Hello all
I've recently picked up my first K22, Well I guess its a Pre K22 Serial number is K154xxx. Anyway, my question is are these old 22s meant to shoot a lower velocity 22 ammo? My rear sight is set all the way down and the thing shoots 4-6 inches high with standard velocity 22 ammo. Any help is appreciated

At what distance? Are you shooting over a solid rest? What sight picture are you using?

Randy

Welcome to the forum. You can always raise the target.
LOL Just kidding.
22 guns, both rifle and handgun can be very ammo particular. The K-22s, which you have, are designed to use either type of ammo. I would try several different brands in standard and High Velocity.
I would try a two hand hold, shooting it from a rest with your forearms resting on the support. I'll bet the more time you spend with it, those groups will tighten up and drop down.

Hi sorry for the lack of info. shooting at 25 yards two hand hold using a 6 o clock hold on the bull. probably shot 100 rounds out of it, all hit high.

oh, and the gun shoots amazingly well. one of the reasons it took so long to pick one up was that in all my wisdom, or lack there of, I thought for sure no way they could shoot as good as an auto. with all the cylinder jump, minor variance between cylinders all that stuff. but damn its really a shooter.

You might try different ammo and keep the targets to compare. I bought a 617 with a red ramp sight that shot low and when I checked my other K17s, found the ramp was a good bit taller. I ordered a new front Patridge sight (which is what they shipped with) and fixed the issue.

If you can, measure the rear sight height, and the front sight height. Its not real easy with a caliper by eyeball, but you can get close. It could be that either the front or rear sights have been changed. Also the rear sight leaf windage screw should be flat, if it is rounded, it has been changed.

Without running my rear leaf sight out, I measured, roughly, my rear sight to be about 0.124 and the front sight from the ramp to top of Patridge sight to be 0.138. If your numbers are close, then you may have other issues.

I have also seen a chart of rear sight heights for various Smith models, but can't find it now. That might be something to search for.

__________________
Richard Gillespie
FBINA 102

They are certainly more happy with standard velocity ammo. My 1949 vintage seems to do well with Federal Auto Match from the bulk pack. I regard this as a sort of Standard Velocity Plus.

As for your sights, we all see our sights a little differently, but if you are using a six o’clock hold, I would think with your rear sight fully bottomed out, it should do better than that. Your rear sight blade itself may be too high… they came in about 4 or 5 heights, and it’s possible yours somehow got switched. Somewhere on this forum I seem to remember seeing a posting with suggested blade heights for various calibers and barrel heights.

Froggie

PS It looks like Richard types faster than I do.

4-6 inches above point of aim for point of impact at 25 yards should have you in the black of a standard 25 yard bullseye target I would think. If you were expecting center of black and you are 4-6 inches above that then something is amiss. Shouldn’t be that much difference based on what ammo you use, meaning a change in ammo won’t make enough difference if the point of impact is that far off.
Check to make sure the little screw that secures the rear sight to the frame ( forward portion of the rear sight rib) I have had a few loosen over the years and it is possible that could do it.

My thought, too. A six o'clock hold is standard for bullseye shooting but I would expect to have some adjustment in both directions to allow for grip, eyesight, and ammo differences.

If this were a current production gun, I would say to put a taller front sight on it; but this one is too old and collectable for that.

Congratulations on finding a K 22 (or "pre") that groups well. They certainly tend to do that, with small dispersion if well held and decent ammo. Though these days anything that is not a hyper velocity is, I suppose, acceptable. Back in the day, standard velocity was generally used. (Tho I remember remember my father in 1949 picking up Super X for "our" new Savage 3 D single shot rifle)

I have bought used revolvers in the past which had had their front sights filed as, despite no apparent recoil, prior owner apparently was a flincher. Just a small possibility. Hope not.

May that revolver serve you well for years to come!

