I never quite got why people so love their K-22 revolvers.

A K-frame for shooting 22LR? Seemed like a LOT of gun for such a pipsqueak round. Heck, the J-frame or even a palm-sized semi-auto is more than enough gun for 22's, right?

That last part is still true, BUT, I now understand the attraction for the K-22, after my first trip to the range with my newly-acquired M17-3.

I'm no great pistolero, but here is my last 8" target of the day with the M17. Shot 18 rounds at 7 yards, single action, with a 2-handed grip. This is the closest I have ever come to one ragged hole. 11 of them in one 3/4" hole and the other 7 grouped around them within a 2-inch circle.

Like I said, I'm no great pistol marksman. But I think that's probably the best I've ever done with a gun the first time taking it to the range. I LIKE IT!

P.S. I added a couple of pictures of the gun for good measure.

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Congratulations

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Good grouping , now keep moving back. Shoot next group at 12 yards then try15. Finally try a few at 20 yards.

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Markham

Oh absolutely! this one will get lots of time at the range and the more I practice with it the farther I plan to shoot it. Gotta work up to it.

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And don't be afraid of trying that gun in double action. You will improve quickly if you keep at it.

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My sgntr is mor thn 30 chrctrs

Years ago, when I bought my first one-line-address K-22 Masterpiece, I took it to the range a couple days later. I set up the target frame at 20 paces. Then, standing, with a two hand Weaver stance, I fired five times single action. Checked my target and I could cover the five holes with a quarter. I was impressed!

I had owned two or three K-22 revolvers prior to that, but never before had I shot one that performed as well as that gun. I have had a few others since then, including a couple one-liners. But I have never been able to quite duplicate that target again with any of my K-22s. I later sold that revolver to a friend, and he told me it was the best shooting revolver he'd ever owned.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

Yeah, I shot some double action too, just not as well...

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Nice find the actions on these are sweet. That’s Purdy. Be careful these can be habit forming. The colt officers target revolver is built on the larger 41 frame, then there’s the h&r 22 revolvers but look around there are some still affordable. Over Johnson is another one but I haven’t seen any. I think that h&r made the highest number of different models.

H&R Firearms - Wikipedia

I shoot every handgun at 25 yds. We must realize when the bullet first leaves the barrel it drops then climbs. I’m thinking the 22 lr is pretty much stabilized at 25 yds. Just my thoughts. I shoot handguns at the smaller rocks at the 100 yd berm after our shoot at 25 yds is over.

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Plant garlic in the fall

Historically, S & Ws first .22 target revolver was the Hand Ejector (aka Ladysmith); if you have ever handled one, it is a wee bit small for formal work.

They next made the .22/32 "Heavy Frame" Target or Bekeart. Better but still a small grip frame and difficult to manage.

The sweet spot is probably the K-22 with the heavy barrel like yours. An 8 3/8" full lug K frame .22 is probably a bit much on the far end.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Nice! K frame .22’s are a pleasure to shoot.

To paraphrase Col. Townsend Whelen, “Only accurate <guns> are interesting”.

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"I also cook."

What's the story on why you bought it?

You say you didn't get the attraction ... but something made you buy it.

The first gun I ever shot was likely the 1955 K-22 up in my safe so I've always understood the attraction.

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Congratulations. I think you will find that it will become a favorite.

I bought a Model 17-3 around 1975 and spent many hours shooting it along the Canadian River in Texas. I have said many times that it is my favorite S&W, probably because your can do a LOT of economical shooting ..... then don't have to do any ammo reloading! I still have it. I recently added a Model 18 "no dash" so the 17 would have a sibling!

...I don't know...the M35 I have is a joy to shoot...but it is kinda small...

That said if one is just going to have one DA .22 revolver a K-frame Model 18 or 17 is about impossible to beat...

Bob

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The general shooting public tends to look askance at large expensive .22's. The caliber is associated mostly with "cheap" guns. I guess since the ammo is cheap?

But each shooter has their own preference as to weight and balance. The "lowly" .22 can be extremely accurate. A .22 of such a configuration for the shooter is every bit the joy of the same thing in a larger caliber if not more! If the K22 works for you, a Model 14 should. You might have found your niche.

That's where mine is. Any 6" K or N framed S&W revolver without an underlug on the barrel. Sadly I do not have a Model 17. But if I ever run into one in person at a decent price I will. Until that day I'll have to suffer with a couple of larger autos for .22.

Very nice!!

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Nice revolver. Just remember, the K22 (much like the K32 and K38) was built for serious one-handed bullseye pistol shooting out to 50 yards!

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So very true! I think it's also the image the the lowly 22 as a kid's gun. Often the firearms chambering it were inexpensive or downright cheap. Ammo is (was....) cheap. Many of us grew up with a 22 and moved up to bigger and better guns. So we thought. In my 20's the bigger the recoil, blast, smoke and flames, the more fun it was. A full load of 296 in a 44 Mag or 357 Mag was a hoot. I had to get myself a .458 Win. No need for the lowly 22. A kid's cartridge.

Older (certainly) and wiser (debatably) I've come full circle. I'm enamored with high end 22s. I harass myself by shooting weekly Bullseye matches. We go indoors in the winter and it's 22 only. I shoot long range silhouette out to 200 m with a 22 rifle, prone. There's something intriguing about that dinky cartridge in a well-made, precision firearm.

