My S&W 317

[F1]

I found this. S&W seems to respond to the complaints on this Better Business Bureau website.

https://www.bbb.org/us/ma/springfield/profile/gunsmiths/smith-wesson-corp-0261-201483/complaints

 

[F1]

Resolution - sort of -

"...the S&W customer service supervisor did call back! I wasn't able to take the call. She left a message. She said "he" said the barrel was heavily leaded up and some locktite i used got on the plunger. I don't know what that was all about. i always cleaned the barrel along with the rest. At any rate she sounded much friendlier today and said he fixed it up as a gesture of good will and there will be no charge, and it has already been sent to shipping.

I don't think any of that addresses the actual problem, and i guess it's inherent in this gun, and that is the aluminum cylinder seizes up when it gets hot and dirty, which happens very quickly.

Further info here:

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...he-phone-and-then-it-gets-worse.862415/page-2

 

[F1]

Received this email from S&W today:


Mr. ...,

I called you yesterday afternoon but there was no answer. I left you a message concerning the

Model 317 revolver. The head of the department reviewed the revolver and found that the

barrel was heavily leaded. The yoke screw plunger was stuck due to Loctite being applied.



The gun has been repaired as a good will gesture this time. In the future, if the revolver is returned

with issues that are not a defect in the material or workmanship of the revolver, there will be a charge

for the repair. The revolver should ship back to you by next week. You should receive an email with

the tracking number once it ships.



Thank you,

...

Customer Service



_________________________


I don't know how the barrel could have been "heavily leaded". I looked in it and cleaned it after shooting every time. I did use locktite on the screw, I always have on guns, but I won't anymore. She said not to use Locktite anymore on her phone message. I don't know how a stuck yoke screw plunger would effect the operation of a gun. Could the problem all along have been the yoke screw plunger and Locktite? The gun always worked fine the first few loadings but then the cylinder seized up. It was that way since the beginning. I thought that it was an inherent problem with the aluminum cylinder on these guns getting hot and dirty very quickly. I returned the gun to S&W once before for the same problem but nothing changed. They said nothing about Locktite and a stuck yoke screw plunger then.

 

[bannockburn]

Ratshooter

I also have a Model 34 with a 4" barrel. No problems with loading any .22 ammo though after several hundred rounds or the cylinder gets pretty gummed up from unburnt powder residue and needs to be cleaned up a bit.

 

[F1]

Ratshooter

I also have a Model 34 with a 4" barrel. No problems with loading any .22 ammo though after several hundred rounds or the cylinder gets pretty gummed up from unburnt powder residue and needs to be cleaned up a bit.

View attachment 886889

Model 34 has titanium cylinders, not aluminum like the 317's.

 

[Heir Kommt Die Sonne]

I was thinking maybe I wanted a 317, but F1s problems make me question.
Shooting just a few cylinders at a time before cleaning is fine, but at that point it defeats the purpose of a .22

 

[Taurus 617 CCW]

I had one for a short while but found it difficult to shoot being almost too light. I didn't shoot it enough to get cylinder binding from carbon. I traded it for something I wanted more and don't regret it.

 

[F1]

Bud's guns has one single review on the (out of stock) 317. This - the aluminum cylinder! - is the problem, not the barrel, not the yoke screw plunger. I told them that in the accompanying letter, both times i returned it and even asked them to send me a different model if they can't fix it. They just totally ignored it and made up stuff about Locktite and the barrel having lead in it.

"[2 of 5 Stars!]Bud's service was again excellent. Have had considerable trouble with this revolver, however. Quite simply the revolver cannot fire more than 100+ times at the range without the cylinder "overheating." Then the revolver jams and cannot fire until it "cools down." It has already been to Smith & Wesson once, and they replaced the cylinder under warranty, but the problem has reoccured. I have other S&W .22 revolvers, and they have performed flawlessly for many years, so this is quite a surprise. Perhaps, it is because the cylinder and frame are an aluminum alloy. In any event, I do not have much confidence in this particular Smith & Wesson revolver."

Mine never made it to 100.

https://www.budsgunshop.com/mobile/product/26989/s&w+m317+8rd+22+lr++187"

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

View attachment 846036 I carry a .22 as primary self defense weapon. A S&W 317 2”. I did an action smoothing using Wolff main & rebound springs sized for the 317 rim fire. Much better & NO misfires! I also have a 3”, ramp @ no lock.

My wife (also 73) loves hers & my life would be ‘difficult’ if I tried to trade it.

That's an interesting hammer. Did you do that or was it offered by S&W?

Todd.

 

[ThomasT]

I also have a Model 34 with a 4" barrel. No problems with loading any .22 ammo though after several hundred rounds or the cylinder gets pretty gummed up from unburnt powder residue and needs to be cleaned up a bit.

Hi Bannock. Even squeaky clean my gun has tight charge holes. But I blame the Remington ammo more than the gun. CCI ammo drops right in no problems. But the gun is so accurate I wouldn't change anything. The last time I shot it I was using Federal Blue box bought from WM and it slips in with just a little push needed at the end. The old gunwriter Jan Libourel always said the model 34 was his favorite 22 trail/plinking gun. I know why.

