• If you enjoy the forum please consider supporting it by signing up for a NES Membership  The benefits pay for the membership many times over.

S&W 617 forcing cone issues

B

blktk2000

NES Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2012
Messages
18
Likes
5
Feedback: 0 / 0 / 0
Picked up my brand new S&W 617 last week. I put about 150 rounds though it, and while I was cleaning it, I noticed that the forcing cone looks like a mess.
Does anybody know what this is or what may have caused this? Should I send it back to Smith & Wesson? Thanks for your help! 20221029_190445.jpg

20221029_190429.jpg 20221029_190532.jpg
 
A lot of that is just lead.

A little elbow grease and a lead away cloth (google it).

Stay away from Thunderbolt .22LR rounds they lead up revolvers really bad.

Revolvers tend to get more leaded up than semi-autos. In revolvers I tend to stick to jacketed stuff.

Make sure you get the excess lead out of the barrel too. It can build up inside the barrel, quite a bit too.
 
Last edited:
I made my son a little brass scraper out of a cartridge case for knocking most of it off underneath the top strap and around the forcing code. The lead and rust cleaning cloth finishes the job more quickly if it is just a thin layer of lead rather than caked on.
 
meh said:
I made my son a little brass scraper out of a cartridge case for knocking most of it off underneath the top strap and around the forcing code. The lead and rust cleaning cloth finishes the job more quickly if it is just a thin layer of lead rather than caked on.
Click to expand...
True! I also use a brass tipped screwdriver to scrape off the heavy stuff.

Additionally in larger caliber revolvers I have used brass screen lead remover kits, to remove lead from the barrel. (I don't think they make one for .22LR)

In the early 90's I was in charge of cleaning my departments revolvers. Back then we shot only lead! It was a lot of work de-leading the revolvers.

I was ecstatic when they finally switched to lead free rounds.
 
What the Hell Smith & Wesson! [angry2]

Even with 150 rounds of lead build-up the machining looks atrocious and should have never passed Quality Control.

For what S&W is getting for those 617's they should look surgical. That looks like a retard machined it...

I Just picked up a Ruger LCRx 3-inch in .22lr and the fit and finish was light years better than that dross...

A once-great American Firearms Manufacturer is producing crap.
1667090539632.png
 
Last edited:
blktk2000 said:
Picked up my brand new S&W 617 last week. I put about 150 rounds though it, and while I was cleaning it, I noticed that the forcing cone looks like a mess.
Does anybody know what this is or what may have caused this? Should I send it back to Smith & Wesson? Thanks for your help!
Click to expand...

Looks like chatter marks inside and around the forcing cone. Like it was never finish reamed or whatever bit was used was on its last legs 5 uses ago.
1st and 2nd pic really kind of highlights it.
Looks like ding marks on the 2nd pic right at the lip/ledge of the cone.

Clean all the lead off, take clearer pics and shoot them off to S&W and they'll most likely want it back to correct it.
 
That’s not right. Send it back as is, not cleaned so they see it. Something is off. My 617 doesn’t do that. Looks like something might be misaligned, causing lead to peel off.
 
Gawd dang that is some shoddy finishing :mad:

BUT !! Someone asked about the accuracy you are getting, have you answered that (did I miss it ??)
I shoot my 617 a lot in steel challenge matches and get the kind of fowling on the frame you get but the lead on the bottom
of the barrel face is something I haven't seen on mine.

Got to agree with the others on a conversation with S&W, you paid a lot for that firearm, but if the gun functions and gives
you decent accuracy you may be out of luck, S&W is not what it once was.
 
10mmdave said:
Gawd dang that is some shoddy finishing :mad:

BUT !! Someone asked about the accuracy you are getting, have you answered that (did I miss it ??)
I shoot my 617 a lot in steel challenge matches and get the kind of fowling on the frame you get but the lead on the bottom
of the barrel face is something I haven't seen on mine.

Got to agree with the others on a conversation with S&W, you paid a lot for that firearm, but if the gun functions and gives
you decent accuracy you may be out of luck, S&W is not what it once was.
Click to expand...
Accuracy is alright. I agree with Skeeter that something is off, though. The barrel is also not screwed in properly. I'll contact Smith & Wesson and see what they say.
 
Just goes to show. You have to inspect the firearm before you buy. That should never have made it out of the plant
 
There are tool marks on the frame and on the cylinder-facing surface of the barrel where it might be cut to dial in the fit. Yeah, that's not cool, but I'm just looking now at the forcing cone itself, the actual tapered region inside the barrel that leads to the rifling. The forcing cone does not obviously even exist as such. Did they miss a step? That would explain some leading.
 

Similar threads

S&W 617 Reflex Site Placement
Replies
5
Views
158
STEED
STEED
Smith and wesson website issues
Replies
23
Views
366
M1911
M1911
Glock 21 MOS Gen 5 FTF issues
Replies
23
Views
503
Cuz
Cuz
Trigger job on a S&W Bodyguard 380?
2 3
Replies
63
Views
832
drgrant
drgrant
Mag loading issues
Replies
6
Views
371
KH56010
K
Back
Top Bottom