Chamfer cylinder on a 617?

[taylorkh]

Just wondering if anyone has done this - or had it done? Several of my moon clip modified .38 Spl revolvers have the charging holes chamfered. It definitely helps smooth the loading process. As to the 617...

The edges of the holes are SHARP, I made the mistake of using my new Dewey cleaning rod to brush out the holes. It is now no longer coated

I realize there is not a lot of metal there but it should be possible. I find that even round nose bullets are a little difficult to load with a Speed Beez spead loader. Hollow points - almost better to load by hand.

Thanks for any input,

Ken

 

[armorer951]

Since support of the case rim is so critical, particularly for rimfire ammunition, I would suggest this would probably be a bad idea.

 

[RGVshooter]

I shoot my 6" 617-6 on a weekly basis at our outdoor shooting ranges 22 steel plate pistol match and IMHO I feel it's best to first...

Set up several "shoot n see" peel n stick targets up on a large cardboard and set it up at about 15-20 yards and shoot each target separately with different brands and weight bullets to narrow it down to which brand hits point of aim the best and stick with that brand. With mine it's Federal Automatch 40gr.

and second.....shoot the heck out of it. and leave it alone. lol.

I use a speed beez speed loader and I don't have any issues loading it up. It does take practice though. My best advice is to clean the revolver after each use. Spray it down with Rem oil out of the can and shoot the oil up into the cylinders and barrel and use a regular aluminum cleaning rod and bronze/copper or whatever they're made out of bore brush and scrub away then run a dry patch down each cylinder and bore. Don't use a steel brush or that one brush I've seen out there called "The tornado". Steel brushes can scratch your barrel rifling and that can ruin accuracy. Just stick to those copper/bronze bristle brushes for the bore & cylinder.

 

[taylorkh]

Thanks armorer951 ,

I realize it is a very precise situation. I would only need to knock off a couple of thousandths - just sort of round of the sharp edge. Perhaps a rubber polishing point and some 600 grit lapping compound?

Thanks RGVshooter,

As far as custom selecting ammo... this revolver (6") barrel has proved very accurate with whatever I have fed it. If I am going to shoot beyond 50 yards it might be worth while. I have better than 28k of ammo "in stock" from Federal bulk pack from Wally World to CCI, Federal, Remington and Ely match. Actually the Federal bulk does quite well. Federal 510 (Lightning or Champion) will do sub 1" groups at 100 yds from my old Mossberg target rifle (quit using it for plinking when I found that). Automatch is also quite good.

My most ammo sensitive pieces are a couple of dedicated .22 LR MSRs from Compass Lake Engineering. The only REAL problem ammo is some Winchester 40 gr hollow point bulk stuff. Some rounds must be out of spec or out of round (or bent) as they will not chamber completely in the CLE rifles (match chambers). Those are the ones which were giving me issues in the 617 as the have a LARGE hollow point.

And as far as cleaning... when I shot intercollegiate pistol we only cleaned our .22 pistols when they really needed it. The idea was I guess that cleaning would do more damage to the bore than standard velocity match ammo. I clean the 617 when it gets dirty and I am ready to put it back in the safe and shoot something else

Yes, I use only a bronze brush. I had purchased the Dewy rod for this revolver as it has to be cleaned from the muzzle. I now use an old style brass rod to clean the cylinder. It is shorter and easier to align.

Thanks again,

Ken

 

[Hondo44]

Welcome to the forum!

Notice the cyl for your .22 has a straight thru hole for the cartridges and no shoulder because .22s use heeled bullets, same diameter as the case.

For center fire and other more modern rim fire rounds, the holes have a shoulder at the case mouth with two different diameters: one for the case and one for the bullet.

.22s have charge holes, all other firearms inc. your .38 have chambers.

At the mouth of your .22 charge holes, as you know there's a recess for the case rim. You don't want to chamfer the 'mouth' of the recess as armorer951 posted. You want the full support of the recess for the case rim for safety, especially with .22 HV cartridges. Chamfering won't speed up loading anyway. But you can take off the knife edge.

However, the 'mouth' for the .22 case inside the recess can be chamfered. That's the one that will make it easier to load and likely the one you mean.

Hope this helps,

 

[taylorkh]

Thanks folks. I appreciate the replies. I replied to the first two posts yesterday but it seems that my computer or the web site ate my homework Or perhaps it needs to be moderated first (?) Anyhow let me try again.

I examined the cylinder closely this morning (I should have before making the original post). The CYLINDER holes are in fact chamfered very slightly. The ejector star is NOT chamfered. I suspect that the ejector is what ate the coating off my new Dewey cleaning rod

The only ammo I am having a real problem with is some Winchester bulk pack hollow point stuff which I have in my stash. It will not feed reliably in my Compass Lake Engineering AR conversions either. I guess I will relegate this ammo to my Ruger single action revolver and 10/22s. Just like Mikey in the cereal commercial "they will eat anything." I only have a couple thousand rounds of the stuff

Thanks again,

Ken

p.s. Let me see if this reply posts

 

[Lou_NC]

If it were mine, I'd definitely break the knife edge on the extractor star. Careful machine work isn't something to be terrified of. If you're comfortable with precision metal work (and and I am) it's nothing to be afraid of, and done correctly, will increase your enjoyment of a fine firearm.

Lou

 

[taylorkh]

Thanks Lou,

Next time I tear it down for cleaning I will look at working on the extractor. A hand little work with a fine stone should do the trick.

Ken

 

[nachogrande]

YOU NAILED THE PROBLEM.

[QUOTE As to the 617...

The edges of the holes are SHARP, I made the mistake of using my new Dewey cleaning rod to brush out the holes. It is now no longer coated

Thanks for any input,

Ken[/QUOTE]

An if it aint broke thing IMO. IF you are getting stuck cases in the cylinder, (a common 617 problem) a simple polishing may be all that's needed. Using the correct cleaning rods & practice with your choice of speed loaders may help. Chamfering MAY reduce reliability??? a 22 being a rim fire & all.

 

[Protocall_Design]

There's a big difference between making a funnel and a few thou. edge break. I would do the edge break. No need for knife sharp corners.