Pretty gun by the way. It looks much better than mine.

 

[jonnyc]

I'm hesitant to defy the gods, but my 317 has been great. Might need a little whack to extract and a slight push to load.....after 200-300 rounds, But the pleasure of the pistol easily overcomes the pain.

 

[F1]

I'm hesitant to defy the gods, but my 317 has been great. Might need a little whack to extract and a slight push to load.....after 200-300 rounds, But the pleasure or the pistol easily overcomes the pain.

What ammo do you use?

 

[JERRY]

with the similar options the LCR offers along with its superior trigger what if any have the sales of the 317 suffered?

 

[JERRY]

Received this email from S&W today:


Mr. ...,

I called you yesterday afternoon but there was no answer. I left you a message concerning the

Model 317 revolver. The head of the department reviewed the revolver and found that the

barrel was heavily leaded. The yoke screw plunger was stuck due to Loctite being applied.



The gun has been repaired as a good will gesture this time. In the future, if the revolver is returned

with issues that are not a defect in the material or workmanship of the revolver, there will be a charge

for the repair. The revolver should ship back to you by next week. You should receive an email with

the tracking number once it ships.



Thank you,

...

Customer Service



_________________________



I don't know how the barrel could have been "heavily leaded". I looked in it and cleaned it after shooting every time. I did use locktite on the screw, I always have on guns, but I won't anymore. She said not to use Locktite anymore on her phone message. I don't know how a stuck yoke screw plunger would effect the operation of a gun. Could the problem all along have been the yoke screw plunger and Locktite? The gun always worked fine the first few loadings but then the cylinder seized up. It was that way since the beginning. I thought that it was an inherent problem with the aluminum cylinder on these guns getting hot and dirty very quickly. I returned the gun to S&W once before for the same problem but nothing changed. They said nothing about Locktite and a stuck yoke screw plunger then.

That is real customer service! Bravo to S&W!

 

[F1]

That is real customer service! Bravo to S&W!

I would hardly go that far. Look at the hassle they put me through (which I have noted here and on the linked thread)- not answering the phone (I could only get through if a friendly operator was on duty), insisting they never got my gun, keeping it two months...and they have apparently completely ignored the real problem which i explained in my accompanying letter, and that is the defective aluminum cylinder, same as the first time I sent it back when they did nothing. I am supposed to get it back tomorrow. I'll try it out. I'll let you know, but I'm pretty sure the same problem will remain.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...swer-the-phone-and-then-it-gets-worse.862415/

 

[F1]

with the similar options the LCR offers along with its superior trigger what if any have the sales of the 317 suffered?

The LCR is much heavier than the small 317. S&W hasn't sold the small (1 7/8" barrel) 317 for years. They have a new model small .22 with an enclosed hammer that weighs only a little more than the small 317, the 43C, also with an aluminum cylinder, and apparently with the same cylinder seizing up problem. I don't trust the LCR as much either because of the trigger reset problem. And - important to me - I can't remove the grip on the LCR and just tape it to make it much more compact.

 

[JERRY]

The LCR is much heavier than the small 317. S&W hasn't sold the small (1 7/8" barrel) 317 for years. They have a new model small .22 with an enclosed hammer that weighs only a little more than the small 317, the 43C, also with an aluminum cylinder, and apparently with the same cylinder seizing up problem. I don't trust the LCR as much either because of the trigger reset problem. And - important to me - I can't remove the grip on the LCR and just tape it to make it much more compact.

what trigger reset problem? I know some people complain when they fail to let the trigger reset and they pull it again, but that's not the gun, that's them. is there some other issue that I'm missing?

 

[F1]

what trigger reset problem? I know some people complain when they fail to let the trigger reset and they pull it again, but that's not the gun, that's them. is there some other issue that I'm missing?

Yeah, like that. It has never happened to me, but in an emergency panic situation maybe the trigger won't get fully reset.

 

[F1]

The Ruger LCR .22LR weighs 14.9 oz. The S&W 317 with the 1 7/8" barrel weighs 10.5 oz. The S&W 43C weighs 11.5 oz. All are empty weights.

 

[JERRY]

The Ruger LCR .22LR weighs 14.9 oz. The S&W 317 with the 1 7/8" barrel weighs 10.5 oz. The S&W 43C weighs 11.5 oz. All are empty weights.

I guess that matters for pocket carry.

 

[JERRY]

Yeah, like that. It has never happened to me, but in an emergency panic situation maybe the trigger won't get fully reset.

can't that happen with any D/A revolver?

 

[F1]

can't that happen with any D/A revolver?

It seems to be more of a problem with the LCR's.

 

[JERRY]

It seems to be more of a problem with the LCR's.

I haven't noticed it on my two. will be the next one to complain should it happen.

 

[jonnyc]

What ammo do you use?

A real mix. I recall CCI Standard and Mini-Mags, Federal, Aguila, and Winchester. The only .22 ammo I refuse to use (in anything) is Remington.

 

[chicharrones]

can't that happen with any D/A revolver?

I found it less noticeable in non-rimfire revolvers where the recoil helps get your finger off the trigger. How I know is from dry firing snap caps versus live ammo in .38 snubbies.