I had no idea this problem existed when I bought my 5 screw 18. I've had no trouble with that gun at all other than no longer being able to focus on the front sight [emoji23]
What Took Me So Long! - Finally Reamed M 18 Chambers
- Thread starter InTheWoods
- Start date
I have a pre 17 which has hard extraction problems. I'm going to polish the chambers but before I do that I'm going to use a taper reamer to ensure the chambers were not buggered by the firing pin against an m/t chamber. I have some ultra-fine lapping compound and some even finer paper, in the micron level, to polish the chambers with. Extra fine paper, some oil, and a .17 slotted cleaning tip should see everything fixed up proper.
That is crazy tight and should not have been passed on test firing.
I have an 18-4 that was my only 22 revolver for a long time. Mine never had any problems ejecting even after a lot of rounds between cleanings. I reamed all of mine after having problems with a model 17. How deep the reamer went before it started cutting varied in each of the 6 cylinders as did amount of cuttings.
I subscribe to Protocol Designs belief that it depended on where the reamer was in its wear cycle when cylinder was produced
I also believe the various methods of polishing, honing and using fine sand paper will give a less uniform chamber than a good finishing reamer will.
The reason you want a cylinder reamer with revolvers vs a rifle or semi auto reamers is the pilot portion on a cylinder it is throat dia (groove) and rifle it is land dia.
You can rent one for $42 and $12.85 shipping from 22 LR Cylinder - 4D Reamer Rentals
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I think you are right. It seems to vary from gun to gun and isn't specific to any model or when it was made. It's really a quality control problem that should have been addressed by S&W at the factory.
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