Is the S&W 617 accurate?

[Teep]

A little background: I've had this 617 for about 10 years with a Vortex Venom 3 mil red dot sight on a Rapture Engineering mount and have over7500 round through it. I've shot a lot of groups at 50 yards under 1”. I am pushing 80 and my eyes are changing to the point that the red dot is now a star. As a test I purchased a BSA 2-7 handgun scope and installed it on the 617. I started shooting from seven yards to get it close and then moved back to 25 yards shooting off a tripod while sitting on the ground. This image shows the shots fired as I adjusted the scope: 5 & 6 touching, 7 & 8 about 1/4”c to c, and 9 & 10 the final scope adjustment. This was using Aquila HV ammo.
DON'T BUY A BSA HANDGUN SCOPE, AFTER ONLY THOSE TEN SHOTS THE CROSSHAIRS TWISTED.

 

[23John]

I can totally relate to dealing with the effects of aging eyes. I’m not quite 80 yet, but I’ve started noticing those pesky red dots turning into starbursts, especially when the lighting isn’t great. It’s crazy how your vision can just shift like that, and suddenly, the glasses or contacts you’ve always relied on don’t feel like they’re doing the trick anymore. I even gave a scope a shot once. Sure, the clarity was definitely an upgrade, but I soon found myself facing similar issues with how well it could take a hit. I’m not talking about any specific brand like BSA, but I learned the hard way that those budget handgun scopes just don’t hold up against even light recoil after a while.

 

[Teep]

The BSA scope was the cheapest I could find on Amazon. Did what I needed and since it broke I returned it for a full refund. I am really considering a UTG 2-7x for the 617 as it has a 35 yard parallax. I have several UTG scopes on airguns that have held up very well and now have one on me .223 Contender barrel, it is clear than the Leupold that I had on it before plus the UTG has side focus.