New to Me 8-3/8" S&W M17-4

[farscott]

My friendly local dealer had a blued M17-4 with the long 8-3/8" barrel in the rimfire display case. He took it in on trade yesterday afternoon, and I took it home a few hours later. The serial number prefix is 248K, dating it to 1982. The barrel is NOT pinned, making it early non-pinned production. This has the target trigger with the adjustable stop and the semi-target hammer. The metal is about 99%, with the only noticeable wear being thin bluing on the muzzle. The bluing on the ejector rod is immaculate, and there is not much of a cylinder turn line, leading me to believe this was a safe queen. The metal polish and resulting bluing is very nice. The stocks are not original, being a set of Pachmayr grips. No box or papers, other than an instruction sheet for a M48.

He had it marked at $495, and I got it for $424 OTD ($400 plus 6% sales tax). Might be a bit high, but it is the only 8-3/8" K-22 that I have seen for sale in more than a decade. In fact, it is one of the best condition K-22's that I have seen for sale in a few years. Anyway I am glad to help my local dealer stay in business as he always treats me very well.

I did not take it to the range, being that the temperatures are in the low 30's and the wind is gusting into the mid 60's. I need to find a set of original stocks for this, seeing as how the Pachmayr grips are out of place with the deep bluing and my personal wants.

 

[steveno]

$495 would be too much but the $424 would be good. they are good shooters

 

[Standing Wolf]

I doubt I've seen more than two model 17s with the long tube.

Where are the pictures, by the way? We do enjoy drooling on keyboards, you know.

 

[gmatov]

Farscott,

What would be a fair price for the originals?

I'm not sure I want to sell, for the same reason you state, my K17-3 probably does, heck, it really does, look better than it does with the Pachmayer rubbers on it.

I have a set of originals, stamped with the serial, K956XXX, I bought this one new in the late '60s, a pair of thumbrest targets, oversized, which I never liked, and 2 others, one from a 19, .357, 4" I also bought new in the late '60s, and another from a 19 6" I bought from a guy in the '80s.

The 4" 19 just feels more "business like" than the 6" model. The K22 just feels great, period, target hammer, target trigger, full length rib, pinned barrel and recessed chambers. It's 6", by the way.

Not sure I want to sell, but, hell, when my kids inherit, they'll probably prefer the rubber grips.

Why it, a target pistol, came with such small grips, and the 19s came with more substantial grips, I'll never know.

Pics are 582KB, don't know if I can attach that large a file, will try.

Cheers,

George

I'm allowed 244KB, first is the originak K22 grips.

 

[gmatov]

Hate to do this, next 3 pairs are too big all at once so have to post 1 then the other 2.

These are the aftermarket, Hogue, I think, thumbrest, palmrest, looks like some oil speckles in the checkering. Never liked them. Hard to believe these things probably cost what a couple packs of smokes cost today. Color variance is because I scanned them and the palmrest swell tipped the scanner lid.

 

[gmatov]

And the last 2 pairs.

Off one of the 19s, nice dark wood. I think this is off the 6" I bought used, one of the disks that locate it into the grip is missing.

 

[gmatov]

Couldn't upload 2 at a time, here's the 4th.

Pretty sure these are from my original 4" 19. All there.

Cheers,

George

 

[Standing Wolf]

These are the aftermarket, Hogue, I think, thumbrest, palmrest, looks like some oil speckles in the checkering.

I doubt they're Hogues. They might be old Herrett stocks or Herrett copies. If they're Herretts, they're of some value, although they look neglected.

 

[gmatov]

They ARE neglected. They've been in a drawer in the garage for over 30 years. Not in a drawer of tools, cloth stuff there.

The only reason I even went out to get them, and it has gone sub-freezing here this weekend, didn't want to, is because I was scanning the others.

One set in the dresser drawer in my bedroom, one pair in the garage drawer, 2 pairs on the cellar steps for approximately the last 5 years in the Pachamyer packages.

Hey, I can always find what I have, might take me a while.

You might be right on Herrett. They're marked inside with "77". Did Herrett have a model or style number 77?

And, I said I didn't like them, almost from the day I bought them. Took them off in a few days, shot with the originals, till I bought the rubber grips.

Cheers,

George

 

[JohnBT]

farscott - That was a good price from what I've seen around here the past few years and I'm certain you'll enjoy it. My dad has a slightly earlier 17-4 8.375" he bought used years ago and it's one of his two favorite guns (the other is a Python.) He's had a 2x Burris on his for the past 10 years or so due to aging eyes - he turned 84 this week - and it really is boringly accurate if that's possible. And miracle of miracles, he still has the box.

Cold and wind is no excuse. Six years ago I showed up with a new handgun on Christmas Eve morning and my father insisted on driving 26 miles in the snow to shoot it. And he doesn't even like stainless autoloaders.

John

 

[JohnBT]

My dad and I like the S&W grips. This a 4" Model 17-6. I don't have a pic of his 17-4. JT

 

[farscott]

Here are a few pictures of the "Long Tom" M17-4.

 

[farscott]

gmatov,

I am not sure what is a fair price for the original grips. I will say that you have some very nice stocks. The Herrets and the pair from the M19 are just lovely. The Herrets would look very nice on the M17-4.

I am going to look for a pair of the Morado "Combat" finger groove grips that S&W was using in the early 1990's.

 

[One of Many]

What does the dash number (as in 17-4, etc.) signify? I have a Mod. 17-3 with a 6 inch barrel, serial number 5K8xxxx, that I bought used many years ago. It has a pinned barrel, and the cylinder is recessed for .22 rimfire cartridges. The S&W ampersand is as appears in this text (not lazy). My revolver has original wooden grips, and they are large enough for my rather large hands, and too large for my wife and daughters to manage well.

Can anyone determine approximate age of my revolver, based on the info I provided?

 

[farscott]

The M17 and M18 "dashes"

-1: Right-hand to left-hand threading for extractor rod in 1959
-2: Delete triggerguard screw (three-screw introduction) in 1961
-3: Relocation of rear sight leaf screw forward of forcing cone in 1967
-4: Change gas ring from yoke to cylinder in 1977
1982: delete pinned barrel
1986: introduce four-inch heavy barrel for M17; delete M18
-5: New yoke retention system in 1988
-6: Add full-lug barrel in 1990
-7: Drill and tap frame for optics; change rear sight to round base; change extractor in 1994

5K8xxxx should be 1974 production.