trouble ejecting spent 22 brass

[sasquatch148]

Ive got a SW 317 airweight and have a terrible time ejecting spent brass after 25 rounds or so.I called SW and they said to only shoot standard velocity.They said high velocity expands the brass too much.This sounds like passing the buck to me, why would I buy a .22 if I can only shoot standard velocity.All brands of ammo sticks. I'm about ready to sell it and I'm not too happy with what I was told.Any body else have trouble with the aluminum or lightweight revolvers doing this ? My SS Rugers never do this.

[BlueOvalBandit]

May need reaming or a new cylinder. I've heard of 617s with improper chamber dimensions causing really stiff ejection. I also know 22s are pretty dirty and will eventually cause ejection issues, but 25 rds seems really low. Give your chambers a REALLY good scrubbing with a brass brush and solvent first though.

[wantmoresmiths]

A few years back, I was lucky enough to stumble across a model 17, that was manufactured in 1955, which made it a birthday gun for me (both born in 55). I swore that I would never sell that gun. It was a tack driver, every bit as accurate as my model 41. Unfortunately, just like quite a few other model 17's, it had a severe case of the dreaded tight chamber syndrome. No matter how much I cleaned those chambers, after four or five cylinders full, ejecting the brass became torture. It didn't matter if I used standard velocity or high velocity ammunition. I decided that rather than damaging the ejector rod, I would just sell the gun. It turns out that selling that gun wasn't a bad as it could have been, I have since gotten into competition shooting, where my 4" 617 gets plenty of work. Even the 617 exhibits "sticky" extraction after a long day of shooting, but nowhere near the battles I had with the model 17. So it's not just the aluminum cylinder that have this problem.

If it were my gun, I would be back on the phone with S&W customer service, I would ask for a supervisor, and relay the "use standard velocity ammunition only" story. I would remind them that in today's market, you need to purchase whatever .22 ammunition is available. If you have to limit the type of ammunition you can use, you will be better off selling the 317. I would ask them to issue a return authorization, and have their service department ream the chambers. You paid for a gun that should work properly.

[primersp]

i have an 617 10 rounds and with some ammos 1 or 2 cases aren't eject don't need an hammer but another stroke on the rod ,i have tried several ammo no problem with cci blazer ,federal american eagle
but bulk of lapua, rws pistol match (no hight speed) cause hard eject

[OldGoat]

A couple of years ago I bought a brand new 617 6" barrel 10 shot cylinder from local Cabela's. Fired cases expanded in several chambers, making it almost impossible to eject fired cases from the cylinder. Sent it back via Cabela's and S&W replaced the cylinder. New cylinder was no better - problems with Remington, Federal, and Winchester ammo. Had to use a cleaning rod to punch out the stuck/expanded cases. Sold the gun for about $225 less than I paid for it... Ouch! Regards, Ed

[Forrest r]

Barnish the cylinders with copper choreboy wrapped around a copper 22cal bore brush. Put a little jb bore paste on everything, screw the brush onto a section of cleaning rod & chuck it up in a cordless drill.

Turn the drill on high & use an in & out motion moving the drill back & forth as you polish/barnish each hole in the cylinder. Do this for around 30 seconds for each hole. Put new jb bore paste on everything for each hole & replace the copper choreboy for each hole. You want a snug fit (not tight), it may take 2 or 3 sessions to get the cylinders to eject/work properly.

[chief38]

This is nothing new with Smith 22's! It is quite common and the cylinders can be polished out with the PROPER tools - just don't over do it!

Also note:
Different ammo fits better than others. Try a few different brands.

[Redlegvzv]

I had this problem with my Ruger .22LR SP101. Ruger had me send it in. I got the gun back in a week and it was perfect. I agree that it sounds like S&W passed the buck. Send it in; it should not be difficult to eject spent brass and a revolver should be able to shoot anything of the appropriate caliber.

[df06]

I have a 617 4" that ejects spent cases normal. I shoot hi speed, mostly federal bulk.

[gr7070]

My 617 will do this after 100-200 rounds with Winchester ammo. Federal bulk, and I think CCI bulk and Remington don't have this issue, not with 500+.

I know you said all ammo, but if you haven't truly tried all the cheap stuff I'd try a couple more.

[harleyvato]

I have a 6 shot 617 4" that I have never had any problems with,however I recently bought a 63 4" that had hard extraction.i cleaned and cleaned some more all to no avail,finally I put some flitz on a mop and ran it on a drill for a few seconds on each chamber.I had been instructed to not take the mop too far into the chamber and was very careful to do this. I then made sure to flush out any residue,and now I have had no further problems.YMMV

[rbert0005]

It is because of the buildup of crud from the ammo, period.

I always keep a brass brush on a cleaning rod with me while shooting mine. Every few cylinders a few strokes with the brush and I'm good to go again.

If I in a competition it will be after every string.

Bob