Hey ! Hi guys ! New to the site and had a question about a kit gun 22 LR. The serial # starts with a G and I am thinking it is probably a 1974 or a 75. Not sure but it is 34-1 and was handed down through Family. Any info would be appreciated I do not think you can fire anything except 22 LR in this weapon ? Forgot to say keep safe and remember the 2nd !

Welcome! Have a look at the bottom of the grip frame and give us the numbers there, and if there is the letter M in front.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Alan is correct (as usual) about the serial number. None of them started with a G. You are probably looking at a process number in the yoke area. Most likely your Kit Gun will have an M prefix (or none at all).

As for ammunition, I personally don't shoot anything but .22 LR ammo out of my S&W rimfire revolvers (except, of course, my Model 48). But there is no reason you could not fire .22 Short or the nearly worthless .22 Long in your gun. The only issue is that, if you do use the shorter cartridges, you need to make sure you scrub the charge holes well after each use, so you don't get a lead buildup, which would eventually prevent chambering the Long Rifle ammo.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

Just for the fun of it, here is a pic of two of my .22/32 Kit Guns. The nickel plated one is a 34-1. The other one is too early to have a model number. These are very enjoyable guns to own and shoot.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

Welcome to the forum!

Be sure to post pics of it.

Here is my 34-1. They shoot great. Loads of fun. They will shoot shorts, LR or buckshot.

Again, Welcome to the forum.

Attached Images

34-1 S&W.jpg (89.1 KB, 51 views)

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But then, what do I know?

To the OP, I hope you will enjoy your Kit Gun as much as I have mine. I've had a Md 63 since 1979 and finally got a 34 just this year.

Jack,
I always enjoy and appreciate your posts. The one quoted here piqued my interest. You said the .22 Long is nearly worthless. Could you elaborate on why that is? I have nine 22 rimfire handguns and am currently trying to determine what the best type of 22 to use in each. I was advised over in the ammo section of this forum by several members that my S&W revolvers (Mds 17, 18, 34, 63) can use any 22, Short, Long, Long Rifle and High Velocity. My other 22s are all semi autos and there were no recommendations for Longs for any of them. Not even for my Colt Pre Woodsman from the 1920s. What's up with the Long?

I also apologize for the thread drift, but it did seem to be appropriate for this thread.

And here's a pic of my Model 34-1

Sure. It is a reasonable question.

The .22 Long rimfire cartridge, to the best of our knowledge, was introduced in 1871 using a 29 grain bullet pushed by a charge of very fine black powder. Later, it was loaded with smokeless powder. But it is an obsolete cartridge that really has no excuse for its continued existence. It was superseded by the .22 Long Rifle (with its 40 grain bullet) well over a century ago. In modern loads, the .22 Long splits the velocity difference between the .22 Short and the .22 Long Rifle. Many tests have also shown that the .22 Long is inherently less accurate than current loads for the .22 Long Rifle. It is very difficult to identify any need for such a cartridge.

The .22 Short was, for very many years, the preferred load for gallery guns, which gave it a long and useful life. It continues to have a place in the rimfire lineup, since it makes little noise and is useful for the elimination of small pests; birds, gophers, rats and the like. It also makes for a cheap plinking load, especially where noise is a consideration. Any and all other uses for a .22 caliber rimfire cartridge are more than adequately filled by the .22 Long Rifle.

I have no idea why CCI still makes the .22 Long. I'm not aware of any other company still producing this cartridge, and for good reasons.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

IIRC buckshot comes in ranges from .24 caliber for No. 4 buck to .38 caliber for four-ought buck with the most popular buckshot being 00 buck which has a nominal pellet diameter of .33 caliber.


Isnt even .24 buck shot too big for a .22 caliber barrel.....?

Yes. I'm certain he meant "birdshot."

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

They are neat little pieces. I was not looking at all but picked this one up a couple of months ago for a song. It is a bit of a PITA to extract cases from though.

The Model 34 is a great little plinker and makes a great trainer for novices before trying the larger caliber j frames as well... enjoy.

The .22 long was chambered in several early Winchester repeating rifles. For owners of the Win. Model 1890 (thousands made) chambered for the .22Long (only)the CCI version is very much appreciated. There are a lot of these rifles still around. Then there is the .22 Long CB cap. Very usefull for those wishing to use the very quiet CB cap but wanting a round that fills the standard .22LR chamber, so there is no burnt powder build up in the chamber. The .22 Long still has uses IMHO.

Boxhead: The extraction problem in your Kitgun can probably be eased by only shooting it with DRY chambers, that is no oil in the chambers. I have found this to be true with many of the older Kitguns (Model 34's) that I now own and previously owned. Just re-oil the cylinder chambers when finished shooting. Give it a try. The Model 34's are great shooters.

don't mean to hi-jack the OP thread but maybe this can be an all around info thread for the 34-1. I picked this little jewel up the other day. unfortunately, the original grips are gone. i want to get as close as possible though with replacements. with a serial of 125xxx,would this be a 1967(diamonds) or a 1968(non-diamonds).thanks all