Target Trigger for My M17?

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kas9412

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I tried calling S&W customer service this morning regarding the installation of a target trigger in my 4-screw M17 (no dash). They are currently in their temporary August shut-down mode, so I couldn't get an answer to my questions, which are:

-Can S&W install a case hardened (don't want MIM) target trigger in my M17?

-If so, what would be the approximate cost?

-How long would S&W keep my revolver?

Anyone know the answers to my questions? - I would appreciate your response!

Thanks,
kas
 
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I own some 17's and by no means am any expert, but I would not want to mess with a 4 screw No Dash gun, probably destroy the value .......
 
Thanks redbos, but I probably should add that my gun is a pawn shop rescue! It has worn blueing, several small spots of rust with small pits, a few scratches, and 80's era target grips.

I don't think it has much, if any, collector value the way it is, so I am actually thinking of a complete makeover, with the target trigger, ergonomically styled grips, and (gasp), maybe a re-blue job (I see that S&W charges $200 for that).

However, my other option might be to sell this one and buy another that is more to my liking. So I guess another question might be is how much is mine worth? I have no idea, but I recently paid $450 for it and I think that was a little high...

kas
 
If you want a .5 in trigger then you need to get the .5 in hammer as well. The 3t's are target grips, target hammer and target trigger, there were very few guns shipped with a T hammer and standard trigger or visa-versa. On top of that the target hammer is very nice on a 17.

You need to check over the net gunbroker & Auctionarms regularly have target parts often case colored go for over $50 a part. Numrich, Midway, and other suppliers sell the parts nut the parts they sell are most likley not forged and maybe MIM.

Once you have the parts you want find a good gunsmith to do the work S&W may do it, I don't know.
 
At auction, I just paid $95 + shipping for a used target trigger. It was also stripped. I rather doubt S&W has any casehardened triggers left as they have been making the MIM for quite some time. The person on Gunbroker I bought my trigger took a month to send it and I would not recommend buying anything from this jerk, as he called me. Mark something???? Big Larry
 
I believe your only hope is to find a trigger somewhere. But they are going for a pretty penny. S&W doesn't work on guns that old anymore.

I, personally, think you should just get a trigger shoe and let it go at that. I would not do a reblue. You can't make a purse out of a sows ear!

I personally think that was a bit much to pay for it, but if it is a shooter and that is what you want. Shoot it and enjoy it. Go find another quality made gun for that kind of money that can out shoot it!;)

If you want a "nice" clean 17 wait for one and then fork over the money.

John
 
Black_Talon said:
Dang, was it this guy:

GunBroker.com - View User Feedback: MagnumMark

I've been thinking of buying a hammer from him. :(
Click to expand...

Sounds like at worst, he is just an idiot, but everyone gets there stuff so if you need something bad and can't get it elsewhere, I would use him. If you CAN get it elsewhere, do that instead.

And if you want it quick then it's obvious a personal check isn't the way to go with this guy!

I just checked out his auctions and he has the stuff! I would make a friend there.....

Ya just gotta know how to deal with the idiots.........
 
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like others above, I don't think there's much chance if any, that S&W would have such an old part. Also agree you should find one yourself from the many other sources, they are around. Also if you can take the sideplate off and replace, you can likely install the trigger. Most are drop ins BUT NOT ALL. And worse case is, if it doesn't work to your satisfaction, you can always default back to plan A and have a gunsmith fit it for you. Check with a local gunsmith 1st, many have them already.
 
Thanks for all the replys. I feel like I should explain myself a little...

I bought this gun with the intention of buying a 617 with a 6" barrel. However, I couldn't find one online for a good price (ex., Buds was out of stock) and I found just one locally after visiting all the VA gun/pawn shops within a 50 mile radius of my house.

The 617 I found was $780 and the shop would not budge on their price. The last place I looked was a pawn shop 50 miles from my house, and low and behold, they had the 17 I ended up purchasing. However, I didn't research 17's beforehand because I thought I wanted the 617.

Compared to the 617, the 17 was $330 less. That, plus the fact that I didn't want to drive another 100 mile round trip to go home and check it out and then go back and buy the thing...well, I just bought it. After I made the deal and was doing the paperwork, a buddy of the pawn shop owner walked in looking for .22 revolver. So if I had left without buying it, it very well may have been gone when I came back.

