Whoops. Sorry too hear that you messed up. But, if you never make any mistakes your probably not doing very much. That one is pretty hard to fix.

Experience is what you get right after you need it. I have lots of experience.

I have a lot of spare parts and have ruined my share over the years finding out just where the limits are, doing all kinds of experiments. I know a lot more about S&W revos than most people as a result. There are a few others on this forum that have put in their time and paid their dues as well. Everyone gets a lot of benefit from these knowledgeable people.

While cutting oil with sulfur will work on aluminum with slow and shallow cuts, a much better cutting oil specifically for aluminum is available and should be used.

I made the same mistake, but caught it after reaming the first of ten chambers to 22 WRM. I went ahead and reamed every other cylinder with the mag reamer so now I have a five shot mag and a five shot LR in the same handgun. It is BANG, bang, BANG, bang... etc, you get the idea. It is fun to watch the puzzlement on fellow shooters on the firing range. I told one guy that I was reloading 22 LR to magnum level and was just comparing my reloads to standard 22 LR. He believed me.

The best cutting fluid of all for aluminum is Tap Magic for Aluminum. Nothing else is even a close second. There is another Tap Magic for everything else. The formula for aluminum is also best for any nonferrous metal, such as brass, copper, bronze, etc.

A bump to the top so others may learn.

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S&WHF 366

That reamer is now out of stock, and the price went up to $65.
Any body know another source, or have one they would sell?

I've been brushing the cylinders of my model 34 with a 30 caliber bore brush. It does wonders for about 18-24 shots, then I got to brush again. I also have a 5-screw K-22 that is pretty much a safe queen. I would love to do the cylinders on the 34, and maybe do the ones on the K frame. Guess I'll keep an eye on Brownell's website to see if they get more of those reamers in, then bite the bullet and send them $65+ (ouch) for a reamer.

Try Manson Reamers. Dave Manson Precision Reamers | Buy the Best to Build the Best.

Ordered a reamer for my 2 S&W 22 revolvers. I'm gonna ream 'em then shoot 'em. Now that 22 ammo is cheap I might as well take advantage of the situation and have some good, clean fun.
Do I need Brownell's cutting fluid, or would something else work?

bump (question added to last post)
Brownell's cutting oil is $26, not $8 as shown in the link. Surely there is something cheaper, and locally available. I'm thinking the brown fluid commonly used with pipe threading machines. That, or Tap Magic.

They have black and clear pipe threading oil (cutting oil) at the hardware store that will work fine. There are many cutting oils out there. They all work, some are better than others for different applications. You don't need $26 worth of cutting oil to ream a few chambers.

Did my 1980, S&W Model 34 Kit Gun yesterday. It went just like you guys said it would. Took maybe 2 hours but I took my time.
All these years I've put up with difficult extraction and binding while shooting this gun. That, in addition to this gun being sent back to S&W at least once for tune-up and repair. It FINALLY functions like a S&W should.
I bought the reamer directly from Mansons. Had to pick up a handle from Ace Hardware for about $23 and a can of spray lube from Harbor Freight for another $8 but I feel it was well worth it. I feel like I got me a new gun! Now I'll re-blue the cylinder on this well-used companion.
I also have a safe queen K frame 22 that will get the same treatment.

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I have a model 18 that exhibits the same issues. Cartridges that are hard to fully seat, having to use a fingernail to flush seat them in the cylinder, and having to hit the ejector rod hard to extract them. In this condition, it was no pleasure to shoot, so it became a safe queen.

After reading this thread, I finally got motivated to do something about it. I purchased a Clymer 22 LR cylinder reamer. I put the cylinder in a padded vice, put layout fluid on the rim recesses, and cases in every other chamber, to keep the extractor honest, and went to work. I removed a similar amount of metal as the original poster's photo showed. I ran the reamer down, clearing the chips often, until I just had a shiny spot on the rim's layout die, then on to the next chamber. The job went pretty well.

I went to the range right after, to give it a try. What a pleasure now. The live rounds fall flush in the cylinder, and the empties fall out with the slightest pressure on the ejector rod. I have fallen in love again with the 18. Total cost was $65, not bad.

Old thread but tired of several 17s and 63s being no fun to use. Oddly I have a 1990 vintage 17 that you can shoot 500 rounds without a problem . Same with a new 617. My older 17,18s and 63s are tight as hell. I just purchased a Clymer reamer from brownells as the mansen was out of stock. Should be the same per brownells alternate choice? Any body use Clymer .

I have had bad luck with Clymer over the years, maybe the newer reamers are better. I haven't tried a Clymer in a long time since Dave Manson started making them. The Manson ones are a sure thing.

