Problem with S&W 617 shell extractor

My new (6 months) S&W 617 has occasionally had a problem ejecting spent .22 shells. I’d have to push really hard on the ejector rod to get them to come out.
Today, the cylinder started binding after I’d take a few shots as if the spent shells where rubbing against the frame.

I’m not versed in the part names but I suspect that the “ejector star” is somehow misaligned or out of spec. The photo shows how far the shells can go in before they start binding.

I’ll be contacting S&W about a repair but I just wondered if anyone else has experienced this problem. I’m not really sure how to describe it when I talk to them.

Hmmm...

Did I mention that those shells are really in there tight? I had to use pliers to get the ones in the photograph out. It just seems like something is askew. But unfired ammo goes in fine and isn't tight at all. The gun is clean and the binding started on the first six shots today with a new batch of Remington ammo so I guess that might have something to do with it.

I haven't paid a lot of attention to the brand of ammo. I just use the brand of the month from Big Five. I'll start comparing to see if I notice a difference.

Guess I’ll do some more detective work and look into polishing the chambers before I send the gun in. Thanks for the suggestions!

OK, I scrubbed the heck out of the cylinders and also scrounged up some Federal ammo that was lying around. Shot six rounds of the Remington and six of the Federal. (Really is nice when you live in a place where you can walk outside and shoot).

The Federal shot well and the spent shells where snug in the cylinder but not stuck. The Remington’s did as described before. Very difficult to extract and they even jammed the cylinder from rotating properly after a couple of shots.

For what it’s worth, I don’t have the details on the Federal but the Remington’s were 525 high velocity Golden Bullet.

High velocity vs sub-sonic? Cheap brass in the Remington's?

Anyway, thanks for the advice and I'll definately be paying more attention to cleaning the cylinder chambers.

Well, I’ve got a lead on a gunsmith though we don’t have as many around here as one would expect. If I were 20, I’d be looking into going into that line of work.

And the warrantee. Yep, good point. The reason I’ve been looking into other courses of action is due to my inexperience with firearms. I just wasn’t sure if this is a minor issue or not. Not a big problem sending it in and considering the paucity of gunsmiths in my area, sending it in is about as much trouble as driving the 40 miles to a gunsmith.

Hi Ron, the photo is a little deceptive but the crud looking stains weren’t causing the problem. But I’ve been listening to the overall consensus about polishing the cylinder chambers. I spent a good deal of time today cleaning the chambers and then fired the gun using the last 12 of my old federal ammunition. All twelve shots went fine with no problem. Again I tried the Remington ammo and it did better than yesterday though still some tightness.

Joe aptly described the situation when he said “It appears your brass has room to back out a bit and is bulging the case. When the cylinder rotates to the next shot, the bulged section is pressed back into the cylinder”. His description really rang true so I’ll be exploring that.

I dug out my receipts and the gun was purchased in August so I still have a lot of time to look into this. In the meantime I’m going to be playing with different ammo and talking to the owner of the gun shop who sold the gun to see what he suggests. (He’s on vacation now).

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.

Wow, Ok, Ok,…

After I had the problem I wasn’t sure what you called the thing that pushes out the shells when you push the ejector rod. Think it may be called the ejector star but not sure about that. So I took the photo to illustrate the problem and help me describe the situation. Grabbed a few of the shells that I had just shot and must have picked up some in the pile that were left over from when I shot my single six, or maybe it was my 10 – 22. That would explain the discrepancy with the different shells in the photo. The Remington shells that where causing the problem where so tight that I used needle nose pliers to get them out..

The problem is as described, the photo was to get people to the site of the problem. Should have mentioned that from the begining & worded the question better. You guys are sharp.

Rob