Methinks it would be beneficial to get back to basics-----that in addition to making sure everything is copacetic with your equipment----and do that first. If/when all's good with the gun, then perhaps we should clarify just what a six o'clock hold on the "bull" means----the X ring(?)----the 10 ring(?)-----the bottom of the black stuff in the middle of the target (?) ??????????? Then somebody needs to tell us what to expect from a (STOCK) K-22 of that vintage. My K-22 from way back when (#K253444, mid '50's), and I (also way back when) put everything in the 10 ring at 25 yards, shooting standard velocity, seated, with two hands and a proper rest, aiming at the bottom of the black stuff in the middle of the target. I have no idea where the sights were set, except that was job one----zero the sights at whatever the distance.

As an aside, if you're doing this shooting standing on your hind legs, I'm inclined to suggest you have no idea what your gun's doing----------unless you're one of those super stars.

Ralph Tremaine

Well a lot of good info here. I think tomorrow ill try and get to the range and do some testing. I'm kind of new here so maybe ill take a camera and get some pics, if nothing more than to figure out how to post them.

If all else fails and your gun is shooting high but the rear sight is bottomed out, you could file the rear sight down. Get a fine file and only take a little bit off it at a time. That should definately solve your problem.

The problem with that plan is it will get him shooting even higher.

Edited....

Sorry, reading late at night is hard. I thought you said front sight. Please disregard my idiocy.

Apologies if you're an experienced, long time shooter. I don't mean to be insulting. But I suggest checking the basics before you modify your revolver. Can we assume you're using the six o'clock hold and sight alignment as shown in the attached pic? Sight alignment makes a huge difference in point of impact.

Also, shooting from a rest or bags will help eliminate shooter influence on point of impact. Rest you wrist on the bags, not the revolver's frame or barrel. Hold the gun just as you would standing on your hind legs with the same grip force. Just use the rest to stabilized your arm.

Best of luck - it will be interesting to hear the next report.

Attached Images

6 o'clock hold.jpeg (8.8 KB, 2 views)

nope i cut the black circle in half

I have a Model 17 that I bought new in the '70s. Reasonably accurate with with CCI SV, but point of impact is about 3"-4" high at 25 yards with the rear sight bottomed out. I shoot Bullseye style with one hand. However, using a a two-handed hold will bring the point of impact down.

A good benchrest setup is great for checking accuracy at 25 or 50 yards, but don't zero from a benchrest. Point of impact will usually be lower and always different from the stance you normally use to shoot.

Cutting the black circle in half (at 25 yards----and shooting way high) is very likely exactly what any and all K-22's will do with the rear sight bottomed out----except for the first one (first model)---from the 1930's. Those guns came with sights you can adjust to light matches and drive nails---and murder Bumblebees. (I personally have murdered Bumblebees with such revolvers.) The only way you're going to murder any Bumblebees with a post-war sight is to be the beneficiary of pure dumb luck. Now you can scare the wits out of a Bumblebee if he/she happens to be within whatever the distance is that one click of a post-war sight moves point of impact, but that's it---and it's what you get when you settle for "clicks"-------and "close enough".

Ralph Tremaine

And the comments of "MajorD" below-----about having some adjustment left are very likely more accurate than mine about the sight being "bottomed out".

So you are trying to use a center mass hold. Try the 6 o’clock hold shown above but having said that you should still have some adjustment left. You should not have to “ hold off” with an adjustable sighted gun

cld1911, we were using different terms... what you describe as "splitting the circle" is what I generally call a "center hold". The term "six o'clock hold" is like Krogen portrayed in Post #15.

All of that being said, IMHO, with the rear sight bottomed out you should be hitting the center of the bull at 25 yds with a center hold. I still have to wonder whether your rear sight has been changed out (it only takes removing one and loosening another screw) for one with a lower sight blade. Even if it hasn't, already been changed, I would suggest it would be easy enough for you to change it out for a taller one. This is an easy fix that would be just as easily reversible, and it sounds like you like this revolver and want to be able to shoot it with enjoyment.

Froggie

My preference is to sight in at 25 yards using the 6 o'clock hold with the point of impact the same as the point of aim, right at the bottom of the black, with the sights set near the center of their travel. That way there is always some adjustment available either way. For a .22 this would be with the standard 40 grain hi velocity load.

__________________
Richard Gillespie
FBINA 102