I shoot Emery, CCI, and recently Browning (seems very comparable to CCI). I would strongly suggest you get some speed loaders for it (see picture). I got those off of eBay used for $60.00.

 

[sfcjcl]

Promised Picture

Attached is the picture

 

[ericrlarson]

Attached is the picture

Looks like you got a good deal for $60. I like those grips also.


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[Lightfoot4]

I found that the right ammo is important. Rimfire is very dirty. If I use Remington, it will lock the gun up in less than 50 rounds. No problem so far with American Eagle (Federal).

I've been using Blazer in my 617 and no problems so far.

 

[captainwayne]

Have one new 4 inch 617, that went back to Smith for extraction issues. Wasn't much better afterwards. Fixed it a bit with rubbing compound and a Dremel. I added a Power Custom trigger, and a Mass driver hammer to make the ultimate steel plate gun.
Since then, I found a prelock 617-2 that is easily as smooth to shoot!
Rim fire guns are tricky.
I'm trying to stick to pre lock(older) smiths that are worth the $$ more, and function as intended!

 

[ericrlarson]

Here a few shots of the forcing cone. I don’t know if this is indicative of anything or not.

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[ultratec00]

Smiths are Smiths. It doesn't take much to smooth them up and change the trigger pull to a weight of your liking. I have had no issues with my 617/6". Spring kit and a bit of polishing smoothed it right up. It's very accurate with CCI mini-mags.

My primary concern with ordering revolvers sight unseen is the barrel cant. Smith may/may not fix that deficiency if they deem it to be within factory tolerance. I had to hand pick my 617 because the one I inspected that was on sale at the LGS had barrel cant and they didn't have a 2nd one available. Ended up going to their sister shop, which honored the sale price and had more to chose from.

 

[Narragansett]

I just received this 617 from Bud’s late yesterday afternoon so I don’t have a range report yet. After reading many posts about poor S&W QC I was petrified to even open the box. Fit and finish appear to be very good, except that I didn’t not get a good look at the forcing cone. I was made aware that some folks experience spitting out the of the cylinder. For a 6” barrel with full lug it balances well. The trigger? Although I don’t have another Smith rimfire to compare it to, I would say that the double action is heavy but relatively smooth. Single action feels nice and crisp. I just don’t know how much can be done with a rimfire. I’ll try it on my trigger gauge when I get some time this afternoon (if it would ever stop raining in South Mississippi). After I ordered it, I started having second thoughts about not getting the 4” but I really like the way it feels. Some nice wood grips will replace the rubber finger grooved grips.

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I am sure it will be fine. We only hear about the bad ones, but they still make the best revolver in the world. Enjoy it!

I am with you about the grips. They have their place relative to recoil, but they will never be a substitute for wood. IMHO wood should be standard on every gun, and heavy recoiling guns should have a second set of rubber grips supplied

 

[Gunna1day]

This thread is great, I havnt bought a newer smith cause I tend to try and find older models between no dash and -4. This 617-1 8 3/8" I found a few years back and I just had to have it. It came with bomar sights too. Not bad for an old girl!

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[ericrlarson]

This thread is great, I havnt bought a newer smith cause I tend to try and find older models between no dash and -4. This 617-1 8 3/8" I found a few years back and I just had to have it. It came with bomar sights too. Not bad for an old girl!

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That’s a nice looking Smith.


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[ericrlarson]

The Initial range report is that it function fine. No misfires or spitting. I shot 150 rounds of CCI SV, Blazer and Federal HV. I did notice that the Blazers were harder to eject.
It has rained here for a week straight and unfortunately the range on my property was pretty wet so I didn’t get to do any ammo/accuracy testing. I got my truck stuck in the mud and by the time I did any shooting at all I was pretty aggravated. As luck would have it the battery on the tractor was dead which means my truck will stay stuck until later. To make matters worse, my wife was in New Orleans shopping and couldn’t come to my rescue. But it was fun to do a little plinking on the walk home.

More to follow!


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[dogdoc]

Got a new 6 inch 617 yesterday and put about 600 rounds through it. Not a hiccup. Ran great. I can find some minor imperfections but I can do that in all of my 60s, 70s 80s, 90s Smith’s as well. Remember these are mass produced for less than 700 dollars. I happy so far but I did not bench it for accuracy yet. I shot steel mostly to break it in. It seems better fitted than a 6 shot 17 from about 1991. None are as good as my 1940 version with the first micrometer sight. I will report back with 25 yard groups

Dogdoc

 

[ericrlarson]

Dogdoc,

I haven’t been fortunate enough to shoot the earlier K22’s. I am pleased with this one though. I can definitely see a 17 or 18 in my future. Congrats on your new gun!!


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[stykshooter]

prairieviper, what grips are on your 617?

 

[prairieviper]

prairieviper, what grips are on your 617?

Ahrends Retro Combat in Goncalo Alves. I bought the grips with the standard poly finish but later stripped the poly and refinished the grips in tung oil.

 

[rkittine]

I recently purchased a new 617 6" and was also concerned about what the quality would be. I was extremely pleased with the gun when it arrived and not sure if I just got a good one, but in single action the trigger rivals any of my early Smiths. The only complaint I have is that there is not enough foam thickness in the factory supplied box to keet the gun in place and not allow it to move around when using the case, so I added a layer.

Bob

 

[RGVshooter]

I absolutely love my 617-6. This is one pistol that I would never get rid of... I bought this straight from Bud's and all I've done to it was shoot the heck out of it... The trigger will smooth up after lots of shooting. I use my 617 on a regular basis in our local weekly steel plate outdoor pistol matches. You will find that some ammo will be harder to extract than other brands. For me it's Aguila super extra 40 gr. Great stuff in my Buckmark, but nearly impossible to extract on the 617... So I generally stick to Federal, Remington, or CCI.

I will say this much.... Every negative comment about the 617 I've heard was all online. All of it. In my experience with mine and with a couple other guys I know that shoot the 617 for fun or in competition, love it & had zero issues from the start. Guys that pay too much attention from what they read online generally accept what they read as gospel and start tinkering around with something that very well likely was perfectly fine to begin with.. 22lr is dirty ammo. The revolver will get dirty. Yes, lead buildup around the forcing cone and buildup above it on the underside of the frame is normal. This is why we clean our guns. Empty cases will sometimes get stuck. Again, 22 cal is dirty and stuck cases will occur. That is why I bring a bore brush or bore snake with me. Some brand ammo will stick, others won't. this is why it's recommended in the owners manual to try different brands.

It's a great pistol, you'll love it!

Pictured is my 617-6 with Altamont grips, Weig-a-Tinny mini mount and UltraDot L/T red dot...

 

[H Richard]

Mine is the 617-6, and I added Nil Grips and a Burris FastFire red dot. Great gun, I find CCI standard Vel to group the best from mine. I did have a little difficulty with extraction after 3 or 4 cylinderfulls, so I went ahead and reamed the chambers as I have done with every other S&W .22 RR I have ever owned.

 

[wproct]

Nice revolver! I have shot both 4 inch and 6 inch 617 revolvers and both are nice, they just look and feel so nice. Mine just don't get shot nearly as much as my semi-autos simply because of how much more work they take to clean them.