S&W 617-6 inconsistent ignition

[Plate plinker]

So I have this 617-6 10 shoot that will rarely fire a complete cylinder full. What seems to happen is that upon firing a round some of the rounds unseat from the cylinder under recoil. Does anybody have experience with this phenomenon? If so what was the fix. I have not gone to the trouble to identify the guilty charge holes yet, but it usually happens like this. Fires,No, F, No, f,f,f,f,no, Fire. My theory is that some of the charge holes are slightly oversized.

323134

[G W Wade]

Send it back. Quality control seems bad. Friend sent his back twice. SW 63 went back 3 times GW

[M-Tecs]

https://gunanalyst.com/smith-and-wesson-617-problems/?expand_article=1

[Tatume]

You don't say whether you are the original owner, or if you bought the gun used. If it is a used gun, take the grips off and look at the hammer spring. If it has a raised rib it is likely to be a reduced power spring. The 22 LR cartridge is harder to ignite than most center fire pistol cartridges, and reduced power hammer springs often cause misfires. If it is a reduced power hammer spring, you can replace it with a S&W original very easily.

[Plate plinker]

It was a new piece when I acquired it. Spring is original.

[Tatume]

I'm sure S&W will make it right. They have always done good work for me.

[Plate plinker]

Update. Added a shim (old primer) over the tip of the strain screw. That helped a bunch fired 98 out of 100 times. Might work on the trigger to make up for the heavier pull. Also thinking of a bobbed hammer since I never go single action.

Any thoughts?

[M-Tecs]

Update. Added a shim (old primer) over the tip of the strain screw. That helped a bunch fired 98 out of 100 times. Might work on the trigger to make up for the heavier pull. Also thinking of a bobbed hammer since I never go single action.

Any thoughts?

Bobbed hammers are lighter and tend to make ignition issues worse. Solution in the link I posted above.

https://gunanalyst.com/smith-and-wesson-617-problems/?expand_article=1
If the problem persists after changing the ammunition, you should replace the leaf spring. By replacing the leaf spring, the power and force of the spring will increase, allowing the hammer to strike with greater force.

Check the revolver’s leaf spring strain screw. If the strain screw is loosened, the firing pin may strike lightly as a result.

[gwpercle]

Update. Added a shim (old primer) over the tip of the strain screw. That helped a bunch fired 98 out of 100 times. Might work on the trigger to make up for the heavier pull. Also thinking of a bobbed hammer since I never go single action.

Any thoughts?

Do Not bob the hammer ... lighter hammer will give a lighter hammer fall / impact ... it will only add to your problems .
For 22 rim fire you want a hard heavy hammer strike ... I would replace the hammer spring with a new one of factory weight .
A light trigger pull is nice but not at the expense of reliable ignition .
Gary

[HATCH]

Before messing with it any, send it back to S&W
If you spend money messing with it and then still have to send it back they will remove all mods and return it to stock even if that means replacing parts

[Tatume]

Before messing with it any, send it back to S&W
If you spend money messing with it and then still have to send it back they will remove all mods and return it to stock even if that means replacing parts

Actually, they say that, but rarely do it. I even asked them once, and they told me that they won't replace parts unless defective or unsafe. But I agree, send it back. They do good work, and compared to most other shops the turnaround is surprisingly quick. They have never taken more than three or four weeks with any of my guns.

[imashooter2]

The recoil shield on S&W revolvers isn’t flat. There is a high area around the firing pin. Cases on the sides where you can see them may set back under recoil, but they are reseated into the cylinder as they rotate under the firing pin.

Rimfire hammers shouldn’t be lightened. They need mass to crush the rim. Take the side plate off and check to see if there is any debris in the firing pin channel or damage to the pin itself.

[DougGuy]

Has it ever been finicky with different brands of ammo? Extraction ever been stiff at times?

[Plate plinker]

Has it ever been finicky with different brands of ammo? Extraction ever been stiff at times?

Seems same with all ammo.

[DougGuy]

Before messing with it any, send it back to S&W
If you spend money messing with it and then still have to send it back they will remove all mods and return it to stock even if that means replacing parts

+1!

[Thundarstick]

I can't remember mine ever misfiring, but I can't remember running anything but CCI mini-mags through it. Mine has had 1000s and 1000s of rounds down the pipe, so they can be 100% reliable. My vote is also send it back to S&W!

[NSB]

You need to have the chambers squeaky clean….no was residue. Get some ammo that’s oily like RWS,Eley, etc. and try that. Using ammo like Remington, Winchester, etc with wax on the bullet makes this worse. It’s also going to be harder to use any .22lr in cold weather, again because of the lube.

[Plate plinker]

Test fire update. After a shim in the cylinder and the strain screw, I also opened it up and polished all the internals. Went out to the shooting pit and fired off 80 of 80 rounds. I’m calling it good enough for now. I may spend the money on some upgraded internals at a later time.
Thanks all for the input.

[8shot]

Had the same problem with my 617, found a fix, the main spring needs to be tight but it fires fine now. Put the info on my car forum:

https://rustybowtie.com/index.php?topic=3154.0

Web site is safe