Smith and Wesson 617 .22 Revolver - some advice needed

[zachomega]

Yesterday I purchased a new Smith and Wesson model 617 .22 Revolver.

Mine is the 4" barrel with the 10 shot cylinder.

I took it to the ranger last night and so far I am really happy with the gun for accuracy. However, the trigger pull is a bit much. How much difference should I expect once the gun is "broken in"? I put maybe 200 rounds (give or take) through it before the cylinder was pretty dirty and the shells were starting to stick upon ejection.

Even though the trigger pull is heavy, it is very smooth and does that classic S&W thing where the cylinder locks into place right before the hammer drops (which I love).

Essentially, I'd like to keep the feel of the gun the same, just with less pounds required to pull the trigger.

Also, I'm thinking I'd like to put wooden target grips and a fiber optic front on it. Any thoughts or suggestions?

After shooting single and double action with this gun, my Beretta 92FS felt like it had no trigger pull in double action.

-Zach

[Coils]

Find someone that knows revolvers, shops that deal with cowboy stuff would be a good start. A lighter spring will help a lot, just have that done and not a full trigger job.

[Wiley-X]

Unless they changed things, there's a set screw on the lower front of the grip which controls the tension of the hammer spring. Undo that a couple turns and it will make things easier.

[Steve_NEPhila]

First off, the strain screw is not an adjuster of trigger pull weight. NEVER, use it to loosen or adjust the trigger pull. The strain screw should always be tight as can be and possibly in place with loctite.

You live close by to Classic Pistol, get over there and ask for John Robinson. John is an expert gunsmith and knows revolvers very very well. He has done work on a few of my carry revolvers and the quality is top notch. His action jobs are indeed quite smooth. Tell him what you want and he will make it happen.

To all of those out there that may play with their strain screw to adjust the trigger pull weight BEWARE. If that is a carry gun, you may be risking your own life. A loose strain screw will back out to the point of failures to fire as there will be insufficient pressure provided by the mainspring to drive the hammer to properly light off a primer. Never, ever leave the strain screw on a Smith and Wesson revolver in any other condition then very very tight!!!

[zachomega]

Hmm...gunsmithing will have to wait. I just dropped a lot of money on the revolver and a few moments ago purchased a set of checkered wood grips for it from Hogue.

I think next is the front sight and then the trigger.

So any thoughts on the front sight? HiViz? TruGlo?

-Zach

[zachomega]

Looks like HiViz makes a front sight specifically for the 617. So far that is top of the list. However, I am wondering how easy or difficult it is to drill the hole for the roll pin. I'd hate to order the sight and ruin it.

I own a drill press but otherwise no specialized tools.

-Zach

[rwb1500]

I think next is the front sight and then the trigger.

So any thoughts on the front sight? HiViz? TruGlo?

-Zach

From everything I've heard the cheapest way to make your trigger more smooth (not lighter, but smoother) is to shoot it. Pop some snap caps in there (I don't know if you can get .22 snap caps but you can make them) and pull away. This will also help with familarizing you with the DA trigger pull, which can take some getting used to. It will also help strengthen your finger, making pulling the long hard trigger easier.

As far as sights pick whatever looks best to you.

[Wiley-X]

To all of those out there that may play with their strain screw to adjust the trigger pull weight BEWARE. If that is a carry gun, you may be risking your own life.

Oh no! The sky is falling! The sky is falling!

It works. If you're stupid enough to make any changes to the firing mechanism without making sure that the gun still functions before carrying it, you shouldn't own guns.

In 30 years of owning S&W revolvers, I've never had a strain screw back out on its own.

[Noah_Zark]

Oh no! The sky is falling! The sky is falling!

It works. If you're stupid enough to make any changes to the firing mechanism without making sure that the gun still functions before carrying it, you shouldn't own guns.

In 30 years of owning S&W revolvers, I've never had a strain screw back out on its own.

I wouldn't say the sky is falling. Steve is recommending that the strain screw not be loosened as a means of controlling trigger pull, and in this he is correct. While there are many S&W owners who adjust the strain screw as a means of adjusting trigger pull, and do so successfully, it is not "best practice." Is is best to do as member Brick describes:

. . . one of the things a 'smith will do as part of a trigger job is to shorten the strain screw so it can be set full in and tight, but still provide a lighter trigger pull. (note if strain screw is too tight the trigger will not release and reset correctly) But, user beware! A light set might limit choice of ammo or primer (if you reload). Think Federal primers yes, Winchester sometimes and CCI damn near no way in hell and forget it completely for Wolf!

This is exactly what gunsmiths will do when adjusting trigger pull to relieve excessive tension on a mainspring due to over-arching. When a strain screw nose is too long, a mainspring can become over-arched and trigger pull rapidly increases to ridiculous levels. Relieving the screw nose reduces the arch and still allows the screw to be fully tightened. I confess to adjusting a strain screw to determine the position for correcting mainspring arching, but I never leave it loosened once I know how long the strain screw should be.

Strain screw force is but one factor affecting trigger pull on a S&W revolver, and others include the rebound slide spring force and friction in the entire system. Most new SS revolvers benefit from a disassembly and thorough cleaning and application of a light grease to major contact and pivot points, such as the hammer pivot, sides of the hammer around the pivot bosses on the frame and sideplate, the rebound slide travel surfaces, cylinder stop loop, trigger pivot pin and bosses, crane/yoke and mating cylinder surfaces, and the DA and SA sear surfaces. Just a little dab'll do ya, and it works wonders for smoothing up the action in a newly-minted SS S&W wheelgun.

JMO, also based on 40 years of S&W revolver ownership and shooting.

Noah