Just bought my first revolver, S&W 617 6" barrel. I went looking for a super redhawk 44mag with 8" or longer barrel. Couldn't find one around my woods. But I saw this 617 and couldn't believe it was a 22lr. It's built like a tank. Always wanted a good 22 revolver. I'm sure you that know about this gun know it was about what the 44 cost. I couldn't pass it up. Hopefully I made a good investment. Might go back and buy the matching 22 mag. Anyone have this gun. I can't find another one anywhere in stock here in GA. They said it was new.thanks
First S&W
- Thread starter Hannah42
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ontarget
Member
Didn't you read the forum rules?
Rule 1 clearly states that one MUST post a pic of their new revolver or the rest of the members shall assume they are lying.
LOL!
A 617 would be high on my list after prices return to normal. If they ever do.....
Rule 1 clearly states that one MUST post a pic of their new revolver or the rest of the members shall assume they are lying.
LOL!
A 617 would be high on my list after prices return to normal. If they ever do.....
NIGHTLORD40K
Member
Thats a pretty good one for a first S&W revolver. I have the older, blued M17 and it is fantastic. Im sure you will love it!
OnTarget is right, though. Pics or it didnt happen....
OnTarget is right, though. Pics or it didnt happen....
bannockburn
Member
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2007
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- 26,301
Hannah42
I would say you did pretty good for your first time out with a S&W revolver! Now that we've got that out of the way we will be eagerly awaiting your first range report, along with some photos of your new found joy (hint, hint)!
I would say you did pretty good for your first time out with a S&W revolver! Now that we've got that out of the way we will be eagerly awaiting your first range report, along with some photos of your new found joy (hint, hint)!
sparkyv
Member
I consider the M617 the "Cadillac of 22LR revolvers", the benchmark to which all others are to be compared. I agree, you have made an excellent choice as your first S&W revolver, Hannah42. I've always wanted one but haven't had the opportunity to obtain one until yesterday, fortunately for still under MSRP. No pics because it hasn't happened yet.
jdavis123
Member
Congratulations! You have one of the finest .22 revolvers available. It’s earlier generations of the past century earned a solid reputation for accuracy in the NRA bullseye matches of the era. Your revolver has good genes, enjoy it!
Steve Milbocker
Member
I purchased this one new about 3 or 4 years ago. Finish and trigger were not old S&W quality but a trip to my local pistol smith fixed the trigger. I usually don’t care for optics on my revolvers but this Leupold Deltapoint with a 2.5 dot produces some pretty impressive groups. The grips are Altamonts in cocobolo.
Riomouse911
Member
Nice start OP! 
You will find that S&W revolvers are something that will now catch your eye at every trip to the gun store where before they may not have. You’ll want to stop and check them out when you see them... trust me.
Smiths also seem to multiply like rabbits in the safe. Many, if not most of us went from seeing 1 to 3 to 7 or more in there before we knew it.
As was posted earlier, feel free to post a picture of it and how it shoots for you on target when you get a chance to hit the range.
Stay safe.
You will find that S&W revolvers are something that will now catch your eye at every trip to the gun store where before they may not have. You’ll want to stop and check them out when you see them... trust me.
Smiths also seem to multiply like rabbits in the safe. Many, if not most of us went from seeing 1 to 3 to 7 or more in there before we knew it.
As was posted earlier, feel free to post a picture of it and how it shoots for you on target when you get a chance to hit the range
.Stay safe.
Pat Riot
Contributing Member
Congratulations @Hannah42
Nice choice. I have a model 17. It has a 6” barrel. It’s very accurate and loves CCI Stingers but luckily is very accurate with cheap ammo as well. The funny thing is it is not accurate with some premium match ammunition like Eley Match, Eley Tenex and Federal Gold Medal Match ammo. It’s actually more accurate with Remington Thunderbolt than those three. Weird, but cool.
I am sure that revolver with become one of your favorites.
Nice choice. I have a model 17. It has a 6” barrel. It’s very accurate and loves CCI Stingers but luckily is very accurate with cheap ammo as well. The funny thing is it is not accurate with some premium match ammunition like Eley Match, Eley Tenex and Federal Gold Medal Match ammo. It’s actually more accurate with Remington Thunderbolt than those three. Weird, but cool.
I am sure that revolver with become one of your favorites.
Very nice
You got that right im thinking hard on buying the matching 22 mag.Nice start OP!
You will find that S&W revolvers are something that will now catch your eye at every trip to the gun store where before they may not have. You’ll want to stop and check them out when you see them... trust me.
Smiths also seem to multiply like rabbits in the safe. Many, if not most of us went from seeing 1 to 3 to 7 or more in there before we knew it.
