Taurus 617
- Thread starter meatballs
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I had one for awhile that I took on trade and it was a decent gun that handled recoil well. I put about 500 rounds through it, 38spl and 357 mix with decent accuracy and no problems. Not sure if the 617 only comes in snub but that's what mine was with 7rd cylinder. I'd still have it but my wife's dad wanted it so I gave it to him.
Tallball
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I have had about ten Taurus revolvers. One gave me trouble. The rest were fine. Most of them have had mediocre triggers. A few have been very good. Once I have put a few hundred rounds through one and had no problems, I trust it as much as any of my other revolvers.
MCgunner
Member
I own 4 Taurus revolvers, M85SS UL a daily carry, bought in 1996, a 3" late 80s M66 bought in about 2004 and is a carry option for the belt, a 4" 66 early 90s, bought in about 2001, and a new M605 Poly Protector bought last year. Every one of 'em is an excellent shooter. The 85SSUL has an AWESOME light and smooth trigger. The others are heavier, but smooth. The late 80s 3" gun has a little creep in the SA and the DA is the least smooth of 'em, but it's accurate, reliable, and I occasionally carry it and shoot it often. The 4" 66 is the most accurate of the lot having the longest sight radius. It'll put everything in 1" at 25 yards off the bench with .38 wadcutter or a Speer 140 grain JHP .357 magnum load. The 3" gun isn't far behind it. The two snubbies shoot about 3" off the bench at 25 yards which is as good as most snubbies I've fired. My 605 is a regular belt carry, could be a pocket carry with the shorter grip, but .357 loads kinda need the full grip as it's under 20 ounces. My SP101 was a little more accurate, but it did have a little more sight radius, so it was a little easier to do precision shooting with off the bench.
Anyway, I like mine a lot and carry all, but the 4 inch gun a lot. The 4" gun makes a great trail gun, but it's a little heavier than a K frame, frame size being sorta between K and L frames. The 3" gun's frame, an older gun, is exactly K frame sized. So, the 66s have changed over the years. They're now about L frame size which allows a 7 shot cylinder.
As for Taurus CS, I haven't had to deal with 'em, ever. Their record, though, is spotty.
Anyway, I like mine a lot and carry all, but the 4 inch gun a lot. The 4" gun makes a great trail gun, but it's a little heavier than a K frame, frame size being sorta between K and L frames. The 3" gun's frame, an older gun, is exactly K frame sized. So, the 66s have changed over the years. They're now about L frame size which allows a 7 shot cylinder.
As for Taurus CS, I haven't had to deal with 'em, ever. Their record, though, is spotty.
Taurus 617 CCW
Member
I suppose I would have some credibility since that model is in my screen name. The Taurus 617 was my first handgun. I wanted a seven shot revolver for CCW. There were some good things about it and some things I found I didn't like. I will list them below.
Good: The ported barrel really tames recoil. It is a good sized revolver and isn't too big for concealment. Accuracy with mine was decent to very good. The value was very good for me. I purchased my 617 for $260 out the door in 2001.
Not good: I had the DAO model with the concealed hammer. The trigger pull was somewhere around 18 to 20 lbs. The bobbed hammer made it very difficult to find a concealment holster. The 7 shot cylinder also made it very difficult to find a decent holster (I ended up having a custom holster made for it). The porting caused the front sight to blacken on both sides and drove me nuts trying to keep it clean. The porting created a lot of flash in low light conditions.
I ended up trading it for a 5 shot revolver due to the fact that you could find things for it at gun shows. You will have a difficult time finding things for the 7 shot revolver without ordering online. Hope that helps you out.
Good: The ported barrel really tames recoil. It is a good sized revolver and isn't too big for concealment. Accuracy with mine was decent to very good. The value was very good for me. I purchased my 617 for $260 out the door in 2001.
Not good: I had the DAO model with the concealed hammer. The trigger pull was somewhere around 18 to 20 lbs. The bobbed hammer made it very difficult to find a concealment holster. The 7 shot cylinder also made it very difficult to find a decent holster (I ended up having a custom holster made for it). The porting caused the front sight to blacken on both sides and drove me nuts trying to keep it clean. The porting created a lot of flash in low light conditions.
I ended up trading it for a 5 shot revolver due to the fact that you could find things for it at gun shows. You will have a difficult time finding things for the 7 shot revolver without ordering online. Hope that helps you out.
MCgunner
Member
I don't like porting. I don't mind recoil, evidence my 19 ounce .357 605 poly carry. I don't like the noise and flash in my face. .357 is bad enough without directing it back at me.
Onward Allusion
Member
I have one and had carried it my rotation most of the time for about a year. The only reason I don't carry it as my primary is that I like more rounds.
