some one told me this once.
if you say it enough times, write it down enough times, it will be true.. fact or fiction.
The gunbrabbers have been singing that one for a while:}

id look for another Smith if you have one working on a 17 that doesnt really know its ins and outs, not many will truly know 17,s or care for that matter.
i found it strange that new Smiths right out of the school of trades, have no clue how to take a 17 bolt apart let alone remove the barrel.
or how to take a Smith & Wesson wheel gun apart.
but boy they can sure work around a AR 15!!,
asked this kid why they didnt cover early bolt action rifles???he told me they were informed that anything over 30 years old would be unsafe,and they should not work on them.
hmmm, just about every modern bolt action rifle made is a copy of some sort of military bolt action rifle made from 1917 to 1965, id think youd need the know the basics first, and understand how they work, and what they are made of, before you can turn a wrench on anything.
in my opinion, the M1917 and P14,s are by far stronger, and safer then any bolt action rifle built today. they may not be as pretty, but will surely give you safe and tough use for many many years.
though it is possible to blow any rifle up.
if you took a Remington 700. Winchester M70, Savage M110, Browning BBR , Ruger 77ect, made withing the last 10 years, and tested it against the 17, Jap 99, NS 03 springfield, K98icon, all the new commercial rifles would fail long before the old out of date military rifles, chances are, the 99, and the 17 would be the only ones left standing so to speak.
if you ever get a wild hair, pick up a copy of Mike Dehass bolt action rifles, and read it end to end, he covers just about every bolt action rifle made until the mid 1980,s youll be supprised, at what some of these new rifles are made from.
dont shy away from those 17,s you have, use em, and enjoy them.