Hello All,

I've got a S&W 617-6 that I purchased new last December. It's a great gun and I've really enjoyed shooting it the last 8 months.

Up until recently, I've done 95% of my shooting in single action, by cocking the hammer back for each shot. On my last few range visits, I've decided to start doing some shooting in double action, to get myself more familiar with that type of trigger pull.

I'm finding that in double action, I'm getting (on average) 1-2 light primer strikes out of every 10 rounds I shoot. (This gun has a 10 shot cylinder). I've tried several types of ammo, and it seems to be happening with all of them. Federal bulk pack is my primary ammo, with Winchester bulk pack being second.

I've marked the chambers to see if it was happening on the same ones every time, and it is not. The light strikes seem to be completely random.

I've also tightened the strain screw, and think it's as tight as it will go, but will double check this again later tonight when I clean the gun.

Any ideas what could be causing this, and what the fix may be? All springs are factory original, I have not changed anything on this gun.

Thanks,
James

I'd call S&W to see what they say. All of my .22 LR revolvers have done this to some extent (never owned the 617). I now have a model 63 5" but have also had the experience w/the Ruger Single Six.

The .22 seems to be rather touchy and I've had my 63 worked on by a local smith. Hope this helps.

How clean is your cylinder? I have a 617 no dash and light strikes become a problem when I have to use a firm thumb push to seat the rounds in the cylinder. BTW, this usually happens around the 50 round mark when shooting the Winchester bulk, it's an extraordinarily dirty shooting ammo but has great accuracy. The problem is that I don't get every round fully seated and any round that is standing a bit "proud" of the cylinder is simply driven home with the first strike of the firing pin. Second time around they fire every time. BTW, now when shooting the Winchester I make sure to take a bore brush with me to give the cylinder a quick dry scrubbing every 36 rounds, that keeps the chambers clean enough that fresh loads drop right in.

If your new rounds are dropping freely in the chambers, I would suspect that you are lacking power in the mainspring. Sometimes you can put a bit more power into the mainspring by removing it and using a plastic or rubber hammer to flatten it out a bit. Put it arch up on a table and give it a wack. If that doesn't do it, contact the factory because you are fully covered by the lifetime warranty and they will fix it.

Old cop, scooter123, thanks for the suggestions.

The problem happens with a perfectly clean cylinder, so I don't think that is an issue. Good tip though!

You may be onto something with the mainspring. I'll have to look into that.

Anyone else?

Thanks!

I was having that problem with my K-22 outdoorsman. Since it was a little out of warranty, I installed a Wolf mainspring (about $11) all is good now on that ~75 year old gun.

__________________
Jim
Many K and N Frames

Hi Guys,

When I cleaned the gun this morning, I did take the grips off and check the strain screw. Much to my surprise, it had about another 3/4 of a turn left in it. It's tightened ALL the way down now.

Hope to test the gun again this weekend. If I'm still having malfunctions I guess I'll see about bending the mainspring, or replacing it with a Wolf spring.

James

I know it's hard to believe but 3/4 turn can be a LOT when the power of the mainspring is marginal. I have a 610-3 that I've been experimenting with by shimming the strain screw out. At one point I installed a 0.003 inch shim under the strain screw and the misfire rate in double action went from zero to 30%. Just 3 thousanths made that much of a difference. So, I suspect that you have probably found and solved your problem.

I didn't have time for a full range trip today, but I did shoot 3 cylinders full (30 rounds) in double action without any light primer strikes.

Looks like it was the strain screw after all! I'm happy. :-)

James

just wanted to mention I have heard that some people place a spent 22 caliber cartridge casing over the strain screw if they desire slightly more spring tension.
I have not tried this but it sounds like you solved your problem anyway.