"The S&W 617: Masterpiece of Fun" by Nutnfancy

One of the funnest .22s in the world, the S&W 617 mimicks it's .357 brother, the also-excellent S&W 686 series. It shares its same weight, full size K frame, grips, sights, and feel. That means it is a perfect understudy to the 686 and pretty much any other full size .38 Spcl/.357 combat revolver. Practice those reloads, the DA trigger pull, and fast shootin' as you rest easy knowing you won't end up in the poor house doing it. Besides this Practice POU, others might include a "critter getter" gun (with its ability to fire all .22LR loads, incl. subsonics), and recreational and collectible favorite. The S&W 686 gun is expensive to acquire but CHEAP to shoot and its durability and toughness gives it good value. I find it smoother and more ergonomic than its Taurus or even Ruger competitors; for what I use it for I find the full size is ideal. Also in the drills we run with this gun, the 39 oz full size helps stablize the pistol and makes it enjoyable and fast to shoot. With a trigger job it gets even better. But the double action weight must be preserved so as to provide reliable ignition on the .22 rimfire (discussed, shown). Accuracy on paper is good but not phenomenal. However in practical RunNGun action it was impressive where adherence to good marksmanship fundamentals allowed hits on 8" plates at 40 yards (with heart rate up). Reliability was outstanding during testing. Some cylinder locking will occur with the gun is heavily fouled as is to be expected with .22 ammo. I see no improvements to be made on the overall ergonomics to include the sights, Hogue grips, cylinder latch, and balance. Firepower is unparalleled in any other quality revolver: the K frame permits a full 10 shot capacity in this model. Reloading 10 charging holes takes time. Speed it up and have A LOT more fun with the excellent DS-10 Speed Loaders (reviewed here). Holding 10 rounds in a .6 oz HDPE speed loader, these DS-10s allow you to REALLY practice the fundamentals of speed loading that revolver. They can be carried in the DS Loader Platform which quick attaches to the belt. With these in use, we cranked off many rounds through the Model 617 for the testing. Like the S&W "Full Power Option" Model 686, the Model 617 is a Masterpiece of form, function, and FUN./////////////////////////Nutnfancy Likeability Scale: 10 out of 10///////////////////Music licensed from UK TNPr El Dudio: see    / eldudio   and his video blog at    / dudio