Hi! My new 617 is awesome and amazingly accurate. I have only put a couple hundred CCI Mini Mags through it. I am getting some blue color on the 10 round cylinder. My gun shop, which has been doing gunsmithing for over sixty years says that is quite normal. Any input from other revolver owners.
My 617 is turning blue from heat on cylinder
- Thread starter Grigler
- Start date
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Alk8944
US Veteran
No, it is not! For steel to turn blue strictly from heat it has to get to ca. 675 degrees Fahrenheit, far hotter than any firearm except a machine gun barrel will ever see.
It is simply fouling, clean the thing!
It is simply fouling, clean the thing!
Hey Grigler, just how fast are you shooting that thing?
Welcome to the Forum, I'm sure someone will come by with an experience to share... but I am with Alk, get some lead-away cloth and clean it up. Photos are always a plus when describing an issue, if you can.
Welcome to the Forum, I'm sure someone will come by with an experience to share... but I am with Alk, get some lead-away cloth and clean it up. Photos are always a plus when describing an issue, if you can.
Even if your cylinder is one of the early 10 shot aluminum ones you are not getting it hot enough for the metal to change color. If you were when you touched it your flesh would be burnt down to the bone.
Your gunsmith is correct. I love shooting S&W .22 LR revolvers but you have to live with the filthy nature of .22 LR cartridges. If your cylinder is steel buy a $7 bag of fine bronze wool pads from Ace or your favorite hardware store. If your local Ace does not have it on the shelf in their painting department they can order it out of their warehouse. Letting the metal sit damp with solvent for a little while first helps. A brass or bronze tooth brush also can be useful but I don't use mine much. IF it is not aluminum you can rub your cylinder with the bronze wool till the cows come home without changing the appearance of the factory surface.
Your gunsmith is correct. I love shooting S&W .22 LR revolvers but you have to live with the filthy nature of .22 LR cartridges. If your cylinder is steel buy a $7 bag of fine bronze wool pads from Ace or your favorite hardware store. If your local Ace does not have it on the shelf in their painting department they can order it out of their warehouse. Letting the metal sit damp with solvent for a little while first helps. A brass or bronze tooth brush also can be useful but I don't use mine much. IF it is not aluminum you can rub your cylinder with the bronze wool till the cows come home without changing the appearance of the factory surface.
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Blue color
Thanks for replies! I do not shoot fast and usually in five round groups. I am finding I prefer sa more than da as I am not super steady and it seems easier to shoot sa accurately. I am 74 and this is my first handgun. Accurate is a relative term! My son in law is accurate. He shot a 1 inch 10 round group with my 617 today! My accurate is measured in several inches!
Thanks for replies! I do not shoot fast and usually in five round groups. I am finding I prefer sa more than da as I am not super steady and it seems easier to shoot sa accurately. I am 74 and this is my first handgun. Accurate is a relative term! My son in law is accurate. He shot a 1 inch 10 round group with my 617 today! My accurate is measured in several inches!
Kernel Crittenden
US Veteran, Absent Comrade
Some J-B Bore Cleaning Compound and an old tooth brush will quickly disappear any fouling on the cylinder face. There's lots of other methods and products, but this one is easiest and cheapest for me. Plus, it has no odor and chemically it's not harsh.
J-B Bore Cleaning Compound
J-B Bore Cleaning Compound
Need to mention a cautionary note... that's OK as long as the cylinder is not an alloy cylinder that has a protective coating, such as the titanium alloy cylinders, to prevent flame erosion of the cylinder face.
S&W specifically mentions in the instruction book for those guns to never use anything abrasive to clean the cylinder that could remove that anodized coating.
