My S&W 617...Lesson learned, now let's fix it!

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Jalopiejoe

Jalopiejoe

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I recently bought a S&W 617-6 on GunBroker that was sold as.."Factory New in Box"
It is in fact...Used with Box!
It's not worth it to me in time or money to go after the guy.
So, I would rather spend the money to make this gun right!
It has some scratches that I'm sure that can be fixed.
The trigger pull is extremely heavy although crisp. I found the strain screw had been loosened, another clue it was used!
I am looking for suggestions on what springs along with some stoning and polishing to obtain a 3# SA pull and whatever it takes for a mainspring (probably not "reduced power") to be reliable shooting .22lr?
I made a mistake in buying it but I could sure use your help in making this gun right and a pleasure to shoot!
Thank You!
 
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I'd report him to Gunbroker and give him a bad review.

Bought a Colt Detective Special once where the guy said the finish was good. Turned out to be some rust, he tried to tell me it must have happened after he sent it. :(
 
It doesn’t sound like things turned out all that bad for you.

The trigger was going to need some work right out of the box of an NIB gun anyway.

Triggers are tricky with rimfire revolvers. Lock work geometry plays a bigger part here than spring weights and polishing. Unfortunately you are stuck with the geometry that is given to you.

The hammer needs some energy behind it so a strong hammer spring is a must. I would stick with factory power even though there has been success with reduced power hammer springs in rimfire K frames. If you want to experiment with it to see what is reliable then have at it. Nothing to lose by trying.

The trigger return spring can be replaced with a reduced power one. It will take some trial and error but the idea is to go with the lowest power spring that still gives reliable trigger return. I generally go with the next higher power one after that even just to be sure.

Stoning in all the usual places will help as well as some strategic lubrication before you put it back together.
 
earlthegoat2 said:
It doesn’t sound like things turned out all that bad for you.

The trigger was going to need some work right out of the box of an NIB gun anyway.

Triggers are tricky with rimfire revolvers. Lock work geometry plays a bigger part here than spring weights and polishing. Unfortunately you are stuck with the geometry that is given to you.

The hammer needs some energy behind it so a strong hammer spring is a must. I would stick with factory power even though there has been success with reduced power hammer springs in rimfire K frames. If you want to experiment with it to see what is reliable then have at it. Nothing to lose by trying.

The trigger return spring can be replaced with a reduced power one. It will take some trial and error but the idea is to go with the lowest power spring that still gives reliable trigger return. I generally go with the next higher power one after that even just to be sure.

Stoning in all the usual places will help as well as some strategic lubrication before you put it back together.
Click to expand...
I was thinking of leaving the factory hammer spring or maybe a ribbed standard power Wolff spring.
And maybe a 12# rebound spring.
I have an 11# spring in my 686 with a 2 1/2# trigger pull. I would like closer to 3# on this gun.
 
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Someone on the Smith and Wesson site suggested sending it to the Performance Center for their action job and to restore the finish!
Any thoughts on that idea??
 
Jalopiejoe said:
Someone on the Smith and Wesson site suggested sending it to the Performance Center for their action job and to restore the finish!
Any thoughts on that idea??
Click to expand...

Too expensive for what you will get back out of it. I think you should stick to your current plan.
 
If you send it in, be prepared to be without it for 6 to 8 months or more and pay a bundle. My last gun to go back, a 48-4 .22 WMR, locked up in March of 2020. I waited three months to get the ok to send it in, cost me 30 bucks to ship and it was there from June until late October.

Buy a Wolff spring kit. I just posted about changing the springs in some of my K-frames and it was a piece of cake.

I used the 13 lb return spring and touched up the rebound slide using 2000 grit wet dry from an auto parts store. The difference is amazing and it cost me less than 20 bucks.

Stay safe.
 
A friend of mine sent his 617 to Ahlman's of Morristown MN for action work. I had the opportunity to shoot it rapid fire da in a steel plate match ; here is my description of the trigger:
In addition to being lighter in trigger pull that my stock m.17 , that Ahlman worked trigger is so smooth that it felt hydraulic rather than mechanical. (I hope that makes sense ...)

I had no idea a double action trigger on any revolver - rimfire or otherwise - could feel so fine.
 
Just cut your losses and get rid of it. You'll never be happy with it. 617s aren't that great even when they're working right. Awfully heavy for a 22.

You know you'll trade it off eventually anyhow.
 
I spent some time on my 617 today doing a through cleaning and lube then blew out the excess with the compressor.
Re-blued the sights and painted the front sight rear orange!
Replaced the grip with a Pachmayr Diamond Pro grip to match my 686+.
I have cycled and dry fired it many times and I am getting a 4 1/2 pound SA trigger pull now that is very smooth and crisp!
I took .017 off the strain screw and the DA rolls through smoothly with no FTF!
The gun feels pretty good now and I'm going to us it as is and try not to spend any more money on it!
I think I like it!
 
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Wow, I totally disagree. I have mine setup as an N-frame understudy. I can even progress up to the X-frame, and it feels similarly in my hands. I think very highly of it. Of course if you're being sarcastic, it didn't come through in your post.
OrangePwrx9 said:
Just cut your losses and get rid of it. You'll never be happy with it. 617s aren't that great even when they're working right. Awfully heavy for a 22.

You know you'll trade it off eventually anyhow.
Click to expand...
A S&W Day at the Range 210612 337.jpg
 
sparkyv said:
Wow, I totally disagree. I have mine setup as an N-frame understudy. I can even progress up to the X-frame, and it feels similarly in my hands. I think very highly of it. Of course if you're being sarcastic, it didn't come through in your post.
View attachment 1009848
Click to expand...
Yes, my 617 is the understudy for my 686+!
Nearly the same gun but much more affordable to shoot!
 
Shoot the heck out of it and try to do a little action work yourself. Changing springs will do a lot of good. I keep the mainspring completely tight but replace the rebound spring with an 11 pounder. You need to polish the rebound slide and probably the hammer and trigger.

Get Jerry Michulec's video on Action Jobs and it you follow it you can get a smooth reliable gun that pops every primer you want to use.

5`7 Apex Hammer swirl.jpg
 
I will say this :
I think that the predecessor to the 617 - the m.17 - has a superior design detail in the unshrouded ejector rod vs the full underlug. The additional weight is certainly not needed for the .22 round , and , IMO , the graduated look of an unshrouded ejector rod or a partial lug/shroud is more pleasing to the eye.

None of that changes the fact that a S&W 617 is a very fine .22 da revolver.
 
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OrangePwrx9 said:
Just cut your losses and get rid of it. You'll never be happy with it. 617s aren't that great even when they're working right. Awfully heavy for a 22.

You know you'll trade it off eventually anyhow.
Click to expand...

I get a kick out of folk like ya that whine about a great gun that YOU think is to heavy etc... Many love the 617 even with the weight which can benefit several shooting applications. And many of us can have more than one to fill different roles/uses :)
 
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