Carmoney

Yes, and not really. I wouldn't be surprised if they turned out to be identical.

Yeah, I'm going to work it into the action package on the 617 (for those guns that need it) at no extra charge, similar to the chamber reaming I do with the 625-2s and 625-8s. Or I can just ream the cylinder for a modest charge. Those interested can PM or email me.

Yes, Clymer and Manson both list a finisher reamer specifically made for .22 rimfire cylinders. I bought the Manson, and it left a very nice finish surface. You will also need a handle and cutting oil, if you don't already have those around. Be careful, though--these reamers keep on cutting beyond the point where the chamber is finished, and it appears possible that you could go too deep into the recessed area where the cartridge rim seats--obviously, this would increase headspace and create a misfiring problem.

Plus you never know when you might lose an arm in an unfortunate smelting accident or something.

(OK, enough alliteration for one night.) During the first day of our big 3DR match, I noticed that some 617s seemed to load and unload easily, while other 617s were always sticking--to the point where one shooter was even carrying a small hammer to knock the extractor back to dump the empties. My own 617 has always exhibited that problem, and by the end of the match my thumb was sore and I was jealously eyeing that little hammer. On the other hand, Cliff and Dave shot the same gun all day, never cleaned it, and it extracted just fine all the way through. Turns out the problem is that S&W obviously sent out some 617s with tight chambers. After purchasing and using a Manson revolver cylinder finishing reamer on those ten little chambers on my 617, I can now load the gun with ease and the empties pop right out with just a light little push on the extractor rod. I was surprised how much steel the reamer removed in order to bring the chambers out to SAAMI specification where they're supposed to be. But I'll tell you, it's like a whole new gun! I wish I had figured this out several years ago, but better late than never.

I'm right-handed but shoot with my left eye. I would strongly recommend having him shoot with his dominant and more dextrous right hand. Learning to shoot a handgun well is hard enough without creating the extra handicap of using the weak hand to draw and control the gun. I don't think he will ever be as good shooting weak-handed all the time as he could be using his strong hand. (Sorry Wendy, gotta call 'em as I see 'em.....) And Craig, shooting with both eyes open is only an option for those lucky shooters who have an eye that is strongly dominant. I have never been able to shoot with both eyes open all the way, I get all kinds of crazy double-vision stuff happening--and believe me I've tried everything. It's also important to remember that eye dominance sometimes changes over time. When I first started shooting twenty-some years ago I was slightly left-eye dominant, and compensated by using my left eye to line up the sights. Now I'm slightly right-eye dominant, and I'm fairly convinced I would be better off using my right eye like the majority of right-handed shooters. Of course, old habits die the hardest, particularly for those who don't have a lot of time to practice "new" techniques.

I'm selling them at cost to my customers who are having me do the action work. With the full Carmonize competition action package, plus SDM fiber-optic front sight and Millett target rear sight, you're talking right around $1,400 shipped. The street price on the guns is probably going to be around $1,150 to $1,200.

I confirmed today with the factory that Tony Miele is currently in charge of the Performance Center. I'm sending the defective trigger out today, along with a polite letter explaining the situation. We will see what kind of response S&W provides.

Frank, sorry to hear about your family's losses. Take care, Mike

Heck, I always chamfer the chambers on the 8-shooters as part of my action package, anyway. The .357 627s do have some chamfer from the factory, but I prefer a little more for competition use with moonclips.

No Josh, this is a gun I ordered for one of my customers, so other than function testing it after I do the action work, I don't plan to shoot it. However, I ordered in a couple extra guns, so I might wind up keeping one--who knows!

Yep, other than the grips, it appears to be the exact same gun.

Bangers in Birmingham, AL is the sole distributor.

The grips are not true Jerry grips, don't know what that's all about, they're some sort of crappy lamo wood and feel horrendous. There is no non-comp muzzle cap included in the package, and no rubber Hogue grips included either. But otherwise, the guns look great, and are just like the old production run of 627-4s!

Rob, just take out the strain screw, slide off the cylinder and yoke together. Take the cylinder off the yoke and clean the yoke barrel thoroughly. Then spray brake cleaner down inside cylinder through the opening around the extractor rod, leaving the cylinder and extractor fully assembled. Work the rod a few times while you're douching it out. Shake out the dirty brake cleaner, then apply a generous coat of synthetic motor oil to the clean yoke barrel, and reassemble the gun. That's all you need to do. Seriously. I never take the extractor rods out of my guns. It's really not necessary.

I'm a big believer in using blue loctite on the threads of the screws, particularly the strain/yoke/thumb latch screws, but I don't use loctite on extractor rods. However, there is a pretty fine line between getting them good and tight, and overtightening them. If overtightened, extractors will crack down the side. And as Craig correctly points out, they're easy to bend. THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD LEAVE YOUR EXTRACTOR RODS ALONE!!! Unless something gets broken or bent (which does not normally happen if the gun is not treated abusively), or you develop too much endshake (which might happen once or twice in the gun's usable lifetime), there is absolutely no reason to take the extractor assembly out of the cylinder.

No, a train wreck would be closer to how I shot on Sat. and Sun.

I have seen the video. It's extremely disturbing.

Just out of curiosity, what kind of service have you received from the PC staff?

Luke is now officially old enough to be elected President of the United States. Talk about a scary thought. Happy Birthday!

As we discussed in the other thread, the "beautiful bright stainless finish" (as the seller described it in the GB listing) is not original to the gun, and neither are the grips. But I'd say you got a decent deal nonetheless!

Yep, c'mon and break out those wheels, boyz! (CJDoubletap, I think I told you the other day I had signed up for Production, but I was mistaken--because it's right before Nationals, I had decided to shoot the match with Revo.)

Maybe we could have started it from out at the road. Really sort out the runners. We considered that, but thought it might be too tough on the ROs. (Just kidding, I get the point, and agree that we shouldn't get too out of hand with non-shooting tasks that would favor some shooters over others.)

Ya, no kidding. That fun run at the end gassed me pretty good and I'm in fairly good shape... You should have seen Pat Scott run through the woods, it was unbelievable. He paid no attention whatsoever to the trail, and ripped right through the bushes and underbrush, blazing fire from his revolver the whole way. He must have asked himself, "What Would Rambo Do?"

100 yards?? yeah right! maybe 15 yards...... You guys would really be whining if we had made you run the woods stage.