Looking for care and maintenance for a S&W Model 17

[Capybara]

Hi all:

A few pictures of my new acquisition, a very nice S&W Model 17. I've owned Stainless and bead blasted Smith revolvers but this is my first blued revolver. Anything to watch out for as I take it out to break it in?

Also, will Ballistol be okay for keeping it clean and the bluing happy? If not, what's a better CLP for this gun? What do you recommend for lead removal on the front of the cylinder? I've read to never use a lead removal cloth on a blued gun but what should I used to remove lead fouling and buildup that's safe for the finish?

This revolver wasn't inexpensive and I want to make sure I maintain it so it looks good.

Thanks for any feedback.

 

[Sistema1927]

Ballistol should be fine. Lightly using Flitz on the front of the cylinder will remove lead deposits without damaging the bluing.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

Ballistol is fine. I actually only use Ballistol with guns fired with Black Powder, but it will be fine. The good thing about Ballistol is it is non-toxic. Some object to the smell, but there is nothing in Ballistol that will harm you.

For cleaning up after Smokeless I always use good old Hoppes #9. Ballistol is a much milder solvent than Hoppe's #9, and it takes more elbow grease with Ballistol to achieve the same results as with Hoppe's #9. Of course Hoppes #9 is toxic and should only be used in a well ventilated area.

You are going to get different answers about removing the carbon and lead deposits on the front of the cylinder, but since you asked, here is my answer.

I never bother to remove the carbon and lead deposits from the front of a cylinder.

Removing the lead from the front of a cylinder is akin to the labors of Sysiphus. The guy in Greek mythology who was condemned to forever try to roll the boulder back up the hill that kept rolling down again.

No matter how well you clean off the lead deposit from the front of the cylinder, it will always return the next time you shoot it.

Yeah, it ain't pretty, but I have dozens of revolvers, and I stopped fretting about the lead deposit on the front of the cylinders long ago.

My advice is, when you have enough revolvers, you too will stop being concerned about the lead on the front of a cylinder.

Just my two cents.

Go out and buy some more revolvers, eventually you will come around to my way of thinking.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

Wipe it down with an oily cloth before putting it away and clean the barrel and chamber holes when you feel the need. I wouldn't worry about the cylinder face. Any gun solvent won't hurt it. Stay away from the Lead Away cloths.

For the rare times that I really want to deep clean a revolver, I take the grips off and give the gun a soak in Ed's Red without the acetone.

 

[Riomouse911]

Driftwood has it down pat, cleaning the revolver face will look great for one shot in each charge hole…Then you’re right back to square one. The only time I’ve cleaned a revolver face was when I had to sell it on consignment and I wanted it to look spiffy.

My Model 17-3 6” (Looks just like yours ) is one of two S&W Rimfire revolvers I own that don’t suffer from sticky extraction after several cylinder-fulls are fired (The other is a Model 48-6 4” .22 WMR). If your Model 17 gets tough to extract empties at the range, a good idea is to always pack a short .22 cal cleaning rod and a .22 cal bronze brush to clean the chambers of gunk to aid extraction.

Welcome to the S&W rimfire revolver club! Like you I started with a nice older Model 17… then the addiction set in and I bought a Model 48 6”…then an 18 4”…then a 34 4”… then a 48 4”…and so on.

When you get a chance to shoot it let us know how it shoots for you.

Stay safe.

 

[Capybara]

Thanks for all of the tips gents! I actually wanted the 617 but my dealer said ordering anything right now is a joke,
they are getting quotes of 18-24 months from distributors so they had this beauty in their case and I had to take it home.
I have Ballistol lying around so I'll likely start with that. Excellent info on the lead build up issue too. Guess we'll see how
anal I want to get about keeping this gun pristine ;-)

I also just bought a very nice condition S&W 625-8 today to replace the 625 I had a few years ago and had to sell in a divorce.
I loved that gun so this will be a good replacement. Smiths are great guns. My daily carry is a Shield and it too has been a trooper
for the 6 years I've been carrying it.

 

[P5 Guy]

Made in 1959 and still shooting fine.
I brush out the cylinder and barrel with KROIL and a couple of dry patches. A rub down with a silicone cloth removes fingerprints
.

