I've had my new 617-6 for a few months now

[SWFan27]

Federal Champion ammo never sticks in my charging holes. Other brands can stick occasionally. I think I am one of the few guys who likes Winchester red and white box ammunition and have never had a problem with it in any caliber. But the Winchester does have a tendency to stick in my four inch 617-6. I think their casings expand more when fired.

I usually buy bulk ammo like Federal for my 617 because I shoot the heck out of it at the range once or twice a week. Depending on the ammo I normally get maybe one out of a hundred rounds not fire. I just rotate that round so that the firing pin strikes a different spot, and it goes bang the next time. Sometimes with bulk ammo, you strike an area that the primer material did not get to, and you have to spin the round a little. I have only come across two complete dud rounds out of the thousands I have fired. I love my 617 more and more every time I go to the range.

 

[russp1]

I had a S&W M22 that would eat any ammo I threw at it. Winchester in the red and white box was usually my first choice. When the gun finally wore out, S&W replaced it with a Victory SW22. The Winchester ammo would not seat fully so that is when I switched to Herter. Works fine in the Victory and my Henry rifle but is tight in the 617. It seems to be loosening up a bit.

 

[russp1]

Another 1000 rounds of mixed ammo (500 CCI and 500 Herter) and my 617 now loads and ejects pretty easy. Herter is still a little harder to eject but not the hard smack I had to do originally. I wonder how much deviation there is in .22 ammo. I had to stop using bulk Winchester (the red and white box) because it would not even seat in my Victory 22.

 

[GSP Fan]

I pretty much stick with CCI Mini Mags in my revolvers and their std velocity in the semi auto's.

 

[8shot]

I finally picked up a Manson 22LR finish reamer (removable pilot style). One of the "10" exit ports on my 617 cylinder must be undersize because the reamer would not fully bottom. Probably need to invest in some pin gauges, in any event extraction of fired 22LR is absolutely perfect now.

Always felt that this 617 had a bad cylinder port (accuracy)...may have found out why.

 

[jcs266]

I've been shooting .22LR revolvers since 1976. Your experience(s) is almost directly opposite of mine. I can't say why you've had all those issues, I wasn't there to look at your gun(s).

Most folks know Winchester ammo shoots VERY dirty, more so than other brands. I sometimes will use it in a bolt action rifle, but not very often.

I have never seen a bullet "tumble" out of a .22 of any sort. That simply boggles my thought process. The only "bad" .22 ammo I can think of is the "no-name" brands, which most folks should know to avoid, IMO.

My .o2

My experience has been the same as yours. I've never had any of those problems. I find .22's in my experience to be extremely accurate and fun to shoot.

CCI Mini-Mag copper plated 40gr solids are my go-to rounds.

 

[wproct]

It seems that no-dash Model 617s are one of the most appreciative in value of all 22LR revolvers. I have two, a six-inch I bought new (Oh, the days of $144.95 Smith & Wessons) and a four-inch I bought used. The six-inch was a "full target" version with target trigger and hammer; I added those pieces to the four-inch but I could only find color-casehardened parts. I put Millett rear sights on both guns too.

Ed

I am so envious of those combat grips!

 

[AveragEd]

I enjoy shooting my 4 inch 617. If you have a 22LR revolver that shoots accurately, and functions perfectly, You have a prize. Treasure it. Never sell it. (Except to me lol) I'm sure there are a lot of perfect 22 revolvers out there. But if you're buying a new one, proceed with caution.

There must be a lot of truth to what he said because both of my 617s shoot true to 25 yards, the farthest I've shot them. But then, they're both older no-dash versions. I have to sadly agree that Smith & Wesson quality isn't what it used to be but that unfortunately can also be said about some other firearm manufacturers.

I honestly don't shoot my 617s much because I'm fussy about cleaning guns and revolvers make my arthritic hands hurt by the time I'm done with the carbon rings on the cylinder faces. I do shoot my 22A-1, 41 and 1911 with a conversion kit because I find them easier to clean and a shell catcher net handles the brass pickup process.

Ed