I have one that I purchased a few months ago. Nice. Got rid of my Ruger Single Ten (which is very very nice). I wanted the SA/DA. The 617 is a definite keeper.
Very happy with the accuracy and shootability. After about 300 or 400 rounds, you may want to clean. As others have said, the crappy 22 LR cartridges sometimes get tight to eject when the gun is warm and you have shot around 300 or so. A quick cleaning brush for cylinders helps.
Another little trick (esp. for semi's) is to spray a shot of case lubricant (Lyman's) on a fifty round bunch when spread out. Not too much. That often helps with feeding and release.
When looking at price, don't worry about a few hundred dollars. This is a long term purchase. 22 LR bulk ammo is running at around 8 cents a round, so $100 buys about 1300 rounds.
I can go through 1300 rounds in a couple weeks. So, if you are planning on shooting a reasonable amount to get good, figure 10,000 rounds in a year or 2 which is $800 anyway.
The resale on this gun would be around 80% of purchase price if taken care of.