I haven’t cleaned it yet, but I had to take some photos. I’ve been thinking about this gun all week while the wife and I were visiting her parents in northern Michigan. I saw it advertised on a local gun owners forum and we just happened to be going right past the sellers house on the way up north! We settled on a price, but the seller hadn’t registered it yet , so he couldn‘t legally sell it (he inherited it from his Grandfather). He wouldn’t take any money as a deposit and a lot can go wrong in a week, but it didn’t! He got it registered while I was playing golf, or eating, or sitting by the lake and I nabbed it on the way home! There’s no waiting period here if you have a CPL (just thought I’d share that with our friends from CA)!

Both cylinders and both extractors are numbered to the gun and the box is marked on the side and bottom in grease pencil. No instruction sheet or warranty, but oh well!

Model 53


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"I also cook."

Beautiful package! I don't know how you slept for that week! I'd have laid awake every night, thinking about it, praying it would still be there and for sale, on the way back! Congrats!

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Misty

That baby looks brand spankin new! Beautiful!

Congrats,

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

very purty. going to shoot it? they are addictive.

You have to shoot that at least once. Each individual has their own experience. It's a BLAST.
I was gifted some vintage factory ammo from a friend and all though having been told what would happen it sure is different than being told about it.
DW
My poor example.

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"NUTS"

I'm not sure that I could ever bring myself to shoot that one. It's beautiful. -S2

No waiting period on CA with a C&R and a Certificate of Eligibility.

A very nice Jet package you snagged there, the whole enchilada with beans and rice! It looks really nice. My Model 53 is a shooter, didn't come with any goodies and looks the part of a shooter too. It pretty much goes to the range with me whenever I'm going for a plinking session.

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Non illegitimae carborundum

That is sweet! I have a similar package, but my second cylinder represents a later acquisition and is not numbered to the gun. My gun shipped originally with only the Jet cylinder.





Mine is K474491, also a four screw, shipped May of 1963. I was just about to graduate from high school, so when I picked this up last year I considered it a belated graduation present.

S&WChad, I don't think I have your email address. If you'll send it to me by PM, I'll scan and send you the instructions and parts list.

David Wilson

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David Wilson

That is one fine looking pistol congrats. I am jealous.

Very Cool Chad - nice score!

That has to be the best condition and most complete Mod 53 I've ever seen. The vapor paper is still folded!
I don't care WHAT you paid for that, you got a deal.

Great looking Purchase - Congratulations

I'm a little confused....is the second cylinder for 22 mag? Cause it should be IIRC 22 remington jet with a second cylinder for 22LR? When I clicked the thread I thought it would be a model 48. I was told you could get 3 cylinders with the model 53, 22 mag, 22 LR, 22 jet. Very nice gun btw.

The model 53 is called the .22 Magnum, but it is chambered in .22 Jet and .22 LR. I don't believe the factory ever offered a cylinder in .22 WMR, but such cylinders exist as after-market modifications.

At the moment I am experimenting with reaming out a set of inserts to allow use of .22 WMR. I'll let you all know how that works out, but it may be a few weeks because time is in short supply these days.

David Wilson

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David Wilson

don't waste the inserts. been tried many times in the past and doesn't work worth a hoot. bore diameter for 22lr and jet is .222. bore diameter for 22rimfire mag is .224.

Nice package! I wonder if the seller knew how valuable the tapered swabs are and kept it, or if the package never had it when he/she acquired it?

Regarding the "Magnum" issue, the Model 53 is the "real" .22 Magnum. It even says so on the barrel! Remington labeled the cartridge boxes ".22 Remington "Jet" Magnum," but I think the ammunition catalog officially labeled the cartridge the ".22 Remington Center Fire Magnum." I will have to dig out an early Remington catalog to be sure.

A Model 48 says something like ".22 M.R.F." on the barrel, which is kind of silly since there is no such thing. The name of the rimfire cartridge is actually ".22 Winchester Rimfire Magnum," or ".22 WMR."

Rechambering a .22 rimfire Model 53 cylinder to .22WMR would use up one of the remaining valuable .22 rimfire conversion cylinders, and to what point? I cannot imagine pushing a .224-inch bullet down a .222-inch bore would be a good thing, and the .22 Jet will out-perform it for less money (assuming reloading).

I have seen a Model 53 with auxillary cylinders chambered for both .22 LR (came with the man's revolver) and a .22 LR cylinder rechambered to .22 WMR. The fellow that had it said he had returned his then-new Model 53 to S&W and paid to have another .22 LR cylinder fit to it. He then later rechambered it.

It shot about as well as he or I could shoot the .22 LR cylinder. Neither of us were expert marksmen and neither of us could shoot up to the potential of the gun, so the accuracy question remains unanswered, but the empties ejected just fine while the cylinder was clean (like most S&W rimfire revolvers) and there appeared to be no other problems with the additional conversion.

He said he wished he had just spent the money on a Model 48, as between S&W and the local gunsmith that did the job, he had a good part of the cost of a M-48 invested, but at the time he did it, M-48's were pretty scarce and he thought the versatility of the 3-round gun was a good idea.

We agreed that, in hindsight, it was most useful to a shooter with a very unusual ammo supply situation!

S&WChad, that IS a very nice gun! Great find!

I'm going to bring this back from the dead

Dave that is gorgeous! and a rare SAT to boot

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Kris
OGCA, NRA LM

Nice catch sir. She looks like she's new.
Make sure you use plugs and muffs when you shoot that one.

Way cool. 604 numbers from my K 444444. I need a mint box. My M53 is unfired. Big Larry

Nice outfit. Looks like you still need the tapered mop and red warning tag. Hard to find.

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Dick

There was a SWCA member who had a 4" 3 cylinder gun. I think it was Steve Jaynes from VA. It had been his uncles gun and he was selling it.

My views on the Jet are mixed. I like it with the Jet cylinder and my reloads. While I have a bunch of factory ammo, I refuse to shoot it. Its kind of worthless with the 22 LR cylinder in place, I have plenty of K22s that I prefer. The inserts are a waste. Its just a pain to dump them and then punch out the empties. 22 Mag ammo is outrageous in cost. Anything it will do, the Jet will do better, and you can load it to your own desires. Even with lead bullets.

We have a number of reloaders here on the forum who use .224 bullets with reportedly good results. I've still got about 600 .222 Hornady bullets, and I've heard others who use Hornet .223 with results they like.

Jet shooters (or just owners) are a cult. I belong to that cult, and I love it.

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Dick Burg

So did all factory Jets that came originally with factory LR cylinders have the last 3-digits on them? What if you sent the whole gun back for adding a new cyl.? Did Smith put the 3-digits on those cylinders?

My 6" 53 is very accurate with the LR cylinder. Its kind of fun to have a K-22 with an ejector shroud and ramped front site.

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Jim
Many K and N Frames

Thank you all for the kind words. Old thread, but the gun's still in my collection!

The cylinder actually has all six digits stamped on the back, you just can't see it because of all the dust. Look counter-clockwise between the two chambers.

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"I also cook."