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I wish I would of seen this thread before I sold my Diamondback a few years ago because of this exact problem.

I bought a Clymer from Brownell's, because the Manson was sold out there also. The reamer works fine. I believe Clymer has been under new management for several years now. Maybe the old issues were corrected. You can order directly from Manson if you like. He has them in stock. Cheaper directly from him the buying from Brownell's.Dave Manson Precision Reamers | Buy the Best to Build the Best I emailed Manson for info, and it took a week to get a reply. I didn't know if a reply was coming, so in the meanwhile I bought the Clymer from Brownell's.

The following rant is my opinion, my opinion is based on my experiences, not everyone has the same experiences....Therefore opinions differ...movin' forward

I'm not a fan of modifying a gun when a simple good cleaning would cure the problem. Certain brands will stick more than others. And after shooting 2-3 cylinders and then you start getting stuck cases is NOT the gun, but the carbon buildup inside the chambers. I keep a bore brush with me and run it thru each cylinder and dry brush my chambers every now & then during a shoot and NEVER had to deal with a stuck or sticking case. I use my 617-6 for competition/plinking and I've been trying to tell you guys this but no one listens...

Certain brands will stick, others will not.... So all this reaming/polishing/removing metal potentially ruining your gun all because you failed to experient which ammo runs best in your guns...

Posts like this is why I shy away from buying used guns...

By using a reamer cut to SAAMI specs, all you are doing is making the chambers the size they should have been made in the first place. You are not touching the cylinder throats or affecting the headspace. The newer S&W's do not seem to have this issue, like the older pinned barrel ones do.

I went to Brownells but they're out of stock/backorder on the reamer..

You guys bought them all!

A finish reamer will only take out any metal that is an undersized hole. If the chambers are already the right size, it won't cut anything. You would have to deliberately TRY to ruin a gun by doing this. Look at all the people that did try to do it right and the wonderful results they got. Just cleaning does not fix an improperly machined part.

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I bought a Model 63 at a bargain price because the owner said he had to pound the empties out with a mallet. He had sent it to Smith, and they returned it saying the chambers were oversized and they had no replacement cylinders available.

I rented a .22 Magnum reamer from 4D Reamers in Kalispell, MT. I think it was 40 bucks for a week long rental (plus added time for shipping). It worked like a champ and in a couple of hours I had a perfectly funtional .22 Magnum.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

Just got the reamer today at my office. Will ream this weekend. Has everybody used the solid pilot type(this one is the solid type). It looks well made and is made by the NEW Clymer precision.

No, some of them are undersized . You are only reaming them to saami spec so you are not ruining anything. Also I do notlike being limited to one or two brands of ammo especially during the next ammo shortage after 2020 elections. I have revolvers that are virtually useless because of the chambering problems no matter how much you clean them

Well I reamed a 1970s vintage smith model 63 tonight that took a mallet to eject fire cases. It removed a good bit of metal. It was way undersized. Took about one hour to do all six chambers. Piece of cake. I will shoot it tomorrow with several brands of ammo including cheap stuff and report back.

Bought mine directly from Manson's. The contact info is in this thread. Cheaper than Brownells, too.

Any chance any of you folks who bought a reamer would be interested in recouping some of your investment by renting it out?

I have an old High Standard Double Nine that I suspect has undersized chambers, or at least some tight spots. After a thorough cleaning it will shoot about two cylinders full before the empties start getting progressively harder to eject, and after four or five cylinders worth they are nearly impossible to eject with the ejector rod.

If no one responds you can rent one from 4DReamer rentals for I think $42, plus shipping.

I have the solid pilot reamer. I feel the live pilot is not necessiary, especially since you are not running it at machine speeds, just turning it manually. Nothing to be gained. Save some money, and buy the solid pilot reamer.

Shot the newly reamed model 63 today with several kinds of ammo. Night and day compared to before. I literally had to either had to hit the ejector rod with a mallet or hit it on the bench to eject the rounds. Minor effort to eject. One brand (Winchester 38 grain high velocity)was a little sticky but nothing you could not do with one hand. Others hardly no effort at all. Shot several hundred rounds

Great thread! Makes me wish I'd kept some of the J frames I sold due to this same problem. Don't beat on the ejector rod when cases stick - it can lead to your making unwanted contributions to your local gunsmith's retirement fund (learned this from firing a cylinder of 32 H&Rs in my 16-4 after shooting a couple of boxes of 32 S&W Longs and not cleaning the chambers afterward. Doh!). Instead, use a 22 caliber cleaning rod with the blunt end jag tip and knock the cases out one at a time. Also, if you don't have an air compressor, the large cans of compressed air for cleaning computer key boards will work on small jobs. Even better are some of the automotive spray cleaners which will both blow away the chips and clean the reamer. Be sure to re-lube it before commencing work again.

