[Jim Allen]

Just bought a 317 Smith, which is my first firearm with aluminum parts. It's a .22 cal., 1-7/8 barrel with a built-in lock. The owner's manual is quite vague on the topic of cleaning but I suspect this revolver will require slightly different "care and feeding" than the rest of my arsenal. My question would start with the cylinder bores. Can you use a regular bore brush, or do you have to use something a bit less scratchy? It has some kind of a clear coat on the outside that may or may not be vulnerable to strong solvents (like Hoppe's #9). Would appreciate any recommendations on cleaning this little jewel. Won't be shooting it until I'm sure how best to clean it. Many thanks!

[jarhead]

The barrel of the 317 is lined with a stainless bore (at least that is how mine appear)… for bore cleaning duty, I try to stick with the nylon bristle bore brushes to minimize wear on the lightweight cylinder and to avoid being too hard on the clear-coat finish.

I’ve used all kinds of solvents on mine, none have seemed to harm the clear-coat finish… but I have seen several where the owners have gotten needlessly aggressive with brass or stainless brushes and that will pretty quickly wear through all the finish down to the bare alloy frame/cylinder.

These are great shooting little revolvers… being .22 rimfire, they don’t need heavy barrel cleaning to keep them in top working order. A good brushing with Hoppe’s #9 using only nylon bristles or a bore snake are more than enough… the more you shoot them, the better the actions seem to feel.

[The Lone Haranguer]

Use a mild cleaner with a soft-bristled brush (I like to get more use out my old toothbrushes this way) on the cylinder face and forcing cone, regular bore cleaner in the chambers and barrel. I would not worry too much about light carbon ringing.

[Jim Allen]

Thanks gents! The only problem I have found is that, locally, NOBODY caries any nylon bore brushes. Found 'em online, though.