S&W K22 - sticky extraction

[booger9]

I bought my K22 new about 1953. Recently it started giving hard ejection. Suggestions included a good cleaning of the cylinder with a brass brush. Didn't help. On close inspection, you could see a very slight bulge in the fired case close to the rim. A couple of chambers were worse than the others. I sent it back to S&W. Paid $80 and it came back with an 8 lb trigger pull. I was shocked and disgusted. Sent it back on their dime. Came back with a 5 lb trigger pull. Took it too local smith. After a couple tries he set it to a BEAUTIFUL 2.5 lb pull, crisp as can be! Charged me $30 and I thought it worth it. He mentioned that dry firing, even with empties in the cylinder would aggravate my sticky ejection problem. 6 months later, and with some of the dry firing I was warned about, the sticky ejection is back.

I think that the process that made it better (not sure exactly what is done) grinds away some case-hardening. And so the problem comes back quickly. Has anyone had this problem and know the fix for it? Would a replacement cylinder do it, and how much do they cost? I've spent way to much money on the blame thing now, but it has some sentimental value.

 

[HSMITH]

The cylinder on your gun isn't case hardened. It is relatively mild steel.

Does it do it with all ammo?

One thing is for sure, do not dryfire it!!!! No way no how.

 

[Majic]

Dry firing should swage the metal into the chamber thus the case should have a depression or dent not a bulge. A bulge would indicate metal is gone and the case filled the void.
You can lightly file the burr out with a rattail file and stone it smooth.

 

[steveno]

try different brands of ammo. my K-22 only likes winchester powerpoints. anything else will lead to various degrees of problems

 

[Standing Wolf]

I'd try multiple brands and types of ammunition, as well as measuring the chambers.

My 1951 K-22 is sticky with some brands, not with CCI standard velocity, which is the ammunition I buy by the case for match shooting.

 

[Hammerdown]

Hello
I have heard that Dry Firing a S&W revolver will NOT hurt one.I personally do NOT dry fire any of my revolvers. The reason most dry fire is to try to get the action smoother. You PAID for a smoother action so the dry firing would be pointless.This problem you present is a common problem with the K-22 and I have found a way to end it.The easiest way is to remove the cylinder.Yours should be a left hand thread on the extractor, and needs to be unscrewed to do this.{"PLEASE"} DO NOT USE PLIERS TO DO THIS.. Also if you feel uncomfortable doing this I suggest spending 20.00 for the Book By Jerry Kuhnhausen called "THE S&W SHOP MANUEL" this is the best book I have found to show and tell how to work on any S&W revolver. He tells the procedures with super pictures & Step by step details. I do NOT take my guns to a gun smith after buying this unless machineing is required.I took mine and carefully wraped the cylinder in a piece of THIN leather and placed it in my work shop vise.{CAUTION} MY JAWS ARE ALSO WOOD.. I then, used a STAINLESS wire .22 cleaning brush in the chambers, along with some 3-M automotive rubbing compound bought in the auto section at Wal-Mart. I attached the brush to my hand battery drill and ran it slowly in all the chambers with this compound. This will POLISH the chambers and relieve the sticking problem. Do NOT over do this you simply want to POLISH not over KILL the chambers nor enlarge them. I have had NO problems since. If you want, a gunsmith will also POLISH the inside of your cylinder as well, for a nominal fee. I still would BUY the book mentioned as it is the BEST reading I have found. Good luck, and here is the revolver I did. Regards, Hammerdown.

 

[booger9]

Thanks for all the replies. Dry firing (with an empty .22 shell in the chambers) is practice for me, not to smooth the action of the gun. I've done it for the life of the gun, and never had any problem with it till recent years. For that reason I theorized that wearing thru a case-hardened surface might be the problem.

I have tried all the ammo brands I've ever bought. Hi velocity sticks the worst. During my hunting years (till about 1980) I fed it Remington standard and high vel. I'm VERY leery about whacking the ejector rod (with wood dowel) to get them started, think I whacked the cylinder out of true before I sent it back to S&W.

