K22 maintainability?

[Tyro]

Hello Everybody

I've been looking for a high-quality, accurate, 22LR DA revolver and, from the reviews that I've read, the S&W K22 seems to fit the bill. But seeing as these aren't produced any longer, I'm hoping for some input on their maintainability - i.e. parts and support.

My specific interest is in the pre-'full lug' Masterpiece models. I'm not looking for a show piece.

Would I be better-off going for a later model, or would it be just as easy to maintain any of the post-war versions?

thanks
David

 

[Majic]

They all basically use the same parts which can be found most anywhere.

 

[El Tejon]

Well, the 17 and 18 are among the Smith revolvers that I have NOT broken. A Henry Bowman Special is a fine choice.

Welcome to THR.

 

[Old Fuff]

With the exception of a few parts, the hammer, firing pin and firing pin spring being examples; the internal parts in a K-22 are identical to the parts used in other K-frame revolvers.

The S&W K-22 revolvers don't have a reputation for having problems, and most that happen are because of neglect or abuse. With reasonable care the gun will outlast you.

 

[Onmilo]

As stated, the K-22s rarely break anything except firing pins from neglect and mishandling.

The guns are .22 rimfires built on a frame that can handle pressures in the .357 magnum range so wearing anything out from, well, wear, is pretty hard to accomplish.

There are oodles of used K-22s out there, they aren't too hard to find but you will pay good money to own one and for good reason.
Like any really good gun, they are worth their weight in cash paid to own them.

 

[aka108]

Bought a brand new K-22 when I was 14. $65.00 hard earned bucks. That was 56 years ago. Never any problems but it has had excellent maintenance over the years and has been used on a regular basis. Couldn't even guess how many thousands of rounds have gone down the bbl.

 

[Tyro]

good to hear - thanks for all of the responses.

Were these pretty consistent in their manufacturing quality, or are there eras to avoid (e.g. the 70's seem to have been the dog years for a lot of guns)?

* I don't mind paying for quality. I do get the idea that there's a healthy collectors market for the better rimfire revolvers (e.g. the K22 and Colt Officers Models). But the prices that I've seen for decent shooters aren't too bad.

 

[jad0110]

As others have said, replacement parts are plentiful but you are unlikely to need any of them. I did have to replace two parts on my K-22 / 17-0 that were causing 1/40 light strikes in DA firing: the mainspring and mainspring strain screw. The OEM parts cost $15 with shipping from Numrichs (www.e-gunparts.com) and was super easy to install and gun works perfectly now.

FYI: Keep in mind that other replacement parts (ie, the DA Sear, hand, cylinder bolt, hammer, rebound slide, etc) require hand fitting by a competent gunsmith.

Do be sure to check the charge holes for peening - evidence of excessive dry firing. The K-22 is a fine shooter that will give you years of trouble free enjoyment and will only appreciate in value.

Were these pretty consistent in their manufacturing quality, or are there eras to avoid (e.g. the 70's seemed to have been the dog years for a lot of guns)?

S&W, like everyone else, turns out lemons once in a while, even in the good old days. Even if they did make a few more turds in the 70s than at any other time, there are plenty of good guns from that period. Just use the revolver checkout procedure at the top of the revolver forum, on any new or used gun you buy.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Were these pretty consistent in their manufacturing quality, or are there eras to avoid (e.g. the 70's seemed to have been the dog years for a lot of guns)?

In general, the older, the better.

 

[SaxonPig]

What's to maintain? My .22 Combat Masterpiece was shipped in July of 1951 and it still works great with no sign of any repairs ever having been made.

 

[Tyro]

Thanks for the tip on that check-out article.

Unfortunately I haven't found a K22 in my area and so will likely need to have one shipped to a local FFL holder. But I'll be sure to look for a seller who offers an inspection period.

SaxonPig: that's one thing that I've noticed about most of the K22s that I've seen for sale online - they don't show tool marks (e.g. screw slot damage). They'll often have the standard pattern of holster wear, but don't appear to have been fiddled with too much.

 

[Old Fuff]

... that's one thing that I've noticed about most of the K22s that I've seen for sale online - they don't show tool marks (e.g. screw slot damage). They'll often have the standard pattern of holster wear, but don't appear to have been fiddled with too much.

Very good! One of the first things you should check out on any gun you might buy is the condition of the screws. Beware of burred slots.

Most of the "tinkered" guns you see are in center-fire chamberings that some dumb-dude has done a "combat action tune" on. They are best passed over unless you have, or can get, the parts to fix them.

K-22 owners for the most part simply shot their guns in the single-action mode, which as a rule don't need any improvement, so fortunately they won't be buggered up.

 

[TonyT]

With reasonable care, I doubt that you could wear out a K-22 in your lifetime.

 

[runninmike]

I had one M18 that the hammer finally broke off after a gazillion shots.
I wouldn't worry too much about that though, like I said, it was a gazillion shots, and it's full target width hammer probably attributed to the breakage. It still worked fine, it was just temporarily a bobbed job and was very cheap to fix. They are the bestest of the best in my opinion for a .22.
Best-MC

 

[Tyro]

What had actually motivated me to inquire was some earlier research that I'd done on the Colt Officers Model Target/Match 22s. From what I'd picked-up these, and older Colts generally, can be difficult to find parts and smithing services for.