Well after reading 82 posts on this subject, and an hour and half later, I will be ordering the reamer. A couple years ago the local smith reamed two revolvers for me, but he has since retired. I just bought a 34-1 that has the sticky problem, so I need to get to work.

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Kevin in Oregon

Money well spent on this reamer. Remember, use plenty of oil, clean the chips often, never turn the reamer backwards, and slow down and be prepared to stop when the cutter nears and finally touches the rim recess in the cylinder. Also a good idea to place empty cases, or even live rounds, in alternate chambers, to keep the extractor from turning when reaming. But then again, you know this already from the previous 81 posts. Good luck.

I ordered the reamer plus handle. Reamer is less expensive by ordering from Manson by $22 vs Brownells. Nice folks to talk with.

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Kevin in Oregon

I received the reamer, and also ordered the handle from Manson's. Now need to get to work.

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Kevin in Oregon

Let us know how this goes for you!

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So long ... Ken

So I have a 34-1 that was professionally hard chromed back in the '70s when that was popular. It has the same extraction issues noted here. Oddly, my prewar K-22 is fine.

Would a reamer work? Chrome is harder than steel...

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Psalm 27:2

The chrome plating will kill the reamer. Need to get the chrome out of the chambers before reaming. Might try a flex hone instead of a reamer.

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I dropped it off with a local gunsmith, we'll see how he does

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Psalm 27:2

So, I went up to BROWNELLS looking for said reamer..."back ordered",
Thence to D. Manson site, and it appears they are no longer making that Reamer..??...
My K22 has eject problems..found out this morning, no way to move the Hand Ejector with fingers or hand .....slight tap with blunt end of screwdriver got them out...but not a good thing to continue....

I see there is a CLYMER finish reamer on Brownells.....a tad more then the Manson...
R

Not trying to beat a dead horse...but I note in Jerry K's book, page 65, Figure 65 to wit: " A chamber deleading reamer is shown at bottom left". It would seem reaming the cylinder is not without precedent.

Just sayin...

If had read this thread I when it first was posted I might have got a reamer. I had an 18 and a 17, both with tight chambers. I did have several .22 mops and a block of jewelers rouge. I polished the chambers on both and then shot them. I kept this up until I did not have a problem with cases sticking in the chambers. I went slow to make sure I did not take off to much metal. Both revolvers shot great, trade the 18 for a Colt M1909 in .45 Colt (a great trade in my estimation) and still have the 17-2 (it will get passed down when I depart the pattern).

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

Clymer finish reamer arrived today. 90 minutes later the job was done, following instructions elsewhere in this thread. Range trip tomorrow.
Thanks for all the information.
R

Wanna rent it and recoup some of the cost?

Nice post, but for some, there may be an easier and cheaper way. I had the same problem with one newer k-22 and a Colt Diamondback. Took my Dewalt cordless drill and chucked an old S&W straight aluminum cleaning rod for a 4” .22 into the drill with a new bore brush attached. Wrapped the bore brush in a cotton patch and covered it with abrasive bore paste. Spin the drill at high speed once you stick the brush in the leading edge of the cylinder and polish the cylinder for a few minutes. Do this a few times as you circle the cylinder, then clean the cylinder thoroughly and range test it. Took me two go-rounds on each gun, but they eject with one finger now, instead of me using a plastic mallet to eject the empties
Arman

No rent necessary. Send me address particulars in Personal Message, I will send tool to you. Donate if you wish, but not necessary, on return. I used a Craftsman Tap Handle, tight fit but still had to crank down on the handle. Worked just fine. Let me know if you need the handle as well. And do you have cutting oil??
Regards, R

Back from the Range. Ran 150 thru the piece and ejects were easy, without a hitch. 25 and 50 yard 2 hand Bench rest, piece was awesome. One handed, Bullseye, not as good, shooter has wobble typical of 80 year old shooter. oh well, so it goes.
R

I don't own a tap handle.
I don't have cutting oil either but I can get some - whatever brand you recommend for use with the tool.
PM on the way...

Local gunsmith did good work. Less than $40 and my chromed 34-1 now ejects like it should. Smith said a couple of the charge holes did need some love from the reamer. The chrome didn't damage his reamer one bit (har har).

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Psalm 27:2