S&W 617 question

[thatsteveguy]

I currently have two excellent condition and well maintained 617-6 's. One is a 4" bbl 10 shot and the other is a 6" bbl 6 shot. I like the 6 shot action feel much better than the 10 shot action feel, BUT I'm more accurate with the 4" bbl. I would have a competent pistolsmith do the change; what are the downsides and upsides to swapping the barrels between the two guns if any? Both guns have had less than 600 rnds thru them and the plan would be to sell the 6" bbl gun after the swap.

[alpha_romeo_XV]

Usually the longer barrel is more accurate - gives you a longer sight radius and puts more spin on the bullet. Do they both have the same sights and were you bench resting the guns when fired? i.e. not Partridge FS in one and Red-ramp in the other.
Some ammo can shoot differently depending on the particular barrel. Maybe the barrels "prefer" different ammos. You could try bench rest shooting both with a variety of ammo. My SW 686 357mag likes copper jackets but my SA XD 45 likes plain lead.
The barrel unscrews. Here is a recent link to a S&W forum about barrel change. http://smith-wessonforum.com/eve/for...4/m/5781044281
When you're ready to sell the 6" gun I'm looking to buy one.

[team06]

It MAY not be a big deal to swap out barrels. The biggest problem is when you screw back in the new barrel that it locks up in the same place as the old one did. If not, then you need some machining to get it to stop at the right angle. If you have good machining skills and a good barrel wrench, it isn't that tough.... otherwise, it's time to call the local professional gun monkey.

Dave

[TMC]

I'm guessing you're question is about which gun has the better trigger feel more than barrel lenght. Why not have a trigger job done? Its cheaper and less work than swaping barrels. Or if you're a tinkerer take the fire control parts out of both and switch them, its not as complicated as you might think.

[naimad]

check out www.pinnacle-guns.com about $200.00 to shorten barell they do some cool custom work

[maxicon]

You could also ask this question over at www.smith-wessonforum.com. Very helpful folks, with lots of S&W experience.