I just bought a Smith and Wesson K22

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Min

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Made in 1952, it seems to be in pretty good shape mechanically, with a good bore. There is some bluing wear but no pitting. I got it for $380 out the door at a pawn shop.

My question is, is it safe to shoot the higher velocity ammo like the CCI Stingers without causing excess wear to the gun? Or should I shoot standard velocity ammo?

Thanks.
k221au5.jpg


k222pm9.jpg
 
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Congrats on the purchase. My K22 was built a few years before yours and I love it. $380 sounds like a great price for the condition you describe. Unless someone here, like Old Fuff or Xavier Breath, reveals something I don't know I see no reason you couldn't shoot high velocity stuff in it. It's an all steel post WWII K Frame; the chamber walls, forcing cone, and barrel are absolutely massive for a .22 LR. I don't see how anyone could wear one out short of neglect and abuse.
 
K-22 Ammo

Your K-22 is designed to shoot high velocity ammunition.That is why the cylinders are recessed (for the cartridge rims).;)
 
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I agree with the above posters - HV ammo sould not be a problem but you may find it shoots standard velocity better, try different brands and see what works best for your revolver.
 
K22 revolvers are built on K frames with the same internals as the .38s and .357s excepting the firing pin and Smith is using that type of set-up on their new centerfire revolvers with good results, so,,,,.

I doubt there is a .22 rimfire stout enough to damage one, you might blow a casehead, I doubt it, but you might, still won't hurt the revolver.

Underpowered loads can stick a bullet in the bore and this can lead to a ring in the bore if another cartridge is fired.
Go ahead and shoot the Stingers so say I.
 
id say that u will have a hard time wearing that pistol out if u shoot it every day for the rest of your life. my k-22 started with my great grandfather and worked its way down to me, and its still chugging right along. accuracy will likely be better with standard velocity loads, however.
 
You have a tapered barrel version like mine.
Mine was made in 1949 and has digested more than its' fair share of Stingers, Expeditors, and Mini Mags.
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You won't have any problems shooting any 22LR ammo through that revolver. Shoot it and enjoy it. There is another active thread and this is exactly the revolver he needs to find as well. Congratulatios on your find and purchase. You have obtained one of the best 22 revolvers available.
 
Congratulations! I shoot more rounds through mine than any other gun I own and close to all my other handguns put together.
I have never had any issues in shooting any .22lr out of mine. Singers, Vipers, Bulk box, Eley target, they all function safely without problem. Onmilo's caution on the squib is spot on, I've had one of those with Remington bulk pack that drove the bullet a couple of inches down the barrel. If I had fired another round behind it, I may have damaged the gun.
 
You got a deal Min! A five screw K-22 for $380.......Hotdog!

Yep, you can shoot high velocity ammo with impunity.

Your grips should be diamond magnas. I'd just get a pair of diamond magnas off ebay or at a gun show if I were you. Then sell off the target grips to compensate, and maybe buy a Tyler T adapter.

Only one thing to consider. The cylinder is heavier than a .38 special or a .357 cylinder, as the chambers are smaller. It has a lot of momentum. I have seen an overly large proportion of K-22 cylinders with firing pin marks on the backside. The timing will still be fine, but the evidence is present of the revolver firing out of time.

I do not think the revolver's lock work is any less weak, but I think folks have a tendency to fire the revolver as fast as they can, and a lot more in quantity due to the low price of ammunition. The combination of a lot of rapid firing and the heavier cylinder seem to be the problem. There is no documentation on this that I know of, but it is something I have seen over the past few years of looking at these guns.

You're gonna love this gun, and learn why they are snapped up so quickly when they hit the market.

Can I post a pic of mine?

Model17ssmall.gif
 
Min

Congrats. You have the ultimate 22 revolver and for a great price. I would not worry about shooting any 22 ammo in this gun. K-22s are way overbuilt for that cartridge. Welcome to the club.

k22s.jpg
 
You have a good piece of equipment and I am sure that you will have lots of challenging fun with it.

Hi velocity won't be a problem. The most consistent 22 rf ammunition that I am aware of is CCI Mini Mag.