 

[loneviking]

My Model 17 dates back to 1946. It had sat in a safe, mostly unfired, for decades so it was a gooey mess inside. For deep cleaning I use an ultrasonic cleaner with the purple Simple Green solution. Thirty minutes at 120 degrees and the gun was as clean as the day it left the factory.
For regular cleaning I use Hoppes #9, and I don’t worry about the cylinder face.

 

[Tallball]

I have mostly blued revolvers. This is how I was taught to clean them about 40 years ago, and I still do it the same way.

I clean out the barrel, chambers, and anything I can reach with the cylinder unyoked with Hoppes #9. I run patches through the barrel and cylinders until they're clean and wipe everything else likewise with patches until it's clean.

I give the cylinder face a few good scrubs so that it won't build up walls of debris around the ends of the cylinders, but that's it for cleaning the cylinder face. It doesn't matter if it looks kind of gray. It seems like rubbing those things for 15 minutes every time you take the gun shooting would wear the finish eventually, but I'll never find out.

I pay careful attention to cleaning the area under the extractor star. I lubricate the extractor rod with a drop or two of light oil and work the extractor a dozen or so times.

Then I wipe the revolver down with an oily rag and start on the next one.

 

[Ethan Verity]

As others said Ballistol is fine, that's what I use on my black powder guns and it does the job well.

For smokeless, I prefer Seal1 CLP, it does an awesome job!

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

My Model 17 dates back to 1946. It had sat in a safe, mostly unfired, for decades so it was a gooey mess inside. For deep cleaning I use an ultrasonic cleaner with the purple Simple Green solution. Thirty minutes at 120 degrees and the gun was as clean as the day it left the factory.
For regular cleaning I use Hoppes #9, and I don’t worry about the cylinder face.

Howdy loneviking

You are probably aware of this, but if your 'Model 17' dates back to 1946, it is not a Model 17. It is a K-22 Masterpiece. Smith and Wesson did not change over to model names until 1957, when the K-22 Masterpiece became the Model 17.

This K-22 Masterpiece shipped in 1950. Note that like yours it is a Five Screw smith, with a screw at the upper corner of the side plate and one in front of the trigger guard. Notice too the slightly tapered barrel and the pinned front sight.






I own a few K-22s, but only one actual Model 17, a Model 17-3 that I bought brand new in 1975 for $125. Note the lack of a screw at the top of the side plate, the non-tapered barrel, and the front sight is integral with the barrel, it has not been pinned in place.

 

[CraigC]

Shoot, wipe down, repeat as needed.

 

[loneviking]

Yep, but since they are basically the same gun, I thought I might get away with chiming in on this thread.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Yep, but since they are basically the same gun, I thought I might get away with chiming in on this thread.

Yep, basically the same revolver. I'm just an old school marm and have the irresistible urge to correct minor errors when I see them.

 

[Capybara]

A rub down with a silicone cloth removes fingerprints...
.

That is a beauty!

Do you have a link for a "Silicon cloth"? Is that just a microfiber cloth? I have tons of those laying around. Or is it something else?

 

[Capybara]

Yep, but since they are basically the same gun, I thought I might get away with chiming in on this thread.

You get a pass! ;-)

 

[.38 Special]

I'm pretty much with @CraigC on this one. With a blued .22 revolver, I wipe it down with an oily rag (WD-40, Ballistol, whatever is handy at the moment) and then put it away. If extraction ever gets sticky I'll brush out the chambers. And if it's going to stay unused for more than a few months, I'll give it a good coat of RIG grease to prevent rust.

I don't ever clean the bore - as long as you are not using bulk pack and/or copper-washed bullets, cleaning the bore does more harm than good, with a .22 revolver - and I definitely don't bother cleaning the cylinder face. I used to pop the sideplate every year or two, but have stopped doing even that, as no cleaning has ever been necessary.

 

[JJFitch]

I have shot lead almost exclusively in my revolvers for over 40 years.
For general cleaning my "secret" concoction is 50% plain kerosene, 50% mineral spirits with a little ATF added. I mix enough to fill a 1 QT spray bottle and use it like a pressure washer. The "smutz" is collected in a square cake pan.
For barrels I only use cloth patches. With properly fitting bullets there is no to very little leading.
For cylinder face I use a bronze brush.
Since you are starting with a squeeky clean gun I would use synthetic lubricants like ATF and one of the synthetic gun greases for the cylinder face. This grease make cleaning much easier.

