K-22 Won't Eject Empties

[PMRet]

I picked up another K-22 today (can't ever have too many, right?). Brought it home and cleaned up, beautiful mid 50's bright blue with a slight amount of muzzle wear. Went straight to the range, the first 6 rounds of CCI mini-mags made a 1.5" group at 15 yards, then...empties would not eject...period! Finally had to exert all the force I could muster to eject the empties. Cleaned the chambers, cleaned under the ejector star, switched to Federal bulk pack, exact same scenario. The ejector rod functions smoothly with an empty cylinder, and ejects unfired rounds smoothly. Rounds seat easily when loaded, they actually drop in.

A couple of my .22's start to get sticky after 75 - 100 rounds and require cleaning the chambers, but this one stuck solid after the first 6, every time. Ideas?

 

[highpower3006]

Sounds like a rough chamber, maybe a spot of rust. Did the empties look bulged? Worst case you may have to send it in to a gunsmith and have the chambers checked/reamed.

 

[Smithhound]

Yep, sounds like a case of 'Tight-itus', are you sure the chambers are clean? I mean really clean? Try soaking in Hoppes for a few hours then a super good brushing and recleaning, caked on powder fouling can be hard to spot. It may have been fired extensively with shorts, leaving a very small band/ring of powder in there that is faint enough to avoid a casual view but bad enough to cause sticking.
A check up with a good gunsmith should cure that tho'. Good luck with it, post pics.
RD

 

[PMRet]

The chambers look good, and the cases don't appear to be bulged. I could understand it if one or more chambers was a tight fit when loading, but the rounds seat smoothly, they actually drop in. And unfired rounds eject smoothly. None of the usual causes for sticky ejection seem to be present here, that's why I'm stumped.

 

[Culina]

maybe its time to chuck a bronze chamber brush in a drill and give each chamber a few seconds of spinning chamber brush, along with some bore cleaner of course.

 

[wraco]

If the chambers are clean and they appear smooth, I would measure the chambers for sizing and pay close attention to a constant measurement through the charge hole front one end to the other. If the holes are clean and smooth and the correct diameter, it's possible the holes may have a slight negative taper becoming slightly larger going in. Wouldn't take much to make extraction a tad sticky. It'd be an easy fix, I doubt a good gunsmith would charge a whole lot. You never know until you measure.

Rod

 

[Davwingman]

maybe its time to chuck a bronze chamber brush in a drill and give each chamber a few seconds of spinning chamber brush, along with some bore cleaner of course.

I second that ! Might want to also add a bit of Flitz to the brush. I had the same problem with a 17-4. After a bit of cleaning/ polishing I can now fire over 500 rds without a hang up & accuracy is phenominal!

 

[Hammerdown]

The chambers look good, and the cases don't appear to be bulged. I could understand it if one or more chambers was a tight fit when loading, but the rounds seat smoothly, they actually drop in. And unfired rounds eject smoothly. None of the usual causes for sticky ejection seem to be present here, that's why I'm stumped.

Hello PMRet
S&W used to Burnish their internal cylinder chambers back in the day. Burnishing is just a fancy word for super polishing. If you get some J.B. Bore Paste and slather a Cotton .22 cleaning swab with it and gently use a battery drill to turn it inside each chamber it will more than Likely take care of your sticky extraction issues. If a Pistol .22 cotton cleaning bore swab is not long enough, get one intended for a Rifle bore as it will be longer than most for pistols, I have found that living in the very Humid southern climate, it is not uncommon to see Micro rust form inside some of these cylinders. I have done this to mine and by using the J.B. Bore paste, it does not open up the chambers. Once you are done simply use some Hoppe's Number #9 to flush them out good prior to shooting it again, Then Lightly oil the inernal cylinder and swab out the excess oil before shooting it. I hope this time proven cure works as well for you as it has for me in the past. Good Luck, Hammerdown

 

[steveno]

Federal automatch sticks really bad in my M-17 and the Federal bulk box Champions work just fine even though they are loaded to the same velocity. Winchester power points work stick once in a while. the same applies to my M-63. it could be just an ammo problem as they can be finicky

 

[153]

Did you try different brands of ammo?

