A few years ago,you couldn't visit the forum without seeing a thread involving the iconic rimfire revolver. Seems that everybody was extolling their virtues,showing off their new acquisition,or desperately seeking to add one to their collection. Lately,not so much. Today,everybody is all atwitter over the preferred choice for concealed carry. Lack of availability of .22 lr ammo aside,what are your thoughts?
f.t.

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South Carolina-God's country

given what prices have done lately a lot of them are losing appeal, to me at least. I still enjoy reading and looking but I have no desire to buy anymore "collectable" smiths.

Prices along with trends. In the last few days I noticed more topics about the model 28. All of a sudden people are trading into them, buying them, exploring their options to buy one. It will all come around

I acquired mine years ago at reasonable prices.......

Today if you can find one the prices are...... just WOW!!!!

Most of us don't let them go once we get them..

The lack of .22lr and a hard winter has cut into my recreational shooting.....

I'm still really glad to have my K-22s and Model 17 in the safe...

Just not much to write about the past 6months!

Bobby-
1) They aren't black
2) They aren't plastic
3)They aren't tacti-cool
But some of us old men still enjoy owning and shooting them.

It's just a tend. I remember going through the registered magnum craze, the model 27 craze the model 520 craze, the HD craze and the model 17 craze to name but a few. During the height of each, there were countless threads on them, we got into a feeding frenzy and drove prices up as we bought and sold, then it wore off and we moved on to the next gun. We are now whipped up in the frenzy of small carry guns. The way I see it, if I want to sell my , say 620 at a premium price, I'll start some threads on it and about how great it is, whip up the forum into a feeding frenzy and then put that sucker up for sale in the classifieds at top dollar. We is our own worst enemy

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Forum consigliere

what are your thoughts?

Put one for sale and see what happens

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Paul
S&WCA #2726

Sold most of mine but still have two-- the second one acquired some time back for $50.00 because it was 'broke'??-- I 'fixed' it by installing a new rebound spring, and while it isn't a collectors gun, it will do fine after I have Fords Nickel it and install a gold bead front sight-- Have a smooth set of Rosewood targets, and a pair of Ivories standing by in the box-- it came with some after market plastic stocks, someone wanted them for $45 bucks

So true.....

It just takes someone to start a "good" thread!

And away we go.....

I have this model 19 that is absolutely the most accurate 357 on the planet. Anyone ever shoot a model 19 with a 6" barrel? It's like a laser beam. Just point it in the general direction and it seems to find the target.

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That's just somebody talkin.

I only have 2.5 and 4 inch 19s....... they shoot really well but not like a "laser beam"....... need to get me one, or two of those ....... and price will be no object!!!!!

Okay, How much do you want for it?

Can't sell it. It's priceless.

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That's just somebody talkin.

I sold mine a few months back. A nice four-digit late 40s specimen. I needed the money. I found myself shooting my Model 63 or my Ruger .22/.45 when I shot rim fire. Mine was a great gun with some finish issues, and I didn't have too much in it. I sold it to a member here. I made just a little, and he got a heck of a deal on a great shooter. All is well.

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Georgia On My Mind

Can't really put this aside, it's the reason for it.

With .22 the way it is you may as well go shoot a .38

22LR at .10 a round isn't bad. Just not a cheap as we remember.

Beer isn't .25 a can either or .35 for a tall one.

Still fun time shooting. Always puts a smile on my face whether I'm shooting a revolver or semi.

When I see a K 22 for sale, and see the price that folks want for them. My question is, why wouldn't I buy a "bigger" caliber gun with readily available ammo, for the same price or cheaper. I have thousands of rounds of .22 ammo, so lack of ammo isn't an issue for me. But the price of a .22 revolver shouldn't be close to $800 for a shooter.

Not worthless, Bruce. I'd give a hundred apiece for them. PM me with payment instructions. R

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Randy
Provenance nerd

Remember hearing a story of Mikhail Kalashnikov telling someone to remove all that "trash" off his fine Kalashnikov.
There was a beauty and excellence about it that served its purpose and had no need of tacticool devices. It had a simplicity about it that was beautiful.
Such is the K-22. That will never change.
Now they are making 22LR semi-auto rifles that look like the AK-47.

How about a nice AK for those two old K-22s?

At one time I had 20 K22s. I lost them and all of my other guns and ammo in a tragic boating accident!

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Tom
NRA Pistol Inst

Also 34's & 63's are all north of $900. 2" mdl's. even higher. Glad I got mine way back when.

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S&W Accumulator

No way my online dealer sells them as fast as he lists them. He just sold one for $900. He had them in pristine NIB condition for $1,500 there gone. Funny he had like six I think for years for sale. They all sold within a month. They became sought after and still are.

I purchased one that had some light freckling spots. The simi-chrome polish removed the dried oil. My k38 masterpiece target and my combat masterpiece had dried oil too. I cleaned off the bottom of my shoes there lookers now.

I don't think that the interest is gone, it's just that there aren't all that many on the market at any one time. If the price is right and I have the money, I will buy every one that come my way.

But then again I could care less what the latest trend is. I like pretty nearly all early Smiths.

I would love to have one.

There's no way in hell I can afford one, but the lust is there.

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Oh well, what the hell.

Who wants a .22 when You can have a .44?

Like Ga Johnny said above, I love the K-22s, but the prices are now out of reach for me, as a lot of Smiths seem to be these days.

I bought this 1948 K-22 Masterpiece below some 20 years ago for a reasonable price. The K-22 Outdoorsman above I bought a couple of years ago and that price was right too. Perhaps the price will come down some now that the interest has cooled off a bit.

They are both a joy to shoot though!

I do!

bdGreen

Duly noted.