The 22 remains a great teaching cartridge as well. Good way to bring a newbie into our culture. A fond memory is being at the club one day when a guy and his girlfriend showed up. He was shooting a blaster. She was interested in it but looked terrified. She wanted to try shooting but was scared. I got her to have a look at my Model 17. I shot a few rounds and she saw how little drama there was. Showed her the lowly little 22 cartridge. I showed her how to dry fire and she tried that. Then I got her to hold my hand while I fired a round. "Want to give it a try?" Her grin said it all. She did fine for a newbie; hit the paper at 25 yds. That set the hook. On their way out, she told the boyfriend she wanted to go shopping for a 22.

Lots of good things to say about the lowly 22.

First gun I ever purchased when I turned 21 was a new in box K-22. Taught myself to shoot handguns well with that gun. Used to shoot cans off of a stone wall at 100 yds with it. Sold that one and at least two other 5 screws over the years, wanting something else more. Several years ago I walked into a LGS and spotted a 1948 5 screw in excellent condition in the case and purchased it for $375 as I recall. This one will stay with me for the duration.

What's really fun is - if you have access to a 100 yard berm, is clay birds laid upon that.
A good ol' K22 will bust them all day long with ammo it likes.
The rest depends on the shooter.

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SWCA #2275

Love my old K-22, gets shot every range trip. Incredibly accurate!

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SWCA #2817

Going back to a recent “if you could only have one” post, I think a K-22 would be it.

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Mark

The bullet is dropping the second it exits the barrel. It doesn't climb after dropping.
You are referring to the bullets path in relation to the sighting line, which is straight.

^^^What he said!^^^. The bullet doesn’t drop then rise, it starts out in whatever direction it leaves the barrel and is steadily dropping (from its initial angle of travel) but if it is angled upward initially it just doesn’t continue to go upward as much. There are many ways this phenomenon is described, but the laws of physics would not allow a bullet to turn around and increase its upward trajectory without the addition of more energy.

Froggie

On our local gun forum there was a guy advertising about a dozen guns that he had inherited.

Two of them were S&W revolvers, this K-22 and an older M43. Both of them are all original, with some honest holster wear. He had both of them listed for $550 each for a couple of weeks and I made him an offer of $900 for the pair. He took it so they came home with me.

I wanted to see why the K-22s are so popular, and figured if I didn't like either of them I could probably sell them and at least get my money back. Now that I've shot it, I'm pretty sure this one has a permanent home with me.

In fact, I'll probably keep them both, but I may sell my much higher condition M43 now that I have another shooter-grade one to plink with. Maybe.

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My M 17, yea shooting is great.....

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Only difference Fool/Mule-ears

I love my 17-3 6” . Im not a bad shot, not a competition master..
I was blown away when I could reliably hit a 15” plate at 100 yards ( single action ) . Ill never let this gun go.. plus given ammo prices in general, I can enjoy this for hours for a few bucks ��

There is a reason that S&W has sold 40 bazillion k-22's of various types and has been making the same basic gun from 1931 to 2020. Nobody doesn't like a K-22

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Jim
Many K and N Frames

Kinda like the old commercial jingle eh?
Remember "Nobody doesn't like Sarah Lee!"?

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FINALLY! A use for the double negative!

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

K22s make better shooters out of many of us....

Robert

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Robert
SWCA #2906, SWHF #760

My 617 would be one of the last guns I'd ever part with. It's tack-driver accurate and just a hoot to shoot. It doesn't matter what I bring to the range ... the 617 always comes along.

OP,
You need to get your hands on a K38.

I used to shoot the NRA National Match (bull's eye) course with my K22. I am convinced that any short comings in my scores were due to my skills and not the revolver.

My buddy Jack fired his K38 out of a Ransom rest at a 50 yard target. Jack was pretty fussy about his hand loads. I was pretty amazed at the results.

Yup. Try a pop can at 50 yards DA. You might surprise yourself.

I've long been a fan of the K-22 family. My stable of guns includes these beauties. Besides being quite accurate, they also make excellent stand-ins for K-frame centerfires, particularly for double action shooting. What's not to like?

John

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I bought mine to have an example of the old skool S&W polish & bluing to fondle. It shoots nice but I have to brush out the chambers every few cylinders.

My favorite .22 is a Second Model K22 Masterpiece 22/40 that I have. The combination of the non-ribbed barrel and the more modern Micrometer sights are perfection in my opinion.

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John. SWCA #1586

I saw a lot of white paper going to waste there... and that’s a good thing!, now buy up a bunch of decent 22 ammo and keep practicing until you can do that single action with one hand at 25 yards, then you will really begin to appreciate what that K22 was built to do.

It, and its brethren in 32 and 38 were designed to eat the center out targets in old fashioned Bullseye events. Casual shooters can get a glimpse of their inner beauty, and the more seriously you shoot them, the better they respond, and the more you love them.

Froggie

It’s tough to beat a K22. I think the Ruger MkIV comes close for range fun, but no cigar from this revolver enthusiast. It’s amazing how much quieter the revolver is vs the auto. I’ve never shot CB’s in a K22 (simply bc I've never seen it on a shelf), but based on my experience with long rifle, I doubt I’d even notice if the gun went off.

Here’s my latest K22 acquisition from late last year.

My 17-3 was the best gun money I ever spent. Beautiful, accurate and just a joy to shoot, hold and own. 20th century American craftsmanship at its best.

Congratulations on discovering the secret of the K22/17. Now you need to be on the lookout for a companion K38/14.

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