XD Talk

**thetravlor** · 08-05-2010, 12:58 PM

Is the Smith and Wesson 617 .22 really worth all that money? I want a nice double action but the lowest I can get the gun shop to go is $700. That is the 6" barrel.

Horoscope Fish · 08-05-2010, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thetravlor

Is the Smith and Wesson 617 .22 really worth all that money? I want a nice double action but the lowest I can get the gun shop to go is $700. That is the 6" barrel.

Sweetest little .22 wheelie gun I've ever owned. But $700 is a lot of dinero, too... Is this current production or are we talking pre-lock?

scooter123 · 08-05-2010, 07:34 PM

Take a look at the cost of the ammunition. My centerfire choice is the 40 S&W, which means that I am throwing about 30 cents downrange with every single shot fired, and that's the Federal Champion from Walmart. With the 617 the bulk stuff was about 13 bucks for 500 rounds before the price hike, that's 2.6 cents per round. Even after the recent price hike on 22LR, it's still only about 3.5 cents per round.

Now assume a consumption of 100 rounds per week, for the 40 S&W that works out to 30 dollars a week and if you assume that you don't shoot for your vacation that adds up to 1500 dollars a year. Now run the numbers for the 22LR and assume that the ammo costs 3.5 cents per round, the yearly cost to feed the 617 works out to 175 dollars per year. If I were to stop shooting my 40's and dedicate myself to just shooting 22LR, the yearly savings would be 1325 dollars. However, I'm not going to stop shooting my 40's BUT I have cut my shooting of the 40 caliber back by about 100 rounds per week from the previous 200 rounds per week. So, instead of spending 3000 dollars on 40 caliber, I am now spending 1500 on the 40 and 175 on the 22LR. So, in my case the yearly savings works out to the same 1325 per year.

Bottomline, the 617 has paid for itself in just about 6 months of shooting. If you're a moderate to high volume shooter, the 617 is actually worth every penny you have to pay for one. Tip, if you can find one, get the 4 inch version. I have the 6 inch version and it's massively barrel heavy, it will give your wrists a heckofa workout.

BTW, the 22LR is a VERY dirty round to shoot in a handgun, so my round limit between cleanings is 100 rounds. Because anything more would require using a hammer to seat the rounds in the cylinder. Fact is, at some point I'll remember to pick up a pistol bore brush specific to the 22LR because the cylinder starts to get a bit sticky after 60 or 70 rounds and scrubbing the cylinder out every 50 rounds would probably eliminate the misfires I've seen due to poorly seated ammunition.

snertley · 08-11-2010, 03:04 AM

I paid $800 last summer for my 617 last summer ( but I did use $250 worth of Cabelas points so the hit was not nearly as bad). It is a great gun but if you have a tight cylinder or problems with seating you rounds I would send your cylinder to Mike Carmony to recut the chambers. He charges $40 to do this and worth every cent. And you only have to send him the cylinder. Carmonize! - Brian Enos's Forums... Maku mozo!

Mike is great to deat with and fast turn around time.

Keltyke · 08-12-2010, 08:17 AM

Great little gun! MUCH superior to my daughter's Taurus 94. Night and day difference. They may be hard to find used, but I scored one at a gun show last year. Traded two Keltec P32 and $50 for it.

Camper · 08-17-2010, 05:28 PM

Well worth the money!

**thetravlor** · 08-18-2010, 03:47 PM

snertly: What do you mean about a tight cylinder? Are the guns not made correctly? I'm still dealing on this gun so give me a heads up. Thanks

Keltyke · 08-18-2010, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thetravlor

snertly: What do you mean about a tight cylinder? Are the guns not made correctly? I'm still dealing on this gun so give me a heads up. Thanks

Any machined piece of metal must have tolerances. It would cost mucho time and effort (read: be almost impossible) to make each piece EXACTLY to a specific dimension. So, for example, you have a cylinder with a bore diameter of .375 +/-.0005. That cylinder can measure anywhere from .3745 to .3755. The shell case may have a diameter of .374 with a +/-.0005 tolerance. The two extreme cases would be the shell diameter of .3745 and the cylinder diameter of .3745. It ain't gonna fit, or if it does, it's tight as all get out. The other extreme is a shell diameter of .3735 and a cylinder diameter of .3755. Very loose fit, indeed.

If you encounter a tight cylinder through several types and brands of ammo, a few passes with a polishing wheel will usually clear up the problem.

Chewie146 · 09-23-2010, 10:00 PM

I would get something a little more potent for $700 bucks. Wait a minute. Never mind, I'd love to have one. Smith revolvers are my go-to revolvers for double action. I'm very impressed with them, and I even think it's worth the price tag. I'd take 1 smith in .38 over 4 different Taurus revolvers any day of the week. Another thought, thought, is to look at their scandium .22s. With that little recoil, why not have a lighter gun????

spoolup · 09-24-2010, 12:32 AM

I would have gladly spent 700 for one today, I went to 5 shops... none had one. However the last shop I hit up did have a 1895GBL. Took that home instead, been on a lever kick lately. I will get the 6" 617 when I get back from overseas. Good luck on yours. I just wish I could have seen one because it would have gone home with me.