S&W model 17 hard double action

98 220 swift

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I have a model 17 no dash. Its in very good shape. My question is does S&W put a heavier spring in the rim fire revolvers? The DA on this on is pretty stout. Compared to all the other S&Ws I own. I would imagine it has not been shot much in DA though.
 
It should be smooth.

1. Clean it. IME 90% of malfunctions are due to having lint and hardened grease in the action.

2. Could the side plate screws have been swapped? One to the rear is a tad longer and if it gets put in the forward position it causes drag on the cylinder. One in back should be flat and front should have a rounded head.

3. Make sure ejector rod is screwed in tightly. If it backs out it can cause drag on action.
 
It might very well have a relatively strong spring, due to being a rimfire.
It might have been installed by a previous owner, though, if they were having ignition problems.
Or maybe the trigger return spring or rebound slide or spring is the culprit.
 
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Many folks don't realize it, but because rimfire cartridge cases have to contain significant pressure, yet be thin enough to dent, they are often pretty hard and hammers need a fairly heavy spring.

Jim
 
I am not all that familiar with the S&W M17. However, if it has the standard internals including the rebound slide then one should look at the trigger return spring. In double-action S&W's much of the resistance felt on the trigger in double-action shooting is from the trigger return spring (inside the rebound slide). Brownell's (and others if I remember correctly) sell spring kits with varing weights of trigger springs. Use the lightest one that gives a positive trigger return. You may also want to get Kuhnhausen's book while you are at it.
 
1) The double action pull on a pre-MIMS M17 should be no heavier than that of a similar vintage centerfire S&W DA. If it is, there is something wrong.

2) While I concur with suggestions about thorough cleaning, the first thing to do is to determine whether the unwanted drag is in the lockwork or external.

a) Put some fired cases in the charge holes, close the revolver, and gauge the DA pull for a baseline. Better if this is done with a trigger pull gauge.

b) Now open the cylinder, push the thumb latch aft, and cycle the trigger again, also gauging the pull.

3) If the open cylinder and closed cylinder pulls are about the same (both too high), the problem is in the lockwork. Unless you really know what you're doing, this is a job for a qualified gunsmith. Revolver needs to be completely disassembled, cleaned, and lubed. Check for drag on hammer boss, trigger boss, hand in window, and rebound slide. Be sure firing pin block is not bent. Check for flatness of the side plate.

4) If the open cylinder pull is less than closed cylinder pull, and normal, problem is exterior. Thoroughly clean cylinder window and front face of cylinder. Disassemble ejector rod, clean, and ckent for non-straight in internal rod. Remove extractor star and thoroughly clean under side and cilinder recess. If cylinder and star are rebated (almost always the case with rimfires) remove any crud from the recess. Check yoke for straight. Lube and reassemble, and then check barrel gap and end shake.

One other point: because .22 rimfire ammo uses externally lubed slugs, rounds do not drop freely into charge holes. If one or more rounds hangs up on seating, it will drag on the recoil shield. Solution is to thumb all rounds flush with the rear face of the cylinder.

As a general rule, I do not recommend lightened mainsprings for S&W revolvers. A very moderate adjustment of the rebound slide spring is less trouble prone, but even this should not be necessary to achieve a proper DA trigger break
 
How heavy is heavy? My 617 has about a 10 to 12 pound pull at a guess and my Kframe .38s have a slightly lighter trigger pull.

I don't find the 617s pull to be excessively heavy.
 
I think the following statement, while correct, requires some follow-up...
RKG said:
...because .22 rimfire ammo uses externally lubed slugs, rounds do not drop freely into charge holes. If one or more rounds hangs up on seating, it will drag on the recoil shield. Solution is to thumb all rounds flush with the rear face of the cylinder.
It should be emphasized that older .22LR Smiths have notoriously tight chambers. Some types of .22LR ammo are manufactured slightly oversize to shoot better in loosely-chambered firearms, some types shoot very dirty. Both of these characteristics will make the rounds difficult to chamber in a Smith, particularly after you shoot a few dozen shots. It's best to simply avoid the offending ammo. :)

Secondly, you need to keep the underside of the ejector star and cylinder face clean- REALLY clean. Gunk buildup will cause the rounds to project slightly and drag against the recoil shield, increasing the DA pull. I suggest Q-tip "Precision Tips" for this; they're pointed and thus easier to get into the tight crevices in under the recoil shield, particularly around the alignment pins. Furthermore, be mindful that oil causes gunk to stick; do NOT oil the ejector rod heavily.
 
Yes it has very tight chambers. You need to push the shell all the way in when loading. It has at times not even been able to spin the cylinder because the shells are not completely inserted. But the trigger pull is harder even when empty. I kinda wonder if it has never been shot DA before and has never been broken in?
 
I got my M 17 about 25 years ago. First thing I did was grind some metal off the main spring then clip coil or two off the trigger return spring. Every Smith I've owned gets this treatment, works like a charm.
 
Many folks don't realize it, but because rimfire cartridge cases have to contain significant pressure, yet be thin enough to dent, they are often pretty hard and hammers need a fairly heavy spring.

JamesK pretty much summed it up. I have played with my S&W revolvers and tune them myself since a few decades and found that a mainspring that works reliably in several of my centerfire revolvers with Federal primers will be unreliable at best in my K-22.

The S/A trigger pull, and to some lesser extent the D/A pull, can be improved by changing the rebound spring and polishing the proper parts to reduce friction and still have a reliable reset.

There is a whole lot more to an action job than just messing with springs. Balance is important and an understanding of the interaction.
 
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Oh yes, no doubt about it. I take my 17 no dash and my 14 side by side, and the DA pull in the 17 is stiffer. As is in my 48. Rimfire priming takes some force to ignite.
 
I would like to compare it to my model 14 but it is single action only.:eek:

I am comparing the model 17 to my pre model 10. It has the best double action of any gun I have ever fired but due to being a old police revolver it was probably only ever fired DA.
 
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