I bought a 317 Kit a few years ago and it pains me to say because i am a S&W die hard but it was the worst piece of crap new gun I ever bought. Went back to the factory twice before they gave me a new one. It spit lead terribly from brand new. Sent it back.......It came back and the barrel was horribly canted . So I sent it back again then it came back with a new cylinder and the barrel canted still. Sooooooooo I sent it back again and they gave me a new one. I never shot the new one I just sold it. As has been said they are so light also that it makes then challenging to shoot. I would without a doubt buy a 63 or a Ruger SP101 4" over the 317 Kit.
Damn, when I was reading your post I thought that I was reading mine. I had the exact same experience and ended up selling mine at a gun show for a loss. A significant loss, too, but I was glad to be rid of the 317.