Velocity wise, I seem to remember that the CCI Mini Mag in a handgun is roughly equal to Std Velocity CCI Mini Group in a rifle.

Congratulations on your purchase...you picked a good one.

salty
 
I shot the K22 today. Wow- it shoots wonderfully. The action is crisp and tight. I have fallen in love with this gun. Two 550 bulk packs of Federal ammo at Walmart set me back $20, but allowed for hours of fun.
 
Congratulations! I have a 1947 K-22 that would be the last firearm I would ever part with. I took the original serial number matched grips off mine and stored them in the safe. It now wears a pair of target grips like the ones you have and I find it much easier to shoot. Mine was out of time on one cylinder from 55 years of shooting. A trip back to S&W put it right (they returned the original hand) and it should be good to go for another half century. It's the one gun that gets shot on every trip to the range. It's amazing how quickly you can go through 550 rounds loading them 6 at a time.

For a fee, $50 I think, you can get a letter from S&W that will tell you where it was originally shipped and to whom.
 
My very first handgun was a K-22 and it ate everything. In my early 20's I got incredibly stupid and sold it so I could take my girl out on the town. Today I have neither. Congradulations on the purchase. The photo you posted brought tears to my eyes and I'm not thinking about the girl. SOB! SOB!
 
There are some beautiful revolvers in this thread. I really need to pick up a K-22 to go with my Model 18.
 
I do not think the revolver's lock work is any less weak, but I think folks have a tendency to fire the revolver as fast as they can, and a lot more in quantity due to the low price of ammunition. The combination of a lot of rapid firing and the heavier cylinder seem to be the problem. There is no documentation on this that I know of, but it is something I have seen over the past few years of looking at these guns.
Click to expand...

XB,

Makes perfect sense to me. My aerospace engineer father would most certainly agree with your assessment.

I took the original serial number matched grips off mine and stored them in the safe.
Click to expand...

Same thing I did, except I put on a set of Ahrends that I stained myself. Also, for those of you with the orginal diamond magnas, especially those with serial numbers that match the gun (like mine did), it might be a good idea to remove them while cleaning. They will soon be too valuable to risk damaging with harsh solvents. Heck, I always remove wood grips when cleaning, classics or not.

Min,

$380 for a 1952 5 screw? Yeah, I'd say you did REAL good! That pawn shop owner didn't know what he had. That is one really cool thing about classic revolvers in general. You get some ignorant types that will take one look and think "old man gun" and price it accordingly. I recently saw a very good condition Model 28-2 4" for $350 (EDIT: it may have been 399, come to think of it). I'm still kicking myself for not buying it on the spot :banghead:.

Anyway, I paid $430 for my 4 screw 17-0, made in '59. It's in 98-99% condition. A fair price according to the book, but a raging deal when you consider the price of bulk packs at wal-mart and that new S&W 617s sell for nearly $600.

Here's some pictures of my K-22 to add to all the other fine specimens here:


K22_12-1.jpg

IMG_1569.jpg

IMG_1605.jpg

IMG_1609.jpg
 
$380 for a 1952 5 screw? Yeah, I'd say you did REAL good! That pawn shop owner didn't know what he had. That is one really cool thing about classic revolvers in general. You get some ignorant types that will take one look and think "old man gun" and price it accordingly. I recently saw a very good condition Model 28-2 4" for $350 (EDIT: it may have been 399, come to think of it). I'm still kicking myself for not buying it on the spot
Click to expand...

jad0110,

The price tag in the pawn shop was $459 before tax, but I talked him into $380 out the door. How did I do that? It helps that I had an envelope of cash with me, and I basically started out with: "I can give you $300 in cash right now!"

Pawn shop owner: "Sorry, can't do that. I'll take $400 out the door."

Me: "How about $350 out the door?"

Owner: "No, sorry."

Me: "$360 and I have the cash right here. It would be a done deal now."

Owner, after some thought: "Make it $380 out the door and it's yours."

Me: "Thank you, Sir. You just got a sale."
 
My K-22 is from 1947, $400 from a buddy. Best triger that I have ever felt. It would be the last of my revolvers to go. I do NEED a model 18.
 
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