I picked up my Model 34 yesterday and guess what - it's not a 34-1 as I had previously posted (and as auctioned), it's a no-dash AND according to SCSW it's serial number (62,6**) makes it an I frame, rather than a J frame (began at 70,000). And it shoots! I put a cylinder full of 5 or 6 different kinds of ammo through it on the way home and all were 'minute of grouse' at 20 ft. It liked the Stingers best. I'll put up some pics as soon as I find some new batteries for my camera; meanwhile here is one from the auction. Funny how a .22 can be so satisfying.

Very nice find , I shoot more 22 now then ever, mainly because I don't have to pick up the brass after shooting

Measured the cylinder and it is indeed 1.32" long, so it is an I frame. Sweet little gun. I can't seem to take a decent photo today, but here's one more anyway.

I also picked up a 34 with no dash a couple of years ago that wasn't quite what it was listed as being. It had a set of Herritt target grips on it and the person who put the serial number down used the assembly number on the inside of the yoke, which made no sense when looking up serial number. I took the grips off and the serial number was 54,***! It is what they call an Improved I Frame. I had it lettered and it was shipped in 1962, so shipped a bit late for I frames, but Smith uses up all parts, wasting nothing. It would be interesting to see when yours shipped. Mine is a 4" square butt variety and shoots great.

According to the SCSW 1959 ended with 62,316 and for 1960 70,000 is listed. The Model 34 description states that the kit gun went to a J frame at 70,000. So, from this I presume early 1960.

Nice snag, now let's see you do it again. You've obviously got the touch!
TACC1

Nice 34! I don't know about you, but I shoot 22 more than any other caliber, so it makes sense to me to get excited about a new 22 firearm purchase. I'm always on the hunt to add another one to the stable.

Congratulations!
That is one nice little gun!

My 34 with 4" barrel surprised me quite a bit when I first took it to the range.



22's are great fun.
Enjoy it!

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anton

Very nice score! Congratulations.

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David Wilson

Nice little .22!

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Misty

Very nice "shooter"!!!

Question. I understand the measuring of the cylinder and all, but I thought the I vs. J frame was identifiable by looking at the size/length of the trigger guard?

Am I mistaken? I do not own very many of the older small frame guns and would like to know what to look for...or do I always need to put a tape on the cylinder?

The trigger guard on the pictured gun looks like the one on my early 60s M36...and I had assumed it was a J-frame.

Thanks.

Bob

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"Onward thru the Fog"

I have been looking for an older snub like that.
They are hard to find around here.

On the J frames the dash numbers do not always coincide to an engineering change! On the 22/32 Kit Guns the -1 is the change to the J frame. Your gun is probably an "improved I frame" meaning, it has a coil type main spring(no screw in front of the grip frame).



Is your box a sun burst box? That is like the 2" box in my pic.
jcelect SWCA#LM723

I just had this old thread brought to my attention, and it illustrates some confusion about Improved I frames, Model 1953 (Pre Model 34s), Mod 34s and J frames.

The frame size is determined by the main frame cylinder window length, not the trigger guard and grip frame length. There are versions of both I frames with the 'I size' small TG and short GF and with the 'full-size J' large TG and long GF. Also there are J frames (Baby J) with the 'I size' small TG and short GF and with the 'J size' large TG and long GF.

Here are a few pix to help illustrate the differences between "I", "Improved I, New I frames and "J" frame revolvers:

Top gun shows what an I frame and Improved I frame looks like. 'Improved I's can also have a ramped front sight with ribbed barrel on the late versions.

Bottom Kit Gun is a Model of 1953 "New I frame" (the true Pre-Models). It has the I frame size main frame and cyl length, but full size J frame size trigger guard and grip frame length (round butt is 1/8" longer, sq butt is an additional 5/32” longer). Note the amount of uncheckered wood below the checkering field.




This photo is a comparison of a Model 63 22/32 Kit Gun "J-Frame" (top), and a Model of 1953 "New I-Frame" (Pre-Model 34) or Model 34 22/32 Kit Gun, (bottom). Same size trigger guards and grip frames, but note the differences in frame length in front of the trigger guard, also compare the cylinder length and cyl window length.



Hope these photos help,

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Jim
S&WCA #819

So Jim, not that I would ever expect to see one, but was there a round TG, short cylinder, short GF version of the Kit Gun? In short, just an I-frame with a coil spring? I think one of those frames (but in 32 of course) passed through my hands (#" barrel maybe??) a couple of years ago, but I am still trying to sort out what I know about the 22s.

Your amphibian phriend

My Emerald phriend,

That's an excellent question! You're describing an "Improved I frame" (coil spring) Kit Gun and to my knowledge none were produced. I've seen several "Transitional I frame" (leaf spring) Kit Guns and some with shipping dates clear up into 1954.

I've never seen or even heard of an "Improved I frame" (coil spring) Kit Gun and therefore I'm convinced with very high confidence that Kit Guns skipped that evolutionary stage and evolved directly to the "Model of 1953 'NEW' I frame" with coil spring!

However the .32 and 38 S&W Improved I frames w/coil spring are very common and far out number their Transitional I frames w/leaf spring ancestors. It was about midway in the Improved I frame production that the round front sight on 3 1/4" & 4 1/4" barrels were changed to 3" & 4" ribbed barrels with ramp front sights.

The standardized ribbed barrel lengths w/ramp sight were of course carried into the Model of 1953 New I frame, Model # I frame production and to this day on the J frames.

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Jim
S&WCA #819