I had a 317 airweight 22, which I got rid of because I had a lot of jamming problems. Twice I sent it back to S&W and they replaced the cylinder with another aluminum cylinder, but each time the jamming returned after a couple hundred rounds. I asked S&W if they would install a stainless steel cylinder, but they said no. Is it feasible and not expensive to install a stainless steel cylinder in a 317?

It all depends on when this happened

There were no stainless steel cylinders made that fit the 317 at the time of it's introduction back in the late 1990s

Today a Model 63 cylinder could be used

I presume that you are implying that a stainless steel cylinder would have solved your problem

There must be tens of thousands of us that have no trouble with our Model 317s I have owned mine for 21 years now

What is "jamming?"

Why would stainless not "jam?"

S&W actually replaced the cylinder twice? Did they ever explain the problem?

I clean (scrub) the chambers of all my revolvers more often than the barrels. I'm one of those tens of thousands who have no issues with my aluminum cylinder.

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Carry.."hope" isn't a strategy

What do you mean by jamming? Do the empties not eject, or does the gun not cycle when you pull the trigger or cock the hammer?

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

If by jamming, you mean a sluggish to no cylinder rotation in a 317 snub, then I have the same issue. It is a piece of junk, to put it kindly.

My working assumption is discharging three or four shots creates enough heat to cause swelling of the aluminum cylinder. There is potentially some drag from discharged cases backing up enough to drag too. Either way, shooting a complete cylinder is unlikely. If you wait five minutes of elapsed time, you can usually finish shooting the cylinder.

In my case, I have tried at least eight different .22 LR and even .22 Long cartridges. The .22s rounds that work fine in other rifles and pistols choke in my 317.

As for people satisfied with the 317 cylinder, I have heard of many more complaints than agreeable customers.

Worse than a typo, it was brain lapse! I was thinking of the K22s. Will delete.

Thank you,

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Jim
S&WCA #819

My problem was similar to HardtoHandle. Fired cases push back against the recoil shield and stay there. 2 or 3 pushed back cases causes so much drag that you cannot cock the gun again, and it takes a lot of force to simply open the cylinder. HardtoHandle mentioned heat. Maybe that is part of it, but I think the problem is also related to erosion of the aluminum cylinder after a few hundred rounds. The inside of the cylinder looks rough, and no amount of cleaning with any type of brush or any type of cleaning fluid will make it smooth again. Problems like this are why I asked about installing a SS cylinder. So far only one response has addressed that question.

Check for firing pin dings in the edge of the chamber from dry firing. If it has those, fired cases will get stuck on the small burr of displaced metal. Heat is not a factor in this case. There is almost no heat to begin with on a rimfire, and nothing will expand enough to bind up, even if it got hot.

Dry firing is not an issue. Not done with my gun.

S&Ws "fix" for problems with their alloy cyls on their K22s was to replace with a SS cyl.

That's what I would do. And that is what I do to my Airweight guns with titanium cyls.; replace with SS cyls. but for a different reason.

The strength of the Ti cyls is the coating according to S&W. They also warn against severe cleaning of Ti cyls because of reducing the cyl coating and therefore its strength. So I avoid having to clean it many times by using the SS cyl, especially for range practice. I always have the option of popping in the Ti cyl for carry.

This is my 296 44 Spl.
I ordered a 696 cylinder from Brownell's. It was listed in their catalog in the factory parts section in the back and cost about $129 as I recall. It came with ejector star all fitted and assembled. Pulled the yoke, and ejector rod, slipped it in and the timing was right on.

It was a drop in installation and all tolerances were the same as with the original TI cylinder. I couldn't believe how easy it was. It has worked great ever since and I never looked back!
I barely notice the additional weight.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

Its likely that even though there is very little heat, the case mouth is expanding as it should, and recoiling against the recoil shield as it should.. but those rough chambers are inhibiting the cases from rebounding back into the chamber....