As was posted earlier, feel free to post a picture of it and how it shoots for you on target when you get a chance to hit the range
Stay safe.
Driftwood Johnson
Member
Howdy
I'm surprised you say the cost of the Model 617 is 'about what the 44 cost.'
I just looked up the price of both the Ruger Super Redhawk 44 Magnum and the S&W Model 617. According to the manufacturer's websites, the Ruger's suggested retail price is $1159, the S&W is $853. This of course does not take into account what actual street prices might be.
Anyway, I bought a used S&W Model 617-6 a few years ago. It was apparently made in 2003, but I neglected to note what I paid for it.
I gotta tell you, the Model 617 is my least favorite of all my 22 Rimfire revolvers, and I own quite a few. You are correct, the 617 is built like a tank, and one of the things I do not like about it is the full length under barrel extractor rod shroud. Apparently S&W is putting that on all their new revolvers, but I think it makes them butt ugly. I read recently the full length shroud is on the new S&W Centerfire revolvers to help tame recoil, but that hardly seems necessary with a 22 Rimfire revolver. I bought it because I was participating in a steel match at the time and I had to be able to put 8 shots on target in 15 seconds. Could not do that with my other 22s, which are all six shooters. I stopped shooting that match a bunch of years ago, and frankly, I don't need a ten shot revolver. It just makes me burn up ammo faster than a six shot revolver will.
Six shots is all I need in any revolver.
Anyway, a little bit of history about the S&W Model 617.
The first full sized 22 target revolver S&W made was the K-22 Outdoorsman, in 1931. S&W had made 22 target revolvers on the slightly smaller I frame in 1911, but the K-22 was the first 'full sized' 22 they made. Called the K-22 because it was built on the K frame, which is the frame size S&W had developed in 1899 for 38 Special revolvers. Chambering a K frame for the 22 Rimfire only made sense.
This K-22 Outdoorsman shipped in 1935.
In 1940 S&W updated the design by putting the modern 'click adjustable' rear sight on it. The updated model was called the K-22 Masterpiece. Only about 1067 of these were made before WWII broke out and S&W moved to war time production of the Victory Model (38 Special). After the war, K-22 Masterpiece production was resumed with the Postwar K-22 Masterpiece. This one left the factory in 1950. Note the large screw for the rear sight, and there is a thin rib on the barrel with this model. This one also has the post war short throw hammer.
In 1957 S&W changed over to a Model Number system of identifying their revolvers. The K-22 became the Model 17 at that time. I bought this Model 17-3 brand-spanky new in 1975. Notice the barrel no longer has a taper, but is the same diameter for its entire length. Not easily seen in this photo but the barrel rib is much wider than on the Postwar K-22 Masterpiece.
Smith and Wesson puts the number 6 as the first digit of all their Stainless Steel revolvers. The Model 617 started out as pretty much a duplicate of the Model 17 in 1989, except it was made of Stainless Steel. The first Model 617 was a six shooter, just like the Model 17 and K-22s before it. In 1996 S&W introduced a 10 shot Model 617 with an aluminum cylinder. In 1997 S&W introduced a 10 shot Model 617 with a Stainless Steel cylinder because the ones with the aluminum cylinders did not sell very well. Various other changes over the years, including the lock and MIM parts. My 617-6 has the lock and MIM parts. Which are not the reasons I do not care for it, it is just butt ugly and not as refined as the earlier models.
Of all my 22 Rimfire revolvers, this K-22 Outdoorsman that shipped in 1932 is my favorite. Despite how worn it looks on the outside, the action is the smoothest, and it is the most accurate 22 Rimfire revolver I own.
To Hannah42: Not sure if you expected a 22 rimfire revolver to be less expensive than a 44 Mag, but there really is not much difference in the cost of making a rimfire revolver vs a centerfire revolver. They both have pretty much the same amount of precision parts inside. This is what your Model 617 looks like on the inside:
I'm surprised you say the cost of the Model 617 is 'about what the 44 cost.'
I just looked up the price of both the Ruger Super Redhawk 44 Magnum and the S&W Model 617. According to the manufacturer's websites, the Ruger's suggested retail price is $1159, the S&W is $853. This of course does not take into account what actual street prices might be.
Anyway, I bought a used S&W Model 617-6 a few years ago. It was apparently made in 2003, but I neglected to note what I paid for it.
