I have to ask why did you buy the M617 in the first place?
The whole thing started with a Walther PPK. of all things. I always wanted a PPK, and found a used but unfired one for $395. I bought it, shot it and found I didn't like the way it chewed up my hand. I sold it for $400. A K -frame .22 was on my list of guns to buy, and I'd been looking for either a 17 or an 18,,,in like new condition,,for close to 2 years without any luck. The only 1 I ran across in that time was an old K22 that the local dealer want close to 6 bills for. I decided to give the new 617 a try mostly out of frustration/having the money to spend at the time. Seemed nobody stocked the 617 so I ended up ordering one.
You prefer square butt frames and bought a round butt frame.
The 617 was my first venture into a round butt model. Prior to that I had no real preference. The round butt was a fairly minor issue but it just added to my total dislike of the gun in the end.
You like blue steel, but bought a stainless model.
Actually, I prefer bright Nickle over anything else on a K frame. Blue (as in the older well done bluing on Smiths) is a close 2nd. Stainless is something I can take or leave. What frosts me (ohhh, bad pun,,,) though is the way mfgs will bead blast stainless to cut corners on mfg costs and call it something catchy like "frosted". I own and enjoy shooting several stainless guns. I'll admit I even own another Smith "frosted" stainless ( A model 22s- -Which by the way is another less than stellar made gun. I keep it because it's by far the most accurate .22 I own)<- - A whole nuther thread in and of itself.
You really didn't expect a 10 shot model to index the same as a 6 shot model did you?
No, not really. At the time, I wasn't all that concerned with the way it indexed, and my desire for a K frame .22 outweighed most other concerns. I should also mention that along with looking for an old 17 or 18, I had a new 6 shot 4" 617 on order with a local dealer for close to a year. There was a time (1996-1999 IIRC, that K frame .22's were as rare as hens teeth). I had just gotten back into heavy shooting after a ~ 15 year hiatus, and found to my dismay that the market had changed quite a bit.
Finally did you even try the trigger before you purchased or accepted possesion of the revolver? No,,, I ordered the gun so I couldn't try the trigger out first. The trigger had potential,,and lacking the other "warts",,is something I could have lived with by having a professional work on it. At the time,,, this was going to be either a trainer type used to introduce new shooters OR the platform for a "killer accurate" .22 OR a substitute for the centerfires. In the end, the 617 didn't fufill any of the three, so I got rid of it.
I understand the QC issues shouldn't have been there, but why buy one model when you prefer something different? Fair question. The answer is:
- At the time, I wanted a .22 revolver. I should say I wanted a Smith and Wesson .22 revolver. I'd already passed over a Smith .22 years before and bought a Dan Wesson instead because it was cheaper. Fast foreward a number of years and my gun budget allowed for a lot of flexability.
- Mostly - ya never know for sure. Two other guns that I was so -so on before really giving them a fair shake - CZ75b and Ruger .22/45 convinced me of that. In the case of the .22/45, I bought one simply because the price was right. Polymer guns always left me flat./I'd had a previous experience with Ruger .22's that left me disappointed with the overall design. The .22/45 has since become one of my favorites. The CZ? I still don't like the way it feels, nor do I like the 9mm. Neither of those factors prevent it form being right next to me as I type as a HD gun;one of the best bargin shooters I know of, and would heartily recommend to anyone.
- Lack of success in finding what I really wanted (Model 17/18)( 6 shot).
- One thing you'll notice that I didn't downgrade the 617 for is the
potential for accuracy. After I lapped the bore and had adjusted to the horrid trigger and slowly adjusted to the round butt,, it was an absolute one hole wonder. Change a few other things about the gun and I may have kept it simply on that virtue alone. I kind of doubt it though, since as I adjusted to the round butt design, my proficency with the square butt design fell off.
- Lastly,,,,it's only money
. Ok, seriously,,, it is only money. Not that I sprout greenbacks from my armpits or anything, but I've reached a point in my life that I don't have to pay a lot of attention to a price tag if it's something I want. I "invested" ~ $400 of somewhat *found* money on a gun that I wasn't 100% sure of. In the end, I ended up losing a small amount (total was closer to only $50 because of the discount on the front end of what I traded it for (A Smith Model 19 snubby - yes - another round butt - yes it confirmed almost forever that don't care for the design - yes I'm also considering another round butt - in yet another new Smith (.45LC or .44mag Mountain gun)- go figure ). I ended up trading the 19 on a Browning High Power Practical FWIW. I lost close to a hundred on that deal,,,but I don't really care,,,,I love the Practical - -and Practical's (new in box), while not rare - don't grow on trees either. I guess, on the whole, I "paid" ~ $150 for my experience going from a PPK, to a 617, to a snubby to a High Power Practical. I've spent far more and gotten far less in return on other things. Why just last Saturday, I spent $300 on video slots and ended up with 3 bucks in my pocket
(Course on the high side o that, I dropped a buck and a quarter in a slot and ended up with a Kimber once
)