So your aluminum cylinders chambers are likely eroding just as you have suspected,,,, I'm not familiar with the alloy, but aluminum is a light alloy, that is easily deformed, but once it is stretched or work hardened, it will tend to stay that way...

Aluminum arrows are beautiful, but they are a little heavy, and very susceptible to deformation, folks made a lot of money attempting to "straighten" aluminum arrows, LOL!

Send it back to Smith, maybe the third time will be a charm!

Forget about why the jamming occurs. Is a stainless steel model 63 cylinder a simple drop in replacement in a recently made 317? If I have the right screw driver, can I make the switch with with no professional fitting required?

No. The 63 6 shot cyl will drop in but it's reported to be 1.44" in length. The 317 8 shot cyl is reported at 1.51".

The barrel shroud will need to be set back about .15" for a proper gap with the 63 cyl for the barrel liner to be screwed .15" deeper into the frame. Fairly simple operation with the two piece barrel assembly as opposed to a one piece barrel.

The 317 8 shot hand will likely work with the 6 shot cyl. If there's not enough cyl follow up for the cyl stop to lock into the cyl notches a change to a 317 hand is simple.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

I am talking about the 8 shot model 63.

Just get the SS 317 8 shot cyl!

SMITH & WESSON CYLINDER ASSEMBLY, 8-SHOT | Brownells

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Jim
S&WCA #819

The 8-shot cylinder on my 3" 63-5 is 1.508" in length.

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PTLAPTA!

Just bought a mod 63 cylinder
That had tight chambers off EBay
Reamed it to 22mag timing
And alignment are good but
Has some cylinder end shake
Have not found a mod 63 yoke
So I ordered j frame cylinder
Shims hope I can get rid of
End shake and have the right
Clearance . It will be my only
Switch cylinder Smith I own.

I also dislike the aluminum cylinder. If cleaned with any brush other than nylon, it scratches the chamber walls on the inside, and does the same on the exterior if brushing there.
.22's are dirty to shoot, and nylon bore brushes are not aggressive enough most of the time.
I have one of the 3" barrelled models, as well as the 1 7/8" one.
Both are less than 4 years old. I have extraction problems with both with certain lots of CCI, and at least one other brand.
If I can't get S&W to install stainless cylinders in both of them, I will sell them and get the new lightweight Ruger that seem to never give problems, and has the stainless cylinder.

[QUOTE=BillyMagg;140152066]Its likely that even though there is very little heat, the case mouth is expanding as it should, and recoiling against the recoil shield as it should.. but those rough chambers are inhibiting the cases from rebounding back into the chamber....


So your aluminum cylinders chambers are likely eroding just as you have suspected,,,, I'm not familiar with the alloy, but aluminum is a light alloy, that is easily deformed, but once it is stretched or work hardened, it will tend to stay that way...

Aluminum arrows are beautiful, but they are a little heavy, and very susceptible to deformation, folks made a lot of money attempting to "straighten" aluminum arrows, LOL!

Send it back to Smith, maybe the third time will be a charm![/QUOTE
If you are scrubbing the chambers with metallic bore brushes, you are progressively scratching up the chamber walls with each stroke or twist.
I don't like mine either.

I am bringing back an old thread. Hondo44 suggested getting a stainless steel cylinder from Brownells. I did not do it then; however, I recently looked at Brownells, and they seem to not have the SS cylinder now. Nor could I find SS cylinders for the 317 at Numrich, Midway, or Gunbroker. Any ideas about where to get one?

You will never find any part listed as a Stainless Steel cylinder for the Model 317 . . . . There is no such thing

You have to purchase a cylinder for a Model 63 and make it work (if possible)

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"Acta non verba"

Actually, Brownells did previously list a stainless cylinder that they said would fit a 317.

But regardless of that, I cannot find a model 63 cylinder either. Can anyone tell me where to get a stainless cylinder in this size, regardless of whether it is called a 317 or 63?