I am looking to replace the grips on my 617 with factory wood. I prefer the look of wood over the rubber. Will any K frame grips work?

For anyone who has factory wood grips on a 617, is there any reason not to?

If it matters, it is a 4", 10 shot, pre-lock.

Thank you.

Any K or L frame grips should work provided you get the correct butt shape. K/L frame stocks come in round and square butt types. Note that not all factory stocks fit all S&W's of the relevant frame size perfectly. Especially in the old days, stocks were hand fit to each revolver. Even if the fit isn't perfect, it should be pretty close generally speaking.

I would suggest you pick up and feel of a K or L frame with the original factory wood stocks as its more important how they feel to you. I state this because the wood stocks nicely fill the hand, they are wide. A 4" K frame is fairly light weight. I like the wood stocks for the heavier K and L models with longer barrels making more forward end muzzle weight. I say this from a point of shooting one hand for accuracy whereby the wood stocks offer a target gun type hold. Maybe I am the odd one about that. I've shot single and double action out to 6" barrels strong and weak hand. Rubber is nice for DA fire but a weird kind of skinny for one hand hold. Your 617 should wear a factory patridge blade front sight which is more of a target shooting front sight. Certainly understand the love of wood grips on a S&W. They are very hansome.

I currently have a set of VZ round-to-square butt conversion grips on my 617. They look good, fit great and are darn near indestructible.

Lots of good K-frame grip options out there. I am a fan of Ahrends but he recently closed his business.

quote:

Originally posted by P-220:
I am looking to replace the grips on my 617 with factory wood. I prefer the look of wood over the rubber. Will any K frame grips work?

For anyone who has factory wood grips on a 617, is there any reason not to?

If it matters, it is a 4", 10 shot, pre-lock.

Thank you.

Yes the 617 is a K-frame, yours is probably a round butt frame, not a square butt

The older combat grips fit my hand very nicely




When I can not locate a set of old combats, I go with Hogue wood grips but delete the finger grooves when I order. Their finger grooves do not fit me. Ther can be ordered smooth or checkered. Checkered grips feel a bit thinner in the hands when compared to non-checkered Hogues. There is also an available contrasting butt cap with a white line spacer. I go back and forth over which I like better. The following images are N-frame, but the same grips are available for the K-frame




The Hogue grips all have a palm swell which fits the palm nicely

How come I always end up following colt saa with my meager contribution, made seemingly more so by his voluminous, wonderful pictures?

For what it's worth, here's my 6-shot 617-5 wearing S&W Smooth Goncalo Alves K/L round-butt target stocks.



Adios,

Pizza Bob

For a nice revolver like that, I prefer to dress it up with some nice stocks like Herrett's "Presentation Grade" or something from Culina (Shown). It looks like Herrett's may be closing, so if you want something from them, get your order in ASAP!



Presentation Grade Herrett's on Colt Diamondback:

I second Culina grips.

Took awhile to make them, but I love the Birdseye grips I had made for my 686+.