Picked up a 617 6" - Updated with 1st Range Outing

[ScottN]

I made a trade for a 617 6" 10 shot the other day. I have tried a bunch of 22 revolvers over the last couple of years but none have held my interest...so they were sold or traded off.

My LGS had a 617 tucked in the corner of his S&W revolver display case. I could tell it had been there a while. After inspection I deemed it a worthy specimen, then bartering ensued, and the 617 went home with me.

I have rosewood Altamont Altai grips on order. The factory rubber grips just don't do it for me. I had a poor purchase experience on some Altamont grips for a Hi Power a couple years back but...I really like the looks of the Altai's and the price was right. I hope my previous experience was an anomaly.

I gave the 617 a thorough cleaning and lube job. The trigger is reasonably smooth but heavy. I measured the SA at almost 6 lbs and the DA was above the scale but I'd estimate it at 15 lbs. So, I ordered up some Wolff springs so I can play with changing the trigger rebound spring. I imagine I'll go with the 14 lb spring. While waiting for the spring kit I'm working the action by dry firing with snap caps and generous lubing. The SA is already down to about 5 lbs. My hope is to get the SA under 4 and the DA to 12 or better after more dry firing and the spring change.

I like the sights but my eyes need help picking up that front sight. I think a Hi viz fiber optic may be added in the future but for now I decided to paint the upper half of the front sight white.

A few quick pictures so as to avoid forum violations. And yes, I did paint the sights on the kitchen counter. And no, my wife was not home...which explains why I got away with it! Better pictures to come once the new grips arrive.

 

[MangoBango]

Nice! Had a 4" and loved it. I just didn't love cleaning it

 

[D Brown]

Model 617-6

I painted my front sight fluorescent green and replaced the plain black rear sight assembly with a white outline rear sight assembly.

 

[Targets Guy]

Looks nice. Should be a blast.

 

[df06]

I had a 6", traded off and bought a 4".
Both are nice, but I like
the balance of the 4".

 

[Tom S.]

Did you get these grips?

 

[FifthWheel]

One of my favorite range guns.

 

[Ashlander]

I have both a 4" and 6". I shoot the 4" for practice and the 6" for exercise.

 

[ScottN]

Did you get these grips?

No, I ordered the rosewood Altai grips in dragon/stipple. Take a look at post #22 in the post linked below. I ordered the same grips minus the medallion. Although, I received an email yesterday that they are out of stock. The wait will be up to four weeks. I'm inclined to wait but may see if they have the same grip currently available in silver/black.

Altamont Grips

 

[1coolcat]

Congratulations on the new 617.. if I can make a friendly suggestion..it your gun to do as you please..and I'm talking from experience with my 617 only..I am not a know it all or gunsmith..I thought my 617 trigger was extremely stiff as I like a gun with heft and a light trigger..3 lb. ..after about 2 - 3 bricks of ammo the trigger on my 617 is awesome now..it's not 3lb but it's good enough that I won't mess with it..it's perfect and all I did was shoot,shoot,shoot..many of the forum members made the suggestion to me and I was glad I listed (for once)..haha..any way enjoy your gun there great!!

 

[ScottN]

I do not have any plans to alter the trigger in any way that would affect reliability. I'm keeping the stock mainspring and will not play with the strain screw. I did A LOT of dry firing this week using yellow wall anchors as snap caps. It really did wonders for the DA pull as it is now in the 11-12 lb range and much much smoother.

I will install the 14 lb return spring as I do that with all Smiths because it really improves the SA pull and helps some with the DA pull with no light strike risk. For me that's the way they should come from the factory.

I took the 617 out for its first range trip today. The short story is that it was lots of fun and all 150 rounds went boom...and some even went where I wanted them to.

I'll do a range report later tonight or tomorrow.

 

[Phish]

I love my 4" barreled 617. I did play around with springs so stock main and 14 lb rebound spring was the best also. Dont do much SA as DA is the way to go. If i want to do SA then my 22/45 Lite does that for me.

 

[ScottN]

Sunday I enjoyed my first range trip with the 617. All shots were taken from a distance of 25 feet. A variety of ammo was used:

CCI Mini mags
CCI Standard Velocity
Federal AutoMatch
Federal American Eagle High Velocity
Winchester 333 (only 10 rounds...this stuff is filthy!!!)