Early on, I attempted a home repair on a long gun and wound up taking it to a smith to get it reassembled. Very embarassing. A recent exception is my Ruger Mark II (purchased after my faithful K22 started giving me trouble). I found scads of how-to pics and instruction on the internet about taking that pistol down. I'm advised both for and against dry firing the Mark II, and have settled for buying plastic snap caps (inserted one at a time, not clip-fed). Don't think they would help in the K22 though. Another reason for dry-firing the K22 was to compare it to the Mark II, which I've had difficulty getting comfortable with. I think that slanted Luger-style grip doesn't agree with me. even with my sexy Herret target stock on it.

I'll look into the book you recommend, since the gun is unusable as it is, maybe I couldn't do it much damage.

 

[booger9]

Oh, BTW, the picture you show is not a .22 revolver. I am under the impression that a K22 is a .22 rimfire built on a K frame. Am I wrong? Would your polishing technique work as well on a .22 cylinder?

 

[Hammerdown]

Hello
The picture shown "IS" A K-22 .22 Caliber revolver. It was made in 1967 as well.The finish is NICKEL.. Regards, Hammer It.

 

[JoeHatley]

you could see a very slight bulge in the fired case close to the rim

That bulge may indicate your headspace is just a bit too large, allowing the case to back out of the cylinder when fired. The unsupported case then bulges just a bit, making extraction a real pain. Should be around 0.006" with an unfired case.

I corrected a similar problem with this 17-4 by installing a 0.002" endshake bearing to move the cylinder back a bit.



This "fix" will decrease the headspace and minumize the bulge, but it also increases the barrel to cylinder gap. If your b/c gap isn't already on the "small" size, this fix may not be for you.

Good Luck...

Joe

 

[Moonclip]

S&W rimfire revolvers seem prone to this. My ANIB 17-4 was quite tight. Lots of shooting and cleaning of the cylinder seems to have made the chambers loosen up some though.

 

[BluesBear]

It's rather obvious (at least to me) that the revolver shown in Post #6 is indeed a S&W K-Frame .22 rimfire.

 

[booger9]

Headspace. I can pass a .008" feeler thru the gap between cylinder and barrel on my model 66 stainless, that ejects fine. Of course a .357 is a stronger case, I suppose. The K22 takes a .005" but not a .006". Of course I'm not real sure that this is what head space is.

I haven't examined the fired shells closely since I got it back from S&W, before this go-round started, maybe that bulge is no longer there. The 'sticking' came back so I ASSUMED that I would have that bulge.

The K22 cylinder has a mark where the firing pin hits, even though it has been fired with a shell in it ALMOST always. Unfired shells drop into the cylinder without much, if any, urging. To reinsert empty shells into the cylinder, I have to keep trying till I find a match that will fit in each chamber.

Tried pre-ordering "S&W A Revolver Shop Manual" from Amazon (used, if they can find one).

When I looked at the nickle-plated K22 pic#6, the shadow of where the rim fits into the cylinder made it look like a larger hole. Mea culpa.

 

[Hammerdown]

Tried pre-ordering "S&W A Revolver Shop Manual" from Amazon (used, if they can find one).
Hello
That was a SMART move. I am wondering if a TIMING issue may be your problem. This MAY need a GOOD Gunsmith to sort out this one, but you cant go WRONG buying that BOOK regardless. Good luck, Hammerdown

 

[JoeHatley]

Of course I'm not real sure that this is what head space is.

It's at the other end. Load the cambers with spent cases that haven't been too distorted. Cock the hammer and insert a feeler guage between the recoil shield and the case head that is aligned with the firing pin. This distance is your headspace, and should be arond 0.006".

Joe

 

[Standing Wolf]

Hammerdown, I wish to @#$%^&! you'd quit posting pictures of those beautiful K-22s of yours! I just don't look right when I turn green with envy.

...have settled for buying plastic snap caps (inserted one at a time, not clip-fed). Don't think they would help in the K22 though.

Yes, they will. I always use dummy rounds when dry-shooting guns. At the very least, they reduce the odds of damaging the firing pin.

Would your polishing technique work as well on a .22 cylinder?

Any revolver chamber can be both chamfered and polished. Some need it worse than others.

 

[BluesBear]

The distance between barrel and cylinder is NOT hadspace.
That is the barrel cylinder gap.

The distance between the cartridge case in the cylinder and the breechface (recoil shield) is what they were referring to as headspace.