After I bought it, I got on here and did a little other research and found that for the condition that its in, I probably should have paid $50-100 less. Oh well...but I wanted a shooter and that's what I got.

The problem is, in the last month or so, I spent quite a bit of time looking at and reading about all of your nice old guns, and I am afraid it has made me covet them! The practical side of me tells me to forget about it and shoot what I've got, but dxxn, you guys have some very nice revolvers...

Anyway, that's where I'm at. I have a couple of very nice S&W autos, a 41 and a 52-2, but now all I can think about is a nicer K-22 or 17 (and maybe a K-38 or M14 to go with it)!

kas
 
I agree with Richard.
Shoot it......
Then buy a really nice one and just keep it to look at.

John
 
I agree with John and Richard! Some of my favorite guns are the worn ones and the ones I enjoy and shoot the most! Besides, a gun in the hand is worth two in the bush! There's a real nice one on Gunsamerica now for 495.
 
Thanks for all the recommendations. Yea, I think I should just keep this gun and shoot it. However, I did check Popperts' site and they do list k-frame target triggers. There is no pics or description other than that, so I just might call just to see if these are case hardened or MIM, and go from there.

Thanks again,
kas
 
As someone else said, keep it and shoot it as is, it might grow on you. This one lived most of it's life as a ranch gun out West before I rescued it from a pawn shop, and it has the scars to prove it. I keep looking for an excuse to get rid of it. Problem is, although I've got K-22's that are a lot prettier, none are smoother or more accurate.
 

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Very nice revolver, PMRet. I'll try and post a photo of mine within the next few days...I'll show you what a true rescue looks like, and its not pretty!

kas
 
kas9412 said:
Very nice revolver, PMRet. I'll try and post a photo of mine within the next few days...I'll show you what a true rescue looks like, and its not pretty! kas
Click to expand...

Trust me, kas, this one is a rescue also, it just doesn't show up in the photo. I'm talkin' holster wear, surface rust, light pitting, a couple nicks and dings, etc.

Lookin' forward to seeing yours, photos and K-22's are two of our favorite things.
 
kas9412 said:
Thanks for all the recommendations. Yea, I think I should just keep this gun and shoot it. However, I did check Popperts' site and they do list k-frame target triggers. There is no pics or description other than that, so I just might call just to see if these are case hardened or MIM, and go from there.

Thanks again,
kas
Click to expand...

They should be forged old stock. Poppert's picked up 55 drums of obsolete S&W parts inventory when S&W cleaned out there old stock.
 
KAS, it looks I'm going to sort of go against the advice of several of my friends whose opinions I highly respect, but... I would contact Larry Poppert and/or some of the other major part suppliers like Dave Chicoine and Jack First and get exactly the upgrade parts I wanted. Then I would see if they drop fit my revolver, and if not I'd get a trusted 'smith to fit them. You describe a piece with virtually no collector value but massive fun potential, so why not take full advantage and get the exact shooting companion you want? :)

The alternative is to possibly search long and hard and probably pay a bunch to get the same gun you could have now, and pay more for it!:eek: I've done just as I described above with "rescued" guns of various types and vintages several times over the years and I enjoy them more than most of my other guns, have lost virtually no value on any of them (in fact could get more than I paid for most of them) and I sleep well at night with no guilt at all! :cool:

JMHO ~ YMMV!
Froggie

PS To my collector friends whose opinions I really do value: please forgive the heresay, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it, and besides, the unaltered ones should be that much more valuable huh? :D
 
Green Frog said:
KAS, it looks I'm going to sort of go against the advice of several of my friends whose opinions I highly respect, but... I would contact Larry Poppert and/or some of the other major part suppliers like Dave Chicoine and Jack First and get exactly the upgrade parts I wanted. Then I would see if they drop fit my revolver, and if not I'd get a trusted 'smith to fit them. You describe a piece with virtually no collector value but massive fun potential, so why not take full advantage and get the exact shooting companion you want? :)

JMHO ~ YMMV!
Froggie

PS To my collector friends whose opinions I really do value: please forgive the heresay, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it, and besides, the unaltered ones should be that much more valuable huh? :D
Click to expand...

Froggie,
No foregiveness needed! Once the collectibility is gone, that's my license to be creative resulting in my favorite and most usable guns.
 
I just wanted to add my .2 cents , ...or should it be .22 sense?

