(new to forum) Looking for 617 new/used

[SixShooterFan]

Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum. I am also a new shooter. I have only been shooting for about 6 months.

I have been able to use a S&W 617 6" several times and love this gun. It will be my range gun for the next year as I get my basic skills up.

I would like to purchase a new one but if I can find one that is not beat up, I would consider a used one.

Is there anything in particular to look for in a new or used version? I am looking at Gun Broker and Guns America at the moment.

Any pointers for care and feeding of the 617 would be welcome as well.

Thanks

 

[one eye joe]

Welcome to the forum. Try to find a nice used one W/O THE LOCK. The 6" ones are easiest to find. Judging by your handle, you'll be lookin' for a six shooter. I have a 4" ten shooter, that I was forced to buy new after looking for a coupla years. I removed the lock and installed "The Plug", manufactured by our great fellow forum member, Bullseye Smith. The 617 is a great revolver that you'll enjoy for a lifetime.....

 

[larryofcc]

I have two 6"ers and one is very early and one is a later 10 shooter with aluminum cyl. Both are extremely accurate close and long range. I would be looking for a pre lock. There may be a premium attached to an early gun and even a higher premium for a real early no dash type. Lots of these for sale now, and they are not cheap. I recently bought a no dash 6" for $575 at a gun show, N.I.B. but someone had taken the combat grips off and sold them. If you look around you may find one for lesser $$$, but everyone knows that they are bringing premiums these days, so deals are hard to find. If you do get one, you will never be sorry. One of the very best of recent S&W products. Big Larry

 

[SixShooterFan]

Welcome to the forum. Try to find a nice used one W/O THE LOCK. The 6" ones are easiest to find. Judging by your handle, you'll be lookin' for a six shooter. I have a 4" ten shooter, that I was forced to buy new after looking for a coupla years. I removed the lock and installed "The Plug", manufactured by our great fellow forum member, Bullseye Smith. The 617 is a great revolver that you'll enjoy for a lifetime.....

One Eye Joe,

Please forgive my new user ingnorance, what is exactly the issue with the Lock?

Thank you

 

[03Fatboy]

There is a 617-1 for sale in the classifieds

 

[Bullet Bob]

Most of the issues with the lock are just user preference. People just don't like the idea of it, although a few have had issues - mostly on lightweight, hard-recoilling guns. I have at least 3 guns with the lock (it's hard to remember things at my age ), and have had no problems.

I really just want to chime in and congratulate you on having the sense to start your shooting journey with such a fine choice.

I have a few "pre-17's", and an aluminum cylinder 10-shot 617. The 617 is just as accurate, and I don't have to reload so often.

 

[fyimo]

There's a group up here and I guess I'm a member of it that won't own a S&W revolver with a lock for lots of reasons and the least important one is the lock can accidently go on. This probadly won't be a defensive gun so actually it really doesn't apply here.

That said you should buy whatever 617 you find and can get a deal on and one that you like. They are wonderful shooters and will last a lifetime. I have a 617 no dash 6 inch and a 617 no dash 4 inch in my collection and they will be some of the last to go when I start selling some of my stuff off.

 

[snubbiefan]

+1 fyi....I am a fellow "no-locker". The only reason I would purchase an IL is so I could buy it new and trade it for a used NL.....which I have done before. I do not want the 5-piece lock or the hole....plugged, or unplugged....period.

The 617 is a great gun. I only have a ND 6-inch 6-shot.....maybe I can fa-niggle fyi's 4-inch out of him?

You will like either sixshooter. I would buy what I could find for a reasonable price (whatever that means) and I do not have a particular hatred for the aluminum cylinder either. I have two 317's that have had the snot shot out of them and both have aluminum cylinders. That also bothers some people, but if you come across one, don't let that hold you up.

 

[stmry]

I love my 617's. I have a -1 and a no-dash 6". I would also like one in 4"
They are a great choice, fun and inexpensive to shoot, and as others have stated will last a lifetime and then some.

 

[gr7070]

Is there anything in particular to look for in a new or used version?

The new ones are 10-shot guns, while older ones are 6-shot. As was mentioned above, some older ones have aluminum cylinders, as well.

I am looking at Gun Broker and Guns America at the moment.

Careful I've only very rarely seen a gun on the auction sites for a reasonable amount.

Check Bud's for well-priced guns. They have a 4" for $670 and 6" for $700.

Most seem to prefer the 4". So if you haven't, make sure you handle a 4" full lug gun comparing it to the 6".

 

[snubbiefan]

The cheapest price I have seen on a NL 6-inch lately at the local shows is $750 and it looked like it had not been cleaned since it was purchased. The guy would not take $650 for it as he had already turned down $700.

