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S&W Revolvers: 1980 to the Present All NON-PINNED Barrels, the L-Frames, and the New Era Revolvers


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  #1  
Old 11-23-2010, 09:12 PM
shoofly shoofly is offline
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Default 617 questions

Being new to revolvers and to the 617, I hope I'm not walking over ground that's already been heavily trampled, but...

I wonder if experienced 617 [6" bbl., 10-shot] shooters have found that a particular brand/type of ammunition works particularly well...more accurately than other brands.

Also, I note that sometimes the spent cases of some brands of ammo can be very hard to eject. Is this due to the cyllinder walls heating up and expanding...or just an oddity with a particular brand of ammo?

Thanks for your thoughts...Shoofly
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Old 11-23-2010, 09:33 PM
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I use 40gr standard velocity Eley or Remington in my K frame revolvers and it seems to be most accurate.
"Hotter" ammo, like Stingers, sticks in the cylinder and is harder to eject.

Here's a site with some info....22ammo.com - Standard Velocity Rimfire

GF
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Old 11-23-2010, 09:41 PM
alphabrace alphabrace is offline
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I have had issues with some brass harder to eject than others. CCI works well for my while Federal seems to be harder to remove. If the cylinder is dirty, you'll have more issues. With the 617, its important to be able to remove the spent cases quickly, so you can load up again and get to shooting this fine firearm!
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Old 11-23-2010, 11:38 PM
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I have my 617 set up for longer range shooting, generally 25 to 50 yards. So, accuracy differences are noticable however I'm not super critical. I'm also a bit of a miser, so I tend to look for bargains.

The most accurate 22LR I've found is Xpert HV from Walmart. From a sandbag rest I've put 24 rounds into a 2 inch group at 35 yards. However, it's also a pretty dirty ammo, after about 50 rounds the cylinder needs to be scrubbed out or seating fresh rounds in the chambers becomes a bit difficult. In addition, it leaves lead deposits all over the gun, which takes a bit of scrubbing with a lead away cleaning cloth. However, oddly enough leading the the barrel has NOT been a problem.

Because of the cleaning issues I've recently been shooting Federal's bulk pack copper washed 22LR. Accuracy isn't as good as the Winchester, the Federal will only group at 3 inches at 35 yards. However, on the positive side, the chambers don't get fouled and the cleaning time is cut by at least 60%.

For me, if I'm hunting squirrels or rabbits, I'll use the Winchester for it's better accuracy. If I'm just plinking or doing some range shooting, I'll use the Federal.
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Old 11-24-2010, 12:15 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shoofly View Post
Also, I note that sometimes the spent cases of some brands of ammo can be very hard to eject. Is this due to the cyllinder walls heating up and expanding
When your cylinder heats up the holes actually get bigger not smaller.
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Old 11-24-2010, 09:14 PM
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You need to just shoot different kinds of ammo and see what your gun likes. 22's are very individual as to what they like for ammo. I have 2 Rem. 40X 22LR's. They like different ammo. What shoots good in one does not shoot good in the other.

John
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Old 11-25-2010, 04:46 AM
lemeni lemeni is offline
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Mine likes this:

Winchester Ammunition 22 Long Rifle 36 Grain Plated Lead Hollow Point Box of 333 (Bulk) - MidwayUSA
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Old 11-25-2010, 08:32 AM
357Ruger 357Ruger is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shoofly View Post
Being new to revolvers and to the 617, I hope I'm not walking over ground that's already been heavily trampled, but...

I wonder if experienced 617 [6" bbl., 10-shot] shooters have found that a particular brand/type of ammunition works particularly well...more accurately than other brands.

Also, I note that sometimes the spent cases of some brands of ammo can be very hard to eject. Is this due to the cyllinder walls heating up and expanding...or just an oddity with a particular brand of ammo?

Thanks for your thoughts...Shoofly
The case extraction being sticky is due to poor quality control on newer S&W products. My old 617 never has sticky extraction no matter what ammo I use.

Check your cases after they extract hard and you will likely find a bulge just ahead of the rim. It could be on some or all of the cases. That was the problem with my 10 shot 617. It was worst with Eley and SK ammo, too bad that is the only ammo it shot well.
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Old 11-25-2010, 10:20 AM
Loco Weed Loco Weed is offline
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I've got an 8 3/8" bbl 617 and after testing a dozen different kinds of ammo it likes the Remington Golden Bullets better than anything else. This horrifies me as I have a pretty low opinion of Remington rimfire ammo. Test as many loadings/brands as you can to see what your pistol likes best. I've never experienced extraction problems. Keep your chambers clean and dry.
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Old 11-25-2010, 11:32 AM
jspick jspick is offline
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Lococ Weed,

LOL LOL LOL I too detest the Rem Golden Bullet and had one 22 rifle that is all it liked. I sold the rifle it bothered me so bad! LOL LOL

John
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Old 11-25-2010, 11:40 AM
stevieboy stevieboy is offline
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My 617 seems to do very well with the Federal Bulkpak ammo from Walmart. I have a bunch of hotter GameShock from federal and I've been shooting that, the gun does fine with it. It also seems to like CCI regular velocity and minimags.
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Old 11-25-2010, 12:41 PM
yanici yanici is offline
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I shoot mostly the Federal 550 bulk pac. I tried others but the Federal seems to shoot as well as any.

The only problem ammo that I tried was the Wolf MT. I think the cases might be thinner or something and maybe expanded when fired. They always were impossible to eject with the ejector rod. I needed to push them out of the cylinder one at a time with a rod.
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Old 12-05-2010, 09:14 PM
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Thanks very much for your inputs. I've been trying some different brands with varying results in terms of group size:

.22 Long Rifle @ 25 yds
1. PMC Pistol Match 2.75"
2. Federal Gold Match 3.25
3. CCI Pistol Match 3.5
4. CCI Standard Velocity 3.75

Have some more to try out. At least with the .22 it doesn't break the bank to experiment with different ammo.
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Old 12-05-2010, 09:58 PM
jspick jspick is offline
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shoofly,

Are those group sizes shooting off hand or from a rest?

John
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Old 12-05-2010, 10:47 PM
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I've had good luck with both the Federal and the Winchester bulk packs from Walmart with my 617 as well as my other .22lrs, both revolvers ans semi autos.
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Old 12-06-2010, 10:20 AM
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I wish I could say they were shot offhand, but no.... I still have a lot to learn about trigger control with this new gun.
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Old 12-06-2010, 09:39 PM
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The only 22 rf ammo that I've had firing problems with (in recent history) is Remington Target 22rf, in 100 round boxes.

I currently use Federal 550 round, 22rf hv ammo from Walmart, and all firing problems have literally disappeared.
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  #18  
Old 12-07-2010, 12:05 PM
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Using a rested position is the only way to tell the accuracy of your gun with a particular brand of ammo.

John
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22lr, 40x, 617, ejector, k frame, remington, rimfire, winchester

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