'New Style' vs Old Style Extractor Ratchets
Living in Australia, land of the $500 million dollar failed gun & parts buyback in 2004-05, it is near impossible to find spare parts. As I do a bit of gunsmithing for our local gun club, i like to keep a decent supply of parts on hand to avoid a six month wait if the Au distributor actually attempts to source the part you need overseas.
After the incredible problems I had (8 months of looking) finding even a decent, used Python star, i ordered a spare S&W Mod 17 extractor from Brownells. My Mod 17 is not that old (20-30 years?) but I was concerned after hearing S&W had a fire some years ago that wiped out their pre-1959 replacement parts supply.
When i got the new extractor from Brownells, it didn't look at all like the ones in either my Mod 17-5 or Mod 617. Both of them have 'conventional' extractors with locator holes on the stars and corresponding locator pins protruding from the cylinder.
In fact, the 617 extractor looks the same as the Mod 17-5 exractor except one is SS and the Mod 17 is blue.
I asked Brownells Tech Support about this and I got the following reply... "The old style extractor you describe is no longer available from S&W. Only the style you received. You will have to replace the entire cylinder assembly unless you can find the correct extractor in the used/obsolete market. The other extractor, item 940-000-566 is for the ten shot model. I hope this helps and thank you for the enquiry."
I fail to believe such a common part is already Disc/Obs by S&W.
Can anyone confirm any of the following questions?
1- are the pinned extractors in fact 'end of life'?
2- Does the 6 shot 617 share the same star ratchet extractor assembly?
3- if necessary, could the Mod 17 be converted to a 10 shot .22lr just by parts swapping?
4- Are the old style stars threaded or braised?
5- what's the life expectancy of the ratchet lobes assuming the gun is frequently cleaned?
6- Is the extractor in my photo for one of the re-issued Mod 17-18 'Classic Masterpieces'?
7- Any ideas where i could obtain a 'new-old stock' one?
Please see attached photo below for visual details.
Thanks- any info appreciated.
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