Today I set up my 617 for this month's Steel Challenge Match. I've decided to shoot it instead of my Volquartsen Black Mamba for the next few months.
I'm using a Dawson Precision fiber optic front sight ( green ) because my eye sees green faster, along with an LPA rear sight. The LPA has a wider opening and is serrated to cut down on glare. It also has easier adjustments for windage and elevation with cheater marks on the sight to easily repeat where my sight is supposed to be.
I was knocking them down, practicing first shot drills at 10 yards and then easily keeping all shots inside an 8 inch circle at 20 while simulating Pendulum.
What helps a lot is using my DS-10 Speed Loaders. I load from a couple of loading blocks that hold just over 100 rounds each which makes the shooting session go faster.
Today I continued using Remington Bucket Of Bullets for my practice. They run so clean that I've fired over 400 rounds and have not had to clean the cylinders yet while still getting easy extraction.
For the match I'll switch to Federal BYOB which are as clean but shoot a bit tighter.
My 617 has about a 7 pound trigger that easily ignites these two brands of ammo. If I want to shoot Mini Mags or Blazers I just increase tension on the main spring and get an 8 pound trigger where everything goes bang.
I'm using an Apex Mass Drive Hammer that will work as low as 6.5 pounds but for total reliability I set it a bit heavier.
Wish me luck.