It's actually a pretty nice revolver once the trigger smoothed out with use. Always went bang with any ammo I fed it. I like the fact that it holds 7 instead of 5 or 6. I have a LaserLyte sideplate laser on mine. Makes it a lot more accurate in a stressful situation.
It's actually a pretty nice revolver once the trigger smoothed out with use. Always went bang with any ammo I fed it. I like the fact that it holds 7 instead of 5 or 6. I have a LaserLyte sideplate laser on mine. Makes it a lot more accurate in a stressful situation.
Dan-O
Member
The new ones aren't ported. I have one and it's pretty kick butt. Theis makes holsters for it. Wolff makes spring kits for it. I'll never part with mine.
weblance
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- Sep 15, 2011
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My EDC is a Taurus 617. I have many other carry guns, but the 617 is the one I trust with my life. Its a great revolver, accurate, good short trigger, and soaks up recoil well. Its a heavy snub, 28 oz, so if you can deal with the weight, there's nothing else that carries as many rounds, in such a small size. I chopped the hammer spur off mine, because I want a snag-free draw. I bought several aftermarket grips, because I assumed the small grip would be a knuckle buster. To my surprise, its actually quite comfortable. Its about the perfect balance between size, and recoil absorption. My only complaint is the rear sight notch is shallow, and it takes a bit to get a good alignment. HKS speedloader 587-A works perfectly and clears the factory grip nicely.
If I ever had a problem with the 617, or lost it in a boating accident, I would buy another as soon as possible.
If I ever had a problem with the 617, or lost it in a boating accident, I would buy another as soon as possible.
Elm Creek Smith
Member
Almost bought one to back up my issued S&W Model 686-6. Too heavy for a backup so I kept my Taurus 85SSUL. My daughter got the 85. Looked for a Taurus 817SSUL (the +P .38 Special version). Ended up almost stealing a brand new S&W Model 642-2 for $240.54 out the door.
I'm the guy who has never had a problem with Taurus revolvers.
I'm the guy who has never had a problem with Taurus revolvers.
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herrwalther
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The 617 is one of the few revolvers I actually want to buy, being an semi-auto fan. I have only seen one in a gun store, it was the Titanium version for $400. I didn't have a job at the time so I couldn't afford it. I saw it on the shelf for a few months before somebody grabbed it.
Taurus 617 CCW
Member
They used to offer it in a high gloss stainless but I believe they only do a matte finish gun these days. Something about cost savings and the like. Mine was a the high gloss stainless and it cleaned up much easier than the bead blasted model does. You can still find them available on gunbroker once in a while.
Dan-O
Member
What the bad guy sees, only with bullets of course:
CajunBass
Member
Don't know anything about the 617, but I'm another who has owned several Taurus revolvers over the years and has never had a complaint about them. They just work.
I wouldn't go out of my way to look for one, but if one turns up and I'm interested in it, I won't turn my nose up at it just because of the name.
I wouldn't go out of my way to look for one, but if one turns up and I'm interested in it, I won't turn my nose up at it just because of the name.
dawei
Member
I've carried a Taurus® Mdl 617SS2 2¼" barrel 7 shot 357 Magnum as my EDCG since May of 2003. It has been flawless with all 357 Magnum and 38 Special ammunition I've used. To date it's had over 10K rounds through the barrel & it's still going strong. It's been about a 50/50 mix of 357 & 38.meatballs said:
The gun has a marked preference for, and is most accurate with; 158gr ammunition in either cartridge. It is most accurate of all with the following two loads...
• Fiocchi® 357 Magnum 158gr XTP (#357XTP25) and I use this as my carry load.
• Buffalo Bore 38 Special 158gr LSWCHCGC +P (#20A/20)
I highly recommend this gun! Taurus® has given me great service, and the gun is like Hornady® Ammunition; Accurate, Deadly, Dependable!
gbran
Member
Many years ago I bought the titanium version. It was a dream to carry. It's size, even with the 7 round cylinder, wasn't too large for ccw.
It was very light and downright brutal to fire full house 357's. It was, in fact, too light, and often the 357's would jump crimp and lock up the cylinder. I couldn't and didn't keep it because it couldn't be trusted. Maybe if I'd have tried different ammo until I found the right ones.........
Anyway, I did like it so well I looked into the blue steel 617, but they weren't approved on the California roster.
My vote is for you to buy it.
It was very light and downright brutal to fire full house 357's. It was, in fact, too light, and often the 357's would jump crimp and lock up the cylinder. I couldn't and didn't keep it because it couldn't be trusted. Maybe if I'd have tried different ammo until I found the right ones.........
Anyway, I did like it so well I looked into the blue steel 617, but they weren't approved on the California roster.
My vote is for you to buy it.
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