So I figured that it would be a good idea to inquire on the K22s, just in case. But I get the idea that this isn't nearly as much of an issue.


thanks again for all of the feedback.

 

[Onmilo]

It isn't difficult to find parts for old double action Colt's.
What is hard is finding a gunsmith who is willing to do the fitting involved to replace parts on an old Colt for a price that won't send the customer screaming in shock!

About 12 months ago I replaced the hand in a Colt .38 Lightning revolver, timed the gun and got it working again.
Total cost, parts and labor, $285.00 and that is about a third the total value of the gun.
Most guys say no.

 

[Old Fuff]

Lockwork parts in Colt revolvers were always hand fitted. Also within a certain model changes were sometimes made over the years. The parts themselves were made oversized at certain fit points so the final assembler - a highly skilled and experienced person - could remove a little metal to get an exact fit.

While finding a part may or may not be difficult, getting one that is (1) new, and (2) made during the same era as the revolver, is not always easy, and is often expensive. Most of the available parts are ones that have been removed from a scrapped gun, and thus pre-fitted to that gun. This being the case, trying to get them to work in another one may not be successful.

As a rule of thumb, post-war Colt double-action revolvers are easier to find parts for. As you go back into the pre-war years the situation changes. On the more positive side, many out-of-time guns can be fixed without replacling parts. My favorite example is an old 1920's Army Special, that was badly out of time because of a sprung crane. I repaired it by hitting the cylinder with a hammer... Well maybe that isn't the whole story...

Repairing antique Colt's, such as the models 1877 and 1878 are a whole different issue, with unique factors onto themselves. They are far harder and more costly to deal with then later models.

The observation that gunsmiths that are experienced in working on these guns is entirely correct - but a few are left.

People who have shot these revolvers know that they can be outstandingly accurate, and for that reason I often enjoy them, and on occasion use them in place of other brands. But a new buyer needs to take into consideration the whole overall picture. The availability of parts and gunsmiths should be part of that overview.

 

[bakert]

Maintainability?? I won this well worn and pretty dinged up model 17 made in 1959 years ago in a raffle. Apparently the grip part of the frame has been bent some because regular grips don't quite fit right. I cleaned it up and have been shooting it as is for nigh on 30 years now. It's not as pretty as many but never a problem and it still shoots better than I can hold it.

 

[LAH]

Like some of the above, my M-17 has been shot & shot plus it's been dry fired many, many times for years and years. The little sixshooter still performs as new.........Creeker

 

[Tyro]

Like some of the above, my M-17 has been shot & shot plus it's been dry fired many, many times for years and years.

That brings-up another question. Someone else had mentioned peening resulting from dry-firing.

LAH how many is 'many many'? - do you dry fire for training?

What's the rule of thumb on dry firing w/ revolvers? - I'm guessing that the best bet is to use dummy rounds if you're going to dry fire frequently.

 

[Old Fuff]

They make snap-caps in .22 RF, and its a good idea to use them no matter how much you dry-fire. Other then possible damage to the chambers, firing pin and firing pin spring there is no reason not to dry fire the revolver. Snap-caps will take care of those issues.

 

[LAH]

Tyro I guess Old Fuff is correct 'bout snap caps & I'll get some. Now to your question: LAH how many is 'many many'? - do you dry fire for training?

Many many= Untold thousands.

I used the little sixgun for NRA events so trigger control was practiced by dry firing on a penny taped to the frig. White frig, copper penny, black sights, it doesn't get much better. The idea came from Geroge Nonte'. I've done hours of this with not only the S&W but also Ruger Single Six.

The little Smith has been dry fired DA at the same target for much the same amount. It's snap, snap, snap. I know some say don't do it & I'll not speak against them. All I know is after near 25 years my little 22 Smith still fires every time. The same for my Ruger though it's now 33 years old.

I dry fired a M-29 for 8 years and my 45 Blackhawk for over 30. No snap caps in any of them. Has damage occurred? Not that I can tell but still I'm going to purchase some snap caps..........Creeker

 

[jad0110]

Apparently the grip part of the frame has been bent some because regular grips don't quite fit right.

bakert,

Stupid question perhaps: Is the grip frame visibly bent, or could it just be that the grips got wet with water, oil, etc at some point in the gun's lifetime and warped them, before you won it? I'm no Fuff, but I would think that a bent grip frame would do some pretty crummy stuff to other parts of the gun - it would seem to me that the mainspring would be racked a little and that in and of itself would cause some trigger quality issues.

Nice prize by the way!

Here's mine (also 1959, a 17-0), I won it for $430!
Not a raging deal, but pretty fair given the market for guns in this condition:

 

[bakert]

jad0110, That's one fine looking revolver you have there.
As for my old gun, I've tried a number of different K frame grips and they just don't quite fit right. Years ago I talked to the guy that raffled it off. He thought it maybe had fallen from the back of a truck before he got it but wasn't sure. You can't tell by looking at it so it's not bent very much. Why anyone would leave a gun on a truck bed I don't know, but some people do strange things with guns. For a buck in the raffle, the gun was cheap enough, everything works as it should, and like I said the sucker does shoot well and it's been shot a lot.

 

[Onmilo]

If the angles aren't deceiving in that photograph, then that grip frame is definitely bent!
Here is mine from the other side and similar grips to compare.