I gotta tell you, the Model 617 is my least favorite of all my 22 Rimfire revolvers, and I own quite a few. You are correct, the 617 is built like a tank, and one of the things I do not like about it is the full length under barrel extractor rod shroud. Apparently S&W is putting that on all their new revolvers, but I think it makes them butt ugly. I read recently the full length shroud is on the new S&W Centerfire revolvers to help tame recoil, but that hardly seems necessary with a 22 Rimfire revolver. I bought it because I was participating in a steel match at the time and I had to be able to put 8 shots on target in 15 seconds. Could not do that with my other 22s, which are all six shooters. I stopped shooting that match a bunch of years ago, and frankly, I don't need a ten shot revolver. It just makes me burn up ammo faster than a six shot revolver will.
Six shots is all I need in any revolver.
Anyway, a little bit of history about the S&W Model 617.
The first full sized 22 target revolver S&W made was the K-22 Outdoorsman, in 1931. S&W had made 22 target revolvers on the slightly smaller I frame in 1911, but the K-22 was the first 'full sized' 22 they made. Called the K-22 because it was built on the K frame, which is the frame size S&W had developed in 1899 for 38 Special revolvers. Chambering a K frame for the 22 Rimfire only made sense.
This K-22 Outdoorsman shipped in 1935.
In 1940 S&W updated the design by putting the modern 'click adjustable' rear sight on it. The updated model was called the K-22 Masterpiece. Only about 1067 of these were made before WWII broke out and S&W moved to war time production of the Victory Model (38 Special). After the war, K-22 Masterpiece production was resumed with the Postwar K-22 Masterpiece. This one left the factory in 1950. Note the large screw for the rear sight, and there is a thin rib on the barrel with this model. This one also has the post war short throw hammer.
In 1957 S&W changed over to a Model Number system of identifying their revolvers. The K-22 became the Model 17 at that time. I bought this Model 17-3 brand-spanky new in 1975. Notice the barrel no longer has a taper, but is the same diameter for its entire length. Not easily seen in this photo but the barrel rib is much wider than on the Postwar K-22 Masterpiece.
Smith and Wesson puts the number 6 as the first digit of all their Stainless Steel revolvers. The Model 617 started out as pretty much a duplicate of the Model 17 in 1989, except it was made of Stainless Steel. The first Model 617 was a six shooter, just like the Model 17 and K-22s before it. In 1996 S&W introduced a 10 shot Model 617 with an aluminum cylinder. In 1997 S&W introduced a 10 shot Model 617 with a Stainless Steel cylinder because the ones with the aluminum cylinders did not sell very well. Various other changes over the years, including the lock and MIM parts. My 617-6 has the lock and MIM parts. Which are not the reasons I do not care for it, it is just butt ugly and not as refined as the earlier models.
Of all my 22 Rimfire revolvers, this K-22 Outdoorsman that shipped in 1932 is my favorite. Despite how worn it looks on the outside, the action is the smoothest, and it is the most accurate 22 Rimfire revolver I own.
To Hannah42: Not sure if you expected a 22 rimfire revolver to be less expensive than a 44 Mag, but there really is not much difference in the cost of making a rimfire revolver vs a centerfire revolver. They both have pretty much the same amount of precision parts inside. This is what your Model 617 looks like on the inside:
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memtb
Member
If I ever buy another 22 handgun.......that’s “the one”! memtb
ROK'N THUNDER
Member
Beware I bought one and now I have 12
Pat Riot
Contributing Member
Pat Riot
Contributing Member
When I was in High School my Dad had a K-22 that I dearly loved. It had the 8 3/8” barrel and I swear it was and is the most accurate handgun I have ever fired.
After my Dad died one of my Dad’s friends managed to talk my Mom out of it. Try as I might I could never get that gun from the man. Who knows where it is now.
After my Dad died one of my Dad’s friends managed to talk my Mom out of it. Try as I might I could never get that gun from the man. Who knows where it is now.
I feel your pain. My uncle got a bunch of my great grandad's rifles, he doesn't even like shooting but he holds on to them for no reason. I've even offered to pay for them, but he won't budge.
Steve Milbocker
Member
Pat Riot I agree!!
CoalCrackerAl
Member
Congrats to the OP and nice pics guys.
That's alot of information thanks for sharing
Well I had found a few Ruger redhawks in 44 mag around the same price I paid for the 617 but they all were gone. I can only go off my research I was able to do. I couldn't find anything around me much less a 44 mag I could put hands on. Not knowing much about what I really was looking for I chose not to buy one online, nobody that I could find had anything in stock. So I went out checking every store or pawn shop I could get to. Every store I looked up that sold the 617-6 was about the same price. So when I walked into a gunstore 1.5 hrs away I found the 617- 6 now I love the 22lr for plinking so I have several long guns in this caliber. I was on a mission to buy a revolver that day. Yes I would have bought a Redhawk 44 and still am. But when I was able to see and hold this gun I had to buy it. For my use it will be a wonderful addition to my first revolver and more to come. Thanks for the information guys.
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