It's hard to make a meal out of just Squirrel noses and tails !!!!

Think I'll stick to a .22

Me too.

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

And that's what I do.

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That's just somebody talkin.

When 22 ammo gets back to normal (supply and price)they will be back more in demand.

I doubt that either the price or availability will ever come back to where it was, before Sandy Hook. I do believe this IS the new normal. I heard people say that it'd take 6 months to a year for the .22 ammo supply to get back to normal, that was 4 years ago and it hasn't happened yet. As far as prices go, suppliers are used to getting twice as much for the same product, why would they take any less? Just like the oil companies do. JMO

Around here .22 ammo is still pretty much non-existent. The only shop I've actually seen a reasonable supply on the shelves (past noon when all of the "early-bird" hoarders have been through) was asking $12.99 for a 50 rd. box of CCI SV.

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Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

Over the years I have bought and sold many S&W 22LR revolvers and I still have 3 left. Those were the days as late as 6 years ago when a very nice example was around $500. Those days are gone and now I have a 617 no dash with 4 inch barrel, a Model 17-4 with 8 3/8 inch barrel, and a Model 18-4. That plus a S&W M&P 22 round out my 22LR pistol collection.

I have plenty of 22LR ammo and I like to shoot my 22LR handguns at the range but my interest in acquiring more has passed. I sold my K22, 17-1, 18-3, and (2) 17-3's to fund other gun purchases.

I'm not sure either way if the 22LR ammo situation is slowing down interest in the K22/17 revolvers or if the frenzy has just run it's course. I also think the high prices are putting a damper on the sale of these because $800 shooters is too high a price for me and I'm sure many others.

17-4


18-4


617 No Dash


S&W M&P 22

I never could see spending as much money for a lowly 22 as for a centerfire,but last year I came across a pre 18 with a little wear and rubber grips for $500.I had no idea what I had been missing .I finally sprung for a nice set of sharp shouldered magnas for it.

The K-22,17s,18s and 617s are the "centerfire class" revolvers of .22s

I don't think shooting 22rf in a handgun will ever go out of style, and the K22 is the best platform for shooting it.
617-6

Mod 34-1

Mod 63-1

Mod 17-4

3rd Mod Single Shot

K22CM (Pre 18)

K22 Outdoorsman


So far I haven't run out of ammo to feed these yet, but would like to see the ammo prices come back down so I could aford to replace what I'm shooting up.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I am afraid the new normal supply wise is unknown but you don't see any of the manufacturer's rushing to rectify the problem do you.
As far as the new normal price wise I have come to accept it for being .10 per round plus shipping on average, it makes life much easier than to grouse about something you can't control unless by doing so you elect to just not buy.

I agree with this 100%.The Days of walking into any Wal-Mart and getting a Brick of .22LR for $20 are over.As long as People pay $50 a Brick the flippers will be in line every morning waiting to buy all the .22LR.

Sorry for the Thread drift Bobby

Thanks .22 shortage, I am now back into shooting .32 hr mag for my plinking round. I can reload a box of 50 for under $4.50 (excluding the brass, which gets recycled). I find my 32's more fun to shoot at this cost, even if it means more time on the reloading bench.

So to relate this back to the original post, my .22's are spending more and more time idle. Sorry, but there is a direct correlation to the ammo shortage, at least for me.

But, no need to start a 16-4 thread, I won't be selling either of mine any time soon.

I recently sold my K22 LERK in 99% because I wanted the money for something else and it was too nice to shoot. I'm down to one now, a pre 18 and it's too nice to shoot too!

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Get off my lawn!

Yeah. The only ones in MA that have come even close to my poor old retired man's budgetary cost range are all heavily worn and/or damaged in some way. Last one that came close had a corroded cylinder. To get anything reasonably nice in a K-22 Masterpiece, I'd have to pay close to $1K.

That said, a couple have popped up recently that I intend to check out. Maybe I'll get lucky this time.

The ammo companies have seen what we are willing to pay for 22lr. Does anyone really believe they will lower the prices back? No way!! Like everything else when there is a demand some companies take advantage of it. And the ones that don't eventually raise their prices too.

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Tom
NRA Pistol Inst

Lately I've been buying 22 LR for .05-.06 cents a round. Not the old days but not bad.

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Get off my lawn!

I have a strong desire to acquire a K22/17. However the prices seem to be soaring to me, the K38's and 14's seem to be less. It is frustrating to have to pay todays prices on 22 ammo! That likely takes the edge off of ownership of any 22 in todays world.

Those are some really fine looking shooting pieces being shown on this thread, very nice.
Karl

The 22's are very nice collectible guns can't remember the last time I shot a 22. Much rather shoot a 38 or 357.i Like the 32 h&r mag too but honestly if I ever needed a gun for self defense around here I wouldn't grab a 22. Wish I had a k22 but mine are working guns. Then again the 22's are not touted in this thread for self defense

You are on track and the Model 28 is the best example. Don't get me wrong, it is a great gun, but when all of it's virtues were extolled it soon was bringing near 27 prices.

On the 17 issue, I did not shoot hardly any 22 LR for the last 3 years. I did shoot 3 Armadillos with my 22 Masterpiece. Now with the 100 bucks a brick stuff I'll probably just club them.

Do the math.

2x .22= .44

Kind of reminds me of the appeal of the Colt single actions over the years. The desire to own one and the prices have gone back and forth to the point that Colt stopped making them and then reintroduced them again and they are still being bought.
Markets change over the years/decades and the desire to own an original K-22 will always be strong in my opinion.
We can all say "I'm glad I bought mine when I did I only paid so and so".
But we could buy one today at today's prices and say the same thing in ten years.