So, I just bought a new 617 yesterday to compliment a 66-8 that I bought a few months ago. I shoot about 125-150 rds about once a week with the 66, and I like the idea of having the .22 to improve my shooting skills in a platform that’s very similar and a bit cheaper to shoot.
I took the 617 out this morning and put 500 rds of Blazer std velocity through it, and I was pleased with how well the gun performed. Sights were close enough that I’m not moving them until I try some different ammo and settle into what the gun likes. I had no trouble with keeping rounds on paper at 20 yds and by the time I was done I was knocking down plates on the rack at a nice pace from 10 and 15 yds. Overall, I’m very pleased with the gun. My concerns started when I came home and started to clean it.
As you can tell from the pics she got pretty filthy. I found out pretty fast it’s going to take a bit longer and a bit more elbow grease than I’m used to with centerfire revolvers to get this thing clean. What I found, and I think you should be able to see in the pics, is a bit of lead buildup around where the barrel meets the frame. I’m used to a tiny amount on my 66 just below the barrel/forcing cone that usually comes right off with a bronze brush (shooting 125gr blue bullet reloads). This is a bit more than I’m used to. I used Ballistol and Hoppes and a bronze brush and got the majority off, but you can see the tight areas where I just couldn’t get it all.
My question is is this an unusual amount of lead buildup for 500 rds? Also, if any of you have similar experiences, what do you use to clean off the lead buildup? I thought about a dental pic or something similar. Any and all help is greatly appreciated!
