Which one is generally most highly regarded? Thanks, Dennis

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S&W M60-15 Pro 3", M69 2.7"

I have only owned two, a 48 and a 650. Still have the 650. One of the loudest handguns I own. It loves Remington 33 grain ammo.

Not sure as to the definition of "most highly regarded" as it probably varies from person to person..but the one that seems to bring the Biggest money is the 651 with an extra Long Rifle cylinder.

Pretty sure I have owned all the Smith .22 Magnums in all the barrel lengths except the 648 as full underlug guns just don't do anything for me. Of the ones I have owned The 4" 651 and the 4" 48 have been the ones I have liked the best. Currently own a 70s vintage 4" 48 with the extra cylinder and while not a 651 also own a 63 no- that had a 651 cylinder installed.

Someone did a great job on the sights...Patridge front blade with white dot and two dots on the rear blade..




Someone customized this gun with a red ramp front sight blade, 50s vintage hammer and 80s vintage Combat Wide trigger... I added the 50s vintage grips to replace the Combats that came on it. When I got it the Long Rifle cylinder looked unfired...






Bob

351PD here.

My 48 is a steed.......

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Go big or stay home

If ease of carry is not a concern the 8 3/8" model 48 take the best advantage of the .22WMR round. Balances suprisingly well too.

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Jim
Many K and N Frames

Well I own a lot of S&W 22LR revolvers so for me it's hard to pick my highest regarded 22LR revolver. In terms of accuracy it would have to be my 8 3/8 inch barrel 17-4 that shoots like a rifle.

For a S&W its my little 351PD. Non S&W would be my blued 4 5/8 inch Ruger Single Six, a SA tack driver.

My model 48, from 1959, is a great shooter, and it seems to fit in quite well with the rest of my little collection.

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Why, I aughta.....

Gee lots of great info here you may have swayed me instead of a ruger single six with a 9 1/2" barrel to a S&W with he 8 3/8" barrel. Now my stupid question is does S&W offer a convertible double action revolver in 22lr & 22wmr or are the seperate. Its just a difference if i purchase one or two S&W's. Thanks keep the info comming, BB

BB- S&W did fit some model 48's with a LR cylinder. You can buy a 48 and have a LR cylinder fitted to it. I don't think S&W will do this work anymore but it is an easy job for a qualified gunsmith. There are debates about accuracy of the LR round out of the mag barrel, but most seem to have decent accuracy.

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Jim
Many K and N Frames

I love S&W 22's and have been looking for a 8 3/8th bbl. M-48 for some time. That said, I have a mid 1980's vintage ruger Single Six Convertible with the 9 1/2 inch tube I purchased used for $239! It is very accurate with 40 grain WMR ammo and is a blast to shoot. Does well with the 22 LR cylinder too.

Occasionally, I see Model 48s for sale, on the standard gun sale sites, with the optional .22lr cylinder & extractor included. However, I don't recall seeing one for less $1,000.00 recently. But, they're out there. Keep watching.

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Why, I aughta.....

I have to say without a doubt that the Model 53 in .22 Rem Jet is my favorite .22 magnum. Talk about loud and accurate and fast! It's also the only S&W .22 with a shrouded ejector rod.

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The only one I have is my favorite. It's a tack driver with several types of ammo.

Getting a twin cylinder Model 48 isn't too hard but it will take some work. Usually one can find the gun one wants without too much trouble, but it will probably not have the second cylinder with it. That said, if one diligently watches GunBroker and eBay there are often Model 17 cylinders that come up. They can be easily fitted by any good Smith smith.

That is what I had done on my last two .22 Ks. One was a nice 6" 17 that I found cheap and the other was a 8 3/8" Model 48. I was able to find a Model 48 cylinder for the 17 and a Model 17 cylinder for the 48. A local smith trained at the S&W factory back in the 1970s and was easily able to fit and time the new cylinders.



Gotta say though as much as I love my 48s the Ruger Hunter with a 7.5" barrel has been a tack driver with both cylinders...and is easy to scope and unscope....just two screws...




Bob

Another vote for the 351PD! I only wish they would have made a target version with a 3 or 4" barrel.

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"You're messin' up my Zen"

LOVE my 351C.
I ordered the wood grips that come on the 351PD.
It's loaded with Hornady Critical Defense 45grain.
7 shots with: No weight. No recoil. No jam.
As powerful as a 380.

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