 

[Speedo2]

I too would first try to polish the cylinder bores. However, your description of the cartridges "falling into the cylinder" makes me wonder if perhaps the cylinder holes were oversized and that now they have excessive clearance that allows the fired shells to over-expand. You also said that there was no evidence of bulged cases, but I don't think that it would take too much expanded brass to make things a bit difficult. Have you by any chance tried to insert 22 WMR's into the charge holes? If they go in, I would suspect that the charge holes got reamed sometime in the past. In that case, all the polishing in the world won't help you. -S2

 

[USBP SW]

I had a similar problem with a K-22 I once had. I checked the extracted empties and found scratch marks at the point where the extractor bridge contacts the cylinder. I used a small round jeweler's stone ever so slightly on the top edge of each of the chambers and the problem dissappeared. Apparently, when Smith & Wesson cut the extractor cut/counterbore in the cylinder, they left a slight burr on the edge of the chambers and this caused the problems. At least you have another possibility to check for. Good luck and let us know what you come up with.
Steve

 

[donaldw870]

Just a thought: you might try one round in each chamber fired alone to see if there's one or more particular chambers that are the culprit. This might at least help isolate which chamber(s) possibly need work.

 

[mkk41]

Some .22 ammo has too much of that hard wax lube and kinda glues themselves to the walls at firing. I'll use a .25cal mop and a bit of Simichrome (or Flitz) and a cordless drill , and carefully polish each charge hole. The walls do get rough after 50yrs of hard use.

 

[talltower]

I have the exact same problem with a K 22 Combat Masterpiece (pre model 18) and I have been trying to figure out the problem for 3 years. It will not eject any kind of hollow point round, It will eject longs just fine, but not long rifles. Unfired shells go in and out just fine. I can shoot only 3 rounds in every other hole and it will still seize up. I have cleaned, soaked for a week, drilled and done everything my shooting buddies, a gunsmith and I can think of, but still no solution. There is no notable swelling of the bases near the rim of the spent shells. Recently, however, I noticed there is a small amount of "play" or "wiggle room" when the extractor star is in place but unloaded. It can be moved only the slightest amount from side to side. My current theory is that when a round is fired it somehow jams the ejector star against the oposite side of the cyclinder and then the following rounds just increase the pressure to a torqued condition that makes ejection impossible. I then resort to a small wooden dowell and a little hammer to tap the shells out. This gun is such a neat little gun that I have grown very fond of it. So, I am going to keep after this problem till I get it solved. Talltower

 

[Speedo2]

....It will not eject any kind of hollow point round, It will eject longs just fine, but not long rifles. Unfired shells go in and out just fine.

Have you mic'd the fired cases of the 22L's vs. the 22LR's? I kind of suspect that the higher pressures of the 22LR's may be swelling those cases a bit more than the 22L's; perhaps an indication of oversized charging holes. -S2

 

[ikor]

talltower;

Just to be sure since you mention some movement in the star, check to see if both 'locator pins' are in place and tightly staked into the cylinder body beneath the star. It is not unheard of for one or both to fall out. If only one is there that could allow the movement.

 

[pilgrim6a]

talltower;

Just to be sure since you mention some movement in the star, check to see if both 'locator pins' are in place and tightly staked into the cylinder body beneath the star. It is not unheard of for one or both to fall out. If only one is there that could allow the movement.

I've got this same problem with my '48 K22. I was shooting it today and the same thing. After 36 rds the extraction is so sticky I just had to quit.
Now I see your post and I check. One of the pins is so loose it's about ready to fall out!
Thank you! This thing has been driving me nuts for 2 weeks. A little loctight ought ta fix this. Thanks again.

 

[ikor]

pilgrim;

That could be your problem...no guarantee, but it is not supposed to be loose for sure. The pins are properly staked in place but the only guys I have ever seen who had staking tools specifically for this were the FBI armorers in Quantico, the Secret Service armorers, S&W and the few guys who made one for themselves. The pins can also get bent once in a while (hey, cops can do stuff with guns no one else can!) and are almost impossible to straighten. LockTite should do it for you in your case. Please let us know if that helps.

 

[Muley]

Mdl 35

My model 35 is having the same problems. I have put a ton of 22 rounds through it since 1969. Now the shells are almost impossibe to extract after firing. And sometimes the action siezes up and I can't pull the trigger. Does anybody know of a good gunsmith in the Houston Texas. Or should I send it back to S&W. What would cause the action to seize up during firing? Thanks for your help.