S&W Model 63 cylinder binding

[H Richard]

My guess is they did nothing but clean it. If you ever have the opportunity to inspect and measure various different 22 RF ammo you will see quite a difference. In target shooting, one accuracy factor is the consistency of the rim thickness. There are various tools out there for measuring it. to get the ultimate, rim thickness needs to be held to + or - .001". In the manufacturing process, when brass is being stamped out by the millions, it is nearly impossible to keep this tight a tolerance unless the machinery is re-calibrated on a tight schedule. This reduces the production and increases the quality but also increases the cost. We used to buy standard velocity ammo and sort it by rim thickness. It did pay off when shooting 100 yard match's.

 

[sdk]

Update, mystery solved

I've received a reply to the e mail that I sent to S&W asking for a more detailed explaination of what was done to this gun while it was at S&W. I also questioned the comment "Can't use mini-mags or HV ammo - cyl. will bind" that was written on the service report that was sent back with the returned gun. I've again attached a copy of that service report to this post.
According to the reply there was indeed a repair done to the frame to increase the cylinder gaps front and rear, and the reason for the hv ammo comment is that the cases tend to swell and result in extraction problems. For me, extraction of the Federal Champion 36 gn hv ammo has never been a problem including in the model 63. Yes, extraction can be a little stiff at times, but still very managable and not enough to make me avoid using the ammo.
This information should have been communicated to begin with, but I'm still satisified now that everything has been clarified. Below I will include part of the e mail that I received today. Thanks again to all who have followed this post.
S.K.

Reference number: LTK11177050XXXX Please use this ticket number in any correspondence with us.
Subject: Model 63 serial #CUDXXXX

Dear Customer,
According to the repair screens they made repairs to the frame. The repairs done were to correct the gapping on the cylinder front and rear to eliminate the bind.
Hi velocity .22LR ammunition is best suited for semi-automatic pistols, when used in revolvers it will cause the cylinder to bind upon extraction. This is due to the cases swelling due to the higher pressure of the round.
If further assistance is required please reply accordingly.
Sincerely,
XXXX