This is where the NL vs IL comes into play. You can purchase a new IL model for less than the asking price of an older NL model.

AND....that must be why I can't find a 4-inch NL....everybody else here on the forum seems to want one too!

 

[SixShooterFan]

First off, thank you to everyone who has replied. As a new shooter and since this is purely a range revolver not for self defense, the lock does not bother me so much eek.

This is where the NL vs IL comes into play. You can purchase a new IL model for less than the asking price of an older NL model.

@Snubbiefan and to some other who have responded regarding price.....I did some online shopping and visited the local shops this afternoon.

The NL 6" version are going for $750 to $850 and saw at least one listed for $1000. The IL I found a dealer in NE who has a NIB one for $635 and only $25 shipping (plus a $30 FFL fee on my end).

I believe, for my needs (or maybe because I am not smart enough yet -- LOL!) I will save the money until I know better. Learning trigger control, techniques and having fun are more important to me right now until I better understand.

I keep reading the forum and learning as much as I can.

I don't know why, but I seem to have an early addiction to wheel guns -- maybe because I had once went to see Clayton Moore and he gave me a silver bullet

Anyway, my journey begins.....to be continued LOL!

 

[617X10]

I really like my -4 10 shooter. It actually sat in the case at my local dealer for the week and a half it took to scratch up the $525 a previous owner had it on consignment for, and it looked like it hadn't ever been shot. I like it so much I bought a Hogue Goncalo Alves grip for it and a Bianchi thumb-break holster. Don't overlook the 648 if you can find one. It's a lot of fun to see all of the double takes when other folks at the range hear all of that noise and see such a small hole in the target.

 

[gr7070]

Just an FYI, but if you look around you might find a cheaper FFL. I pay $10 per. Bud's has a listing of FFLs.

 

[snubbiefan]

Don't worry about the IL. One new to S&W revolvers may never know they ever made a NL anyway and after-all...it IS a safety feature that many owners will appreciate. It's just a good exercise in price determination and learning. Us older no-lockers are just set in our ways and hate the wart on the gun. Somebody sooner-or-later is going to come up with an extended thumb latch that will cover the hole left by any removed lock. It only takes a few minutes to remove the potentially troublesome part of the lock if you ever wanted too anyway. Taurus had the bestest idea the firstest. Too bad Smith could not have came up with that system first and we would not have this issue.

 

[jimmyjoe]

Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum. I am also a new shooter. I have only been shooting for about 6 months.

I have been able to use a S&W 617 6" several times and love this gun. It will be my range gun for the next year as I get my basic skills up.

I would like to purchase a new one but if I can find one that is not beat up, I would consider a used one.

Is there anything in particular to look for in a new or used version? I am looking at Gun Broker and Guns America at the moment.

Any pointers for care and feeding of the 617 would be welcome as well.

Thanks

Do your self a favor and look for an older model 617. It took me about 2 years to find this 617 no dash for $650 OTD.

[/IMG]

 

[stevieboy]

Let's be honest for a second. Most of the "lock" polemics on this forum has to do with aesthetics and politics. There is no chance -- I repeat, no chance, that a lock on a 617 will cause problems with that gun's performance.

My advice: get the least expensive 617 you can find.

Here's mine, a 617-1 that I purchased 5 years ago at a gun show. I paid $550 for it and I wondered afterwards if I'd been had. Nowadays, I thank my lucky stars that I found that gun and bought it. I've put more rounds through it over the past 5 years than I've fired through all of my other handguns combined.

 

[47D]

The cheapest price I have seen on a NL 6-inch lately at the local shows is $750 and it looked like it had not been cleaned since it was purchased. The guy would not take $650 for it as he had already turned down $700.

This is where the NL vs IL comes into play. You can purchase a new IL model for less than the asking price of an older NL model.

AND....that must be why I can't find a 4-inch NL....everybody else here on the forum seems to want one too!

I found the rare 4", no dash, 6 shot model 617 recently. It set me back almost what a new one would have cost from Buds.

I guess being a polemicist has its price . . . . (Just don't tell anyone I have 627 UDR - with the lock - )

One bonus of buying used - my 617 has a sweet trigger on it. Much nicer than the supposedly Performance Center tuned 627 UDR.

 

[hiram2005]

All.
Early 4 inch square butt, very useful gun. Were not expensive when they first showed up.

Bill@Yuma

If that's a no-dash, that's just like mine. Got it at a gun show, traded two well used model 36's for it. Even has the same grips. Love it!

 

[Camster]

I would simply ask my local dealer to order a new one.
An online savings often disappears with a dealer's transfer fee,and many dealers these days are charging a premium fee for a new gun that could have been ordered from them.
A local purchase should create some goodwill with the dealer,unlike a transfer.