S&W 617 question

D

DealHunter

New member
Just picked up a new 617 4 inch and will be hitting the range shortly but wanted to ask a question of those who have used this model.

My other 2 DA 22s are a Ruger Sp101 that will eat anything I give it all day long and an older S&W 17-3 which shoots beautifully but after a few cylinders the chambers tend to get a lot tighter (I'm guessing tighter tolerances).

Is that the case with most Smiths or just the older target models?

Just need to know what cleaning supplies to bring along since with the 17 I usually wind up running a brush through the chambers if I'm shooting a lot of cheaper (dirtier) stuff. The Ruger I've never had an issue.

Thanks for any info!
 
I've owned two 617s, a 8 3/8" and a 4".
The 4" could be fired endlessly without a problem whereas the 8 3/8"'s charge holes had to be cleaned about every 25 rounds or so or the cylinder would begin dragging.
I'm assuming the longer barreled version had tighter chamber deminsions for target work.
 
I shoot almost exclusively cheap bulk .22. To date my 617 hasn't had problems with the chambers getting sticky.
 
My 617 gets tight. Not so bad that I have to stop and clean the chambers every 20 rounds, but after about 100 - 150 rounds or so, it's noticeably tougher to eject the cases. My 617's a terrific piece, so the trade-off's worth it to me.

Enjoy.
 
You guys complaining of tight chambers.

I used to have a 48-2. 22 mag. I'd nearly have to use a ball peen hammer after a few cylinder fulls with that.

I sure wish I hadn't sold it though.
 
A little info, FWIW. Chamber specs, like ammo specs and barrel specs are on a +/- basis. A factory will make a chambering reamer to the outside (larger spec) and use it until it gets dull. Then they will sharpen it, which makes it smaller but still usable. They will do that until the reamer is at the small end of the spec, when it will be discarded (or used for another caliber, if possible).

So if the chamber(s) of your gun had been cut with a new reamer, it/they will be on the large size and a lot of ammo can be fired before the chamber(s) will get cruddy.

If the chamber(s) were cut with an older and smaller reamer, fewer rounds can be fired before the chamber(s) will crud up. But ammo that is within spec will still chamber with no problem.

So, not a matter of "target" chambers or anything very fancy - just a matter of manufacturing practice.

Jim
 
Thanks Jim, I had never thought of that but it makes perfect sense...

I must say even the newer offerings from S&W are still fine firearms, at least that's been my experience :-)
 
I've got a 17-6 that's near & dear to me, my first handgun. It was built in 1988.

It's long been my experience that the chambers can be problematic, but only with ejection of spent brass, never when loading fresh rounds. (no brands that I've ever tried, anyway) I add this bit about loading because a buddy has a nicely worn but absolutely capable 1958-era Model 18 and he must "thumb" each round to seat much of the time when loading.

But back to my point...
Since day one, more than 25 years ago, I've always had issues with ejection of spent brass and I've always thought it had to do with chambers getting "dirty" but the more I've experimented with it, the more I realize that it has nothing to do with dirt, scuzz or filth.

It seems to be all about HEAT. When I run cylinder after cylinder through it, ejection gets progressively more difficult after 6 or 8 of them. I can whip out a cotton mop or a patch or what have you, but it won't alleviate the problem.

Time does work, however. :o When the revolver is sat down and allowed to cool, it's almost like pressing a reset switch.

I can't say for 100% sure that I've got it completely figured out, but I'd like to see more of you guys that do experience difficult ejection see if it's simply an issue of heat and maybe it'll help to prove my theory.
 
I was reading on another forum (Can't recall which one right now) where 617 owners who use theirs in matches ream out the cylinders so they will eject easier when the gun heats up. I have never had this problem with mine but I guess it can happen if you shoot 200 rounds through it in rapid succession.
 
I go along with James K. The reamers make different dimensioned chambers throughout their life as they wear.

I've got a 617-1 8 3/8" with the casehardened hammer and trigger and 6 shot cylinder. The newer ones have 10-shot cylinders.

Anyway, mine has plenty of room in the chambers and can shoot several boxes of 22 ammo without jamming up from residue. I clean my pistols after each shooting session like I always have.
 
I have a 4" 617 that became increasingly difficult to eject cases after firing just one or two cylinders -- any brand of ammo.

I checked them with .22 LR go/no go gauges and the chambers were way too tight. I got a revolver .22 reamer and got to work. After reaming I chamfered each charging hole and polished the chambers lightly using bore paste.

That 617 can be shot all day now and the cases eject with ease. There was no loss of accuracy.

My family members and I love shooting this little gem.
 
Tell us more. Where do you get such a reamer? How much? Hard job? What kind of bore paste? How did you apply it?

I'm not sure I would do this to my much-loved 17 because it takes far longer to experience issues, but it would be nice to have an idea of what you did that worked so well.
 
Sevens said:
Tell us more. Where do you get such a reamer? How much? Hard job? What kind of bore paste? How did you apply it?

I'm not sure I would do this to my much-loved 17 because it takes far longer to experience issues, but it would be nice to have an idea of what you did that worked so well.
Click to expand...

If you ream the chambers of a mod 17 you'll need to reblue the cylinder.
The 617 is stainless.
 
Tell us more. Where do you get such a reamer? How much? Hard job? What kind of bore paste? How did you apply it?

I'm not sure I would do this to my much-loved 17 because it takes far longer to experience issues, but it would be nice to have an idea of what you did that worked so well.
Click to expand...

I used a Cylmer .22 LR finisher reamer I got from Brownells http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/barrel-blanks-tools/reamers/rimfire-reamers/22-rimfire-revolver-fin-style-fits-22-long-rifle-chamber-sku184051220-41705-11590.aspx?sku=184051220

The price is currently $88.

You will also need a tap wrench http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/general-gunsmith-tools/taps-dies/tap-die-wrenches/tap-wrenches-prod6882.aspx I already had the tap wrench.

Put the dismounted cylinder in a padded vise. Liberally apply some cutting oil to a chamber. Place the reamer in that chamber and turn the reamer clockwise while lightly pressing down on the tap wrench. I would do one full turn on the wrench, lift the wrench and reamer straight up and flush out the chamber. I repeated until the chamber was fully cut. I repeated the other nine chambers.

I flushed all chambers with cutting oil and flushed them with Gun Scrubber. I reassembled the cylinder and remounted it on the frame. I checked each chamber with a go and a no go gauge.

I then disassembled the cylinder and proceeded to very lightly chamfer each charging hole. I polished with USP Bore paste applied to a well used .22 caliber bore brush wrapped in a bore patch. I used an electric screw driver to drive the bore brush. I'm not sure the polishing did much good. YMMV

It probably took me three hours to do all of this but I was going very slow, double checking each step.
 
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I've had a 4" 617 going twenty-five years!
Once went though a brick of cheap hv rounds, then went though another half a brick. The old six shot started to slow done just a bit by then, but probably would not jam up going though another full brick even then.:cool:
Maybe just got lucky with the one I've got????:D
 
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