Should I do it?
Gun is a 617-6 with 6" barrel.
Shoots good, but it is just "meh" as far as my interest goes.
Tried selling, but not much interest without losing my ass on it.
Anyway, I've thought of sending it off and having the barrel cut, bead blasting, etc.
Want to turn it into something differant, along the lines of S&W's Pro or Performance Center stuff.

Hi NSL.

Sorry to take so long to get back to you.  I have had a model 17 .22 LR for about 40 years.  It was my first handgun purchase.  It is very, very accurate.

Some time in the eighties I sent it to Fred Sadowski of 300 Gunsmith Service in Denver.  He smoothed the target trigger face and chromed  the trigger face, added an over travel stop to the trigger and slicked up the action.  He sent back the revolver with a message that the .22 LR is a RIFLE cartridge and requires a hard strike with the hammer.

I have sent a few revolvers to the performance center for various reasons usually for action jobs.  They have excellent customer service reps talk with.  The next to last iteration I got back a Model 27 with a trigger job.  Breaks very light but I use it for informal target shooting so I don't have the 3.5-4 lb requirement.  The trigger breaks imperceptibly.  It's there for standard pressure... continuing to hold a good sight picture and then it isn't, the shot is downrange.

Fedex and SAW have a good arrangement.  I didn't have to pay shipping or go to a drop location.  Turn around time was very reasonable.  Cost is excellent for the value added to the firearm.

I would urge you to keep your revolver.  I have shot mine off and on all through the years.  It is the go-to gun after a period of not shooting to get the basics back.  It is not the current darling but would be the last to go.  Good luck and vote in November!

I'm not sure what there is about it that you need to change.  Is something bothering you about it?  

Nothing like shooting a Double Action .22 revolver.  So much fun.  And good for practicing DA pull.

I had my 4" M617 customized by a well experienced machinist, but new
gunsmith, two years ago. When I first got it I did not like its balance. For
me it was way too muzzle heavy. Its accuracy, though, was fantastic with
Aguila Golden Eagle Match Pistol ammunition.

He slab sided the barrel, machined the full lug under chin to a beveled and
thinned shape, machined a slot in the ejector rod housing and bead blasted
the crane, frame and the top rail. The cylinder was left polished at my request
as I did not want the cylinder bolt stops or their leades changed dimensionally.
He also did some minor tuning work.

It now looks much like a S&W M627 Pro which was my esthetic goal. The
customization has greatly improved its balance which was the primary
performance goal. Its accuracy has not been affected at all. I added Ahrends
round-to-square tactical grips. When using it to shoot steel it moves much
more quickly from plate to plate than it did before the work was done on it.

We agreed on a price and he held to it. But when I went to pick it up he
asked that I not quote the price as he had to put a lot more time and work
into it than he expected. (He primarily works on and shoots full- and
semi-automatic firearms.)

I would attach a picture but our digital camera died a few months ago.

This is hard to imagine. Is it a pre-lock model? Did you over-pay for it when you bought it?

I had my 6" 617 cut down to 5". It now matches the weight and balance of my 5" 627PC. It makes a great, inexpensive surrogate practice gun.

It has a lock.
I bought it several years ago from a friend that ordered 2 of them, then decided he didn't want either.
Their is something about Smith's run of the mill stainless models that are just meh.

I cured my boredom just by putting a decent red dot on mine.  

I started shooting 25, 50, 75 yards with mine.  Lots of fun.

Subscribed in case someone posts pics of a 617
That looks like a 686 SSR.

I have no issues with my 6" 617 pre-lock wheel gun but have been fighting the urge to make it a 5".

( I already did it to one of my 500's)

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_5_33/138167_Shortening_the_barrel_on_the_SandW_500_magnum_____.html

Not a 17/617 but it shoots like one!
2.7gr titegroup under a 115gr plated.
Feels like a 22lr. Front sight barely moves in recoil.
I can load 9mm cheaper than I can shoot 22lr.
Until 22lr comes back to reality I'm shooting 9mm.





And just to stay on topic, here is my 17-5 4" heavy bbl 22lr K frame.
yes, it is a 4" bbl blued model 17, all factory with original grips.
notice the half underlug and heavy bbl. Not a commonly seen gun.


17-2. Came with S&W marked trigger shoe and holster.

OH YEAH

Not mine. Just a very cool set of 617's.
Tac sol bbls.