What is (are) the reason(s) you want to replace your factory trigger?

Is the finish worn ? Prefer the wide trigger?
What style hammer do you have now,.... standard target? Wide target?

If you have the wide target hammer / standard trigger but want 3 T's look then I kinda understand.
I have a 4 screw gun with a wide hammer / standard trigger which I found weird at first, apparently they came this way early on.

My point in all this is that after using K22's with a smooth combat trigger I find the combat trigger more comfortable especially when shooting large volumes of ammo.

If you havent tried one yet you should as you might also prefer it like I do.
If so and the case coloring finish is shot on your factory serrated trigger it would make a perfect donor for a smooth face "Combat" trigger conversion.
Im sure you could manage the job of removing, filing, then reinstalling the trigger if you are handy and have the right hand tools, (screwdriver file, sandpaper, dremel etc).

I have a combat converted trigger in an old 18-2 that was upgraded this way and it looks and works great.

Just some food for thought.
 
Engine49guy, this is my first revolver and I find the trigger, compared to my S&W target autos, kinda thin. So its just what I'm used to.

My gun has a standard hammer. I realize it would be best to also put a a target hammer on it, but I like the case hardened parts and haven't yet found a case hardened target hammer. Popperts only listed the target trigger.

I haven't tried a combat trigger. What I think I am really looking for is wider. However, if the opportunity arizes for me to try a combat trigger, I certainly will. Thanks for the suggestion.

kas
 
Engine49guy said:
I just wanted to add my .2 cents , ...or should it be .22 sense?

What is (are) the reason(s) you want to replace your factory trigger?

Is the finish worn ? Prefer the wide trigger?
What style hammer do you have now,.... standard target? Wide target?

If you have the wide target hammer / standard trigger but want 3 T's look then I kinda understand.
I have a 4 screw gun with a wide hammer / standard trigger which I found weird at first, apparently they came this way early on.

My point in all this is that after using K22's with a smooth combat trigger I find the combat trigger more comfortable especially when shooting large volumes of ammo.

If you havent tried one yet you should as you might also prefer it like I do.
If so and the case coloring finish is shot on your factory serrated trigger it would make a perfect donor for a smooth face "Combat" trigger conversion.
Im sure you could manage the job of removing, filing, then reinstalling the trigger if you are handy and have the right hand tools, (screwdriver file, sandpaper, dremel etc).

I have a combat converted trigger in an old 18-2 that was upgraded this way and it looks and works great.

Just some food for thought.
Click to expand...

As I read the initial posts, I got the idea that the piece in question lacked the target trigger (and hammer.) If indeed it already has those, it seems the question would not have been asked quite the way it was. I agree with you, engine49guy, that the most comfortable trigger for a long shooting session is probably a wide, smooth trigger. Perhaps the OP could save a few $he¢kels by looking around for a worn or even rusty looking target trigger and then reworking it as you suggest. It would still probably fit in with the rest of the look of the gun, especially as age and wear soften the look of the polishing process.

That said, it seems like the OP has about as much in the gun already as he is going to really want to put into it, so each change he makes should make sense to him and get it closer to that ideal that he envisions, and of course that will be a very personal thing... for instance, I would want to add the checkered target hammer at the same time, but if he plans on mainly DA shooting, that would be a few bu¢k$ he could save by leaving his existing hammer in place. Likewise the refinish he mentioned... I would leave it as-is or put one of the newer tough finishes on it to prevent rust, but would not think of trying to make it "original" again with an expensive factory refinish, even if it were available. All of this is my opinion, of course and it's easy to make this kind of decision about how somebody else should spend their money!! :D

Froggie

PS KAS, you responded while I was typing and sort of confirmed my opinion of what you were trying to do. You might be able to find a target trigger immediately then add the hammer later if you so desired... they don't have to be added together. As for the case coloring, you can sort of duplicate that by simply playing a propane torch gently over the polished part until it takes on the colored appearance. Not as deep nor as durable as original, but still not bad looking (and ¢heap!)
 
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Maybe you have already done this, but I don't recall it being mentioned. Before I spent a bunch of money on a used, finish challenged gun, I would check the operation and accuracy to make sure it worth the additional investment. Besides, if it was all pretty and nice, you wouldn't want to shoot it and mess it up. I like really nice guns, but many times don't want to put wear on them. I do have some that are shooter and get some exercise.
 
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