617 Sweetness!

[fireman 9731]

I finally got this sweet little 617 no-dash off of lay away. It’s my first Smith and Wesson 22 caliber revolver and I’m impressed! Accuracy is a breeze and popping rocks at 50 yards was a blast. The best part of the deal was that it came with two sets of combats!

 

[MaxP]

Those are great revolvers!

 

[gotboostvr]

Nice score! My K22 I stole off gunbroker should be at my funstore today.

Those combats are worth a pretty penny I'm sure you know.

 

[fireman 9731]

Those combats are worth a pretty penny I'm sure you know.

Absolutely! I paid $900 out the door. Thats a lot, but i figured for a No-Dash model and two sets of combats it was a fair price. And this is one that I'll probably teach my kids with someday.

 

[gotboostvr]

Absolutely! I paid $900 out the door. Thats a lot, but i figured for a No-Dash model and two sets of combats it was a fair price. And this is one that I'll probably teach my kids with someday.

You can get about half that back if you sell off the grips, which makes that 617-0 a certified steal.

 

[kidneyboy]

I love 617s. Mine aren't the no dash ones but they are awesome to shoot.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Super cool. Congrats!

 

[SeanSw]

617-1 is my favorite gun. Best money ever spent on a firearm.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Nice!

 

[Tallball]

Nice steal... uh, I mean purchase!

 

[thomas15]

I'm fairly certain that a 617 4" barrel is the next handgun on my buy list.

 

[Eddietruett]

You did very well. With the 2 sets of grips, I think you made a very fair purchase. It amazes me how accurate Smith and Wesson .22 Revolvers are. One suggestion I would make is get a box of several different brands of ammo and also some different velocities. You will be amazed at the difference in some versus others. The majority of S&W .22 Revolvers I've owned shot better with standard velocity than high velocity. The Federal Match grade has always been a great performer. I did have a Model 17 with a 6" barrel not too long ago that I couldn't get to shoot good groups with anything. I was shocked. One day I was at my backyard range and I found a box of Remington Golden Bullets laying around. It is the cheapest offering that Remington puts out and you usually see it in the cheap Bucket of Bullets. On a whim, I tried some of those in the Mod 17 and Bingo it was the magic one! I shot some really great groups with the cheap stuff and it was so impressive that a buddy bought the gun on the spot! He kept upping his offer until I gave in. That's the great thing about the .22's. You can try all kinds of ammo for cheap and don't have to spend a lot of time at the loading bench.

 

[fireman 9731]

I think the accuracy is, in part, due to tight chambers.

I tried some CCI quiet ammo (40gr at 700fps) which I literally had to shove into the chambers. It has a pretty thick wax lube on the bullet which I think was the culprit. Accuracy was fair, and noise was excellent. If I need to dispatch a critter from the chicken coop without hearing protection, it will be excellent.

Next up I tried some bulk pack Winchester 333 (36gr 1280fps). It was easier to chamber, but still snug, and provided better accuracy in my informal plinking application of shooting at rocks on the hillside about 50 yards away.

I need to give the chambers a thorough cleaning to eliminate that possibility, and try more types of ammo, but the first impression is fairly tight chambers.

 

[GooseGestapo]

Likewise, my 617 prefers the Remington golden bullet hp’s.
I’d avoided buying them for years. Someone had left a dozen or so on the bench at the range I frequent. Most had firing pin imprints. I decided I’d try them . They all popped in the S&W, and I happened to notice that they shot a surprisingly tight group on the target.
I’ve got several buckets of the stuff in case a Democrat=socialist gets elected...

 

[kidneyboy]

I haven't tried golden bullets yet but will certainly try them out. My 6" will shoot any 22 ammo with reasonable accuracy but seems to like CCI 36gr mini mags the best.

 

[gotboostvr]

I ran a battery of tests on a couple Rugers and the Golden Bullets both didn't run well or group well, towards the bottom of both criteria of the ~15 kinds tested.

But! My buddy has me buy it for him as he can't find it locally and it's the best it out of his 10/22, out-shooting my goto CCI SV among others.

Go figure.

 

[Riomouse911]

Finding accurate loads with .22’s is a lot like owning English cars; no two are alike as every one has a personality all it’s own!

Nice gun! My 17-2 is an older six-shot... I wish it was an 8 like my 317 is. When I’m plinking I like the extra shots between reloading .

Stay safe!

 

[kidneyboy]

Finding accurate loads with .22’s is a lot like owning English cars; no two are alike as every one has a personality all it’s own!

Nice gun! My 17-2 is an older six-shot... I wish it was an 8 like my 317 is. When I’m plinking I like the extra shots between reloading .

Stay safe!

Speedloaders for the 617 10 shot.

 

[Armored farmer]

Man, you guys are giving me the itch for a new .22 revolver.

 

[Riomouse911]

Speedloaders for the 617 10 shot.
View attachment 834969

Nice! Every time I shoot the 17 (I did today, and sadly, I shot rather poorly!) I look at the all that metal in the cylinder walls between the chambers that isn’t really needed and wish there were a few more charge holes peeking out at me.

Stay safe!

 

[sota]

617 is an awesome gun, especially with new shooters. all that mass just soaks up what little recoil .22's have as it is.

 

[slickracer]

Absolutely! I paid $900 out the door. Thats a lot, but i figured for a No-Dash model and two sets of combats it was a fair price. And this is one that I'll probably teach my kids with someday.

You got a sweet deal!

 

[gotboostvr]

...I did today, and sadly, I shot rather poorly!

Bet it was still more fun than being at work!

 

[Riomouse911]

(Almost) any day shooting is better than a day stuck in the office.... I've had a few that sucked weather-wise, and a few that had gun malfunctions that ended the day early...but those are pretty darn rare..

Stay safe.

 

[fireman 9731]

Post weekend update:
Single action on this thing is sublime. The best of any of my Smiths.

Double action could use a little fluff and buff, or at least a good cleaning and lube. Feels like a rough or dry rebound slide. I haven't had the side plate off yet to look.

I would like to handle a new 10 shooter to see how they compare. I can see the appeal of one, but I tend to be a purist, and I like investing in the classics. The down side to that is that I wont be toting this one on my tractor with me to pop a groundhog. I guess I'll just have to get another one!