Under no circumstances attempt to remove the side plate for cleaning unless you are totally familiar with disassembly of these "works of art". Flushing with the above "secret" cleaning solution makes detail cleaning unnecessary unless you are shooting a zillion rounds a year!

Smiles,

Shoot more, clean less!

 

[Pat Riot]

@Capybara
Nice find! You will enjoy it, I’m sure. Like Driftwood I use Hoppe’s no. 9. I don’t care for Ballistol because of the smell of it and Hoppe’s works better for me.
I have a 17-3. I clean the bore and cylinder chambers with Hoppe’s, brush, swabs and bore snake. I wipe the whole gun down with Hoppe’s and I clean it all off with a cotton rag. No paper towels or those blue shop towels on a roll. Over time they scratch.
I wipe my gun down, including grip, with Kleen Bore silicone clothes.
A little hint about the cylinder face, alway wipe the cylinder face with the silicone cloth. It seems to keep the powder residue from sticking and makes cleaning easier.
I lube the extractor rod with Mobil 1 synthetic oil. Just a little. Too much and you get to wear it on your glasses and face.
Brush out the cylinder recesses where the cartridge rim rests, if your gun has them. Keep debris from building up in the recesses. (I know I am forgetting the proper term here - I hope this explanation is adequate.)

Oh, if you have stiff extraction much too quickly, like say after a few cylinders full, you may need to polish your chambers with a .22 bore mop and some Flitz polish. This is only if you have problems getting cases out. Some higher velocity ammo will have sticking cases. I am talking about sticking that happens with every or nearly every ammo you try shooting.

Enjoy that shooter. I know I do mine.

 

[P5 Guy]

That is a beauty!

Do you have a link for a "Silicon cloth"? Is that just a microfiber cloth? I have tons of those laying around. Or is it something else?

Hoppe's Silicone Gun and Reel Cloth (gunmagwarehouse.com)

 

[PzGren]

I shot my favorite revolver at least once weekly for about ten years and wiped it clean at the range before I put the gun in its rug. It helps that the cylinder comes out and can then be easily cleaned, also the cylinder face. I use Ballistol in the 100 ml glas bottles for decades and it seems to work ...

 

[Master Blaster]

Breakfree clp works well for me on my old blued revolvers. I clean them with it and the thin lube is perfect for the closely fitted inner workings of a revolver.

When I clean one of my k22 target, or model 17 revolvers after a 100 round + range session, I swab the bore, charge holes, and front of the cylinder with break free and wipe out with qtips and or .22 patches.

Most of the crud will come out with a patch. I also wipe most of the carbon and lead off the cylinder face with a patch, for a stubborn accumulation you can use a hoppes bronze toothbrush and a couple light strokes will remove the fouling.

For all my .22lr pistols I use a home made weed whacker line pull through with a .22 patch to swab and clean the charge holes, chamber and barrel bore.

Since .22lr is a heeled lead bullet that sits over the outside of the case, you will need a .22lr brush to clean out the fouling from the cylinder holes every few hundred rounds.

It is also important to clean under the extractor and clean and lube the ratchet, I use a qtip with breakfree.

Unless you have a mechanical issue, or you are changing springs or parts there is no need to remove the side plate.

If you are going to do work on the revolver get some flat bladed flat ground screw drivers designed for revolver screws. Brownells has them.

 

[Pat Riot]

I know it was mentioned, but I will mention it again…

Don’t use Lead Away cloths on the bluing of a gun. It will remove bluing.

And chemical case hardening.
Guess how I know…

 

[J-Bar]

Vinegar damages/removes bluing. Wash your hands after eating a sandwich before handling your gun. Pickles and mayonnaise contain vinegar. Rather not say how I learned this.

 

[doubleh]

Hoppe's #9 is my go to cleaner. Can't abide the smell of ballistol. About the only thing worse to me is a dead skunk. Oil the innards and wax the outside had been my method since the late '60's and I have had no rust or bluing problems since adopting this procedure. Like already said, the cylinder face and the frame around it is clean for one shot only. Get rid of the easy stuff and don't sweat the rest.