Shortening the 6" barrel of an S&W Model 17 .22LR revolver?

--Terry--

--Terry--

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Hi guys,

I am struggling between 2 options on a S&W Model 17, DA revolver, .22 LR caliber, with a 6" barrel and target sights. And I hope to hear your comments or suggestions. (Note that the picture above is not the gun I am buying. It is an identical model that looks exactly the same.)

I am going to buy this revolver as a gift for my wife. She supports my hobby and sometimes also enjoys shooting with me at paper targets 10 -20 yards away. I bought her a Sig Mosquito, but she doesn't shoot very well with it (maybe the trigger pull, maybe something else). Shot gun patterns on targets. I don't want her to loose the interest in shooting, so I hope to get her another gun. A .22 LR DA revolver is what she likes.

However neither she nor I like the long and heavy 6" barrel. We want something shorter, and we think a shorter barrel at 4.5" will look best on a revolver. And I talked to a couple of gunsmiths about shortening the barrel. It seems to be a workable project: cut the barrel, weld the front sight back on, and re-finish.

However, the gentleman who sold the revolver to me had the following comments on my plan:

"This gun is like new and was never available in any length other than 4" and 6". The six inch is extremely accurate and it would be a shame to alter it in any way. With the 6" it is much better balanced than with a shorter barrel and will have less movement as a result of the longer barrel.

"I wouldn't recommend shortening it as it would also affect the resale value."

Well, this seems to make sense, too.

Could you also provide your comments on whether it is a good idea to cut the barrel of a S&W M17? Will it affect the accuracy of the gun? Will it ruin the value of the revolver?

Thanks in advance for any input.
 
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Might want to resize your pic a little smaller.
They came in 8 3/4 barrels as well, and there is really no shortage of them around, chop away if you wish.:)
Gunner at Armco is your man to chop revolvers. Longer barrel gives you a longer sight radius, which would make it easier to shoot tighter groups.
Personally, if you want to get your wife into target shooting, I'd leave it as is. She will get use to the weight and feel, and you wouldn't save much weight with a only 1.5" off the barrel.
You could also check out a Ruger single six, they are smaller/lighter wheel guns.....different action but I doubt she would be shooting d/a anyway.
 
Thanks for the quick reply.

Just changed the picture so it is smaller (a different picture now, but the same model).

I talked to Gunnar already, and he told me it wouldn't be a difficult job.

I know that a 6" barrel gun will shoot better. But the problem is, my wife actually saw my 5" barrel revolver and commented: "Wouldn't it be nice if it is a little bit shorter?"

Hoping to give her a surprise, but don't know whether it will affect the accuracy of the gun.
 
I bought her a Sig Mosquito, but she doesn't shoot very well with it (maybe the trigger pull, maybe something else). Shot gun patterns on targets. I don't want her to loose the interest in shooting, so I hope to get her another gun. A .22 LR DA revolver is what she likes.
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You can always buy her another gun, nothing wrong with that :D, but how about working on technique? Do you have something else to shoot at - like steel plates or swingers, to keep her interest piqued?
 
--Terry-- said:
Thanks for the quick reply.

Just changed the picture so it is smaller (a different picture now, but the same model).

I talked to Gunnar already, and he told me it wouldn't be a difficult job.

I know that a 6" barrel gun will shoot better. But the problem is, my wife actually saw my 5" barrel revolver and commented: "Wouldn't it be nice if it is a little bit shorter?"

Hoping to give her a surprise, but don't know whether it will affect the accuracy of the gun.
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It won't affect the accuracy of the gun itself, I'm sure Gunnar has crowned a few barrels in his day and will do a great job.
As far as affecting value, well, you probably will never get the price of the work done shortening the barrel back, but the price of the gun should remain stable.
 
Another question is: Do I have to notify the Firearm Centre about this change? I am actually thinking about chopping it down to barely legal: maybe 110mm, which is 4.33".

Can I just make this change myself without changing any paperwork? Any complications with the law?
 
--Terry-- said:
Another question is: Do I have to notify the Firearm Centre about this change? I am actually thinking about chopping it down to barely legal: maybe 110mm, which is 4.33".

Can I just make this change myself without changing any paperwork? Any complications with the law?
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Needs to be verified, most gunsmiths are verifiers and will take care of this for you.
 
If it is marked R.C.M.P. Aux as pictured it's a bit rarer that a normal Model 14.
I would suggest not cutting it and finding a smaller revolver for the wife.
The trigger on the little Sig is fine enough for teaching.
I can't remember, does the hammer fall if you pull the trigger with the mannual slide safety on? If it does, every so often just turn it on and see what she does when she pulls the trigger. This will tell you more about how she shoots then firing 1,000 rounds. Also, get some .22 cal snap caps. One of the best training aids you can get. You load her magazine with a couple of dummies mixed in with live rounds and watch what she does. The only way to teach someone how to shoot is first find out what they are doing wrong and make sure they see it as well. You can't do this with live rounds!!!

Scott
 
Scott,

Sorry for the misleading picture. My original picture was too big, and I am trying to find a similar revolver online to put the picture here. It is just a normal S&W Model 17. Nothing special.

My wife actually shoots better with my 9mm pistols, but she doesn't like the weight and the recoil. We have been trying the snap-cap-among-live-rounds trick, and I believe it is more fun to do it in a revolver.
 
I say get it cut. Smaller barrels look better anyway. If I'm not mistaken Bit's of Pieces in delta quoted somebody about $100 to shorten a barrel. Seems worth it to me.
dh
 
Most of my revolvers are 6" or longer. When I shot a friend's 4" I was surprised how well I shot it. Sight radius is a little less but both sights were more in focus in good light so I was able to aim more carefully. I have a problem keeping focus on the front sight. My focus point always shifts to the back sight. With the shorter sight radius I was able to hold on the front sight longer.

I also like the ballance of the gun also. It was in 357 so I don't know how it would be on a 22. If you plan on keeping the gun for a while then do it. And try a set of Hogue soft rubber grips.
 
--Terry-- said:
Could you also provide your comments on whether it is a good idea to cut the barrel of a S&W M17? Will it affect the accuracy of the gun? Will it ruin the value of the revolver?
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Seems to be a lot of comments about "looks". I always thought shooting was about hitting the target, not about the Looking Cool Factor. If it is about looks, I'd buy a cheaper revolver and spend the money difference on cool grips and whatever it takes to "pimp your ride" or whatever the kids call it these days.

I doubt it's a collector unless there's something special about it, but I wouldn't cut the barrel back regardless. If anything encourages people to continue in the shooting sports, it's success. Which means hitting what you shoot at. A 6" barrel is going to be a lot easier to hit with than a 4" barrel. The weight you will save by cutting an inch and a half off the barrel is negligible.
 
Hmmm......

Accuracy is important, but I can't deny the Looking Cool Factor is important, too. This is why this decision is so tough. I'd like to get a revolver that is fun to shoot, easy to handle, cool to play with, and at the same time accurate enough in the 10-20 yard distance. My wife won't try farther than that.

To cut or not to cut... I still cannot make up my mind.
 
Try and find a Smith M-35--which is a target sighted model on the smaller J-frame--much lighter. Try JHC on this board--he might still have the one I sold him. You will not reduce the weight very much by shortening the barrel but it will affect the balance. Smaller grips, like the Hogue's previously suggested would be worth trying before cutting the barrel--they change the feel significantly over the target grips shown on the gun.

44Bore
 
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