S&W Model 53 22 JET
I am looking for inserts for this gun,it has 22 mag. on the barrel. I was told that this means that this gun was made in the first year of production. If you have any info. on this gun or can help I would be very greatful.
Edited by - adam on 10/25/2002 11:47:57
Edited by - adam on 10/25/2002 11:47:57
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Any one have/had one, if so what are your thoughts on it? How many lr rounds can be fired thru the inserts? How rare is jet ammo? Thanks.
Todd0 -
That would be Model "53".
Try placing a Wanted To Buy here on GunBroker.
Saw a couple sets (separate from gun) in Tulsa, last weekend.0 -
adam, your revolver has an interesting history. After WWII there was condiserable interest in small caliber, high velocity cartridges for both rifle and handguns. If you know anything about the history of the Armalite AR-15 you are probably aware of the rifle side of the story. There were also a number of attempts to develope such a high velocity handgun cartridge. Early attempts were made by using the .22 Hornet or M1 Carbine cartridges. A few of these designs reached production, but none were very successful. The old Kimball automatic was a prime example.
Back in 1960 Remington and S&W teamed up to design a pistol cartridge that would function in the S&W K Frame revolver. The result was the .22 Jet. It was quickly matched up to the K frame and introduced in around 1961. Interestingly, at about the same time Winchester came out with its own HV cartridge, the .256 and Remington also introduced the .221 Fireball for it XP-100 bolt action pistol. It looked like the small caliber HV cartridges were going to take over from the .30 cal., in both rifle and handguns. Of course we know now that this did not happen.
I have an early S&W list (1969) for your revolver: .22 "JET" Model 53.
Barrel: 4,6, or 8-3/8". Sights, front: 1/8" Boughman Quick Draw or plain ramp. Rear, S&W Micrometer click. Stocks: checkered wanut w/S&W monograms (the line drawing show the desireable "diamond grips"). Finish: S&W blue. Price: $132. You could add another $33 for the .22 auxiliary cylinder which was fitted to the pistol and was not a "drop-in" item. 6 .22 rim fire inserts were provided with each pistol. The last listing I have is from 1973 and shows a modest price hike to $144. Sources claim that around 14,000 of these Model 53 were produced until production ended in around 1974.
These are interesting pitols, but there were problems. First off the ammuntion was expensive and most people used it to fire .22 rim fires, sort of defeating the purpose of the pistol and making it a VERY expensive .22. At this time you could purchase a S&W Model 17 for around a hundred bucks so the extra $65 for pistol and extra cylinder was a considersble bite. The other problem was with the centerfire ammo itself. It was soon discovered that upon firing, the
cases had a nasty habbit of setting back and binding the cylinder. You had to keep both the chambers and the ammo VERY clean to avoid this. Any lubricant present would also cause the same problem so both the ammo and the chambers had to be perfectly dry as well. All and all these are interesting pistols and there is some collector interest. I hope this information helps you.
Mark T. Christian0 -
Inserts for a Model 53 are scarce and expensive. They would be relatively easy to make on a lathe, but would not be genuine.
The Model 53 is the "real" .22 Magnum, which is why it says so on the barrel (not ".22 mag." as I recall)! As far as I know, all Models 53 were marked the same way throughout production. That other round is the .22WMR (.22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire) and pales by comparison.
The .22 Jet is basically a .357 Magnum case necked down to .222 caliber. The .222 bore is why the Model 53 is more accurate with .22 rimfire than the revolvers chambered in .22 WMR when used with .22LR, which have a larger bore.
An early M53 will be a four-screw. Is that what Adam has?0 -
I sent my 53 back to Smith to get the 22 rimfire cylinder fitted. The inserts are a pain to use when plunking.
I also have used 357 cases for the Jet when the brass got hard to get.
Great pistol and mine is a 6" barrel.
"If you ain't got pictures, I wasn't there."0 -
Alpine, how long ago was it that you had the cylinder fitted? It is my understanding that Smith will no longer do that. Obviously, that is the ideal, and I am fortunate to have factory-fitted .22LR cylinders for my Models 53. The inserts are really a pain as stated. 0 -
It doesn't seem that long ago, but when you are as old as I am.....
I guess it was over 15 years ago.
"If you ain't got pictures, I wasn't there."0 -
Alpine, only 15 years ago? I have socks older than that!
I do not think you can still buy .22LR cylinders for the Model 53, but I have not inquired in the last decade or so. Has anybody?0 -
Dr. Pig, the K-22 cylinder is a standard length cylinder, unlike the Magnum-length cylinder used on K-frame Magnums like the Models 19 and 53. A K-22 cylinder would have a BIG gap between the cylinder front face and the forcing cone!
That is why the issue of .22LR cylinders for the Model 53 is not easily solved if Smith no longer sells them, which I believe is the case. When is the last time anyone saw a .22LR cylinder for sale for a Model 53?0 -
Dr. Pig., I THINK the Model 48 has a chambering designation of ".22 M.R.F" (for .22 Magnum Rimfire) stamped on the barrel. Perhaps someone with a Model 48 at hand can confirm or correct that recollection. That designation is actually a misnomer since Winchester originated the round and named it .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire, or WMR for short. Most people just call it a .22 Magnum, but, as I said, that is really the name for the .22 Jet. 0
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