M317, What type of bore cleaner?

[TACC1]

Since the cylinder is made of an aluminum alloy, are there any
precautions to be aware of during cleaning? Such as types of cleaner,
the use of certain brushes, etc. I'll have a 3"-er by this time
tomorrow, and hopefully, it'll need cleaning.
Any suggestions would be appreciated, TACC1.

 

[cochise]

Gun powdered used today in .22's seems to be pretty clean. On my 317 I use Kroil Kano oil on a patch. If the cylinder has a stubborn "ring" soak the cylinder with Kano oil, let it sit for 10 minutes or more and then I do use the "bronze" bore brush to gently scrub the inside clean. It always works for me. I only use the bore brush once in a while though.

 

[snubbiefan]

chocise...I am in the same boat as TACC1 and I have a 317 on the way from my dealers supplier as we speak. I just had to have one for a pocket-pistol. How long have you had yours and what kind of problems (if any) have you experienced. One question would be all the concern I read over the IL. None of my other Smith's have the IL and I am wondering if I should just go ahead and remove it, or will I have any issues from it with this little 22. Have you heard of anyone using the Wolff springs with success? I usually put the reduced-pull springs in all my small-frames for the wife and Wolff has a shooters-pack for the 317.

Anything your could say about the gun (good or bad) would be appreciated.

 

[cochise]

I like the 317. I am not an expert but I will be happy to tell you what I know about mine. I had mine for about 4 years now. The trigger pull is heavy but it is not a target pistol.

I gave my grandson my S&W 63 and missed it. The 317 is not equal to that revolver. I bought a 3" for my son also, and a special edition LadySmith snub nose in the leatherette case, fancy wood grips, for my wife.

I love the lightweight. I can put my wife's gun in my pocket and forget it. But she won't let me keep it. On my 317, I replaced the grips with the wood j frame with a Tyler T Grip. I like the feel better. My son left his stock with the rubber and my wife liked the "spegels".

My pistol shot high and could not get enough adjustment in the rear sight to correct this problem.

I removed the sight and took a file and filed the frame enough to get the pistol to shoot POA. My son did not have this issue. My wife has fixed sights so it wasn't a issue either.


I like shooting .22's and owned a bunch, still do but gave most of them to my children and grandchildren.

So I have my model 18 and the 317 and think I am going to keep both for myself. I don't think the IL is a issue at all, and never had a problem with the IL on any of the 3 guns. Leave the lock alone and blast away.

Good shooting, have fun, that is what the .22 is for. [ended in a preposition....oh well]

 

[mnhogrider]

I've had my 317 for 4 years. The only problem that I have, is the same issue that a lot of people have. The spent cases get hard to eject as it warms up and get dirty. You'll find info on this if you do a search.

I clean mine with power solvent like Hoppes #9 and use patches and a bronze brush. I just don't get real aggressive on the aluminum cylinder.

 

[snubbiefan]

Good information folks. You can understand when you start to put a half-thousand-or-so $ into an aluminum 22.....you have to stop and think about that for a while. I have one alloy-frame 38-special revolver, but it has a SS barrel and cylinder. All my other 22's are SS. The sticky-ejection issue is not routine, but can be common in any make revolver. I have a 22 MAG with the same problem and I think the fix is a gentle chamber bore polishing, or possibly a change in ammo. I do think the 22-family requires more attention to housekeeping...as in cleaning.

I am not the least bit concerned about where the gun shoots (within reason of course). I wanted a lightweight 22 small frame DA with fixed sights exactly like my other snubs, but the only ones I can find out there are the 317 2-inch version and a Charter (22 MAG)....which I will not comment on other than to say that I will not own a firearm that I cannot dissemble and play with and they have to give you a knife and a nice case to sell it. The Charter has to be sent back to the factory to even be taken apart. Taurus makes a nice little 94, but has adjustable sights, is as heavy as my 327 MAG and has an atrocious TP. All this brings me back to the 317. I hope I won't be disappointed and have noticed that Wolff offers a shooters-pack of springs for it. This leads me to believe that the springs can be replaced with some confidence that the TP can be reduced.

 

[TACC1]

snubbiefan'
After researching here, except for cleaning, it looked like 317's
would either be good or not-so-good.
Double-action on mine was heavy, but not more than a 642 or 442.
The single-action trigger is much lighter than I expected, in fact, at
first the gun went off WAY before I was ready. Pretty light and crisp.
It shoots point of aim right out of the box. At 20-25 feet, I started shooting at discarded shotgun shells for a little challenge. My age
impaired vision had no trouble picking up the Hi-Viz front sight.
I am sorry now, that I waited so long to get this little gem.
I'm sure that the other 317 owners on here feel about the same
about their "walking around/plinking" gun.
Thanks for the reassurances on cleaning. If I get build-up in
the chambers, I'll get one of the nylon bristle bore brushes.
TAC1

 

[snubbiefan]

Very encouraging remarks there TACC1. I am selling a gun today to make room for the 317 on order. I have "family" that is a dealer and he gets my guns at his wholesale price and that's what I pay. No fees or anything...just dealer-price, which is usually around 67% of list, so I don't push him to hurry up and put an order together. It's worth the few days wait to get all my guns at dealer price.

I have heard everything from "extreme" TP to perfect.....so beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I have played with hammer and trigger springs in my non-Smith revolvers and have never had any issues at all with FTF, etc. The Taurus 22's have a 14-15 pound hammer spring and I put an 11-pound spring in mine without any problems afterward. Wolff does not recommend, or sell a spring kit for the Taurus 94, or 941, but they do for the 317. This really leads me to believe the Wolff reduced springs will work out in the 317. if they did not, I don't think they would be offering them. I have a set of springs ordered and as soon as I get my hands on the gun...I will change the springs and report. My wife is a very small lady with very small hands, so I am hoping I can make it comfortable for her to shoot. At around 10-ounces....it would be a perfect purse-gun (while it is not in my pocket).

On cleaning...my Taurus 94 and my 941 get absolutely filthy after 40-50 rounds. I have a Smith 617, but it is mint and I don't shoot it....it's only for looking at (LOL). If you plan to shoot a lot for extended periods of time, I would keep a cleaning kit handy.