I put 150 rounds down range using a two hand grip and isosceles stance and 6 o'clock hold. I had zero malfunctions. At the 80 round mark the cylinder was a little tough to open so I started wiping it down every 20 rounds and using a cotton swap on the chambers. Ran like a top.

I did not mess with adjusting the sights since I wasn't using a rest. I figured it would too hard to tell if shot placement issues were me or the sights or both.

I started with 60 rounds of single action figuring that would give me the best idea on on whether the sights were "on" or not. I confess that I shot so horribly in single action I couldn't tell. I posted a pic of my best 10 shot SA group with the Federal AutoMatch. The other SA groups were embarrassingly bad. I was yanking stuff all over the place. I attribute it to bad finger-trigger placement and grip. More on that later.

The last 90 rounds were all shot double action. Of course the trigger pull was heavier but it's pretty doggone smooth. It went much better. I adjusted my grip and I think my muscle and trigger finger memory is much more tuned to double action shooting. CCI Standard and Fed AutoMatch shot the most consistently for me. I posted my best 20 shot group accomplished with CCI SV. With more range time I'll cut out the extreme fliers. I should be able to easily get to 2" - 2.5" inch groups, which would be good for me. I've only been shooting about 3 years. I've improved a lot but you're not gonna get one ragged hole targets from me...yet.

Overall impressions:

This thing is a tank! It is the heaviest handgun I own...by far. It's not a good revolver for kids to learn on because it's too heavy, unless you shoot seated using a rest.

I struggled with getting the right grip. For my hand size I had to to rotate my hand away from what felt natural. I rotated my shooting hand around the grip so that my trigger finger was further from the trigger. This adjustment felt awkward at first but allowed for a much firmer grip that gave me better control. I didn't care for the factory grips.The palm swell didn't didn't suit my narrow hands. No matter what grip is used, shooting 20 rounds reasonably quick (I used a speedloader) still results in some hand and forearm fatigue. There's no getting around that it's heavy.

That said, it is a blast to shoot. Felt recoil doesn't exist. The accuracy is there if the shooter does his/her part. The trigger is very nice, especially considering rimfire needs a good smack to ensure good primer strikes. And the trigger will get better...especially when my 14 lb return spring arrives. It is a heavy revolver but I thought it balanced fine and the long sight radius is helpful. I know there is a lot of untapped accuracy in that revolver...and I plan to tap it!

I'll update this post with final trigger pull weights after the 14 lb return spring is installed.

 

[The Norseman]

S&W 617 22lr

Thank you for sharing your Range Report.

Your Report basically mirrors mine.

My 6"bbl has remained stock and the trigger
has smoothed out over the 1000's of 22lr's
I've shot.

My 4"bbl is very unforgiving though. It is very
hard to get an accurate target. One has to
concentrate on front sight and trigger control
and steadiness.

After shooting the 4"bbl and picking up he 6"bbl
accuracy comes very easy.

My cylinder charge holes also become sticky after
so many rounds shot. At the Range I use a Q-tip
to clean the residue out and at Home I have a wore
out 223 brass bore brush, that I push though and
pull out over the garage can, while holding he barrel
and stabilizing the cylinder with thumb and finger.

Thank you so much for sharing pictures of the
Range test, also.

 

[prairieviper]

You will love the 617. I bought my 617, 6 inch, last year. At 11,000 rounds plus, I have to say it is my favorite range gun.

 

[Bill In Texas]

Congratulations!

 

[lunger]

Good shootin' . Sounds like you are a candidate for a grip change. I don't care for the factory ones. For me it is Hogue wood on my 6" 617. But every hand is different and you may have to go through many to find the one.

 

[Targets Guy]

Great report. Thanks. I had an idea you were going to like it.

 

[rbert0005]

I usually take .020" off the strain screw to start with and then go from there.

Bob

 

[Jrshaf]

Nice score, I have a 617-5 started with a 6 shot cylinder. I put a 10 shot cyl on and the hi viz sight. Also glass bead finish.