Smith & Wesson 617 black

[dutch1]

hello people, im looking for information on a model 617, 10 shot cilinder, 6 inch barrel, in the colour black, i cannot find any info about this model colour, it seems not to be an regular colour for a 617, is it a rare modell then? is it special or maybe a cancelled modell because of inpopularity? i dont know, the thing is that i have the opportunity to buy this gun and i need background info on it, unfortunatly i dont have the serial yet but if someone could have some info about this colour it would be a great addition for me to make a decision in buying it.
love to hear from you.

 

[civil1977]

Are you sure it's a 617? It sounds like a 17-8 to me, which is really the same gun in carbon steel with blue glass bead finish and 10 shot aluminum cylinder. They were made from 1996-1999.

 

[Nedroe]

I go along with......

a model 17-8. It would look like this one, only longer

Ned

 

[murphydog]

It could also be a model 617 made only for the export market, perhaps European. Photos would be helpful.

 

[dutch1]

Thanks for the info, it appears to be an carbon steel variant indeed, a 17-8, why were these made for just a short period? and was it a european only model?, (i Live In The Netherlands), anniversary modell perhaps? questions questions, any info on this particular modell is very welcome. see pics.

many thanks, Dutch.

 

[murphydog]

It was a standard production gun from 1996-'99.

 

[civil1977]

My guess is they weren't selling as well as the stainless 617s and S&W dropped them from production. It's a very nice gun though and you should enjoy it.

 

[dutch1]

My guess is they weren't selling as well as the stainless 617s and S&W dropped them from production. It's a very nice gun though and you should enjoy it.

yes its a gorgeous gun, can't wait till i own it, i will post some nice pictures of her then, its gonna take a couple of months though..

 

[Joewisc]

617 made in SS only I believe. If you find a blued one it would be extremely rare. This is one gun, however, that looks better in SS, IMHO

 

[fyimo]

Congtraulations as they are great revolvers but given the choice a lot of buyers in America would opt for the stainless steel 617.

 

[dutch1]

Hi guys, i got her last month , hope you like the pics i made!

 

[VAdoublegunner]

They are excellent revolvers and I am sure you will like it. They had a 10-shot alloy cylinder. Most owners report that they are very accurate and they have no issues with the alloy cylinder. I did not like the alloy cylinder on mine, had some problems with it, and sent it back to the Performance Center to have a 6-shot SS cylinder fitted to it, have the barrel/cylinder gap set correctly, and the action tuned up. So now I have a custom "pinto" version of the 17-8. I am given to understand that S&W may actually have made a number of 17-8s this way. This is one of the more accurate revolvers I have ever owned.